Raigor and Gormund advanced along the stone path that led them to the heart of the forgotten ruins. The Divine Physician awaited them at the end of their journey, but before reaching him, Raigor had to pass three tests.
The first had been a challenge to his strength and determination. Now, the second test would test something even deeper: his very spirit.
The Lake of Lost Souls
After hours of travel, they arrived in front of a surreal place: a lake as black as darkness itself, whose water seemed to reflect not the sky, but an infinite abyss.
In the center of the lake stood a small stone altar, and above it, a blue light floated.
"That is the key to the next trial," Gormund said gravely. "But this lake... it is not normal."
Raigor nodded. He felt something in the air, an eerie energy that seemed to call to him.
As he took his first step into the water, a voice stopped him.
"Raigor... why do you continue to fight?"
He froze. That voice... he knew it.
Turning, he saw something that made his blood run cold: the souls of those he had killed in the past.
Hundreds of faces rose from the surface of the lake, their eyes empty and full of pain. Warriors, enemies... friends.
"You always said you were fighting for a better future... but how many lives did you take to get here?"
Raigor clenched his fists. It was a trap.
"You will not stop me."
He took another step, but a figure rose before him.
It was his mother.
"My son... why are you still on this bloody road? Haven't you suffered enough?"
Raigor felt his heart tighten. Was it just an illusion... or was it really her?
Every step into the lake seemed to drag him into a vortex of pain. If he let it overwhelm him, he would remain there forever.
The Choice
He had to resist.
With a roar, he unleashed all his energy and advanced, ignoring the voices. The past would no longer chain him.
He reached the altar, grabbed the blue light, and in a flash the lake vanished, leaving him alone, panting, on the shore.
Gormund watched him with respect. "You faced your ghosts... and defeated them."
Raigor nodded. But deep down he knew that the real enemy was not the past... but the future he had yet to write.
Now there was only the third and final test left… and then he would finally find the Divine Physician.
Veran – The Face of the Past
While Raigor faced his ghosts, Veran still stood in the desert, facing his mysterious master.
The fight with the giant worm had been won, but doubt tormented him.
"Who are you really?" he asked, staring at the man in front of him.
The master smiled. "You still don't understand? I am the one who taught you to fight. But I am also the one who watched you die in your past life."
Veran felt a shiver. Was it possible?
But before he could ask anything else, a shadow moved behind him.
They were not alone.
The war was not over. It had just begun again.