After the unique way of being woken up, Shango was not in a good mood. After booting the three women out the room, who were largely at fault for his morning being ruined, he quickly got dressed in the grayish robe that Rolla laid out for him over his original clothing, that she also had repaired and cleaned for him.

Exiting the room, Ave, Rolla and the other two moved a significant bit away from the door. They were talking about something near the very end of the hallway, huddled up with Ave in the center and the rest surrounding her like she was a quarterback from Boston.

It seemed like the four were having a deep conversation, because they have yet to notice Shango as he made his way towards them, tiptoeing his way over.

Walking closer, he could hear bits and pieces of their discussion.

“I think you should not tell him. It’s part of the experiences dealing with that guy plus.” The one-eyed silver said.

“”” Plus!”””

“He makes cute funny faces when he’s scared,” Aldusa said with a straight face, nodding her head.

“Damn sadist!” the three of them said.

Completely ignoring the words that just left Aldusa’s mouth, the other three went back to talking about the matter beforehand.

“But you all know just how weird things can get with that elder, especially with someone as unique as Shango. Who knows what he might do,” Ave said while Rolla nodded in agreement.

“Even when I first arrived, that old thing—” Rolla could not even finish her thought before a very visible shiver ran through her. The mere thought caused her to relive the nightmare caused by that man.

Hearing a bit of conversation, Shango grew curious. “Hey, what’s this about a weird elder? I’m telling you right now my fist does not have an age limit,” he said as he wedged himself into the huddle.

The four jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. Making eye contact with Aldusa first, she gave him a teasing smile. For some reason, Shango could not figure out her personality. He knew she was a good person and took excellent care of him when Rolla and Ave were busy, but her behavior towards him was odd. Overall, he still felt that she was a nice person, a little weird but still a good person.

He then turned towards Bertram, who was smiling from ear to ear at him. He had quickly bonded with Bertram, who became his only male confidant in this new world he was still trying to adjust to. Even though he grew a bit worried about how touchy-feely he could be at times, he felt that he was a very reliable person.

Besides Rolla and Ave, Aldusa and Bertram were the two people he had contact with the most and felt that he could put his trust in.

Giving Bertram a quick nod, he quickly turned his head to Ave, but before he could speak, Bertram spoke first.

“Anyway, Aldusa and I should be on our way now. We have still have yet to accomplish those other tasks you assigned to us.”

Ave’s face contorted as she appeared to suddenly remember something and gave them the go-ahead to go. Just as Bertram was about to leave, he leaned forward and whispered some words in Ave ear. “Princess. About what we were talking about earlier, I believe that you should just let things take its natural course. He will not last long in this world if he can’t pass this simple trial.”

He bowed and walked away with Aldusa following in tow, but right before she turned the corner, she flashed Shango a very ominous smile.

Seeing that smile, he knew something terrible was going to happen to him. When those two left, Ave, Rolla and Shango stood in that spot for an awkward amount of time.

Not being able to stand the silence any longer, Shango spoke. “Alright, out with it. Who is going to tell me what the hell that was all about!” Shango knew the way he spoke was vulgar, but he had a feeling deep inside something terrible was going to happen to him.

Not even bothering to answer his question, Ave and Rolla started making their way to the testing room. Realizing they would not answer him, Shango helplessly followed them.

Along the way, his mood slightly improved. Even though he was still upset about how they woke up and peeved about how they are keeping secrets from him, he felt better as he took in and enjoyed the sight and sounds of the castle.

***

Looking around, Shango noticed many bizarre and strange things. The one thing that bugged him the most in this castle was the lighting. The light source the hung above his head gave off a very eerie feeling. Just looking at it forced an uncomfortable amount of sadness and sympathy onto him.

When Shango asked Rolla about it, she could only smile and say that she knew little about it as well. It seemed only her and Shango got that uncomfortable feeling when staring at the light.

Still deep in thought about how strange the light source was, a frown appeared on his face. Suddenly, a voice woke him from his daydreaming.

“Are you still mad about how Aldusa woke you up?” Ave asked as she looked back with a slight smile.

Even though he was and had the right to be, he had calmed down a little after looking around, but hearing her question and seeing the look on her face rekindled a bit of the anger he had earlier.

Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought of been woken up like that and he had previously thought that Yuki’s way of waking him up was rough.

Thinking about how Yuki used to jump on him like some wrestler performing the Frog Splash, he felt the need to apologize to her for criticizing her for her unique way of waking him up.

Even if her way of waking him was painful, the way she used to lie on top of him after performing her finishing move and playfully poking him was truly heaven on Earth.

Shango looked at her, stared deep into her eyes, and without saying a word, returned to looking at the scenery, walking at a steady pace behind Ave and Rolla.

“No, I’m not mad. A little pissed, but not mad,” Shango muttered to himself.

Even though Shango said it in a quiet voice, both of them heard.

Hearing his reply, Ave and Rolla could not help but snicker, showing two of the most dazzling smiles.

Put everything that happens so far behind him and ignoring the two jolly women in front of him, Shango once again began to take in the sights and sounds.

The farther the three of them went, the fewer people were spotted. Little by little, the amount of people around them dwindled until it was only the three walking down a long empty path.

Several minutes had passed and the trio was deep in the castle.

“How long till we get there?” Shango finally said after almost an hour had passed.

“We’re almost there, but before that, there are some things I must tell you, but you must promise me one thing. No matter what happens in the testing area, you must try to remain calm.”

Ave and Rolla both stopped and looked at Shango with worried, pleading eyes, as if waiting for acknowledgment from him.

Looking at the two, he was more worried than before. “Fine, alright. I promise,” Shango said. “But I have a question. Why are you two so worried? I thought I was only going there to get some test done, is it that dangerous?”

“I’m not allowed to talk about it, but the main problem is the elder in charge of the testing.” Ave paused and looked up at the ceiling as if she was thinking about something before returning to look at Shango. “If I had to describe him, I’d say he is irregular.”

“That’s the nice way of saying it,” Rolla quickly added, and Ave shot her a glance. Rolla completely ignored her and acted like she did not notice. “Shango, once you go in there, you must be on guard. That man is a nutcase,” she said.

Feeling that Ave would hit her if she said anymore, she shut her mouth.

“Anyway, he is not a bad guy. He can just be beyond overzealous at times, but deep down, he is a good man.”

For some reason, Shango began to worry a lot more after hearing her words. What type of person was this elder, and what was going to happen to him once he entered?

Seeing how Ave would not give him a full answer and Rolla had been avoiding eye contact with him, Shango was starting to grow a bit worried.

Deciding that since he would not get a full answer from the two, he would throw caution into the wind and roll with it.

A couple more minutes passed, and for some odd reason, the atmosphere in the surrounding area felt different.

“We’ve arrived,” Ave said.

The place they had brought him to was in front of a large stone door that was at least 20 feet tall and was decorated by glowing runes that were constantly moving. It looked very bizarre. On both sides of the door were two massive statues, one reassembling a lion with wings and the other looked like an ape with the lower half of a snake.

Ave and Rolla just stood to the side, smiling while looking at the curious childlike expression that Shango was making. Both of them had once been in his shoes and could understand his curiosity.

Shango walked closer to the lion shape with the intent to touch it. Suddenly, he felt a sense of great danger as if a radioactive spider had bit him and quickly withdrew his hand. Just as he moved his hand back, the jaws of the lion snapped forward, nearly biting him.

Realizing the damn thing had almost bitten him, he became pissed. He was about to look for something to smash the damn thing with when he heard Ave called his name.

“Shango.”

Assuming that the two probably knew that was going to happen, he was about to give them a piece of his mind.

Turning around, he saw Ave walking towards him with reddened eyes and grabbed his hand. Looking at her caused all the anger that he had just built up to vanish.

“This is how far we can go with you Shango. Right behind those doors is where you determine your path for the future.” She forced herself to smile.

“I know this is unfair to you, and I know that on whatever path you take, you will see things no normal person should see and do things no person who calls themself a human should do. I know it, I know it will change you, shape you into a person who is not the man standing before me today. So Shango, thank you.” A stream of tears fell from her eyes. “Thank you, Shango. Thanks for taking up this unreasonable task forced upon, thank you.”

Not knowing what to do, Shango just held her hand. There were no words he could say to her. He knew the words she spoke were the truth. He still felt anger at the people of this world, but at that moment, there was nothing he could do. So he just continued to hold the hand of one the few people who could ease his mind since coming to this world.