The stars vanished.
Kael found himself floating in a void—weightless, breathless, still pulsing with divine heat from the battle before.
Seraphon drifted beside him, cloak trailing into mist.
> "We're between phases. You've bought yourself time, but not much."
Kael turned toward him, face pale. "You said they're sending the Executioner. Who is that?"
Seraphon's normally calm face twitched slightly—an emotion flickering behind his golden eyes.
> "Not a who. A what."
> "The Executioner is the Tribunal's final weapon. A godless entity forged for one purpose: correction. You broke protocol by awakening your spark beyond mortal limits. The Tribunal… sees that as deviation."
Kael laughed bitterly. "So, they want to kill me for winning?"
> "They want to erase what they don't control."
---
Suddenly, the void shook.
A low thrum echoed—like the heartbeat of something colossal and ancient awakening.
The dark expanse cracked, revealing a new world far below. It shimmered with copper-tinted skies, floating spires, and vast cities built on slabs of suspended crystal.
Kael's body fell like a stone.
---
Impact.
He landed on a rooftop made of onyx glass, skidding to a halt. Seraphon landed gently beside him.
Kael pushed himself up.
"What now?"
> "Now," Seraphon said, "you enter the Trial of Descent."
Kael blinked. "Wait, what? I thought I was done with the trials."
> "You survived the Arena. That was just the initiation. The real trials lie across the cities of Elarian Depth."
He motioned to the massive world below—full of floating platforms, descending spirals, and towers that stretched into the abyss.
Kael's breath caught.
This place was vast—far more expansive than anything before. And hanging in the sky above it, watching silently…
…was a hooded figure with no face, surrounded by orbiting blades made of compressed light and shadow.
Kael felt pure fear crawl down his spine.
> "That… is the Executioner?"
Seraphon nodded.
> "It watches. Waiting for your next mistake."
---
Kael was given no time to rest.
A silver glyph formed under his feet.
> System Notification:
Trial Three Initiated – Descent into the Echo Cities
Objective: Survive for 12 cycles. Complete hidden objectives for divine favors.
Kael frowned. "Twelve cycles of what?"
The moment he asked—
The city roared to life.
Buildings shimmered. Beings of light and stone walked the streets. A marketplace unfolded from nothing. Towers spiraled into being.
Kael stumbled backward.
"What is this?"
Seraphon's voice echoed faintly from behind.
> "A memory of civilization. Each cycle, the world resets. But something dark hides within these echoes."
Kael looked around.
The city was alive. Too alive. Everyone smiled, laughed, traded goods. But their eyes…
Their eyes were empty.
---
Kael descended into the city below.
The marketplace welcomed him like a festival—lanterns floating in the air, music played by instruments with no players, food steaming with unnatural warmth.
A merchant approached him, grinning ear to ear.
"Traveler! Come, taste the bread of harmony. Drink the wine of stillness."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
> System Warning:
Consuming Echo Nourishment will delay cognitive awareness.
He shook his head. "No thanks."
The merchant's smile didn't change. But the shadow of his body shifted slightly—like it wasn't attached.
Kael walked on, wary.
He spotted a glowing glyph above a tower. It pulsed faintly.
Hidden Objective Located: Recover a Fragment of the First Spark.
Kael ascended the tower.
Inside, he found a chamber of rotating mirrors reflecting memories—his memories.
His village.
His sister.
Raen.
And then…
Himself.
Standing in the center of the room was another Kael.
But this version smiled too widely, his eyes pitch black, his body oozing a faint smoke.
> "Hello, me," it said. "Want to know the truth?"
Kael didn't flinch. "You're not real."
> "Aren't I? I'm the part of you that wanted Raen to die. That enjoyed his last scream. That feels nothing when you kill."
Kael summoned his Command Seal—but the mirror double moved faster.
> Command Seal: Mirror Break.
The chamber shattered, throwing Kael across the floor.
When he looked up, the fake Kael was gone—but in its place was a Fragment—a glowing crystal pulsing with red and silver light.
He grabbed it.
> System Notification:
Fragment of the First Spark acquired. 1/6
Your divine alignment has shifted: +3 Corruption, +2 Will.
Kael stood up, breath shaking.
This trial wasn't about combat.
It was about endurance of the soul.
---
He emerged from the tower.
The sky shifted—darkened. Lightning cracked across copper clouds.
A deep gong rang out.
> Cycle 1 Completed.
The entire city froze.
Then reversed.
People walked backward, events unplayed, buildings reversed their wear and tear.
Time rewound—and the city became new again.
Kael blinked. "This place… it's a loop."
---
He was about to speak when the air turned cold.
A ripple passed through the sky.
And then it appeared again.
High above the tallest spire—
The Executioner descended.
Kael watched in horror as it raised a single hand.
One of the echo citizens—just a baker walking peacefully—suddenly imploded into dust.
The crowd didn't react.
But Kael did.
> "Why did it kill that one?"
Seraphon's voice echoed faintly.
> "Because you noticed."
Kael spun. "What?!"
> "Every time you observe the Echo for what it truly is… the Executioner acts."
Kael realized with a chill—
He was being tested not only for power…
…but for perception.
---
> Cycle 2 Began.
Kael ran. No time to waste.
He needed to find the next fragment, survive ten more cycles, and avoid drawing the Executioner's gaze again.
But as he darted through alleyways, he stopped suddenly.
A child was trapped beneath a fallen structure—crying silently.
It wasn't real.
He knew that.
But his heart clenched anyway.
> Optional Objective: Save the Fragment Child. Risk: +Executioner Awareness
Kael gritted his teeth.
"Damn it."
He moved.
He tore the debris away, lifted the illusionary child—and in that moment—
The sky screamed.
High above, the Executioner's blades spun faster.
Its gaze turned directly toward Kael.
Seraphon's whisper returned.
> "You care too much, Kael Solas. That is your strength… and your doom."
---
Suddenly, a beam of black-gold light shot from the heavens.
Kael barely dodged—his shoulder grazed by divine force so pure it tore through his shield and skin alike.
> "It's acting now!" Kael shouted. "Why?!"
> System Alert:
Executioner Threat Level: Escalating. Time of mercy expired.
Kael grunted, clutching his burned shoulder.
He turned to the child.
The illusion had vanished.
In its place—
Another Fragment.
This one glowed green and blue—emotion and choice.
> Fragment of the First Spark acquired. 2/6
The sky growled again.
Kael looked up.
The Executioner began to descend.
Slowly.
Purposefully.
Unstoppably.
Kael's time was running out.
And the next cycle would begin in 30 seconds.
---
He ran, heart pounding, whispering to himself.
"Just ten more cycles. Ten more…"
But even as he said it, he knew—
He wouldn't survive them all without help.
And as he reached the next bridge—
A new figure stood in his way.
Cloaked. Hooded. Face half-burned.
> "You don't belong here, Kael Solas," the stranger said.
Kael halted, confused.
"…Who are you?"
The man raised his head.
And Kael saw his own face.
But older. Scarred. Twisted.
> "I'm you," the man said. "Twelve cycles from now. The one who survives."
> "But if you keep going the way you are… you won't become me. You'll just die."
---
[TO BE CONTINUED]