Chapter 8: The hero dies in the kingdom of dreams - I

*The next morning Rafael woke up to the sound of chanting. Rafael had hardly caught any sleep last night and looking at Gorion and Jason, it appeared, that they hadn't slept a lot as well. Rafael approached them when a mass of swirling violet circles appeared in the air. There were tons and tons of symbols on and in it, was emanating an energy so strong Rafael could feel it where he was standing, could feel the pull from it, as if the very thing was alive and calling on to him*

"Ah! Good morning young one. As you can see that we already took the liberty of making the portal before you woke up, take your time and get ready and we shall depart"

"No, Gorion, I am ready, let's go"

"Alright. That's the spirit. This portal will take us to the gates of Alexandria where one of the generals will test out whether you are worthy for entering the kingdom of dreams or not. If you are worthy the gates of the kingdom will forever be opened for you until unless you commit a heinous crime and if you are not.... well let's not think about it"

"Alright! Let's proceed"

*Getting through a portal was not as simple as Rafael had expected. He was thinking he would simply step into the portal and come out in Alexandria. He thought they would enter Alexandria as some sort of dynamic trio. Boy was he wrong. Getting through a portal was like being hit with a train face first. His head hurt; his vision spun throughout the enormous distance which they now traversed. He could see flashes of different sights while he tumbled his way across until finally his face made contact with the ground*

*The place he was now standing on was surrounded by various plants on which embedded like fruits were various crystals of all shape, size and colors. Right in front of them was standing a huge gate, so tall that he could not see the end of it. The gate gave such a pleasant vibe that it appeared as the gateway to heaven itself. Standing in front of the gate was something roughly 8 feet tall and muscular man dressed in a full gladiator armor. He looked up to the see the sky to see an entirely different world in the sky itself*

*The sky color was not monotonous like in his world but rather a whole blend of colors, violet, yellow, blue, green, red you name it and one part of the sky was lit by it. Another different thing was that this sky was lit by 3 different moons. The largest one shone golden-yellow, the middle one shone blue and the smallest one shown red. The stars were not so static either. They constantly moved, forming various patterns and constellation before scattering away. The sight was so magnificent that it took Rafael's breath away. Not in the figurative terms, quite literally it took his breath away. He was unable to breathe, his eyes teared, his vision became blurry, as he gasped for breath. Gorion and Jason, just stood there a little amused. Gorion came forward seeing his struggles*

"You see this is why, your physical labors before entering this place were required, the air here is filled with magical energy not only of itself but also of all the living and non-living things here. Everything has its own signature, everything has its own energy, hence the air here is so laden with energy that it becomes quite thick. Its normal for most of the young recruits to have difficulty breathing. Hence, we try to reduce the discomfort by putting their body through vigorous physical training before proceeding here. Don't worry it should begin easing up soon enough. Come let's move to the gate"

*Rafael cursed Gorion in his mind before moving. But true to his words, every step he took did ease off his breathing little by little. Once they reached the gate Rafael was shocked to see the statue dressed in gladiator armor was not a statue at all, but rather standing at 8 feet tall, this dark skinned mountain was a man. His physique looked strong enough that he could crush mountains with his mere hands, strapped to his waist was a missive war-hammer, so large that only he could possibly wield it. Jason and Gorion moved in front of him*

"General Michael"

"General Jason, Grand-Master Gorion"

*A courteous nod was passed between the three and then their gaze shifted towards Rafael. Rafael felt like a little chick who has just been thrown in front of three hungry lions*

"This is your recruit grand-master?"

"Yes"

"He doesn't look like much. Sure, you aren't mistaken?"

*Rafael was waiting for Gorion to defend him, to defend his choice, but only a nervous chuckle came out of it. General Michael moved to stand in front of Gorion and formed a fist with his hand*

"Bump your fist with me, young one"

*Rafael bumped his fist with the general's and bit back an urge to shout. He felt like he had just hit a rock. Meanwhile the General's expression changed as if thinking or calculating something*

"You might want to try that again"

*Once again Rafael bumped his fist against that of the hulking General, once again, the general calculated something in his mind and then he looked at him with an expression that could not bode well*

"My suspicions were right Grand-Master. This one here is not worthy to enter"

"Are you sure General Michael?"

"Are you questioning my ability, General Jason?"

"No, nothing of the sorts"

"Very well. I presume you know what must be done, now General Jason"

"Yes"

*Jason and Gorion turned towards Rafael, both carrying dejected looks on their faces and Jason drew his flaming sword*

"I am sorry kid. I really liked you, I had hoped you'd be worthy but turns out aren't"

"Oh! So, are you going to drop me back home?"

"I am afraid it's not so simple. You've seen this world, though you can't enter it we can't simply allow you to leave. We can erase your memories but we simply can't the risk. I am sorry kid nothing personal"

*Then Jason stepped forward with his sword in his hand*

"Hey hey hey wait wait please. There must be another way"

*Jason stepped forward again and stabbed Rafael through the heart and then pushed away his now dying body*

*Rafael felt his throat get clogged by his very own blood, he wanted to scream but no sound came out, the guilty faces of Jason and Gorion and the stern face of General Michael was the last thing he saw before his world became black*