Lesson Learned (Part 2): Finally Letting Go (Long Overdue Lore Post)

Obsilion would groan and cough in pain as he slowly wakes up. Though he was now awake, he would still keep his eyes closed for a while. He could hear and feel a fire nearby as well as another creature. Did someone save him? "I see you're awake now." a voice would speak. Most likely the voice of the creature that's nearby. The voice was low, kinda deep, and a little dark. Like someone who is tired of living or just tired in general. Obsilion grunts a bit in pain as he tries to slowly sit up, which proved to be pretty difficult at the moment. The creature that spoke to him would huff slightly as it watched. "Save your strength...At least for now. You will need it for when you get back up there.." it would then turn back to the fire, stoking the fire with a few sticks so it wouldn't die out. Obsilion grunts softly and turns to look at the creature, slowly opening his eyes to see who the creature was. The creature appeared to be wearing a cloak. The cloak covered everything about the creature except its snout and hooves. Not even the creature's eyes could be seen. The creature held what seemed to be an old staff of sorts, probably a relic or artifact of sorts. The top of the staff was curved into a hook shape and in the arch, a strange but beautifully cut amulet would float there. The creature seemed to be a pony of sorts. What was more strange was that the pony was giving off a strange vibe, emitting some sort of strange magic. The pony would just stare into the fire, seeming to ignore Obsilion staring at him. Obsilion sighs and turns his head, now staring up at the ceiling of the cavern as he tries to relax. ".....Who are you..if I am allowed to ask..." The pony turns to look at him. "....I was once many things...I've lived quite a few lives....I am neither friend nor foe, living nor dead..I am just here." Obsilion huffs slightly at this response. "...Fine..What are you?" The pony tilts it's head at him. "....I can only be what you choose to make me..." Obsilion thinks for a moment. "...Are you supposed to be my conscience or something?.." The pony turns back to the fire, now going silent so that the only sound was the crackling of the fire. Obsilion would sigh at this and would sit up slowly. "...I will assume that means no..." he says as he gets a bit closer to the fire. The pony looks at him. "Why aren't you able to let go of your pain? What is it that you are holding on to?" the pony would ask him. Obsilion looks at the pony. "...I'm not sure I understand.." The pony nods slowly. "...You've gotten better...but there is something that is keeping you from moving forward. You are holding onto something. Whatever you maybe holding on to, it is keeping you from changing for the better. So I will ask again..What are you holding on to?" Obsilion would go silent, now staring into the fire. He wasn't sure how to respond. He wasn't sure if he had an answer to give. Eventually, Obsilion would shake his head slowly as he continued to stare into the fire. "....I...I don't know.." The pony smiles slightly. "...I think you do...Maybe you just don't realize it yet....You will soon." Obsilion would look up from the fire and look at the pony. "..Why did you save me?....Are you part of the Tree of Harmony." The pony would shake his head. "I am not the Tree, though I am an entity of similar nature...As for why I saved you...Part of my reason is because I wish to see you pass your test...The other part of my reason is because it needed to happen...Certain things need to happen for a reason. Everything must fall according to plan." Obsilion goes quiet for a moment, taking some time to look back towards the large pool of water and up the wall to the ledge he was kicked off of. "...What happens if i go back up there?..." The pony looks up with him. ".....You resume your test...You start where you left off.." Obsilion sighs a bit. "...I don't have a choice do I? I have to go back don't I?.." he looks at the pony. The pony would get up on all fours, holding his staff close. "....That is for you to decide." At this, Obsilion would close his eyes and take a breath before opening them, only for him to see that he was now alone. Whoever that pony was, they had disappeared. Obsilion sighed a bit. He now has a choice to make. He can either stay trapped here, or he can finish his test. After a while of silence, Obsilion has finally made his choice. He would growl a bit in pain as he slowly stood up. Once he was up, he would wait a moment, giving himself time to adjust before moving. He would start to walk slowly, using his carbon based powers to form a bridge made of pure hardened carbon so that he could walk across the water and to the wall. Once he made it to the wall, he would use that same carbon to form hooked combat talons on his hooves to make it easier for him to climb. As he climbed. Obsilion would move slowly, being as careful as possible so he wouldn't slip and fall. Despite the fact that he was still in pain and still had quite a few broken bones, he planned of finishing this no matter what. After twenty minutes of climbing, Obsilion finally climbs onto the ledge and onto the top of the cavern. After climbing over, he would stand up and look around. It seemed that everything was back to normal. There was no signs of a fight at all. Obsillion found this a little strange but would shrug it off as he walked towards the entrance of the cave. As he walked he slowly began to get a strange felling. He knew exactly what this meant. The paranoia, the anxiety, the cold shivers, the now sudden feeling of restrictive breathing....He knew what this meant. The phantom was back again. Obsilion would take a breath and slowly turn around to look at the phantom. The phantom gives the soldier a low growl as it stood several feet away, just staring at him. The phantom seemed to be slightly different this time. It had taken the form of something familiar to the soldier. The phantom had taken the form of someone Obsilion knows. Obsilion wouldn't let himself be bothered by this. Instead, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Obsilion would slowly move to a defensive stance, keeping his eyes closed as he gets ready for round two. Obsilion knew that his eyes would not help him in this fight. He knew that the only way to win was to let go. Its either that, or he dies here. Obsilion would focus on his own breathing, detaching himself from all of his fears and burdens. As he continues to focus on his own breathing, he would also force himself to lose all sense of his surroundings. He was now only sticking to his sense of touch and his sixth sense. This was it. He will either pass. Or he will fail. Either way, he was now ready for what would come next. The Phantom growls and suddenly appears in front of Obsilion, now moving to attack him. Within that split second, and much to the Phantom's surprise, Obsilion had moved to block the attack, still keeping his eyes closed as he did so. This only angered the Phantom more. The Phantom would continue to attack the soldier, throwing relentless strikes at him and event using some of it's telepathic power to form sharp shards of stalagmites that would then launch themselves at Obsilion. In response to this, Obsilion would continue to move swiftly and almost effortlessly as he blocked and dodged the Phantom's attacks. Obsilion would even start using his carbon based powers to bend his smoke, no longer using his smoke as a tool, but now as an extension of himself. In doing so, Obsilion had managed to form small shields of hardened carbon that would protect him from the shards of stalagmite. Obsilion couldn't quite put his hoof on it, but the way the Phantom was fighting felt familiar to him. Almost like he fought the Phantom long ago. After several minutes of blocking and dodging, Obsilion finally decided to take the risk of opening his eyes to look at the Phantom. Once Obsilion finally opened his eyes he was shocked to find that he was now fighting his own uncle. The very creature that made Obsilion the killer he became. Was this what that pony from earlier talking about? Is it his uncle that he cant let go of? Obsilion would continue to fight his uncle. Both were proving to be a match for each other. Neither one was allowing the other to get a hit on them at all. Obsilion was starting get it. He never forgave his uncle for what his uncle did to him. He never forgave his uncle for turning him into a killer. Because of this, he never truly let go of his past. Because of this, he never truly moved on. He just tried to bury it deep inside himself. Obsilion would let a few tears stream down his cheeks as he continued to fight his uncle. This fight has to end. He needs to move on. He needs to forgive him. Eventually he does. Eventually Obsilion finally dodges the last attack he would allow his uncle to throw at him before hugging his uncle tightly. Much to Obsilion's surprise, His uncle would slowly hug back, squeezing him tight as he does. As they held the embrace for what felt like forever, his uncle would softly whisper "I'm proud of you Obsilion..." before there was a bright flash of light. After the bright flash, Obsilion would look around to find that everything was back to normal and his uncle had disappeared. Obsilion would sigh a bit and just stand there for a moment, taking one last look of the cavern and taking in its beauty one last time before turning around and making his way out of the cavern. It wouldn't take long for him to exit the cave. As he stepped out the cave, a strange feeling washed over him for a moment, one that has learned to tell if magic was at play. The fact that everything in the clearing in the forest looked exactly the same before he entered the cave and that the sun hadn't changed positions only confirmed his suspicion of magic being at play. Obsilion would walk over towards the middle of the clearing and take a breath. "...So...There was a time spell on the cave wasn't there?" he would ask as he stood there. The Tree Of Harmony would appear next to him, taking the form of Twilight again. "Sort of. Time is relative is it not?" Obsilion thinks. "...So then..time flowed differently in there than out here.." he responds as he looks at the tree. The tree smiles and nods. "And I am proud to say that you passed my test." the tree tells him as it smiles at him happily. "How do you feel, Obsilion?" Obsilion looks down a little. "....I feel..better...Thank you...I..I think I needed that." The tree smiles and nods. "Of course..Go and rest for now. You need it. And don't worry about your injuries. They were healed the moment you exited the cave. We will meet again in a few days. When we meat again i will share the secret connection between Requians and Equestrians with you." with that, the tree would disappear. Obsilion would nod in response and smile slightly. With that, Obsilion would leave the area, heading home to spend time with his daughter.