Lord of The Stars

Both Jean and Akira said in unison:

"What have you chosen?"

"I'll choose the sloped path."

They were greatly surprised by his choice. Why would he choose the most difficult path at such a time?

Jean said, shaking her head disapprovingly:

"We shouldn't choose the hardest path. This could cost us our lives. Why did you choose it?"

Noor smiled confidently, saying:

"I have a plan. Don't worry, trust me. Now, are you with me?"

They hesitated a little and thought for a few seconds, then Jean made up her mind and said:

"I wouldn't have made it this far without you, so I'll follow you this time too."

Akira found no choice but to agree as well.

Noor asked Akira a question that had been bothering him for some time:

"Why don't you use your ability and pass through the gate?"

"Because I can't pass through objects and matter. I only move through empty space and air, so I can't go through this gate. I wish I could, it would be much easier for me."

Noor understood and ordered them to move quickly to obtain the keys as fast as possible. They noticed five paths among the trees on their right and five on their left, each path bearing a sign with its number. They headed to path number eight, entered it and began walking cautiously among the trees with apprehension, but there was nothing suspicious.

They reached what looked like a large house with a big closed gate. On the right side of the house was a sandy path about fifteen meters long with a button at the end to open the gate. The button was on a small rocky platform where one could stand away from the sand.

Noor asked them not to move until he understood the trick here, so they stayed put. He grabbed a large stone from the side of the path and threw it into the sand. The sand moved and swallowed it.

Noor sighed with disappointment, saying:

"It's quicksand."

Akira stepped forward, saying:

"This will be easy. I'll just teleport, press the button and return."

Noor felt this was too easy but told himself it was simple because they had someone with this ability; perhaps it would have been more difficult if Keno had been with them.

Akira teleported and pressed the button, opening the gate. Noor moved toward it, but as soon as Akira removed his hand from the button, the gate closed quickly.

Akira teleported and stood beside them, saying:

"My god, it seems one of us has to sacrifice and stay outside."

Noor was silent for a while, thinking and analyzing the situation. An idea flashed in his mind and he said:

"I have a plan."

Everyone prepared to execute the plan. Akira teleported through the air to the rocky platform by the button and placed his finger on it. Noor signaled him to press it, which he did quickly, then teleported through the air to be beside them again.

The gate began to close, but Jean stopped time, freezing the gate in place. Noor and Jean rushed through, followed by Akira, and when time resumed its natural flow, the gate closed behind them after they were inside the large house.

Akira said, feeling relieved:

"If it weren't for Jean's ability to allow those in her range to be unaffected by her time stop, I would have sat outside waiting for you."

They entered the large house with its old wooden door, finding themselves in a spacious circular room with four separate paths ahead.

Jean inspected them carefully and said:

"Each path must conceal one of the keys. It seems we'll have to split up, which terrifies me greatly."

Akira looked with a grim face at the dark paths and said apprehensively:

"I hope we don't encounter anything hideous in these dark corridors. I've had enough of the silly tricks planted in this accursed race."

Noor added, sweat beading on his forehead:

"I've grown pessimistic whenever I see a new path. Now we must hurry. I'll take the third path. Be extremely careful."

They bid each other farewell and each took their own path; Jean took the fourth, Akira the second, and they left the first empty—or so they thought.

Jean walked down the suspicious corridor adjusting her hat, examining the passage with fear and caution for five minutes until she reached its end where she found a wooden door waiting for her. She pushed it quietly while checking the medium-sized room ahead, and when she confirmed it was safe, she entered. While examining the room, she saw someone entering through another door at the far end of the room, and she was struck with fear and astonishment at the sight.

Akira walked down the corridor wondering what awaited him at its end, whether something horrible would happen as usual or if things would go smoothly. After five minutes of walking, he found a wooden door, pushed it and entered the room, his eyes widening with horror at what he saw in this unknown chamber.

Noor walked alone through the eerie corridor with its dim lights, hearing the echo of each step he took reverberating through the corridor that evoked a feeling of revulsion within its old, dilapidated walls, which indicated it was from a forgotten ancient era. He continued his path cautiously, his senses fully sharpened and ready for any change around him, carrying one of the swords he had crafted, having given one each to Jean and Akira before they left in case they needed them.

After minutes of walking without anything happening—no sound, no movement, not even a whisper—Noor saw an old wooden door. He approached it hesitantly and extended his hand to open it. The door creaked until it opened to reveal a medium-sized room, but what was in the room made Noor gasp loudly and step back in panic and concern. He saw his two friends bound inside glass cages, screaming for his help to get them out.

He gathered his strength and ran quickly inside to rescue them but felt something strange and stopped a quarter of the way. His eyes widened with horror and surprise, his body trembled and froze in place when he saw both Jean and Akira chained in iron shackles inside a glass cage, each sitting on a chair—Jean on the right and Akira on the left—looking toward the light with terrified faces and screaming loudly for his help.

Noor stood staring at them with a darkened face, his features tightly contorted. He sensed something terrible would happen soon. Indeed, he heard the voice of the mysterious man who had been speaking to him all along, returning with the same cold, indifferent tone:

"Hello, Mr. Noor. You missed me, didn't you?"

Noor felt a volcano erupting within him. Anger seized and possessed him as he shouted with intense rage:

"You scoundrel! If you touch a hair on their heads, I will kill you. I will search for you my entire life until I find you, and when I do, I will kill you in the most horrific way possible."

The voice let out a muffled, malicious laugh, then said:

"Believe me, Mr. Noor, even if you spent your whole life searching for me, you wouldn't find me easily, and if you did, it wouldn't be in your best interest. But enough talk now—time is running out. This test is simple. You will choose which of them lives and which falls below into the giant fish pool. There's a control device on your left, on the table at the end of the room. It has two buttons—the first for Jean and the second for Akira. Whom will you choose to continue the journey with you? You have five minutes. Choose wisely."

His words struck Noor like lightning. What he had feared upon seeing them had happened. Noor's anger intensified as he said in a caustic tone:

"You cursed devil! They bear no guilt in this. Why must one of them die this way? Why must they die by my choice rather than their own? Doesn't this race fundamentally depend on free will?"

"Yes, you're right. That's why one will survive if they convince you to choose them. Thus, they have the free will to select their words."

Noor felt profound anger and hatred rising from his depths. He wished to crush the speaker's head a thousand times against a thousand rocks, but he knew he had to accept the situation and follow the rules, or he would never escape. He paused to think, contemplating their terrified faces. He felt deep sorrow and furious anger at how things had deteriorated, as they had been so close to reaching the finish line.

Jean screamed, crying and shaking her body violently in an attempt to break free from the chains:

"Noor, choose me! I don't want to die here. It's true I don't remember anything about my life. but I don't want to die."

Akira interrupted her, shouting with a terrified face:

"No, please, help me. Remember that I saved you before, and she wouldn't have reached here if I hadn't helped you arrive. Remember this well. And also, what has this girl done for you? Her contribution to us was minimal—she can only use her power for a short time. I saved you, remember that."

Akira looked at Jean with hatred and intense loathing, his face filled with anger as he said:

"And I saved you too. when the big fish nearly devoured you both. You're indebted to me as well."