Lirden walked quickly down the corridor leading to the guild’s infirmary, his face dark and serious.

  This was a mission the guild master had given him personally. There was no room for mistakes.

  If I succeed… I can rise one step higher in the guild, he thought, his pace steady and firm.

  His thoughts drifted back to his origins.

  Far from the Empire, deep inside the great forest of Mura, lay his birthplace.

  A sea of giant trees stretched endlessly, their branches so thick the sunlight almost never reached the ground. The village lived in an eternal night.

  To the neighboring people, it was a cursed land, haunted by the “Spirit of the Night.”

  But to those who lived there, it was a blessing.

  For generations, the people of Mura carried a special gift, a sacred inheritance.

  A magic blessed by the Spirit of the Night itself—one that allowed them to step into the dreams of the living.

  And deep inside those dreams, they could reach what their ancestors called the Core.

  A floating sphere.

  Sometimes glowing bright. Sometimes shrouded in darkness.

  They said it was the true essence of a being: a bare soul, unable to lie.

  Lirden had inherited that gift.

  He was not a strong fighter, nor a powerful mage… but this talent had opened the doors of the guild for him.

  A strategist who could uncover truth where no one else could.

  And now, that gift would be put to the test.

  His mission sounded simple: to uncover the truth inside the Core of the young man who had collapsed this morning.

  If he really was a servant of the shadows, the Core could not hide it.

  It would shine in deep black—an unshakable darkness, the undeniable mark of the shadows.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Ale felt like he was lying on hard, rough ground. Every bump of the stone bit into his skin, and every breath of air felt heavy, almost suffocating.

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  He opened his eyes wide… but all around him, there was only darkness.

  Am I blind? he thought, his throat tightening.

  He tried to get up. His body cracked like an old rusty armor, every movement dragging a grimace out of him.

  What… happened to me?

  His hand slid against a cold wall, which he used to slowly pull himself to his feet.

  Then, suddenly—light.

  Far away, red circles floated in the air, arranged both vertically and horizontally like a strange glowing grid.

  Ale let out a breath of relief.

  I’m not blind.

  Step by step, he moved forward carefully. At his fingertip, he summoned a small fireball—just enough to push back the immediate darkness. The flickering flame lit up the red circles.

  They were carved with mysterious symbols. Runes he recognized instantly.

  These symbols… they’re the same as in the cave. The one where I met Nyxion.

  Doubt gripped his chest.

  What am I doing here? Wasn’t I just in the guild’s trial…?

  He didn’t get the chance to think further.

  A monstrous roar ripped through the silence. Deep. Savage. Close and far all at once.

  In the distance, shadows began to move. They slid along the rocky walls, gathering like spilled ink. Then, slowly, they peeled away from the stone and took form.

  Humanoid shapes—twisted, disproportionate. Their bodies were nothing but masses of pure darkness, and in the middle of their faceless heads, two black eyes shone with a sickly light.

  Ale clenched his fists. His voice echoed through the void.

  “You don’t scare me!”

  He raised his hand.

  “Luxia!”

  A beam of pure, blinding light burst from his palm. The creatures were pierced through like paper. They vanished instantly, swallowed by the void without a sound.

  Ale froze for a moment.

  That was… too easy. Way too easy.

  I guess I’m not the same kid I was last time… he thought, almost surprised at himself.

  Then a chilling thought struck him.

  Did I… not survive the trial?

  In old legends, it was said that souls had to face their worst fears before reaching the afterlife. Those who failed would be trapped there forever.

  Ale looked down. The flame at his finger flickered, trembling.

  If that’s the case… then I have to keep moving.

  He tightened his resolve.

  There was no other choice.

  -------------------------------------------------

  The echoes of the past guided his steps.

  Soon, he stood before a massive stone gate.

  The colossal doors, etched with sleeping runes, looked as if they had been waiting for him all along.

  Ale placed a trembling hand on the cold surface.

  The symbols lit up instantly with a faint red glow, and the gate opened with a deep rumble, revealing a vast, familiar space.

  A temple.

  The very place where Nyxion had been chained.

  Ale froze, his breath caught in his throat.

  "So… he’s here?"

  A shiver ran down his spine. But behind the fear, another feeling burned even stronger inside his chest.

  Excitement.