This world really wasn't as simple as it seemed.
"Why was this realm hidden beneath a haunted castle?" Alexia asked, frowning.
Lysara smiled faintly. "It was not always haunted. Long ago, this realm was a sanctuary—a place of harmony between sprites and nature. But the corruption seeped in, subtle and cruel. It turned some sprites into monsters. Those who consumed their own kind became corrupted spirits. What you encountered were remnants of what once was."
Yue stepped forward, her expression grim. "So what's the trial?"
Lysara turned her gaze to Aamon. "To claim the inheritance of this place… you must be chosen."
"Chosen?" he asked.
"By the sprites. They are the soul of this realm. If you can earn their approval, one by one, they will grant you passage to the Heartwood Sanctuary—the final test. Only there can you awaken the true power buried within this land."
"And if we fail?"
"Then you will be cast out. Or worse… consumed by what you do not understand."
The light surrounding her began to dim, her form fading like mist at dawn. "You have three days. The sprites are watching."
With that, the Keeper vanished, leaving only the glowing stele behind.
Aamon looked to Alexia and Yue, their faces reflecting the same realization that had taken root in his chest.
This wasn't a battle of strength—it was a test of spirit, of worth.
And it had already begun.
Aamon and his team had spent several hours navigating the winding beauty of the secret realm. Verdant meadows stretched far into the horizon, rivers hummed with gentle magic, and distant waterfalls cast glistening mist into the air. Despite its serenity, every shadow held the memory of the corrupted—remnants of what once was pure.
It was in a glade framed by glowing willow trees that they encountered the first sprite.
He was small—barely half Yue's height—his body woven from wind and stardust, with leaf-like wings that shimmered as he hovered uncertainly above the ground. At the sight of them, he didn't react with fear or aggression. Instead, he dropped to his knees in mid-air, bowing his head low.
"Forgive me, Spirit-born," the sprite said reverently, his voice like the ringing of wind chimes. "I did not expect your return."
Yue stepped forward, blinking in surprise. "You recognize me?"
"You carry the ancient breath. You are a true Spirit… and we, who once were, must obey. Morality need not be questioned when a Spirit speaks. Our kind would follow you into death, if you commanded it."
Aamon exchanged a glance with Alexia, who shrugged but remained quiet. Yue, still unsure of what this meant, kept her composure as the sprite floated closer and gestured gently.
"Come. If you seek the approval of the sprites… it is already yours."
What followed was unexpected.
The sprite led them through crystal groves and mirrored lakes, deeper into the realm. Every group they encountered—earth sprites resting within stones, flame sprites dancing in geysers, water sprites weaving shapes in the air—reacted the same way. The moment Yue approached, they bowed their heads and swore loyalty. No challenge. No riddles. No resistance.
Even Aamon, ever cautious, couldn't help but be surprised by the sheer scale of their acceptance.
"They're not just following her," he muttered to Alexia during a brief pause, "They revere her."
"She's not just a spirit-blooded girl, Aamon," Alexia replied, eyes narrowed in thought. "She might be something… more."
By the time the sun dipped behind the illusionary mountains that marked the secret realm's horizon, every sprite had been gathered. Hundreds of them floated, shimmered, and whispered in awe as Yue stood silently before them.
Six hours. That was all it had taken.
No combat. No trials. Just presence.
And Yue's presence was enough.
They returned to the center of the realm as twilight descended, the collected sprites trailing behind like a procession of stars.
Lysara stood there, waiting beside the stele, her expression calm—until she saw them approach.
Her eyes widened.
"The trial… is complete?"
Yue nodded gently, unsure how to explain what had just happened. "They accepted me."
Lysara blinked, her ethereal form faltering for a moment.
"I designed this trial to take days… perhaps weeks. You—" She looked at Yue with something that bordered on awe. "You did it in six hours."
She stepped forward, her gaze softening with understanding and a strange hint of reverence.
"You are not just spirit-touched… You are spirit-born. And the sprites—my kin—have seen what I did not."
Aamon, standing beside Yue, felt a ripple of pride—then wonder. Yue hadn't needed to fight or prove herself through strength.
She had simply been who she was.
And that had been enough.
After the unexpected success of completing the sprite trial, a question that had been nagging at the back of Aamon's mind finally surfaced. As Lysara floated gracefully near the stele, her expression still tinged with disbelief, he crossed his arms and asked casually, "So… what about the Heartwood Trial? You mentioned it before. When does that start?"
Lysara froze mid-glide. Her ethereal form twitched, and for a long second, she looked anywhere but at Aamon. Then, with a sheepish smile and an awkward chuckle, she waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, that?" she said, laughing nervously. "That was a joke! Ahem… Just a little dramatic flair to keep things interesting. There's no such thing as a Heartwood Trial."
Aamon blinked. "You were joking?"
"I hadn't spoken to anyone in centuries! I wanted to spice up our interaction a little," she said, rubbing the back of her translucent head as if embarrassed. "But… I suppose I took it a little far."
Yue stifled a giggle behind her hand, while Alexia just shook her head with a sigh. "Spirits really are a strange bunch," she muttered.
With a flick of her wrist, Lysara swiftly changed the subject. A soft hum filled the air, and a brilliant light burst forth from the ground in front of them. From the depths of the stele's base, a glowing chest emerged—ancient, vine-wrapped, and humming with stored energy.
"This," Lysara said, her voice returning to its usual serene cadence, "is your rightful reward. All the resources I've gathered and preserved within this realm—treasures, materials, elixirs, spirit herbs, even condensed elemental cores. They're yours. Use them to grow stronger. Rapidly."
The chest landed gently on the grass, and the lid creaked open with a whisper. Inside was a trove unlike anything Aamon had seen—brilliant potion bottles pulsing with light, clusters of rare minerals, shimmering crystals, glowing orbs, and intricate scrolls etched with techniques lost to time.
Yue's eyes widened. "This is… enough for several breakthroughs."
Alexia crouched beside the chest, picking up a black crystal that radiated pure blood energy. "These materials are from beyond the 4th Order. Some of these aren't even native to this region."
Aamon nodded, his eyes scanning the trove with deep calculation—but he didn't move to touch anything yet.
"Thank you, Lysara," he said, then glanced toward his teammates. "But before we start our breakthrough sessions, there's one thing we need to do."
Lysara tilted her head. "Oh? What's that?"
"We have a task to report," Aamon said. "That corrupted spirit infestation in the haunted estate—that's what led us here in the first place. If we don't hand it in and update our rank, we'll just be throwing away reputation and future opportunities."
Alexia stood, crossing her arms. "And we'll attract unnecessary suspicion if we suddenly return way stronger than we were before."
Yue gave a gentle nod in agreement. "We need to move carefully. Strength means nothing if the world turns against us for gaining it too quickly."
Lysara watched them for a moment, then smiled.
"You're not only strong—but wise," she said, raising her hand. "Very well. I will keep the realm stable. When you're ready to return, simply use this."
From her palm, a tiny shard of wood shaped like a leaf floated into Aamon's hand. It glowed faintly with the energy of the realm.
"A return token?" Aamon asked.
Lysara nodded. "It will guide you back here. The inheritance realm will remain open to you."
He closed his hand over it, and the air shimmered around them in response to the unspoken decision.
The time for growth was near—but first, they had a world to return to.
And soon, it would know just how far they'd come.