I ran to the temple as fast as I could, trying to get there before they rang the gong. I burst through the main door, and lined up with the rest of the initiates. I got a couple odd looks, as I was four years older than all the other initiates, but no one said anything. Just as I was ready, the gong rang and the doors opened. We all walked into the Trial room, filled with everybody who had passed the Trial. The Grandmaster sat at the head of the room, cross-legged on a cushion. He opened his eyes, and stood up.

"Greetings, young initiates." He said. "Welcome to the Trial. You have all studied well, and progressed far in your training. But now we shall see if you are in tune with nature. If you pass the Trial, you will gain a spirit animal, and control over an element." He pointed to a tapestry above him, showing the four elements inside a Yin/Yang symbol. "There are four main elements," he said,"which fall within Life and Death. The elements themselves have smaller elements, and those elements have smaller ones, and so on. The higher your element is, the more powerful it is. Now, I will introduce the masters who will perform the trials. We have Master Pansa, with the spirit of the Panther, and the element of Explosion." My dad stepped forward and bowed to us, not even looking at me. "Master Shibo, with the spirit of the Panda, and the element of Vine." The short, fat, cheerful man stepped forward and bowed quickly, grinning as he straightened up. "Masters Ken and Yajirushi, Ken wielding the Dilon spirit and the Mountain element, while Yajirushi wields the Jiaolong spirit and the element of Flood." Two identical men stepped forward, one tall and muscular, the other shorter and more wiry. "Master Komori, with the spirit of the Bat and the element of Shadow." A tall, thin man wearing a pair of sunglasses stepped forward and bowed elegantly. "And lastly, our twin mistresses, Karasu, wielder of Crow and Gust, and Kuren, wielder of Crane and Hurricane." The two women in line stepped forward and bowed, one with black hair, and one with white. "Now, Alex, Johnathon, Carmen, and Ryu, please follow Master Shibo," the Grandmaster said.

I and the other three stepped out of line and followed Master Shibo into his Trial room. The cheerful master spun around and grinned at us. "Well, young ones and not so young one," he said in a surprisingly deep voice,"Welcome to the Trial. Now, despite the name, you don't have to do much. You merely offer a small amount of blood and enter the meditative state. If you can fully connect with nature, you will see your spirit animal and be able to summon your element. If not, you can simply try again next year." Master Shibo grinned. "So, let's have Ryu go first.' My head shot up in surprise.

The master offered a kind smile, and beckoned me into a small chamber. The room was small, with the same Yin-Yang symbol as before on the floor. There were two cushions on the floor with a small incense candle on the floor between them. Master Shibo and I knelt on the two cushions. Master Shibo grinned and said, "Well, young Ryu, It's been a while. I believe that this is your fifth attempt for the Trial?" I nodded and looked down, ashamed. Master Shibo chuckled. "Worry not, Ryu. I failed the trial three times before my spirit chose me. Now, I trust you remember how the trial goes?" I nodded. The master grinned. "Well then, I will let you do it." The master reached into his robe and pulled out a small dagger inscribed with Japanese symbols. I reached over and took the knife from his hands. I made a small cut across my palm, and allowed some blood to drip onto the incense. Shibo took a match and lit the incense. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to slip into the meditative state. I felt my spirit ascend and connect to nature. The other times I had done it, I had just felt the power of the world rush through me, and then vanish. But this time, I felt something deep within me connect to the world. I felt my spirit be moved to a place within the world. I became aware in the spirit world, and realized that I was in a world modeled after a forest. I stood in front of a giant tree, reaching impossibly high into the air. The tree had dozens, no, hundreds of nests and holes dotting it. As I watched, a large green snake slithered out of the tree and plucked a single leaf from the tree. The snake slithered down to me, and touched the leaf to my forehead. I heard a voice resonate deep within me, saying "Well then young Dragon, I believe that you have waited for long enough. Remember, nothing is as it seems." My vision went pure green, and I felt myself get thrown back into the physical world.

My real eyes sprang open and I fell backwards. Master Shibo looked up from a small book in his hand, startled. "Young Ryu, is everything alright?" I sat up slowly, and looked down at my hands. "I...I think I passed."
A massive grin spread across Shibo's face. "Excellent Ryu, excellent! Now, I will ask you some questions about your vision so that we can figure out what your abilities are. First, where were you?" "In a massive forest, with a tree reaching up into the sky, dotted with nests and holes. Everything seemed...alive, and connected." Shibo smiled. "So, your element falls within the category of Life. Wonderful! Now, what animal approached you?" I grinned and said, "A snake, a large, bright green snake." Shibo nodded and asked, "And what did the animal guide you to or bring to you?" A bit more hesitantly, I answered, "A leaf. It plucked a leaf from a tree, and touched it to my forehead." Master Shibo nodded sympathetically. "Well then young Ryu, I will give you your apprentice badge." He reached into a small box nearby, and pulled out an ink brush and scroll. He unfurled the scroll and blew on the pen, somehow producing ink. He quickly wrote three characters on the scroll, and rolled it back up. He clenched his fist around the scroll, and a green glow burst from his hand. When it faded, the master opened his hand to reveal a pin, in the shape of a snake eating its own tail, with a leaf in the empty space. Shibo reached over and placed the pin on my robes, where it promptly stuck. Shibo grinned widely, and rising, bowed to me, saying "Welcome to the Order of The Dragon, Snake Beginner Ryu. Now, when you leave, enter the room on the right, and send in Carmen."
A/N: So, who forgot that this story existed? *raises hand* I'm really sorry guys, but hopefully I'll be able to write more for lots of stories I've started. I hope you enjoy this, and see you all later. AKA in a couple months.