TRIAL

I was escorted out of the throne room by a rather unusual maid. To put simply, she had a great sword on her back, while wearing what seemed to be a leather chest plate. She was also quite short if I was to guess, and she did look quite old, with her long white hair twisted into a bow.

“Pardon me, miss maid ma'am.”

“Yes?”

“What's with the sword and the armour? Aren't you a maid?”

“Oh, this? It's just a little something his lordship has decreed. Basically all members of the royal palace, be it a maid such as myself, to even the stable boys, should be trained in the art of melee combat, this is a castle after all~”

“I see, is it because of the war?”

“Our hero is not only witty, but observant! You're spot on! We've had a couple of break-ins from Dietha's demonic forces.”

She then went on to tell me that Tulote wanted to make use of every able-bodied person, both young and old, to help defend the kingdom.
The situation was truly dire.

Right outside the vast throne room was the Grand hall. Unlike the former, it most definitely resembled castles of my world.  
The ceilings soared and opened directly to the rafters, it was made of a definite rough-hewn stone that looked to be whitewashed. There were large timber beams supporting the ceiling and the floor was made of flagstones and strewn with rushes with what I could only assume would be for warmth. There were four tainted windows near the roof, each had the four races; the half humans, humans, elves, and dwarves. At the edge of each panel, all the hands connected, possibly to symbolize peace and unity between the races. However, the half-human pane was broken in the middle.
I thought to myself that there was possibly a metaphor in that somewhere.
The floor echoed loudly as we walked, not much time for lavish banquets and feasts during a war, I assume.

Just as we were about to exit the immense Grand Hall, we passed a colossal door. It was a single slab of undoubtably ancient blackened oak, and if I were to guess, it looked wider than two fully grown men standing shoulder to shoulder and easily twice their height. Carved into the blackened oak were cherubs on each door panel. They both touched at the door knobs.
My curiosity was piqued.

“Is it alright if I enter this room, madam maid?”

“Madam maid?” she said with a chuckle, “Why dearest, just call me Thial, and I suppose my lordship wouldn't mind if our hero was to enter into the Hall of Kings.”

“Thank you Thial!”

She let out a hearty laugh as I entered.

The hall itself was vast. I can't even begin to describe it. Towering figures of kings from times long before my own stood along the edges of the hall. Each holding what I could only assume as their signature weapons. There were Dwarven, Elven, Human, and even Half-human kings and queens, even though the half-human lineage didn't last long.

At the end of the hallway were Emperor SIlus, Empress Usasha, and their four children.
Niath was on the Far Right and her statue had a veil over her face, true to her shadow like nature. It would only make sense that her parents and siblings were the only ones who knew what she truly looked like. There were plaques at each of the statue's bases; Niath's own simply read:
NIATH; SHADOW MASTER

Next was Aquarius, and his plaque read:
AQUARIUS; IMPERIAL HERO AND LORD COMMANDER OF THE SEAS

Tulote had no plaque, possibly because he was still alive

Tigress' statue was the most depressing. She was in chains and crying, and her plaque simply read:
TRAITOR

Right before I arrived at the Emperor and Empress' statue, the Gladius glowed. I held it up, and it was as though it had gained a mind of it own. It drew me right to the base of their statues. It shone even brighter and I was blinded for but a second.

When I regained sight, I was in what seemed to be a white void.

“Welcome Arda.”

I looked around to see who spoke, and there in the distance I saw a man with chestnut brown hair flowing down to his knees sitting in an armchair and sipping wine.

“Tulote?” I asked

“So you've met my son”

“Wait, are you-”

“I go by many names, some call me the Emperor, Great Saviour, Lord Commander; but I suppose you know me as Silus.”

I couldn't believe it, I was speaking to the ONE and only Silus. The fabled emperor of the imperium.
He told me that I was in his afterlife dimension; inside the Gladius Nobellus.

“For you to have met me, then that means you truly are the hero”

“So I've been told.”

“Well, as my successor to the Gladius, you must prove that you are ready to wield the blade against all foes, foreign and domestic”

He flicked his fingers, and we were transported to a forest. He then told me that I would be here for as long until I had proven myself worthy.

“It is simple, you just have to make it to the end of this forest without dying! Good luck!”
He then floated into the sky and spawned what look like a box of ORANGE JUICE?
This was clearly a joke to him

As soon as he said that, a myriad of monsters started chasing me. 
I ran like I've never run in my life. 

“MAN, WHAT KINDA BULLCRAP IS THIS”

The monsters wouldn't cut me any slack, and every time I tried to hide they found me. So all I had to do was run.

I lost track of how much time had passed, and I was feeling really exhausted.
Just then, I heard something that sounded like a baby crying.
Without a second thought, I started running towards the sound, and there it was.
A little baby girl.
She reminded me of when Kathuria had just given birth to Iriam.

“Where are your parents, little one?”

I rocked the baby in my arms and looked around for a while as I tried to find her parents. But I could not find anyone.

“This place is way too dangerous for a little girl like you”

I took off my shirt and wrapped her in it and started to run, not for myself as I did before, but to get her somewhere safe.
She started crying, and I stopped and tried to rock her to sleep, but she wouldn't fall asleep.

Just then, I spotted a very conveniently placed baby bottle filled with formula. 

“Well, if I'd be damned”

I took a sip from the bottle to make sure it was alright for her to drink. Once some time I had passed, I decided that it was safe for her, and she began drinking away happily.
She then burped and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Just then the monsters caught up with us, and without a second to spare, I bolted off with the baby asleep in my arms. 

I kept running and then

THUD!

I tripped over a very conveniently placed branch and the baby went flying.

Disregarding my own injuries, I jumped to catch her.
Luckily I did, and she was still asleep.

My leg was now sprained and it hurt so badly when I ran, but I couldn't stop. I had to get the baby to safety.

I then saw an opening, it was the EXIT
I knew it was the exit because there were a bunch of conveniently placed signs that said exit.
This Silus guy was really having fun with this, wasn't he.

I made it to the end, and then the baby woke up and started giggling.
I fell down and started laughing with the baby.

We had successfully survived.

Then all faded to the white void of before; the baby was gone, and my injuries healed.

“BRAVO, WHAT A SHOW!”

“A SHOW?! YOU MANIAC, YOU ALMOST KILLED ME”

“Sheesh, calm down you weren't going to die, well, maybe, BUT HEY YOU'RE ALIVE!”

I then ran him down across the void for a bit.

“Alright, I suppose it's time I get serious.”

“It's about time”

“You, Arda have proven yourself to be worthy of my powers. You are selfless, and put the weak over yourself. You truly are my worthy successor, Arda.”

“I'm a father, SIlus, you of all people should know what we would do for any child.”

“Haha, you're right, speaking of that, give Tulote this for me. He'll definitely know that you've met me.”

The thing he gave me was a pacifier with a string attached to it. Dad's really have the best gift's don't they.

He then told me that he would be inside the sword and would be watching over me. Furthermore, he would summon me in times of need and advise me on the best course of action.
I was then blinded again and returned to the Hallway of Kings.

“HERO!” Thial screamed out. “Oh, how I thought we lost you!”

“Where did you go?” 

“Just met your father, real great guy”

“WHAT?”

I then give him the pacifier, and he erupted into laughter.

“Oh Thiel, I'll take him to his room, prepare a feast for this man, for he has seen my father and brought back his token to me HAHAHA!”

Never in all my days would I have thought to have seen a monster like him laugh over a pacifier.
Like father like son I guess.

“As you wish, my lord”

He then placed his humongous arm around me and walked me to my room, all the while laughing and talking with everyone that passed.

From the looks of it, it seems that the castle required this change of attitude very much.

I was glad to be the one that made that happen.

I guess I'm really getting the hang of this whole hero thing.