The monster didn't roar; it didn't need to.
I stared at my reflection lodged in the ember, I knew we stood no chance.
This wouldn't be a fight. It was a psychological test.
"Formations!" Melissa shouted, breaking the silence. "Laef, left flank! Dagger Girl, behind Eli! Eli, front! Isaac... do whatever you do."
Her voice cracked. Her fingers flicked repeatedly; summoning three new sword fragments. Exact copies from the hall. Melissa's jaw was clenched, her eyebrows lowered as she stared at the beast with vengeance. Hate.
I stepped forward instinctively, my rope manifesting effortlessly.
"Rope turn into a shield!" I yelled, waiting.
Nothing...
"Rope Shield!"
Still nothing...
Laef began stomping towards the left flank, throwing a mix of cries and groans beneath his breath.
"Eli... Now's not the time. Figure it out," Melissa shouted from the right flank. Her voice shaking.
I cursed under my breath and ran toward the beast.
The cyclops didn't charge. It hovered, its scorched arms swinging wildly. The five embers inside it pulsed, each a different color: green, red, blue, violet, and gold. Like hearts.
As I approached, a title shimmered into existence above its horns:
[Heart Harborer: Tales of The Forgotten]
I stopped in my tracks. Each ember shimmered, and inside each one, a version of us stared back like they were waiting.
How do I attack something made of Magma?
"We're approaching the hour mark!" screamed Laef, his eyes widening.
Then...
One of the embers glowed stronger than the others.
The green one.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out. Not emerged. Not materialized. He walked, like he'd always been there, and now he simply was.
His glare never left mine, dressed in full firefighting gear. An axe hung to his side, rope shield across his arm. He stood like someone who belonged, his face covered in soot with a twisted grin. An exact replica of me, still 20. six foot two. That same rope shield I summoned in the throne room.
The only difference... he seemed confident, stronger. His eyes didn't carry guilt. The version of me that didn't freeze.
I broke our gaze and glanced at my dangling rope and quietly muttered,
"Rope Shield."
Nothing...
That made him smirk, approaching without a second glance.
"So you're what remains," he said, flicking ash off his shoulder. "They really summoned you?"
I didn't answer. My body felt hot, my stomach twisted.
I barely noticed the wall of flames isolating me from the group. This is my trial alone...
Is he me before the fire?
He tilted his head. "Try again, Eli..." Reading my mind. "I'm the version of you who didn't fail. The version worthy of being summoned."
The others gathered at the entrance. Isaac muttered something but I couldn't hear him over the sound of my heartbeat slamming against my chest.
My double walked forward. His voice rising in disgust,
"You had one job. Save them then run back inside. A little boy and his father. One scream was all it took to freeze you. Scared to fight alone?"
I stepped back, my jaw clenching.
"Your father burned, Eli. Just like our mother." He continued, shifting his shield. "Because you froze! You chose to save yourself."
I charged him. Without a thought, the rope rose into an oval shield.
Sparks flew as steel rang against steel; my shield clashing against his.
"Even that rope knows. Notice it forms when you're in danger. Not when someone else needs saving," he spat, effortlessly sliding sideways.
I pushed forward, striking again as anger filled my veins; memories of dad and the fire fueled my thoughts.
Another clash, but he didn't stumble. Not even once. He deflected my strikes, effortlessly moving around me. He was me... but lighter, faster, trained.
He slammed his shield into my side, sending me crashing to the dirt. I gasped, my lungs burning as nearby ash rose around me like a plume cloud.
Get up!
But, I couldn't. My legs refused to move, trembling.
So... I just laid there, arms frozen.
He didn't strike again. Just waited. Mocking.
"Failures don't get to cry about the fire."
I didn't speak. I couldn't, everything he said was true. My fingers twitched across the shield handle as it unraveled into rope beside me.
How do I beat myself...
"I'm not you..." he hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Accept it."
He paused, pointing towards the group.
"You think you're a hero because you're here?" Envy laced his tone. "You're no ones hero. You're a fraud holding a shield. You've failed them before. How long until they discard you?"
Melissa shouted something behind me, but I didn't hear.
A wall of fire had risen between us.
"This is your trial!" Isaac called, voice muffled by flame. "Only you can fight it!"
I forced myself to my knees, the rope recoiling in my arms.
"I never claimed to be a hero," I muttered. "But you're right... I'm not you."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't stop to live. I stopped because... I couldn't move. That guilt you love to spit at, that pain you mock, that's all I am."
The rope surged to life. Coiling, then snapping back into its firm oval shield.
[LEVEL UP - Lvl 3: SteadFast Retribution- When you stand unbroken, your shield strengthens.]
I grunted, cursing under my breath.
That's... Hella vague.
My double frowned, his voice barely a whisper,
"Interesting."
I raised the shield and charged again.
He struck, once, twice, then we locked shields. I pressed forward, sweat, stinging my eyes.
My shield feels sturdier... It isn't buckling like before.
"They might cast me aside. But I have to survive," I yelled; pushing back.
Then...
He stepped back and I slid.
My legs vanished beneath me as I fell face first into the ash. I rolled off my shield, just in time to watch as he tried to pin me with his foot.
He's not trying to kill me... He's trying to humiliate me.
Another clash.
I pivoted. He dodged.
But this time... he grunted.
I clipped his shoulder. He staggered back, momentarily surprised.
I rushed him, my shield braced to clash, "You're right. I'm not perf—!"
Darkness.
My hands flailed against the dirt. Throbbing pain travelled along my ribs.
What... happened. My shield must've blocked something.
My ears rang. Every part of me screamed. Something hit me... Fast. Hard. Not like a shield or a punch. Like a truck or a tree that fell from the sky and introduced itself to my ribs.
The system opened without a command. Its teal glow pulsing red.
[Caution: Health Critical]
In the top left corner, a heart icon I hadn't noticed repeatedly blinked.
HP: [5/100]
This world. This system continues to baffle me.
I coughed, spitting soot. As I rolled, the world followed... I barely caught sight of the cyclops's massive arm passing by. It dragged itself behind my double, not aimed at me. Just... passing through.
It wasn't even trying to hit me.
My double stood in the distance, a faint smirk on his face as he watched me squirm.
"Even fate doesn't want you to win," he muttered, his voice low.
I blinked against the falling ashes, eyes still stinging. My hand twitched for the rope, the shield dissolved the moment I hit the ground.
You were doing so well... and then the world reminded you who you are.
I grabbed the handle, jaw clenched.
"Of course..." I whispered to myself. "Of course I get blindsided by fate. Why wouldn't I?"
My double stepped forward again, shield barely drawn, low to his side. Just laughing like he already won.
"You see now?" he said. "This isn't your story, Eli. Let the better you take your place. You'll never live up to their expectations."
Maybe... he was right. The system gave me a shield that only worked when I stood tall. The moment I hesitated? It vanished. Just like back then.
Everything in me relaxed. Defeated.
But then...
Pulsing light oozed from the monster.
One of the other embers flared... bright gold. The cyclops's body twitched, fire rippling across its molten surface as the gold ember expanded, distorting.
A figure emerged.
Laef.
No... another Laef. He was covered in bruises, eyes swelled with a wild panic frozen into his features. This version didn't look like he joked about ghosts. He looked like he became one.
He dropped to his knees mid-step, panting like he'd run miles through hell.
"Back... back already?" new Laef asked, his voice panting; out of breath. "I haven't... haven't seen her yet. Like I was supposed to..."
The monster shuddered again.
A third tremor.
The green ember pulsed wildly, flickering like a failing heartbeat.
My double turned, glancing at the gold version of Laef now writhing in the dirt. His smirk faltered,
"You failed again Eli, our funs over. You're out of time..." he paused, sliding his shield across the dust. "You won't be seeing that anymo—"
A flash of pink light tore through the haze. An arrow. Notched, drawn, and loosed from behind the wall of flame... pierced the double's chest.
Crack!
The ember heart of my doppelganger flickered. He stumbled backward, eyes wide.
"No...!"
I forced myself up, knees wobbling. My shield didn't return. My system didn't chime. But I moved anyway.
"This isn't my story," I muttered back at him. "But it won't be yours either."
And I watched as his stunned face exploded into green light and mist.
[1/5 Sources Extinguished]
Then I turned and swung.
My fist collided with the fake Laef.
No shield. Just soot-covered fists and frustration. I felt his jaw twist beneath the weight of it, and he staggered.
He didn't try to fight or counter. Just accepted his fate, whispering;
"I'm sorry dad. I'll do better."
I grabbed the doppelganger's shield and shouted,
"SteadFast Retribution!"
Nothing... No glow or cool ability. Just silence.
I sighed, jamming the shield into his gut anyway.
His form began to blur, then suddenly teleported to where it was summoned, unharmed.
The monster's green heart exploded like fireworks, quickly consumed by the molten creature.
The fire wall disappeared as Melissa's voice cut through the silence.
"Eli?!"
"I'm... alive," I coughed, spitting black.
Laef jogged over, bow still glowing.
"Next time, maybe don't fight your trauma solo, yeah?""
Melissa smacked the back of his head,
"Ow..." spat Laef, rubbing his head.
"Sorry Eli... This idiot forgot he had a bow," hissed Melissa, glaring at Laef.
I gave a weak thumbs up and collapsed back into the ash.
Suddenly the monster roared and flame walls sprang from the dirt; isolating Laef.
"Good luck Laef..." I yelled, grasping my rib. I didn't hear his reply.
"System Open," I coughed.
45 Minutes remain...
And suddenly, the red ember began to glow. Brighter than the greens and golds; blinding everything in sight.
I sat up slowly, wincing.
Looks like it was someone else's turn now.