Chapter 41: Stairs of Ascension

The little kitten laid on the marble floor for several minutes before her rough breathing was able to calm down to some level of normalcy. She was thoroughly tired out, physically and mentally. Her Aura was dangerously low once again and her muscles ached from being overworked.

Having recovered somewhat, the little kitten's head eventually rose when she seemed to come to a realization. 'Wait! Freak, why haven't you shown yourself yet? Where's my Vitality Potion, I feel like I'm dying her!'

"Kekeke." The Guardian Spirit's annoying laughter could be heard first before a red furred form materialized into existence a few steps in front of the little kitten, looking down at her with a pleased grin. "Why haven't I shown myself?... It was for your benefit, obviously! Its good for you to experience the great pain of drying out your Aura reserves. Hmm, hmm."

The Guardian Spirit nodded its heads as if it werr an elder spouting wise words.

'...' The little kitten was stuck between crying and being angry. In the end, she simply let out a long defeated sigh.

Seeing this, the Guardian Spirit let out a soft laugh before warping into existence a familiar bottle containing a violet coloured liquid, the Vitality Potion.

"Open up!" The Guardian Spirit spoke with a grin as he popped off the potion's lid, causing the strong stench of medicine to permeate throughout the air.

'Urgh!' The little kitten groaned and her nose twitched as the bad stench of the Vitality Potion irritated it. 'This is going to taste as bad as it smells, isn't it?'

She had not had to suffer this last time due to being unconscious when the Guardian Spirit fed her it last time.

The little kitten opened her mouth dejectedly and winced when she tasted the foul potion as the Guardian Spirit gently poured it into her mouth.

In a matter of seconds, the little kitten could already feel her wounds healing and energy return to her body. She even felt her Inner Haven organ churning out more and more aura and she could tell, given an hour or so, her Aura output would return to some level of normalcy.

The little kitten let out a pleased purr, feeling reinvigorated as she slowly but surely recovered, bringing new life back into her eyes.

"Now then, congratulations puny cat on passing the third test!" The Guardian Spirit spoke with a large smile, re-positioning his seating position atop the hovering seat in the meanwhile casually.

'That's right, what's the final test then?' The little kitten was instantly distracted from her healing wounds and she stared at the Guardian Spirit intently in anticipation. 'What beast's do I have to slay this time!'

"Kekeke, beast?" The Guardian Spirit tilted his head playfully. "The final test will involve no beasts. In fact, it will contain no fighting at all!"

'What? Then, what do I have to do?' The little kitten asked with a flustered look. Apart from fighting, sleeping, eating... What else could she even do?

The little kitten felt a headache coming on.

"For this final test, you will be climbing the 'Stairs of Ascension'!" The Guardian Spirit announced.

'Eh, the fourth test is to walk up some stairs?!' The little kitten tilted her head in confusion, her small eyes blinking a few times as if processing the Guardian Spirit's words.

"Keke, it's not as simple as that. The 'Stairs of Ascension' are a common Magical landmark that can be found in many places throughout this universe. In fact, most every 'Blessing of the God's' feature such objects. Though they are rarely used." The Guardian Spirit explained. "For this test, you will only have to climb 50 of the steps to have considered to have passed this trial."

"50? What's the deal with these steps, why wouldn't I be able to climb 50 simple steps?" The little kitten asked, her ears twitching in vexation.

"With every step you take as you ascend the 'Stairs of Ascension', you will feel an increase of pressure upon both your body and soul." The Guardian Spirit said as it looked seriously at the silver kitten across from it.

'I see... And how many steps does this 'Stairs of Ascension' entail?' The little kitten inquired.

Before answering, the Guardian Spirit just responded with a large grin.

'How much? a 100? A 1000?' The little kitten's eyes opened wide in a flustered manner.

"Kekeke." The Guardian Spirit simply held up his furry hands and held up seven of its fingers.

'7... 700?' The little kitten asked doubtfully, only to see the Guardian Spirit shaking its head in response. '7-7000?'

"Kekeke, still wrong. The number is 70,000 steps and out of these 70,000 steps, all you need to pass this trial is to climb 50 of them."

'70,000 steps... How long are these stairs?!' The little kitten exclaimed as her thoughts began to fill with the image of stairs piercing the sky and ascending into space. 'Stairs of Ascension' indeed.

"I should clarify that climbing the first 50 steps is but the minimal requirement to pass this test."

'Only the minimal requirement? Alright, freak. Stop beating around the bush and explain already. My minds going to blow up in all the confusion soon.'

"Puny cat, puny brain." The Guardian Spirit mocked and the little kitten sent it a death glare in response. Laughing her off, the Guardian Spirit simply continued to talk. "OK, puny cat. Let me explain about the 'Stairs of Ascension' and the specifics of your fourth test properly."

'Alright, I'm all ears!' The little kitten's ears twitched in accordance to this statement, looking pretty cute. If only there was a person to fawn over her and not a freak like the Guardian Spirit across from her who liked to mess with her every other second.