A cloud drifts through the ruby sky, a comforting amber. Arriving in front of a radiant blue sun, the world is cloaked in shadows of a brilliant, deep black. Long, soft leaves painted a brilliant violet scatter from a tree high above the ground, and land gently on the forest floor, overlooking a steep hill. A tiny shadow, landing on the tree, leaps forward, soaring into the air. Quickly, however, the shadow begins to fall downward, its momentum rapidly increasing. Landing on the hard forest floor, the shadow rolls forward, offsetting its momentum, distributing it throughout its whole body.

Long, soft leaves painted an intense violet scatter from a tree high above the ground, and land gently on the forest floor, overlooking a steep hill. A tiny shadow, landing on the tree, leaps forward, soaring into the air. Quickly, however, the shadow begins to fall downward, its momentum rapidly increasing. Landing on the hard forest floor, the shadow rolls forward, offsetting its momentum, distributing it throughout its whole body.

However, the shadow, not noticing the bend in the hill, starts to roll down the steep hill, speeding up drastically, unable to stop his accidental descent. Thinking quickly, the shadow uses its arms to strike the hillside, propelling itself into the air, flipping over in the air, landing on its feet. Still, the shadow is not able to stop its momentum, so instead, it uses the momentum gained to augment its descent down the hill; it slips into a smooth slide down, managing to keep control by utilizing its momentum to race downward, arriving at the bottom quickly, dusting itself off wordlessly as it arrives. The shadow, now at the bottom, looks up into the sky, seeing the golden cloud overhead as it shifts away.

As the cloud high above wanders past the sun, the world is once again illuminated, and the tiny shadow's identity is finally revealed. The sun shining overhead once again, Astraoth's figure is revealed, washed in the pale blue light of the sun, and, looking at the horizon, he puts his finger to his head and taps, pondering,"Hmm...it is already midday. I should probably go back and restock my provisions- if I get caught unprepared, I will die."

Astraoth turns to the left, focusing, recalling exactly how to get to his cave. Gathering Essence Energy, Astraoth concentrates it into his legs, bending his knees carefully, placing one hand on the floor, and, leaning slightly forward, bursts forward silently, his figure disappearing in the faint breeze. Dashing through the trees, hopping from one to another, Astraoth flips through the air, landing on a thick branch, stabilizing his body perfectly, crouching on the tree's long limb, whispering,"Finally Here."

Standing up, Astraoth leans back and falls downward, transitioning into a dive mid-fall, quietly slipping into a lake below. Opening his eyes, Astraoth begins to swim deeper into the water; with a few strokes, Astraoth launches himself downward 10 meters and arrives quickly upon a small opening in the wall, sliding into it calmly, noiselessly. Pulling himself up a small ledge, Astraoth reaches his destination; a small cave, with two days' supply of food and other small necessities. Drying off, Astaroth begins to reflect on his brief time in this world...

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Astraoth, after waking up in a small forest grove, stands up, beginning to observe his surroundings, noticing much different vegetation; vines of a deep purple slither around the forest floor, thin indigo trees wearing soft blue leaves line the enclosure, and a brilliant ruby sky hangs overhead. Looking around the small grove, Astraoth hears an ancient, wise voice from all around him,

"You Who Strive To Inherit All I Have, The First Of My Four Trials Shall Begin Now. I Have Brought You To My World, And Here, To Proceed To The Second Trial, You Must Unearth Four Great Obelisks And Slay The Mighty Guardians That Protect Them. You Have Four Weeks To Accomplish This Task. Now, Begin..."

Astraoth, stunned by this sudden declaration, stood, unable to react for nearly a second. When he finally understood what happened, Astraoth brought his hand to cover his face, closing his eyes in annoyance. Moments later, Astraoth opens his eyes, and, removing his hand, prepares himself, and, after examining his surroundings, sets out. Moving toward an opening in the grove, Astraoth steps outside the confines of the enclosure.

Barely four steps out of the grove, Astraoth happens upon a cliffside that slopes downward, into a plateau. Finding a large tree adjacent to the cliff, Astraoth climbs up the tree, flipping onto the top branch with an elegant grace and a confident flourish.

Standing tall, Astraoth looks over the horizon, marking four distinct locations in his mind; to the west lies a huge river leading into a vast lake, many kilometers deep and many kilometers wide; the east houses a towering mountain, a volcano with streaks of orange heat spiraling down it, accompanied by smoke and flame; to the north lies an ancient, archaic skeleton, a fossil immeasurably tall and immeasurably long; and the south houses an immense storm system, with constant tornados and streaks of lightning flashing down at all hours.

Astraoth decides to head to the west, and explore the enormous lake first; leaping off the cliff, he begins the journey to his destination...