Inside the Pagoda – Second Floor
The shift happened in a heartbeat.
One moment, Kael was stepping through the Ascension Gate. The next, the world around him changed completely.
The forest was gone. The bodies, the blood, the wind, all of it erased. Now he stood in the center of a massive circular chamber. The walls were smooth, seamless. Like someone had carved the entire room from a single block of stone.
There were no doors, no torches, no windows. Just a faint golden light radiating from somewhere above, bathing everything in a soft, even glow.
Kael's boots echoed against the stone as he took a step forward.
The chamber was wide and empty.
He rolled his shoulders, tightened his grip on his blade.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see what you've got."
The light flickered, and then the trial began.
Then the system chimed.
---
[Second-Floor Trial: Trial of Suppression Initiated]
[Condition: One-on-One Battle]
