THUD. THUD. THUD.
Boulder's footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase as they descended into the first level of the Core trials.
Each step seemed to vibrate through the crystalline walls, making them hum with ancient energy.
"How deep does this go?" Kenji asked, his voice slightly breathless from the climb.
"Five levels," Akira replied, not even winded. "Each one harder than the last. The original developers designed these trials to push players to their absolute limits."
"And beyond," Mei added cheerfully from behind them. "Lots of people died here back in the day."
SCRAPE.
Yuki's hand dragged along the wall, leaving frost patterns in the crystal.
"Time moves differently on each level. What feels like hours to us might be minutes in the real world. Or days."
"Great," Kenji muttered. "More time manipulation."
WHOMP.
The staircase suddenly ended, opening into a vast circular chamber.
The walls were lined with empty alcoves, each one bearing symbols that seemed to shift and change when Kenji looked directly at them.
"Welcome to the Trial of Strength," Akira said, his voice carrying an odd note of nostalgia. "I remember this place."
"You've been here before?" Kenji asked.
"Thirty years ago. Right before the Shutdown." Akira walked to the center of the chamber, where a raised platform held a single crystal pedestal.
"I made it to the third level before everything went to hell."
CLICK.
The moment Akira stepped onto the platform, the chamber sealed itself. The entrance they'd come through simply vanished, replaced by solid crystal wall.
"Uh, that seems bad," Kenji said.
"It's supposed to happen," Boulder rumbled, settling into a sitting position. "The trials don't let you leave until you complete them."
"Or die trying," Mei added helpfully.
GLOW.
The crystal pedestal began emitting a soft blue light. Ancient text appeared in the air above it, written in the same shifting symbols that lined the walls.
"Can anyone read that?" Kenji asked.
"It's old Aethelgard script," Yuki said, squinting at the floating words. "Give me a second."
Her eyes flashed silver as she accelerated her perception, processing the symbols at superhuman speed.
WHIR.
"It says, 'Face your reflection and prove your worth. Only by defeating yourself can you claim the power that lies beyond."
"Defeating myself?" Kenji frowned. "That's pretty vague."
RUMBLE.
The chamber shook, and one of the empty alcoves began to glow. Something was forming inside it, a dark silhouette that gradually took shape.
"Oh," Kenji said, his voice flat. "It's one of those trials."
The figure that stepped out of the alcove was an exact copy of Kenji, down to the last detail. But something was wrong with its eyes.
They held a cold emptiness that made Kenji's skin crawl.
"Hello, failure," the copy said, its voice identical to Kenji's but somehow wrong. "Ready to see what you really are?"
CRACK.
Void energy erupted around the copy, but it was different from Kenji's power. Where his void energy felt like potential, like space waiting to be filled, this version felt like hunger, like nothingness that wanted to consume everything.
"That's not how my power works," Kenji said, backing away instinctively.
"Isn't it?" The copy smiled, and the expression was cruel.
"You think you're some kind of hero, but you're just another monster with power. Just like everyone else who came before you."
WHOOSH.
The copy moved with impossible speed, appearing directly in front of Kenji. A construct of dark void energy formed around its fist, and it swung hard.
Kenji barely managed to activate his own void energy in time, creating a barrier that absorbed most of the impact. The force still sent him sliding backward across the crystal floor.
"You can't even protect yourself," the copy taunted. "How are you supposed to protect anyone else?"
"Ignore it," Akira called out. "It's designed to get in your head. Focus on the fight."
SNAP.
The copy's fingers snapped, and suddenly there were three of them. Each one moved independently, surrounding Kenji in a triangle formation.
"Great," Kenji muttered. "Evil clones. Just what I needed."
[System Warning: Multiple Hostile Entities Detected]
[Threat Level: Variable]
[Note: Enemies adapt to your power level]
[Recommendation: End the fight quickly]
"The system says they adapt to my power level," Kenji reported. "The longer this goes on, the stronger they get."
"Then don't let it go on long," Boulder said. His rocky face showed no emotion, but his hands were clenched into fists.
WHOMP.
Two of the copies attacked simultaneously, void energy crackling around them. Kenji rolled to the side, avoiding the first strike, but the second copy anticipated his movement.
CRACK.
Its void construct caught him across the shoulder, and pain exploded through his body. But it wasn't just physical pain. The attack somehow hurt his connection to the void itself.
"Interesting," one of the copies said. "You're not as strong as you think you are."
"I'm strong enough," Kenji replied, gathering his own void energy. "Let me show you."
WHOOSH.
He activated Shadow Step, disappearing from view. But instead of reappearing behind the copies, he materialized above them, using the chamber's height to his advantage.
"Void Construct," he whispered, pouring energy into his hands.
CRACK.
Spears of crystallized void energy formed around him, each one sharp enough to cut through steel. He launched them downward at the three copies.
Two of them dodged easily, but the third took a spear through its chest. It looked down at the wound with mild interest.
"That actually hurt," it said, then smiled. "My turn."
BOOM.
The wounded copy exploded in a burst of void energy, the explosion consuming the other two copies and reforming them into a single, more powerful entity.
"You can't beat me by fighting smart," the new copy said. Its void energy was now visibly more intense, crackling with barely contained power. "I know every trick you know."
"Maybe," Kenji said, landing back on the platform. "But I know something you don't."
"What's that?"
"I'm not fighting alone."
WHOMP.
Suddenly, the chamber filled with spatial distortions as Akira joined the fight. His power carved through the air, creating dimensional rifts that the copy had to dodge.
"Hey!" the copy protested. "That's cheating!"
"It's not cheating," Yuki said, time accelerating around her as she moved to flank the copy. "It's teamwork."
CRACK.
Boulder's earth magic erupted from the floor, stone pillars trying to trap the copy in place. But the entity was too fast, void stepping away from each attack.
"You can't win with help," the copy snarled at Kenji. "This is supposed to be about proving yourself."
"I am proving myself," Kenji replied. "I'm proving that I'm smart enough to accept help when I need it."
GIGGLE.
Mei's laughter echoed through the chamber, and suddenly the copy froze in place. Not physically, but conceptually. It couldn't move because the idea of movement had temporarily stopped existing around it.
"Now," Akira said.
CRACK.
Kenji poured everything he had into one final attack. Not just void energy, but his understanding of what the void truly was. The space between spaces, the pause between moments, the silence between words.
The copy's eyes widened as it realized what was happening. "You can't"
WHOMP.
The void energy didn't destroy the copy. Instead, it absorbed it, bringing it back into the wholeness that Kenji represented. The dark hunger that had driven the entity was transformed back into potential.
DING.
[Trial Complete: Trial of Strength]
[Lesson Learned: True strength comes from unity, not isolation]
[Reward: Void Affinity +0.3]
[Current Void Affinity: 4.4]
[New Skill Unlocked: Void Unity - Level 1]
The chamber's exit reappeared, and the crystal pedestal dimmed. Kenji staggered slightly, drained from the fight.
"Not bad," Akira said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You figured out the real lesson faster than most."
"What lesson?"
"That power without connection is just destruction," Yuki explained, her time manipulation fading. "The copy represented your potential for becoming a monster. By choosing to fight together instead of alone, you proved you won't walk that path."
RUMBLE.
The chamber shook again, more violently this time. Dust fell from the ceiling, and several of the wall crystals cracked.
"The Council's getting closer," Boulder said. "Whatever they're doing up there, it's affecting the whole structure."
"How long do we have?" Kenji asked.
"Maybe four hours," Mei said, her young face serious. "Less if they bring in the really big guns."
CRACK.
A section of the ceiling collapsed, revealing twisted metal and concrete from the city above. Through the gap, they could see searchlights sweeping back and forth.
"They've found us," Akira said grimly. "The question is, can we reach the Core before they break through?"
WHOOSH.
He opened a spatial rift leading to the stairs down to the second level. "Next trial is the Trial of Wisdom. Hope you're ready for some serious mind games."
"More mind games?" Kenji asked, following him toward the rift. "What kind?"
"The kind that shows you all the ways you could fail," Yuki said. "And all the people you could hurt if you make the wrong choice."
THUD.
Boulder's footsteps echoed as he moved toward the exit. "At least this time you know what you're fighting for."
"Do I?" Kenji paused at the threshold. "I mean, I know I want to stop the dimensional collapse. But what if completing the integration makes things worse?"
"Then we'll deal with that when it happens," Mei said simply. "Right now, we focus on survival."
BOOM.
Another explosion from above, closer this time. The Council wasn't just trying to break in anymore. They were trying to bring the entire structure down.
"Move," Akira said. "We're out of time for doubts."
As they descended to the second level, Kenji felt the Core's pulse growing stronger. Each step brought him closer to a power that could reshape reality itself.
But it also brought him closer to a choice that would determine the fate of both dimensions.
THRUM.
The Core's rhythm matched his heartbeat, and for a moment, Kenji thought he could hear voices in that pulse. Millions of them, all calling for change, for freedom, for a world where power didn't mean oppression.
He pressed forward, void energy swirling around him like a promise of things to come.
WHOMP.
The entrance to the second level opened before them, revealing challenges that would test not just his power, but his wisdom.
Above them, the Council's forces pressed closer, their dimensional anchors cutting off escape routes one by one.
Below them, the Core waited with patient power.
And among them, five people who had chosen to fight for a better world, no matter the cost.
CRACK.
The Trial of Wisdom began.