"We are almost to the great hall." The tall, dark elf said.

Ryan looks back at her with a slightly confused expression. "Is the High Priestess of the Nils Moon going to be there?"

"Yes, yes, she will," Sehranya said.

As Ryan gazed at Sehranya, he couldn't help but be struck by the sheer beauty of her face. Together, they strolled into the Great Hall of the Nils Moon. Upon entering, they were enveloped by a sense of warmth and hospitality. The walls were crafted from sturdy stone, and above them, a ceiling of stained glass cast a radiant purple glow, adorned with shimmering runes embedded in each pillar.

In the crowded room, the presence of countless elves made it nearly impossible for Ryan to gauge their exact number. As he scanned the hall, he eventually realized that the far end of the great hall was unusually unoccupied, with a sparse scattering of elves. At the altar, three female figures stood out, each exuding their own unique allure.

'I guess they're the rulers of the Dark Elves?' Ryan thought to himself as they approached the three ladies.

The first figure must be Yoona the High Priestess of Nils, she seemed to be around 5 '10", had silky platinum hair, a black circlet with a jade green gem in the middle of it, vibrant violet eyes, brown tan skin, and a beautiful attractive face. Ryan remembers her well. She was the first person he saw when he first came to this world.

'SHIT! It's her!' Ryan begins to sweat, recalling the events of that day.

The individual positioned to the left of the High Priestess was Elianna, also recognized as the Left Hand of Yoona. Elianna possessed striking beauty, characterized by her short, stylishly cut blonde hair and captivating blood-red eyes. Her circlet was crafted in the shape of a lightning bolt, adding to her enigmatic aura.

To Yoona's right stood a figure unfamiliar to Ryan, unless she had been concealing her face under a hood in the summoning room. What struck him most about her was her noticeably shorter stature compared to the others. Additionally, she possessed a slight plumpness, albeit not to a significant degree.

Yoona is staring straight at Ryan, "You remember me, don't you? Our first meeting was quite exciting wasn't it?"

Ryan nods his head while taking a deep breath, "Yeah, I guess you could say that?"

"You are one of the most intriguing summoned we've had in a while," Yoona says to Ryan.

Hiro scoffs at that remark. "What do you mean by interesting?" He asks Yoona.

Her statement took Ryan aback because he swore Yoona had a disappointed look on her face when he first saw her. 'What's her angle?' Ryan thought while trying to keep calm and not show his confusion.

She sighs. "I suppose it's rather obvious. You are both very different from any other summons that's come before you."

"So what? What makes us so special?" Hiro asked.

Yoona places a hand on the altar. "Let me ask you this: Do you know what you are?"

Ryan and Hiro exchange glances.

"Well... yes? We're both human." Ryan said.

Yoona chuckles. "That's correct. You're the first humans ever to be summoned to our realm."

"Wait, seriously?" Hiro questioned her.

Yoona nods. "Yes, that's right. And you were summoned because you two have a special bond with the elven people of this land. The other High Priestesses, and I believe you are destined for greatness."

Ryan was sure that Yoona was lying, but he and Hiro nodded their heads.

"We'll explain more about that later. For now, I would like for you both to start your trial as the chosen ones. Are you ready to begin?" Yoona asks.

Hiro laughs out triumphantly while doing a power pose and says to Yoona, "Hell yeah! I was born to be the Chosen One!"

'We don't know what these trials are, you moron!'

Ryan stands there stunned and confused, while Hiro continues to laugh at the idea that he and Ryan are to be the Chosen Ones.

"I see our prayers haven't been abandoned by the goddess. May the Dark Guide You, Chosen One," Yoona tells Hiro with an elegant smile.

Hiro is looking at Yoona with pure adoration and excitement in his eyes as he looks to prove himself as the next great hero.

"Good! Now let's start your first trial, shall we," Yoona states while waving her hand to the side, signaling to someone to come over and lead them to the trials.

***

Ryan's eyes widened in shock. "I'm starting my trial as the Chosen One without even knowing why?" He whispers to himself not wanting to draw attention to him as they are walking through different core doors to some unknown place.

"What's with that face?" Hiro asks Ryan.

Ryan shakes his head. "Nah, it's just... forget it." He says while scratching the back of his neck.

The group descended a winding staircase until they arrived at a pair of massive doors. The doors were adorned with a prominent dark elf emblem etched into the metal surface, bearing a striking resemblance to Yoona's visage or that of another esteemed high priestess.

"Through those doors is your first trial," Yoona states.

"What is the first trial?" Ryan asked.

"You shall be slaying the monsters beyond the dungeon's gates. This test is to see if you truly are worthy of becoming Chosen Ones for the Goddess." Yoona responds.

Ryan was completely perplexed by her statement, but he decided not to probe further because it seemed like Yoona was privy to information that he lacked.

Hiro is beyond excited to begin their trial and Ryan is simply going along with it for now. "I'm finally going to be the one to get power and I'll never let anyone push me around ever again! Let's do this!" He says with a sinister grin.

"I'll be going back to the Great Hall. I will leave you two with our Master in Arms, Joris. He shall aid you in your first trial," Yoona says while pointing to the door that leads to the dungeon.

Joris walks up to Ryan and Hiro with a stern look on his face. "Let's go." He says with his deep voice.

When looking at Joris, the first thing you'll notice about him is that he’s a hulking beast of a man who stands over 6 feet tall and looks like he weighs over 250 pounds of pure muscle. He had long, wild white hair that was tied up into a ponytail. His circlet looked like a crown made out of a bone with a red gemstone in the middle. He wore silver chain mail armor with a matching cape and black boots. This guy looks like he can shatter one-ton boulders just by staring at them! 

'I wonder what Hiro will do to get himself killed by Joris?' Ryan thought as the door to the dungeon opened up for them.

"What monster are we slaying?" Ryan asked Joris.

"Kobolds," Joris answered with a bored tone.