Chapter 7 : The Dangerous Test
Cloud entered the guild alongside Mr. Drake. They were now in a large hall with tall white walls that gleamed under dim lighting. On the four walls were small, oddly shaped machines, seemingly monitoring those who entered or performing complex functions that Cloud couldn't understand.
He froze in place, stunned by the unfamiliar scene. He had never seen anything like this before!
At the center of the hall stood what looked like a vehicle—like an impenetrable metallic fortress—covered in numerous buttons and switches. From its size, it was clear it could hold no more than two people at best.
Drake moved forward, leaving Cloud standing at the entrance of the hall, still trying to make sense of the strange structure before him.
Drake stood before the machine and placed his hand on a raised metallic panel. A faint green light glowed, and a blue screen appeared in front of him. He quickly entered a series of numbers, then pressed a single button at the bottom of the screen.
The machine responded. Its door opened with a cold mechanical hiss, followed by a burst of thick gray steam. The interior resembled a small metal room, with a single chair in its center.
"Come here," Drake said, gesturing for Cloud to approach.
Cloud hesitated for a moment, but then gathered his courage and stepped toward the machine. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or what awaited him, so he felt deeply uneasy.
"Get in."
This time, he didn't hesitate. He entered the machine and sat on the only chair inside. He nervously examined his surroundings, then looked at Drake, who was still busy adjusting other settings.
Drake spoke reassuringly as he tossed a small red ball toward him:
"Ah, don't look at me like that. All you need to do is hold on for as long as you can. If it becomes too much, just throw this ball, and you'll be out immediately."
Cloud caught the ball, and in the next instant, the door of the machine closed shut.
As soon as the door closed, Cloud's vision went dark. Everything around him turned black for a moment—and then suddenly, he found himself in a place of absolute darkness, as if the light had been drained from his world!
No sound. No sensation... Just nothingness.
Then, all at once, colors exploded before his eyes. Cloud found himself floating in space, his body as light as a feather, his eyes shifting within a vast, boundless universe. The stars sparkled like cold embers—distant, yet present, as if watching him.
His field of vision was narrow, as if someone had bound his eyes with a lens that allowed him to see only a sliver of the cosmos. He felt something tightening around his chest... there was no air, and with every breath, he gasped like a drowning man, reaching into the void as if trying to grab onto something—anything.
"What is this place, for heaven's sake?"
His words couldn't be heard, but it was like he was screaming inside his own head.
Suddenly, a strange red light tore through the darkness from afar, making him turn instinctively. There, deep in space, was a massive fireball, moving toward him at high speed, like an enraged beast coming to devour him.
At that very moment, he glimpsed behind him a massive green planet, pulsing with life, appearing as suddenly as the fireball had!
He was trapped—between merciless fire and an unknown world!
His heart pounded, his breath became erratic, and his thoughts grew heavier and heavier. He tried to move with all his might, pushing himself away from the path of the meteor, as if trying to escape an inevitable fate.
It was a scene that mirrored the terror of nature's raw power!
Boom!
The meteor pierced the planet's atmosphere, shaking the cosmos beneath him. Flames scattered across his vision, and rocks fell like comets, striking the ground and creating massive explosions that lit Cloud's face with fire—and fear.
Huge explosions erupted from the once-thriving green planet, engulfing it in a dance of blazing destruction, turning it into a hellish inferno that starkly contrasted its previous beauty!
At that moment, the small red ball slipped from Cloud's hand without him even realizing it...
---
"Ugh... that hurts," Cloud murmured as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyelids were heavy, as if something was holding them down and keeping him from seeing the light.
As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he found himself lying on a wide bed with a soft ivory-colored cover that smelled faintly of lavender. The pillows were silk, and the sheets caressed his skin with a gentleness he had never known before.
Knock... knock...
He heard a gentle knock, and the door opened. Edward appeared with his usual gentle smile and said to Cloud,
"You've finally woken up. You've been asleep for an entire day."
"A whole day?" Cloud replied in disbelief. But a sharp pain struck his head, and images began to flood his mind—he started to remember what had happened to him after entering the strange metallic machine.
"Where am I?" Cloud asked in a faint voice. But the answer shocked him completely.
"You're in the Earl's mansion!" Edward said, smiling softly as he pronounced the last two words.
End of Chapter.