The Trial Beast was bigger than Elias expected.
And Elias expected something big.
He had, in fact, mentally prepared for "big" in the way one prepares for exams they did not study for: by assuming the worst and hoping reality would be too lazy to deliver.
Reality was not lazy.
It delivered.
The creature stepped out of the shadows on four massive paws that sank slightly into the wooden floor of the hall, as if the building itself was reconsidering its life choices. Each paw was the size of a small table. Each step made the air vibrate in a way Elias could feel in his teeth.
Its fur shimmered with faint blue streaks, like glowing rivers running through a night sky. Its eyes were gold, steady, and far too intelligent for something that size.
It looked at Elias the way alice looked at him when he once tried to explain that "fire is just spicy light."
Elias pointed at it with a trembling hand.
"That's not a beast," he whispered. "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
The elders did not react.
They sat in a semicircle of carved wooden chairs, calm and still, like they had collectively decided that emotions were optional centuries ago.
The eldest elder raised his staff slightly.
"The Trial Beast will judge your intentions," he said. "If your heart is pure, it will spare you."
Elias stared at the creature.
The creature stared back.
A long silence stretched.
Elias swallowed.
"…I don't think it likes me."
A blue screen blinked into existence beside him.
CORRECTION: IT DOES NOT LIKE YOU.
Elias flinched. "WHY?! I JUST GOT HERE!"
YOU LOOK SUSPICIOUS.
"I ALWAYS LOOK SUSPICIOUS! THAT'S JUST MY FACE!"
The beast growled.
The sound wasn't loud.
It was heavy.
Like the hall itself was agreeing with it.
Dust drifted down from the rafters.
Elias took a step back.
Then another.
Then his spine hit the wall.
"Okay," he whispered rapidly. "Okay. Think. Think. I can do this. I can handle this. I've handled worse."
YOU HAVE NOT.
"NOT HELPFUL!"
NEW QUEST UPDATED.
He froze.
"…Updated?"
SURVIVE.
"That's not a quest. That's just reality yelling at me."
The beast moved.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Certain.
It lunged.
Elias screamed and threw himself sideways.
He rolled across the wooden floor like a badly packed parcel, barely avoiding claws that carved deep grooves into the planks where he had been standing.
Wood splintered.
Air cracked.
Elias popped back up on instinct alone.
"WHY IS THIS MY LIFE?!"
The elders murmured.
"He is agile.""No, he is panicking.""Perhaps panic is a form of talent."
"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Elias shouted.
The beast turned its head slowly.
It had not forgotten him.
That was the worst part.
It was patient.
Elias ran.
He didn't choose a direction.
He just ran.
The hall was too big, too circular, too intentionally designed to make "escaping" feel like a philosophical debate rather than a physical option.
The beast followed.
Each step shook the floor.
Each breath it took sounded like the building exhaling fear.
Elias skidded to a halt mid-run.
The beast skidded to a halt too.
They stared at each other.
Again.
Elias whispered, "Please don't eat me. I taste like stress and bad decisions."
The beast growled softly.
Not angry.
Evaluating.
Elias nodded quickly. "Okay, cool, cool, cool, that sounded like a yes, but I'm choosing to ignore that interpretation."
He turned and sprinted toward the elders' table.
"HELP!" he shouted. "YOU ARE LITERALLY SITTING THERE!"
The elders calmly leaned back.
"We are observing," the eldest said.
"OBSERVE FASTER!"
The beast charged again.
Elias grabbed the closest object on instinct: a ceremonial wooden bowl.
It felt important.
It probably wasn't.
He threw it.
It hit the beast's forehead with a dull, disappointing bonk.
The beast blinked.
Elias blinked.
"…That did nothing."
The beast roared.
This time louder.
The sound rattled Elias's bones.
He dove behind a pillar.
His heart was trying to escape his chest.
[SUGGESTION: USE YOUR BACKPACK.]
Elias peeked out. "My backpack? What is that going to do, emotionally damage it?"
IT IS HEAVY.
"It has a hoodie and a granola bar!"
THROW IT.
Elias stared at the beast.
The beast sniffed the air slowly, tracking him.
He looked at his backpack.
Then at the beast again.
"…This is the worst tactical advice I've ever received."
IT IS THE ONLY OPTION.
He grabbed the bag.
"I want it noted I hate this."
NOTED.
He threw it.
It flew three meters.
Which, for Elias, was impressive.
The backpack hit the beast square in the face.
A small thump.
The granola bar flew out mid-impact like a tiny betrayal.
It landed near the beast's paws.
Silence.
The beast stopped moving.
Slowly lowered its head.
Sniffed.
Sniffed again.
Elias froze.
"…Oh no."
The beast sat down.
Elias blinked.
"…Wait."
It sniffed the granola bar.
Then ate it.
Entirely.
In one bite.
Chewed thoughtfully.
Swallowed.
Then looked at Elias.
Elias pointed weakly. "You… you're just hungry?"
The beast wagged its tail.
The entire hall felt it.
A low, heavy, whoomf of motion.
The elders went silent.
One elder whispered, "Impossible…"
Another murmured, "The Trial Beast has never responded to food."
Elias slowly stepped forward.
"Okay," he said cautiously. "So… we're not doing murder anymore?"
The beast nudged his hand.
Carefully.
Elias flinched.
Then hesitantly patted its head.
Soft fur.
Warm.
The beast purred.
It PURRED.
A sound like a collapsing mountain deciding it was actually a cat.
The elders collectively inhaled.
The eldest elder stood slowly.
"This is… unprecedented."
Elias blinked. "So I passed?"
"Yes."
"…Do I get to go home?"
"No."
"…Sit down?"
"No."
Elias sighed deeply. "Why is the answer always emotionally devastating?"
The beast nudged him again, almost knocking him over.
Elias steadied himself.
"Fine. You get more pets. But you owe me emotional compensation."
The beast accepted this deal immediately.
The elders whispered among themselves, unsettled.
The eldest elder finally spoke.
"You have passed the Trial Beast. You may now speak with the Oracle."
Elias froze.
"…The who?"
"The Oracle," the elder repeated. "She will determine your purpose."
Elias stared blankly.
"My purpose is to not be here."
CORRECTION: THAT IS NOT A VALID PURPOSE.
"Who asked you?!"
YOU DID.
Elias groaned.
"Why is my life like this…"
The beast followed him happily now, tail wagging with devastating force.
Villagers outside the hall watched as Elias exited.
Whispers spread instantly.
"That's him.""He survived the Trial Beast.""It likes him?""That's impossible.""He must be chosen.""He must be cursed.""He must be confused."
Elias pointed ahead without looking.
"System, reputation update."
REPUTATION: -7
He stopped walking.
"I PASSED THE TRIAL!"
YOU LOOKED SCARED.
"I WAS BEING ATTACKED!"
THE VILLAGERS DISLIKE FEAR.
"That's insane!"
THIS IS CULTURE.
Elias groaned. "I hate culture."
They walked toward the edge of the village.
A tall stone tower rose ahead.
It twisted upward unnaturally, like someone had built a staircase out of ambition and regret. Runes floated around it in slow orbit, glowing faintly.
The air here felt different.
Not lighter.
Not heavier.
Just aware.
Elias swallowed.
"So… the Oracle lives there?"
"Yes," the elder said. "She sees all."
Elias muttered, "I see all too, and I still make bad decisions."
CORRECTION: TRUE.
"Stop agreeing with me like that!"
The beast bumped his leg affectionately.
Elias sighed.
"Great. Even the murder animal likes me more than my life choices."
They reached the base of the tower.
The entrance door was open.
Which felt suspicious.
Elias stared at it.
"…This feels like a trap."
CONFIRMED: HIGH PROBABILITY.
"That's not reassuring!"
The air shifted.
Light bent slightly inward.
The system paused.
NEW DESIRE DETECTED.
Elias stiffened.
"No. No, I didn't think anything!"
YOU DID NOT NEED TO.
DESIRE: "I WANT TO KNOW IF MY FRIENDS ARE WORRIED ABOUT ME."
Elias froze.
"…That's not a desire. That's just anxiety."
CORRECTION: SAME SOURCE.
The elders stepped back.
The beast tilted its head.
The world flickered.
INITIATING TEMPORARY WORLD LINK.
Elias reached out.
"WAIT— I DIDN'T MEAN RIGHT NOW—"
Reality peeled away.
The tower, the village, the beast, the sky—
All of it blurred.
And Elias vanished again.