The air within the entrance to the Sealed Trial was thick with anticipation and ancient power. As Kael stepped through the shimmering threshold, he felt an immediate disconnection from the world outside. The noise, the presence of others—even the System interface—fell eerily silent. Only his heartbeat remained, pounding in his ears like war drums.
He found himself in a circular chamber of polished obsidian, the walls reflecting his image from every angle. There were no doors, no visible paths—only infinite reflections of himself, slightly distorted. His voice echoed when he whispered, "Where… am I?"
System Notification:[Sealed Trial: The Labyrinth of Reflections – Initiated]Objective: Face the truth. Conquer the self.Time Limit: None. Escape when ready.Note: External help is blocked. Inventory access denied.
Kael blinked. For the first time since acquiring the Ascension Protocol, he was truly alone.
His hand instinctively moved to summon his blade, but nothing appeared. No mana. No aura. Not even the comforting hum of the Protocol. It felt like waking up from a dream into a cold, silent world.
Suddenly, the chamber shifted.
A low hum pulsed through the floor. The reflections flickered, and from each wall emerged a figure—exact replicas of Kael. Same face, same armor, same determined expression. But their eyes… they shimmered with a crimson hue.
One of them stepped forward. "You seek strength," it spoke, voice identical to Kael's, but laced with venom. "Yet you fear your own power."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "You're not me."
"We are all you," another echoed from the left. "We are the Kael who failed. The Kael who hesitated. The Kael who broke."
"I haven't broken," Kael growled, stepping back instinctively.
"Not yet," the third clone whispered, emerging behind him.
They closed in, circling him like wolves. Each one seemed to manifest an aspect of himself—his rage, his guilt, his doubt, his ambition. It wasn't a battle of fists or magic.
It was psychological warfare.
The rage-Kael lunged first, shouting, "You let them die! You weren't strong enough!"
Kael ducked and rolled, reacting purely on instinct. "That's not true!"
"Isn't it?" Doubt-Kael snarled. "Your mother. The villagers. The expedition team. All sacrificed on the altar of your weakness!"
Kael gritted his teeth, trying to block the words. They weren't using weapons, but every phrase struck like a blade to the soul.
The ambition-Kael leaned in close. "You want to save them? Or do you want to rise above them? Admit it. Power feels good."
"No!" Kael shouted. "That's not why I climb!"
"Liar!" they all shouted in unison, and a burst of energy erupted, throwing Kael to the ground.
Pain shot through his ribs. The room twisted again. When Kael opened his eyes, he was no longer in the obsidian chamber.
Now he stood in the ruins of his hometown, Emberhold—rebuilt in haunting detail. Fires raged. Shadows moved like ghosts. He heard voices—screams of people he knew, faces he loved.
"Kael! Help us!"
He turned toward the voice. It was his younger sister, Lira, running toward him. But she faded into ash the moment he reached out. Behind her, the rage-Kael laughed. "You weren't fast enough then. You won't be now."
Kael clenched his fists. "This… isn't real."
"No," a voice said from behind.
Kael spun around. Before him stood his original self—the Kael before the Protocol. Fragile, untrained, uncertain. No armor. No power. Just a young boy with eyes full of fear.
"This is who you really are," the young Kael said. "You just built layers to hide it. But in the end, the Labyrinth sees through all masks."
Kael fell to his knees, trembling. He had faced monsters, warlords, cursed systems. But nothing terrified him more than facing his own truth: that deep down, he still doubted himself.
And yet…
Something stirred in him. Not anger. Not denial.
Acceptance.
He stood up, facing his younger self. "Yes, I was afraid. Yes, I was weak. But that's not who I am now."
He looked around at the specters, the ghosts of his failure. "You don't define me anymore."
The reflections cracked.
A ripple spread through the illusion, shattering the burning village, the clones, and the lies. The obsidian chamber returned—but this time, only one reflection remained.
Kael stepped forward. The figure mirrored him perfectly—but instead of red eyes, it had eyes of steady silver. They nodded at each other.
System Notification:[Sealed Trial: Labyrinth of Reflections – Complete]Result: Success.Mental Fortitude increased.Trait Acquired: [Unshakable Will] – Immune to fear-type effects, illusions, and mental coercion.Ascension Rank Progress: 67% → 72%Rewards Unlocked: Protocol Fragment – "Echo of Self" (Passive Skill Slot Unlocked)
A soft white light engulfed him. His body felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had lifted.
He stepped through the exit, rejoining the others outside the Trial's gate. The elders looked at him with wide eyes.
"You… were only gone for five minutes," one whispered. "But your aura—"
Kael didn't respond. He just looked up at the stars.
The storm inside had passed.
But the war outside had only begun.