Pathway

"Ah, the valley of a thousand death."

Chang Chang exclaimed in apprehension. The dreaded valley of the summoning. It resembled the Valley of The Flowing Blood where she summoned her companion beast, a blood phoenix. But this valley was very different. The level of danger it contained and its importance, were greater than the The Flowing Blood valley. Weapon is regarded highly than a beast companion. A blood was measured by the soul weapon. A weapon could easily place a powerful blood at the top of the ladder in this world.

Chang Chang sighed and followed her parent. She had been preparing for this day her whole life. Her existence as a blood would be based on the outcome of today. As long as she could summon a soul weapon, her blood life was assured. Looking at the place, she nodded her head. The valley of A-Thousand-Death was a place with an appearance that proved true to its frightening name. The three enormous  mountains that surrounded the place formed a great dome over the valley.

The enormous gateway to the summoning valley was made into five. Each of these entrances lead to a separated section of the valley which allowed five bloods to summon at the same time without much interference.

From the moment the bloods entered through these passages, they would be met by exploding death shards. They were rotaing over the craters of poisonous bubbling ash-coloured liquid. However, the most dangerous were the phantoms lining the sides of the valley. These dangerous entities were placed there in the event of any young blood who failed to come for summoning within three days after the awakening. The entities would face the bloods in gruelling battles. 

"Once inside, there was no other way of escaping the valley apart from the entrance, since there was only one way in and out of the death valley."

Chang Chang remembered the words of her parents. Looking around, she saw many bloods who were waiting for their turns to summon. Despite her coming very early with her parents, she still met quite a number of bloods at the valley. She waited in total anxiety as she continued to watch them. They were going in and coming out of the valley, one by one.

Since she had arrived, all the bloods had been completing their trials with no greater difficulties. Their summoning had been going on smoothly too. And when she saw some of the weapons they were bringing out, she couldn't help but sighed inwardly. Weapons meant everything to the clans. They showed the power of a clan. It was true that there were seven different types of weapons in all of the universe. Ranging from the generic, the to the cosmic weapons.

But the true prizes lay with the astral and cosmic weapons. Although it had been ages when a cosmic weapon had been summoned. Maybe the cosmic weapon was beyond her, but what about the astral weapon, could she summon one?

Chang Chang continued to watch the summoning as she waited for her own time. Different ightning bolts escorted the summoned weapons from the heavens. Lightning was the universal way for the on-lookers to know the nature of the weapon coming to the summoner. She knew all the colours by heart.

White lightning signified the generic weapons[basic weapons], blue lightning for imperial weapons, yellow lightning represented legendary weapons, red lightning for epic weapons, mythical weapons by green lightning, astral weapons was heralded by orange lightning, and the cosmic weapons through the violet lightning.

Chang Chang saw the blue lightning summons six times, which meant an imperial weapon. Four times she witnessed the yellow lightning struck which showed legendary weapons. The epic weapons were summoned three times through the red lightning. And once, she saw the green lightning which greatly increased her anxiety. Although she had been preparing for today for a long time, being here now, was totally unnerving.

When her turn finally came, she looked at her parents who gave her a confirmatory nod, before she slowly but steadily made her way to the entrance and entered the valley. As she walked on, she noticed that with each foot she placed on the ground, there was a loud thudding inside her soul that made her head banged achingly. The power of the valley over any blood.

Reaching the centre of the valley, she saw a giant monolith. This particular summoning spot used the monolith as the source of power. She had prepared for them all. She stood in front of a giant monolith and recited the words written on it, just as she had practiced. After the recital, the air of the valley began to form a raging wind while the ground started to vibrate uncontrollably. She quickly took out the summoning scroll she had received directly from her lord uncle, and threw it into the air. The raging wind began to rescind and things slowly calmed down.

Once a young blood was gifted a summoning scroll, the blood's soul would be linked to a summoning scroll to be used in a summoning valley.

As she watched, the scroll suddenly let out a soul wrenching whistles before lighting up in flames. It sealed off the entrance to her own section. She rapidly check her armoured robe and planted her feet firmer on the ground. She had learned before-hand how the events would happen up to this stage, there would be a thunder to indicate the beginning of the summoning, but she had no idea how the summoning would go after that. She only knew of the experiences of her parents during their own summonings.

Just as she expected, there was a massive sound like a heavenly devouring thunder. A colossal orange lightning descended on her section of the valley making her shield her eyes with her hands. An astral weapon? She couldn't believe it as she waited for the light to disappear. Seconds later, after the lightning had vanished, Chang Chang saw a white coloured blade of a glaive floating in front of her. Ah, her soul weapon. Her own weapon. Her heart was beating faster as she kept on looking at the weapon. This was the moment. As Chang Chang moved closer to grab the blade, the sky began to rumble again, stopping Chang Chang on her track.

Then, there was another thunderous sound followed by another orange lightning which quickly sent a vibration throughout the valley, drawing the attention of all powerful bloods and waking up the slumbering ones. Another astral weapon in the same place, at the same?

Chang Chang was left stunned at the sight of the sky and the sound of another thunder. What was this all about? This couldn't be right since there was no telling her about any second lightning. And the thunder couldn't be for her since she already had her own soul weapon, still floating before her. Although it was only a blade she was seeing of the weapon. When she recollected that there were other four young deities who were undergoing their summoning at the same time as hers, she relaxed her mind and waited for the light to clear, probably.

Few minutes later, the light dissipated to the utter shock and fright of Chang Chang. Floating in front of her, was an obsidian black pole that appeared to be a glaive, but with its blade missing. Realization dawned on her as she figured out the fact that the two weapons were one. 

She observed anxiously as the two weapons joined together in a blinding. They formed a gold-silver glaive. 

Huh? Her? A double astral weapons of one? Another soul wespon?  Astral weapon!

The moment she lay her hand on the glaive, a strong energy wave was released from the core of the glaive that travelled straight into her soul. She gasped for air and her body shook slightly, as her soul made the connection with the weapon, opening the long awaited Soul-Space. With a wide and easy smile, she looked at her soul weapon again. An astral weapon, why wouldn't she be happy. Her parents would be proud of her. Her lord uncle would be pleased, as well as her clan. Despite it being her own weapon, it was for the glory of her clan as a whole.

But for now, there was a minor problem. An astral or cosmic weapon always brought forward a trial battle. A beast, a demon or an elemental would follow such a weapon to the valley. The summoner would have to battle it to prove the worth of the soul space and divine weapon.

And now, Chang Chang would have to undergo trial battles to prove her worthiness of her soul space. This was the moment she had been preparing for. All the many hours she had been putting into her martial arts training would be brought to fore here. All her effort and training would be put under a difficult but important trials now. Holding the glaive tightly, she adjusted her stance as she waited for the summoned entities.