Facing The Mountain Novels & Stories

Jane deliberately emphasized my identity as an orphan and a sly look flashed through her eyes. Then a panicky voice suddenly rang out. "Watch out!" I looked up and saw the chandelier above me was swaying dangerously. The next second, it came crashing down! In that instant, Andy grabbed Jane's wrist and pulled the panicked she-wolf tightly behind him. As for me? I had no time to dodge as it struck me hard in the forehead. Dizziness overwhelmed me as I fell to the floor, blood quickly trickled down from my forehead. I touched the blood and looked toward Andy, but he was only worried about whether Jane was hurt the whole time.

Alive. Terrified. Then the mountain exploded.

They felt like tiny, insignificant beings in the face of that behemoth-like mountain. The group came to a complete stop. They did not rush up the mountain as they preferred to observe it from afar. After what seemed like an eternity, everyone appeared to be ready. Tyr also brought out some Frosty Fruits to help everyone return to their peak. Following that, they entered the mountain and began climbing toward the summit. There was nothing but thick white snow on the snow-capped mountain. There appeared to be some kind of magical barrier here. As they climbed the mountain, they realized that their condition was not as good as it appeared from the outside. Their climb could even be described as

Tela whispered. They approached the mountain, and they saw a path leading up to its peak. The path was steep and winding, and the rocks were jagged and unforgiving. But Fionn and Tela were determined to reach the top. As they climbed, the fire grew brighter, and they heard a low, booming voice coming from the mountain. "Who dares to approach the mountain of the gods?" the voice asked. "We are Fionn and Tela," Fionn said, his voice shaking. "We come in peace." There was a long silence, and then the voice spoke again. "You may enter the mountain, but you must pass a test first," the voice said. "What test?" Fionn asked, his heart pounding in his chest. "You must pass through the ring of fire,"

She simply gave a short, respectful nod, her jaw set in a line of quiet determination. “Today, I am taking you to the place where it will all be decided: Mt. Fortitude.” I glanced at him, a frown tugging at my brow. It seemed he had finally decided to remove that cursed mirror from our training, but the way he said the mountain's name made my stomach twist with a different kind of unease. We rode in the carriage for a long time, winding through jagged obsidian rocks until we reached a volcano that stood apart from the rest. It wasn’t as massive as the ones in the heart of Ashfall, but it looked mighty all the same.

But in this moment, my hands trembled, my chest felt too tight, and all I could do was try to be strong for my mate. The wheels of the carriage groaned before coming to a halt. My head lifted, and I peered through the window. The mountain stood before us, cloaked in fog, its peaks were lost in the clouds. The wind howled down its sides, carrying a chill that ran down my bones. I stepped out of the carriage, my boots crunching against the dry sand. Selene followed me, as we walked she lifted her gaze toward the mountain. “It’s so high,” she whispered. “Are we… are we going to climb it?”

There was already a strong wind blowing. “It’s time,” he murmured before he departed for Mount Violightning. Kayson moved fast, reaching the bottom of the mountain in less than half an hour. The sky had brightened up a little by then. He was about to go up the mountain when several inner energy fighters rushed over to stop him. “Stand right there!” a middle-aged fighter who was close to entering the master level cried out with a sharp gaze. Kayson glanced at him and said, “Mister, I’m going up the mountain.”

I turned it over in my hand. “We should go,” I said eventually. Akira nodded, but neither of us moved. There was no victory here. No healing. Just the cold truth of survival. We sat at the foot of the mountain, alone and changed—empty-handed, but not unchanged. And somewhere behind us, the mountain watched. Waiting. **** POV: Ember. The mountain seemed endless—twisting halls, strange lights flickering just out of sight. I was starting to fall. Starting to believe I'd be swallowed whole.

I didn't have an answer that wouldn't scare her or make her feel like I was scared too and didn't want to go on with the plan. I coughed, probably about to speak even though I wasn't going to speak directly, but before I could, Fenric grunted and spoke without looking over his shoulder. “He's silent because he knows the geography of that mountain as well as I do, Calla,” Fenric said, his voice flat. “The western slope you mentioned… if it's really the one with the dead oak and the weeping face rock. That isn't just a path, it's a vertical climb. To be honest, if we are to go, it's going to be a suicidal mission. Even for a wolf.”

It was a formidable sight, but it also gave me hope that we were getting closer to our goal. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the journey ahead of us. But I was determined to succeed, no matter the cost. "Let's go," I said, standing up and motioning for Luis to follow. We packed up our bags and ran towards the mountain. We finally reached the foot of the mountain, and it was even more impressive up close. The rocky terrain seemed almost insurmountable, and the mountain towered above us, its peak still shrouded in mist.