At the edge of the treeline, leading up towards a somewhat foggy mountain path close to the end of dusk, a lone figure climbed the shallow slope, heading into the forest. Around it, crickets buzzed loudly, while the last light of the sun bled out a bright red color before disappearing, causing the sky to blacken gradually. It was to be one of the darkest nights as the new moon was upon the land, making it invisible in the sky this time around.

  But someone was not bothered by the setting darkness. Walking without stopping, he looked like any other simple village boy at first glance. He was modestly built, maybe slightly underweight, dressed in practical traveling clothes. Still, unlike most wandering vagabonds, his black hair was well-kept, and his face carried a kind of sharpness that didn't quite match his young age. Most striking of all were his eyes, which were clear and clean, the sort of sharp blue that was akin to a pair of sapphires. Blinking his eyes once, he moved closer to the last crossroad, where a wooden sign was put up for anyone passing by, reaching the starting point, leading up the mountain.

  "Applicants must arrive before the end of the new moon. Late arrivals will not be considered."

  "I still have time, then," the boy clicked his tongue, looking up towards the mountain. "Not much though... but it should be enough," he sighed, brushing a strand of black hair from his forehead. "Good thing I left early! I would probably be cursed by the old man if I hadn't arrived in time..."

  He adjusted the small pack on his back, patted it once for reassurance, and took his first step into the woods, disappearing just as the setting sun's last light was snuffed out by the arriving night.

  ...

  ....

  ......

  The forest itself was thick and annoyingly loud. Birds screamed at each other for who knows why, sometimes interrupted by the hooting of owls, probably scolding the others for still being awake. Closer to the ground, insects kept buzzing with dedication while somewhere, something howled. By the sound, it had to be either a wolf or a man who'd made a bad choice... Most likely the latter.

  Yet, not bothered by the noises, the boy kept walking calmly, effortlessly weaving between the roots and thick ferns the size of oxen, there to try to trip those who couldn't see well in the dark. He didn't have a map, but he didn't need one because this wasn't the kind of trial where it would make any difference anyway. He'd gathered enough information from eavesdropping at inns and watching other would-be disciples leave ahead of him, talking about joining the 'Sect.' He knew enough about it to realize that the road up the mountain was a test in itself, made to test who could reach the top of the trail, and that no map would help him out in it. Even if he managed to get one from somewhere. What he needed to rely on was his senses and judgment to decide which route to take when the footpath he was on branched out among the trees.

  Finally, after two hours in, the forest decided to test his patience, when a dense mist rolled in, thick as stew and colder than it had any right to be.

  "I see..." he mumbled, taking a deep breath as he tasted the faint energy in the white soup, knowing that its arrival was not natural but a conjured obstacle. There was a type of essence that stung the tip of his tongue, which was not nature’s doing, otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed it.

  Scanning the forest, he saw trees warp into shapes that resembled hunched monks or executioners raising their axes to swing at him... Yet, he remained calm, and his steps continued to carry him forward, ignoring the shapes at the edge of his vision. Illusions of this level had clear indications they weren't real, and for those who had already experienced them, they were nothing to worry about.

  "Oh..." he suddenly stumbled, and when looking down, a vine was loosely wrapped around his worn-out shoes. He knew it was a mistake the moment he took his eyes off the front, as now the road before him was suddenly gone, "So... not all of it is an illusion? My mistake… You caught me."

  With a self-deprecating sigh, he paused beside a crooked tree, uncoiling his leg before pulling a worn-out charm from his pocket. It was just a pebble tied with a red string, but he held it close to his lips, whispering to it. In actuality, it had no spirituality… Or anything imbued into it, but it was something important to him. And that was enough.

  "You said patience, old man," he murmured to himself. "I'm being patient... But if this forest eats me in the end, I'm haunting you first."

  While smiling, a faint rustle broke the silence as if answering him, his mind settling, and with a renewed, clear feeling, he looked up, seeing the road reappear, breaking through the mist. Without hesitation, he began walking once again, this time making sure that no vines had a chance to trip him up and loosen his focus. Otherwise, he wasn't sure he would manage to find the correct path a second time.

  And then... just ten minutes later... a loud crunch made him look away, cursing the moment his body reacted to the noise.

  Still, he couldn't help it and immediately turned, knowing that something was watching him. It was thanks to the pressure that only a real gaze could give... So he immediately knew it was not part of the illusion. Sure enough, there it was, bright eyes, pressing its body low to the ground, not to ready itself for an attack, but to hide from him. With a tilt of his head, he walked closer to see that it was a tiny, very tiny black fox, with a small golden tip at the end of its tail, standing very still, trembling a little as it gazed at him, not knowing what would happen next.

  "Stuck?" He asked as he slowly crouched, speaking as if to a neighbor. "Bad evening, huh?" he looked over the little body, which had its hind legs tangled up in the same type of vines that caused him trouble.

  The fox blinked its mismatched, silver and golden eyes as if answering, pulling back a little, unsure what he wanted to do to her... Of course, it was simply to return her freedom to her, and nothing more. Working fluently, he loosened the vines, allowing the animal to pull its legs out of the trap, and the moment she was free, with a flick of its tail, the fox turned and vanished into the underbrush, no hesitation at all, running for her life.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Well," he grinned. "Happy to help."

  Turning around, he knew the road would still be there, as the test this time was precisely what he had just done. It was way too obvious… He took that as a good omen and felt he was cheating a little, because he had the experience to see through the tricks. They were simply testing his reactions... Would he stop? Would he go? Would he kill the animal that clearly had some spirituality for its resources? There were no good or bad answers... and he was clear of that.

  "Well," he sighed, trying to look at the night sky from below the thick canopy, "it's best if I don't dawdle around more than I need to. The geezer would scold me if I did…"

  Continuing his climb, he felt the path under his feet growing steeper. He could also feel the night deepening and the forest thickening around him. More than once, he heard movements that didn't belong to birds or beasts, but unlike with the little fox, he also felt that their purpose was to induce anxiety. Once, he passed the remains of a camp... torn canvas, blood on the leaves, a half-buried shoe.

  He didn't stop. It wasn't real after all. Instead, he veered uphill, following what his senses told him was the scent of essence, part of the raw spiritual energy in the air being refined and drawn in by the simple fact that an entire Sect made its home in these mountains. The same energy that told him what was real in the illusion of the fog and what wasn't. It was nearly midnight when he finally reached a height high enough that the trees began thinning out, giving way to grass and rocks alongside the cold mountain air.

  "Ah..." He stopped, twitching his left eye, sensing something familiar... Something he had the displeasure to go through... not just once. "Oh well... I guess I’m close… Well… It can't be THAT bad."

  For those who didn't know better, it was just a narrow trail standing before him, barely wide enough for one person, heading between the walls of the mountain. Walking into it, it soon began stretching and widening, and he could see unlit stone lanterns lining its length, covered in moss, giving people the feeling that it had been centuries since anyone had come through here. As he stepped deeper onto it, a strange pressure filled the air, like being watched by a thousand invisible eyes. Actual eyes… as this illusion was already a tier higher, mimicking the pressure a living being’s gaze could produce. Reinforcing his mind, with a deep breath, he slowly closed his eyes, deciding it was best to walk blind, knowing it was no longer possible to rely on what he was about to see... or hear. True enough, only ten minutes into the path, the hallucinations began.

  "You don't belong here."

  "Failure."

  "He was a mistake."

  "He faked his talent."

  Hearing the familiar words and voices, he simply yawned... Loudly enough to be heard by any spying ears... Whoever was controlling this illusion, he decided that he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing him panic.

  "Try harder," he said into the dark. "I've had tougher lectures from traveling merchants and swindlers."

  Then, without warning, a shape lunged from the brush to his left, causing him to feel the passing of wind... forcing him to open his eyes. What he saw last was a bear-sized creature made of pure shadow, but he didn't even flinch or stop his steps, simply smiling and letting it pass through his body.

  "I know it 's fake," he said again, "I am not falling for it."

  As if answering his provocation, another shadow appeared to his right. This one was a girl crying blood, stumbling toward him, asking for help, causing him to raise a brow, tilting his head, but keeping his mind settled while listening to the dramatic sobs.

  "Creepy. A little desperate, honestly... But I am not five to be scared by it."

  Knowing he was about to reach the end of the road, the darkness had one more trick to play. One final illusion... which caught him briefly. It was of an elderly figure, gray-haired and weary-eyed, standing beside a familiar-looking old wooden gate.

  "You could've been great," he said in a sad, disappointed voice, and hearing him, the boy’s steps finally stopped, his calm, blue eyes slowly settling on the hazy-looking figure. The moment they fixed on the old man, the illusion flickered and grew grainy, as if fighting to hold on.

  "You know," the boy said quietly, his words causing the ethereal body to distort and start bloating, "he never would've said that. He would have smacked me with a stick and told me to work harder... but he wouldn't say that. He never said that." The moment he finished, the image popped like a soap bubble, making him take a deep breath, "This is why you don't use illusion techniques without knowing who you want to trick..." He exhaled with a half-smile and moved on, knowing he was through the worst of it.

  ...

  ....

  ......

  He reached the end of the path right before dawn, just as the mist peeled away like a curtain, revealing his destination, the place he had been heading to: the Hollow Song Sect. It was built into the cliffside, having grown from the mountain range itself sometime in the far past. Looking at the sprawling buildings and the monastery-like towers, both close and far, it looked and felt serene. Wooden bridges arched over short but fast rivers, emerging from within the mountains, forming small ponds with colorful fish swimming around in them, while dozens of routes led deeper in, hiding who knows what. He watched as wind chimes hung from their crooked beams, playing a surprisingly harmonious melody when the wind blew past them, actually sounding like proper music. Dusting off his legs, walking forward one last time, his eyes finally turned to an elderly man, not like his illusion, much more real. He sat near the entrance, sipping tea, watching him with one eye.

  "You're late."

  "No, I'm not." He bowed respectfully, but his voice was firm and self-confident. "Only technically, as I guess most participants have already been led inside. Still… The sun's not fully up; only its light is creeping above the horizon. I completed the trial in time."

  "..." The elder studied him for a moment, finally smiling a little behind his goatee. "You took the northern pass. Most turn back before the halfway point..."

  "Most don't know how to differentiate between what is real and what is not."

  "That is an issue not just within the untrained..." The elder sipped on his tea again, his smile widening, “Compared to the others who entered the mountain path, you arrived faster than them. Honestly... I am a bit impressed."

  "I walk fast," he shrugged in answer, not about to back down, causing the elderly-looking man to look at him for a long, final moment, before he set his teacup down and stood up, patting down his long, featureless robes.

  "Age?"

  "Fifteen."

  "Name?"

  "Siu. Just Siu."

  "Enter, Just Siu." The man said, clearly enjoying his own little joke, "The elders will decide if you're worth our time… But you are right. You did pass."

  Holding back his brows from twitching, Siu nodded respectfully and then stepped forward, passing by the old man and taking a deep breath, expelling all the weariness... Finally, he did it. And... It was time to have a go at it again... for real this time.