James opened his eyes to the familiar room with one cot, and an unknown light source, the air still and heavy, with no trace of the ravine's electric buzz or the forest's damp chill. He conjured his shortsword to rest across his knees, its blade still flecked with dried green sap from the vines. The weight of it grounded him, a small reminder that he'd fought and won, but the memories crashed in anyway. Lila's charred body slumping to the ground, the soldiers' cries as bolts scorched them, the electric beast's roar shaking the earth. He rubbed his shoulder, a ghost ache from the fight in his trial. He stood up slowly. The system panel flickered to life in his vision.
[Trial Complete: Garden of Afflictions]
[Grade: A-]
[Reward: Essence Shard (E-), 3 x Healer Class Points]
[Class Upgrade Progress]: Oracle (F+) (6/20), Healer (E-) (3/50)
[Essence Mastery]: (F+) (33/100)
The E- shard, awarded for his Healer class's rank, should have felt like a victory, but James's chest tightened. He was supposed to be a Healer, his purpose was to keep people alive, but the faces of those he couldn't save reminded him of his failures. Lila's fierce grin, the archer's grateful nod, the soldier he'd healed mid-battle. They burned brighter than the system's glow. Even knowing it was a trial didn't dull the weight.
Were they really only a simulation? It felt so real.
The line blurred, and guilt clawed at him for failing to save them all.
To center himself, he pulled up his full status, the panel expanding in his vision:
[Name]: James Cross
[Primary Class]: Oracle
[Secondary Class]: Healer (Innate)
[Oracle Challenge]: Nightmare Visions - Survive prophetic death creatures in nightly mental trials. Success yields Essence Shards. Failure risks death.
[Healer Challenge]: Innate class, No daily challenge.
[Class Upgrade]: Oracle (F+) (6/20), Healer (E-) (3/50)
[Essence Mastery]: (F+) (33/100)
[Inventory]: Oracle's Key (Divine), Basic Shortsword (F+), Essence Shard (E-)
Skills:
[Healer]: Mend (Restore minor wounds), Barrier (Shield allies), Soothe (Ease pain)
[Oracle]: Foresight (Glimpse future events), Shatterpoint (Disrupt critical moments)
[Available Shards]: 1 x Essence Shard (E-)
He scrolled through it, breaking down the changes. Oracle at F+ meant Foresight was more reliable now; it had caught patterns he'd missed before, like the vines' attacks in the forest. He had also noticed the increase in time, from 2 to 5 seconds. Furthermore, he had noticed the increase in his senses. He felt more aware, as if he was more confident in what he could perceive. Shatterpoint still felt unknown. It had really helped him with disrupting Mara's berserk state, but he didn't know what else it could do.
Healer's progress felt subpar, a 3 point increase from directly conquering a trial designed for a Healer.
Essence Mastery had increased, likely from the feats in the trial. Pushing his limits with multi casting and syncing essence to his heartbeat. The numbers were progress, but the guilt made them feel hollow.
I don't even deserve this. I ultimately failed at protecting everyone at the very end.
He leaned back, the cold wall against his spine, and closed his eyes. The ravine replayed: his Barrier shielding soldiers, Mend knitting wounds, Foresight warning of vines. He'd grown stronger, but not enough. Lila's collapse hit hardest. Her spear clattering, smoke rising from her still form. If he'd cast Barrier faster, pushed his essence harder, could he have saved her? The failure stung, a reminder of the soldier he'd lost in the plant fight, his essence drained dry. He was a Healer, meant to protect, but death kept slipping through his fingers.
The knowledge of Echoes weighed on him too. Those twisted remnants of Domain losers, bound and mutated, causing havoc like the one that had infected the forest's plants. Mara. The Echo in disguise. Had fooled them all, her corruption spreading the gas, vines, and infections. Knowing that changed how he saw the trials. Lose, and you became one, a fate worse than death. He'd have to be careful, especially with Oracle's curse hanging over him.
Multicasting was another key gain. Dual casting Barrier and Mend had come from necessity, splitting the warmth in his palms like streams from a river. It drained essence fast, but the precision made it powerful. Barrier to block vines or gas, Mend to heal on the fly. Triple casting for the charge had nearly dropped him, but it taught him essence wasn't just a pool. It flowed like blood, syncing with his heartbeat to stretch further. Feats like that, pushing his limits in the heat of battle, had boosted his Essence Mastery. Learning about essence. The warmth as its signature, the heartbeat as its rhythm. He had pushed it even more, like the Domain rewarded insight as much as action.
He thought about the E- shard in his inventory. Its power called to him, but he held off. He'd use it later, when he could test its effects properly. For now, the gains from the trial were enough to digest. The knowledge of Echoes as failed participants. A warning to never slip.
The small room's silence felt oppressive, as if the walls were closing in. The Overseer, with it's mocking grin, hadn't appeared, but James knew that they were there, watching. He stood, letting his shortsword fade into his inventory, the weight no longer on him. The trial was over, but the guilt and the thrill warred within him. Those soldiers, even if trial-born, had trusted him. Their deaths, real or not, were his to carry. But the gains: The knowledge, and the upgrades fueled a fire he couldn't name. The guilt lingered, but so did the drive. He'd be stronger next time, to protect, to grow, to unravel the Domain's game and its mysteries.
[5 seconds until Teleportation]
Hopefully I scored well enough to at least save Astor.
He exhaled, hoping to see a familiar face waiting for him.