Episode 30
Ethan stepped through the newly opened archway, his boots crunching against the crystalline dust of the Dream Prison. Unlike the Hall of Chains, this realm shimmered with surreal colors—walls made of breathing marble, skies painted with bleeding auroras. A strange silence enveloped the realm, as though time itself was holding its breath.
> [Quest Updated: Trial Three — The Dream Prison] Objective: Confront the illusion. Break the mental bindings. Reclaim your true desire.
The door sealed behind him. There was no going back.
He walked forward cautiously, Althea's blade strapped to his back, his senses heightened. He had learned by now that nothing in these trials was what it seemed. And here, in the realm of dreams and lies, even his thoughts could betray him.
The path split into three.
To the left: a sun-drenched field where laughter echoed—a woman with raven-black hair waited, arms open.
To the right: a throne room, golden and decadent, where Ethan sat upon the throne, wearing robes of kingship. People knelt before him, whispering his name with reverence.
Straight ahead: darkness. Absolute. Endless.
> [System Choice: Choose a path]
1. Memory
2. Power
3. Truth
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Truth."
As he took a step forward, the dream twisted. A thousand voices screamed at once, some familiar, some unknown. Ethan pushed forward. Each footstep was like walking through quicksand, his mind screaming against the path he chose.
Suddenly, he was in a small cottage. The scent of wildflowers and stew filled the air. A fireplace crackled warmly. And there, standing in the doorway, was his mother.
"Ethan? You came back," she said, voice trembling with joy.
His heart cracked.
"You're not real. You died when I was ten."
She smiled, eyes misty. "But does that matter now? Haven't you suffered enough? Stay. Be free."
> [System Warning: Illusion Status Imminent]
He reached out—then clenched his fist.
"No. I came for something more."
The illusion shattered. The cottage dissolved, leaving him standing in a void. Chains of light snaked from every direction, coiling around his limbs, his neck, his mind.
> [Mental Bindings Engaged] Status Effect: Dreamlock | Resistance Check Initiated
He gritted his teeth. Visions flooded his mind—his greatest regrets, his darkest desires. Power he never had. Love he never received. Every chain a temptation, every vision a trap.
But then...
A voice. Althea.
"You are not your past. You are the choice you make now."
With a roar, Ethan summoned his will.
> [Sin Core Activated: Will of the Unchained] Skill: Mindflare Surge | All bindings severed
The chains exploded into dust. The void pulsed and cracked like glass.
Before him now stood a figure—his mirror image, cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing crimson.
"You broke the dream. But can you break yourself?"
> [Boss Battle Initiated: Shadow Ethan | HP: ???]
The final test of the Dream Prison had begun.
Ethan lunged forward, blades clashing with his shadow twin. Their movements mirrored perfectly, strike for strike. Each blow was like cutting into memory, each parry a confrontation with guilt.
> [HP -320 | Focus Mode Engaged]
"You're everything I buried," Ethan growled.
Shadow Ethan smiled. "I'm everything you wanted. The power. The control. The vengeance."
They clashed again.
Minutes passed like lifetimes. Ethan, bleeding, weary, found a crack in the rhythm. He struck true, piercing the heart of his twin.
> [Final Blow Confirmed | Shadow Ethan Defeated] Trial Three Complete: Dream Prison Cleared
The realm shattered into pieces, revealing a white hallway bathed in light.
> Reward: Mind's Eye Rune | INT +20 | Resistance to Illusions +50%
Ethan stood tall, the rune etched across his chest like a scar of victory.
Three trials down.
Only one remained.
And something far older than the system was now watching him.