The second trial began before dawn.
As the Warden disappeared into the mist, Yukio, Daigo, and Shigure followed the narrow path she had unveiled—stone steps carved into living roots, leading downward into a jungle of thorns.
> "Where are we going now?" Yukio asked.
Daigo's voice was tight. "The Hollow Grove. It's where the Spire tests what you're willing to lose."
Yukio's steps slowed.
> "And if I'm not willing to lose anything?"
Shigure didn't look back.
> "Then the Grove will take what it wants."
---
Descent into the Hollow Grove
The sky above the Verdant Expanse faded as they entered the thicket. Vines closed in like the arms of forgotten gods, and the air turned cold—unnaturally so.
No sun pierced the dense canopy. No wind blew. Only silence.
Suddenly, a mist rolled across their feet.
Each of them froze.
> Thmp. Thmp. Thmp.
Heartbeat-like echoes pulsed from deep underground.
Then… the ground opened.
---
Split Paths – The Trial is Personal
The floor collapsed beneath their feet—not into a pit, but into separate spirals of light, pulling each of them in a different direction.
Yukio screamed as the world blurred—
—and landed on his knees in a field of white flowers.
The air was warm. Peaceful. Too peaceful.
> "No more fighting," a voice said behind him.
He turned.
And saw her.
---
The Impossible Meeting – Mother
A woman stood beneath a blossoming sakura tree, dressed in white. Her eyes were the same gentle gray as Yukio's. Her smile was soft.
> "Yukio," she whispered.
He staggered forward.
> "Mom…?"
She nodded. "I've missed you."
Tears welled in his eyes.
> "You died. I saw you die."
She placed a hand on his cheek.
> "No. I was waiting. Here. To see what kind of man you'd become."
Yukio fell into her embrace, sobbing.
---
The Bitter Choice
A golden gate appeared behind them.
His mother pointed. "That gate leads forward. To the Spire."
Yukio nodded, eyes red. "Then come with me."
She didn't answer.
Instead, she showed him a second path—one hidden in darkness.
> "To reach the Spire, you must leave me behind. Forever."
Yukio's heart cracked.
> "Why can't I bring you?"
Her voice trembled. "Because I am your last anchor to the world you once knew. And the power ahead… demands sacrifice."
Yukio's fists clenched.
"No. There has to be another way."
Her smile wavered.
"There isn't. You can either carry your past… or carry your future."
---
Shigure's Trial – The Ghost of His Master
Meanwhile, in another illusion, Shigure stood in a bamboo grove, facing a man with a bandaged face and a broken blade.
His former master—long dead.
> "You think you've become a sword?" the ghost asked.
"You're still the boy who hesitated to kill."
Shigure closed his eyes.
"I'm not that boy anymore."
> "Then prove it. Kill me. Or let the boy die in you forever."
Steel clashed in the mist.
---
Daigo's Trial – The Sister's Echo
Daigo knelt before a mirror.
Inside, his sister smiled.
"Big bro. Why'd you let me go?"
Tears streamed down his face.
"I didn't want to. I tried to save you."
Her image flickered.
"I'm still inside you, aren't I?"
He nodded.
She held out her hand.
"Then give me peace. Let me go."
---
Yukio's Decision – Death of the Past
Yukio stood frozen between the golden gate and his mother's fading figure.
"I don't want to lose you," he whispered.
She cupped his face gently.
"You never had me to lose. I'm a memory, Yukio. A beautiful lie. But if you stay here…"
She stepped back.
"…then the world outside burns."
Yukio's legs shook. But he turned.
Walked toward the gate.
Each step hurt.
Each step felt like betrayal.
At the gate's edge, he looked back one last time.
She was gone.
Only the white flowers remained.
---
Return from the Hollow Grove
One by one, they reappeared in the real world—older, colder, more broken.
Yukio collapsed to his knees.
Shigure's knuckles bled.
Daigo wiped silent tears.
The Warden stood beside them.
"You have passed the second trial," she said. "Few do."
She pointed toward the peak beyond the final tree line.
"The Spire awaits."
---
Meanwhile – The Sleeper Stirs
Deep within the Spire, the masked figure walked toward the iron sarcophagus again.
This time, it trembled.
A crack appeared along the center.
The figure placed a single hand over it.
> "The boy is almost ready," he said.
"And when he arrives… so will the Flame."
From inside the coffin, a pair of red eyes opened.
And a voice like molten metal whispered:
> "Yukio…"