The Academy awoke to a solemn dawn. The Emberpetal Garden's golden blossoms gleamed faintly beneath a sky mottled with the first light of morning, but the students and professors gathered in muted reverence. The Origin Halo above pulsed gently, as though bracing for another test. Today, we faced the Trial of Sacrifice—a crucible that would demand we surrender something irreplaceable: our memories.
I stood among my circle—Seraphina, Yuria, Valmira, Astraea, Zephira—by the brazier in the Great Plaza. Nilthria drifted nearby, her flame body flickering with anticipation.
"Architect," she intoned, voice echoing like a hearth's crackle, "you have faced illusion, regret, primal force. Now the Trial of Sacrifice beckons. Choose what you cherish most—memory of love, loss, triumph, or failure—and offer it to the Flame. Only by letting go will you gain the wisdom needed to guide your world."
