The air was light after the Wind Trial, but the path ahead twisted into a fog-covered bridge. Trees looked older here, as if they had watched centuries pass.
> "This is eerie…" whispered Luna, hugging her arms. "It's the Path of Echoes," said Yen Yu. "The next trial lies ahead. But something's… off."
Suddenly, a soft clatter echoed from behind a stone arch.
A boy with snow-white hair and torn robes stepped out of the shadows. He had one blue eye, one silver. A golden sigil glowed faintly on his wrist—but it was cracked.
> "You shouldn't be here," he said. "Go back."
> "Who are you?" asked Xin, stepping forward.
> "My name is Jun. I once walked the Sacred Trials… and failed."
The group tensed.
> "What do you mean failed?" Shane asked sharply.
> "I was chosen by fate too. I passed four trials… but on the fifth, I lost someone. And the trials banished me to this forgotten path."
He looked at them, eyes hollow but curious.
> "You're different. You move like royalty, yet you don't know you are."
Selen narrowed her eyes.
> "You've been watching us?"
> "Only for a while… I wanted to remember what hope felt like."
Hansol stepped forward.
> "Then help us. Show us what you learned before you fell."
Jun hesitated… then smiled for the first time in years.
> "Alright. But the next trial won't test your power. It will test your fears."
Everyone grew silent.
Luna clutched Shane's sleeve gently.
> "Fears?"
> "Yes," Jun said. "The Trial of Shadows."
> "Your deepest guilt… your worst memory… it will rise to the surface."
> "If even one of you breaks, all of you will fall."
They exchanged glances.
And then, the fog thickened.
The path ahead split into eight mirrored doors—each marked with a glowing symbol.
Jun turned away, walking into the mist.
> "Survive… and maybe, you'll earn your thrones."
One by one, they stepped toward their fears…
To Be Continued…