Unlike the twins, who were lying exhausted on the ground among the burns, Mais stood tall and strong, facing forward without bowing his head, ready for the third test. His face was flushed and, though he tried to hide it, he was panting. As the light around them scattered, Mais prepared once more for whatever might emerge from the darkness.
Beside him, wrapped in her white scarf, Immortal White watched the light fade and the child prepare to face what lay beyond. And she thought. Could she still call him a child? His posture was more impressive and majestic than that of the older men beside him. Immortal White was simply a cat-type beast found in the Realm of the Sage. Although she had three tails, suggesting a connection to the nine-tailed fox, she ultimately resembled a cat more than a fox, and her intelligence was not particularly advanced for her realm. Nevertheless, when she looked at Mais, she could see its greatness and how it had risen above previous times.
Over time. Over time, Mais became more serious and mature. The Immortal White felt that Evra and Kasuur couldn't compete with him in terms of maturity. Maria, a woman who was expected to mature earlier than men, was five years older than Mais, yet she was no more mature than this little child.
The Immortal White couldn't finish his thoughts. He couldn't understand what he saw in Mais. However, she had a feeling that as long as he was with her and had her back, she wouldn't regret it and wouldn't experience the loneliness she had felt in the past.
The light had gone, and soon after, a field was illuminated by a faint ray of light. You could see the wheat grains swaying gently in the distant breeze. If you looked a little further away, you would see a hut. It wasn't a small hut, but it certainly wasn't a castle either. It wasn't painted, and the wooden beams were clearly visible. The air inside was much warmer. It didn't feel like winter was coming; it felt more like a sweet spring day leading into hot summer days.
The scene looked quite peaceful and calm. Illuminated by a yellow light that seemed to come from nowhere, it looked as if the sun were setting, although there was no starlight visible in the sky.
"Look up and tell me what you see."
Immortal White was lost in the beauty of what she saw at that moment and couldn't speak anyway. There was nothing she could explain. But the big men beside her could sense something.
As the pair calmed down, they slowly stood up and saw the setting for the next test. First, astonishment filled their eyes. This beautiful sight was astonishing enough, but the fact that it was part of the test made it even more incredible. They endured their pain and prepared to describe their surroundings, but just as Hang was about to start explaining, Mang nudged him.
Mais noticed that Hang had suddenly stopped talking. He braced himself and became even tenser. Not just towards the test, but towards the brothers as well.
The brothers lying on the ground noticed this and were actually surprised. They had saved Mais, and Mais had saved them. They were bound by life and death, yet Mais still didn't trust them. It didn't take them long to understand why. He must have suspected that the new test could lead to his betrayal.
After all, inheritances were usually given to a single person. There would only be one heir, but here there were at least five doors. Of course, a loved one could give something to everyone, but who would receive the most valuable item?
And in which door would it be?
While Mais's distrust was understandable, it was hard to fathom how a child of only ten could be so distrustful.
Still, after what they had seen, they didn't dare speak too loudly. After Hang and Mang looked at each other, Mang leaned his head a little closer to Mais.
"There's a man there," he whispered.
Mais didn't calm down at these words. On the contrary, he tensed up even more.
Indeed, there was a thin man with long grey hair sitting in front of the cabin, not particularly noticeable. He lifted his coffee from the table in front of him, took a few sips and waited, seemingly appreciating the nature around him. Then his eyes turned to them.
"He's... watching us."
The immense aura that descended upon them told Mais everything he needed to know. It was as if a mountain had fallen on him. Not a permanent one, though. It had only come for a moment. Still, in that moment, the pressure took his breath away, and if it had lingered any longer, he might have died.
This old man must have been in the inheritance area for years, perhaps even decades. No one could think he was just a Sage. The person there was no ordinary person.
'For Origin Heart Experts.'
Every test up until now had been a realm unto itself. The first was for Core Experts, the second for Sages. Now, they were facing a test for Origin Heart Experts.
So, who was the person who took the Origin Heart Experts test?
"Your third test has begun. You don't need to stand there anymore."
When the old man suddenly spoke, they could all hear him clearly. It was as if he was whispering right beside them, not from dozens of metres away. He was looking at them. With his bony face, he looked as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.
'Get up. We need to move forward.'
At that moment, the little boy stirred and stepped straight into the garden. As he walked, he calmly waved his cane in front of him to see if he could sense anything. The moment the sounds reached the old man's ears, he flinched.
'Is it...?'
A question formed in his mind and he stood up. This movement frightened the twins, who were trying to get up, as well as Little White, who was following behind Mais. Mais continued walking, and at this point they had to follow.
Mais reached the old man first. While Immortal White watched the old man intently, Mais slowly found the chair opposite him and sat down. There was barely a metre between them. Only the small table in the middle separated them. The old man sat down a few seconds later.
"Are you the final test?" Mais asked. He didn't wait for the twins to arrive. Their arrival wouldn't make a difference if this man was set on doing something.
The old man looked at him. Even these words were a huge contradiction in themselves. The Immortal White felt confused in front of Mais.
"Did you really get here using only your own abilities? A blind child like you... Didn't your dimensional ring help at all?"
Mais frowned at these words. An Origin Heart Specialist would know what a dimensional ring was — each of them could have one — but how could he not suspect anything at first glance?
After all, Mais was only in the Core Realm.
"The scarf on the cat. Other than that, I had no help."
Upon hearing these words, the old man held out his hand and waited. Hang and Mang stood a few steps away and did the same. Eventually, the Immortal White gave in and approached the old man, circling his hand. He let the old man feel the scarf.
"An Origin Heart Item. It's surprising that you have such an item for a Core Realm expert."
"Who are you?"
The old man laughed.
"I am your third test."
But Mais couldn't figure out what that meant. An aura emanating from the Sage Realm began to surround the man. Although it was much weaker than before, it was still overwhelming. It spread silently but effectively, suppressing everyone. All of them, that is, except our little beast.
At that moment, the twins had approached the table close enough. Hesitantly, Hang spoke.
"Mais, this old man is like you. He can't see neither.
It was the young men beside him who cleared up Mais's confusion. The old man smiled. The lines in his grey eyes showed that the events that had befallen him were battle scars, just like Mais had experienced. When Mais looked up in surprise, two pairs of grey eyes met.