"Emotions are the fuel of gods—and the feast of demons." – Lost Oracle
The forest hungers, and the Scions' souls are its prey.
Trial Five ripped the siblings into separate dimensions within Gate 3: The Emotion-Feasting Forest, a hellish woodland where gnarled trees pulsed with their fear, rage, and despair. Bark split into maws gnawing their minds, roots coiled like serpents, draining strength as emotions birthed monstrous horrors. The forest whispered lies—"They're all dead, abandoned"—and hallucinations flickered: Kain saw Vespera's corpse, Vespera glimpsed Kain's burned husk. Each believed the others dead, their sigils flickering. Ages unchanged—Kain 11, Vespera 11, Lyric 1, Zynia 6, Isolde 1, Sablon 6—their isolated trials began.
Kain's POV
Kain staggered through a dim glade, roots lashing his legs, feeding on his pride until his chest burned with grief. "Vespera's gone, you failed", the forest hissed, and he saw her lifeless body, her eyes hollow, before it faded. He recalled her fierce grin from their last spar—Is she dead, or fighting somewhere? His Grimscale Drake roared, spitting Icy Maw to freeze a tendril, but a Griefroot Golem (towering, moss-covered brute, power: emotion-fueled strength) charged, its fists smashing the earth, cracking his shin. A Sorrow Wraith (spectral, power: psychic screams) wailed, blood streaming from his ears as he fell. The Slime King (hulking, oozing acid, power: corrosive sludge) loomed, sludge melting his arm to the bone. Kain roared, "You fucking shits!" and cast Dominion Inferno, flames roaring as trees shrieked, the Golem's arm blistering off. He shattered its core with his Icy Spear, guts exploding, then stabbed the King's heart, acid and slime erupting. A faint whisper echoed, "The fallen god was betrayed…" A Soulshard Amulet (enhances magic) dropped, and a Trial Essence Orb boosted his sigil. Absorbing the King's core, slime pulsed through him—Infinite power, destruction!—his body shifting, slimes obeying his will.
Vespera's POV
Vespera choked in a misty hollow, the forest draining her fury, roots piercing her arms, blood pooling. "Kain's ashes are cold," it whispered, and she saw his charred husk, skin peeling, before it vanished. She remembered Kain's protective growl—Is he gone? Her Cinder Wraith screeched Flamechill Burst, melting a Sorrow Wraith's form, its scream splitting her lip. The Witch Slime Queen (lithe, venomous, power: emotion-drain kiss) kissed her, blackening her cheek, will fading. She snarled, "Get the fuck off!" and cast Inferno Wrath, flames searing the Queen's eyes, pus bursting as she clawed free. A Griefroot Golem's fist shattered her collarbone, bone jutting, agony searing. She destroyed the Queen's core with a fiery blast, slime splattering. A Soulshard Amulet and Trial Essence Orb appeared, and absorbing the Queen's core, slime surged—Unlimited destruction!—her body shifting, slimes bending to her command. A whisper hissed, "Betrayal felled the god…"
Lyric's POV
Lyric danced in a twisted thicket, the forest feeding on her chaos, giggling as a Sorrow Wraith's scream twisted her ankle bloody. "Zynia's blood soaks the earth", it murmured, and she saw her sister's lifeless form, throat slit, before it dissolved. She recalled Zynia's gentle touch—Is she okay, or dead? Her Shadowflit Owl hooted Chaos Frost, freezing a root, but a Griefroot Golem's club grazed her scalp, blood matting her hair. The Slime King's sludge burned her leg raw, and a Mad Soulweaver (gaunt sorcerer, power: emotion amplification) cackled, amplifying her fear. She sang Harmonic Shriek, shattering the Golem's arm and the Soulweaver's staff, gore and splinters flying. The owl's frost pecked the Soulweaver's eye, and she crushed his skull with a rock, brain oozing. A Soulshard Amulet and Trial Essence Orb glowed, boosting her sigil, but no slime power. A faint "traitor" echoed.
Zynia's POV
Zynia sobbed in a shadowy grove, the forest sucking her fury, roots tearing her flesh, blood soaking the dirt. "Sablon's lust ended him", it whispered, and she saw his mangled body, slime-drowned, before it faded. She remembered Sablon's teasing laugh—Is he alive, or lost? Her Blazefury Wolf used Molten Fang, melting a Griefroot Golem's leg, its roar shaking her. A Mad Soulweaver's chant amplified her terror, roots coiling tighter. Then, in the Crucible's remnants, the Chainseer loomed, tendrils and a cursed eye locking on her, tracked by sight-seeking. He snarled, "I hope we see each other soon, and I'll rip your souls apart to feed my chains, you sniveling filth," with an evil smirk. Tendrils lashed, one slicing her thigh open, blood gushing, another piercing her side, ribs cracking. She fled, limping, Who is he? What did he mean by rip our souls? The Wolf's fang destroyed the Golem's core, and a Soulshard Amulet and Trial Essence Orb appeared. A whisper murmured, "The god's betrayal lingers…"
Isolde's POV
Isolde trembled in a foggy clearing, the forest feeding on her envy, roots choking her throat, blood trickling. "Lyric's song is silent", it hissed, and she saw her sister's broken body, throat torn, before it vanished. She remembered Lyric's giggles—Is she dead? Her Crystal Scorpion's Frost Sting slowed a Sorrow Wraith, its scream splitting her lip further. The Witch Slime Queen's kiss drained her, eyes rolling back, skin paling. She choked, "Fuck you, hag!" and cast Envy's Icebind, freezing the Queen's arms, ice shattering her elbows. A Griefroot Golem's fist grazed her chest, bruising ribs. She crushed the Queen's core with ice, slime bursting. A Soulshard Amulet and Trial Essence Orb emerged, boosting her sigil, but no slime power. A faint "betrayed god" echoed.
Sablon's POV
Sablon grinned in a damp hollow, the forest draining his lust, roots slashing his chest, blood streaming. "Isolde's envy killed her", it whispered, and he saw her frozen corpse, eyes wide, before it faded. He recalled Isolde's quiet resolve—Is she okay, or gone? His Nightshade Lynx's Venomfrost Claw silenced a Sorrow Wraith's wail, its form dissolving. The Slime King's sludge engulfed him, acid eating his skin to the bone, and the Mad Soulweaver amplified his lust into a frenzy. He laughed, "Choke on this, fuckers!" and cast Lust's Dominion, whips flaying the King's flesh. The King roared, and suddenly, slime erupted from its skull—slowly, the green ooze bulged, cracking bone with a wet pop, then burst out in a gory spray, brains splattering the ground in a meme-worthy explosion. Sablon's whip then decapitated the Soulweaver, head rolling, blood pooling. He destroyed their cores, absorbing them, slime-shifting surging—Infinite power, destruction!—his body shifting, slimes obeying his will. A whisper said, "The fallen was betrayed…"
Author View (Third-Person)
The forest convulsed, its trees howling as Kain's Dominion Inferno turned it to ash, a desperate act to save himself in his dimension. Griefroot Golems toppled, their cores shattered, Sorrow Wraiths shrieked into nothingness, and the Mad Soulweaver's headless corpse slumped, his amplification silenced. Sablon, Kain, and Vespera's slime-transformation powers pulsed, their bodies morphing into slick, destructive forms, slimes bending to their infinite will. Zynia staggered through her dimension, thigh and side bleeding profusely, her eyes wide—Who was that chained fiend? What did he mean by ripping our souls?—as she collapsed, alone. The Chainseer retreated into the Crucible's shadows, tendrils dripping with her blood, his cursed eye glinting with sadistic glee. Soulshard Amulets and Trial Essence Orbs glowed across dimensions, enhancing their sigils. The siblings, each isolated, battled on, haunted by hallucinations of the dead, questioning their fate as the crimson horizon pulsed—Gate 3's end, but what nightmare looms next? The mysterious watcher cackled, "I see their power festering… Soon, the one who betrayed them will choke on their hollow revenge. And when they do—/ I'll feast on their screams, and gnaw their flesh to the bone."