The gate doesn't test your strength. It devours your mind.
"Minds are fragile prisons—whispers are the keys to hell." – Cursed Oracle
The psychic storm descends, and the Scions' sanity unravels in a vortex of truths too cruel to bear.
The siblings, fresh from the mirrors' horror, were yanked into Gate 5: The Gate of Psychic Torment, a swirling abyss of jagged mind-crystals and pulsing neural vines, where the very air clawed at their thoughts. The gate's aura was a suffocating blackness, laced with electric-blue veins that whispered forgotten sins, driving madness into their skulls. Isolated in mental dimensions, each believed the others had fallen to the mirrors—ages unchanged—Kain 11, Vespera 11, Lyric 1, Zynia 6, Isolde 1, Sablon 6—their sigils throbbing with psychic agony.
A Psychic Worm (colossal, segmented beast with glowing tendrils, power: mind invasion, color: translucent purple with red eyes) burrowed into their thoughts, whispering truths: "The golden dagger… stabbed by your own kin." The System AI glitched, corrupting memory logs, twisting flashbacks into nightmares. Paranoia erupted as Vespera was marked the betrayer—whispers accusing her of divine sabotage.
Kain's POV
Kain's mind fractured as the Worm's tendrils pierced his skull, the pain like hot needles. "Fuck this shit!" he roared, his Grimscale Drake coiling protectively. A Mindflayer Sorcerer (tall, hooded figure with tentacle face, power: illusion spells, color: pale gray) and Abyss Fiends (horned demons, power: psychic blasts, color: black with blue veins) attacked, the Sorcerer casting Illusion Vortex (hallucinations of betrayal), making Kain see Vespera stabbing him, blood gushing from his chest. She's a traitor? he thought, doubting his pride. The Fiend's blast shredded his arm, bone exposed, blood spraying. He staggered, nearly broken—She's gonna kill us all! "No, fuck that!" he snarled, casting Dominion Frostlash, golden ice-chains whipping the Sorcerer's tentacles, blood oozing. Drake's Icy Maw froze a Fiend's head, shattering it in a gore explosion. The Worm whispered, "Vespera betrayed you in the divine halls." Kain unleashed Dominion Apex, a golden storm ripping the Worm's tendrils, guts spilling. The AI corrupted a memory—his crowning now showed Vespera's hand holding the dagger. Vespera locked herself in a crystal cage, screaming, "I'll hurt you all!" The system boomed in golden light, Congratulations, Heroes, you have passed the trial for Gate 5! If you had lost, your memories would have been erased, turning you into mindless husks. Your reward: the Mindshield Cloak, a legendary artifact granting psychic immunity, unbreakable mental resilience, and the power to summon mind beasts! On to the next one! The light dazzled, but the gate's collapse loomed—Can they escape?
Author View (Third-Person)
The abyss schemed, its whispers deepening the siblings' isolation, but fleeting bonds pierced through—Kain's pride echoing Vespera's cage. The Mindshield Cloak shards pulsed, hinting at unity.
Vespera's POV
Vespera's thoughts splintered as the Worm invaded, whispering, "You betrayed them in the cradle." A Psyche Harvester (spider-like sorcerer, power: emotion siphon, color: violet with glowing eyes) and Void Stalkers (shadowy beasts, power: fear blasts, color: inky black) swarmed, the Harvester siphoning her rage, making her see Kain's corpse, blood pooling. I killed him? she raged, her fury turning inward. The Stalker's blast tore her shoulder, flesh hanging, blood gushing. She cast Inferno Wrath, flames exploding, but the Harvester absorbed it, countering with a siphon that drained her strength. "Fuck this!" she screamed, her Cinder Wraith's Flamechill Burst melting a Stalker's leg, blood steaming. The Worm's tendril pierced her mind, showing flashbacks of divine betrayal—her crib with shadows. Paranoia gripped her; she locked herself in a vine cage, fearing she'd hurt them. The Harvester laughed, but she unleashed Inferno Ascension, vaporizing its body, organs bursting. The AI glitched, "Memories… corrupted… heroes betrayed…" She grabbed a Mindshield Cloak shard, the system warning, Failure erases your mind—become a puppet. The gate groaned.
Author View (Third-Person)
Shadows conspired to shatter Vespera's mind, her isolation a beacon for the Hollow Watcher—its black-light robes dripping, eyes like dying stars, silent and ravenous.
Lyric's POV
Lyric giggled as the Worm whispered truths, its tendrils coiling. A Dream Eater Sorcerer (ethereal, tentacle-mouthed, power: hallucination spells, color: swirling blue) and Nightmare Hounds (demonic dogs, power: fear bites, color: red with black fur) lunged, the Eater casting Illusion Vortex, showing Zynia's throat slit, blood gushing. She's dead? No fun! she thought, the Hound's bite tearing her leg, bone crunching. "Fuck you, doggie!" she sang Harmonic Shriek, waves shattering the Hound's skull, brains splattering. The Eater drained her chaos, but her Shadowflit Owl's Chaos Frost froze its tentacles, blood icing. The Worm invaded, showing corrupted flashbacks—her cradle with divine shadows. Paranoia hit—I'm the betrayer? Vespera locked away, fearing harm. Lyric won by casting Chaos Weave, daggers warping the Eater's body, guts exploding. The AI stuttered, "Corrupted logs… failures… gods betrayed…" She claimed a Mindshield Cloak shard, the system whispering, Failure corrupts your memories—become a villain. The dimensions shifted.
Author View (Third-Person)
The psychic storm raged, the Hollow Watcher's gaze intensifying, its silence a promise of torment as Lyric's chaos clashed with the void.
Zynia's POV
Zynia's mind burned as the Worm whispered, "Your fury hid the traitor." A Soulreaver Wraith (skeletal figure, power: soul drain, color: bone-white with red veins) and Phantasm Ghouls (ghastly, clawing entities, power: psychic slashes, color: translucent gray) attacked, the Wraith draining her soul, showing Sablon's death, blood pooling. He's gone? she wept, the Ghoul's slash ripping her back, blood spraying. "Fuck you, ghosts!" she roared, her Blazefury Wolf's Beast-Form Rage clawing a Ghoul's face off, brains oozing. She cast Fury's Blaze, scorching the Wraith's bones, blood sizzling. The Worm's tendril flashed a corrupted memory—her saving Sablon with a shadowed figure. Paranoia flared—Was it me? Vespera caged, fearing harm. Zynia unleashed Fury's Eruption, a volcanic blast vaporizing the Wraith, organs bursting. The AI glitched, "Memories… fractured… a traitor's rise…" She grabbed a Mindshield Cloak shard, the system warning, Failure shatters your soul—becomes a shell. The gate trembled.
Author View (Third-Person)
The Hollow Watcher drifted closer, its black-light tendrils tasting Zynia's blood, its prophecy deepening as Sablon's life teetered.
Isolde's POV
Isolde's mind cracked as the Worm hissed, "Envy birthed the betrayal." A Mindforge Titan (hulking, crystal-armored, power: psychic shockwaves, color: silver with blue cracks) and Ethereal Shades (ghostly warriors, power: soul strikes, color: pale blue) charged, the Titan's shockwave fracturing her ribs, blood seeping. Hallucinations showed Lyric's death, her envy blamed. I did this? she gasped, a Shade's strike grazing her chest. "Fuck you!" she choked, casting Envy's Icebind, freezing the Titan's arm, shattering it in a bloody spray. Her Frost Specter's Icy Shatter blasted a Shade's head, brains exploding. The Worm showed a corrupted crib memory—her envy fueling shadows. Paranoia struck—Am I the traitor? Vespera caged, fearing harm. Isolde crushed the Titan with ice, slime bursting. The AI glitched, "Corrupted minds… a betrayer's shadow…" She grabbed a Mindshield Cloak shard, the system warning, Failure consumes your soul—become a wraith. The air quaked.
Author View (Third-Person)
The Hollow Watcher's laughter echoed, a soundless promise as Isolde's envy fueled the gate's dark heart.
Sablon's POV
Sablon's mind twisted as the Worm purred, "Lust blinded you to the knife." A Desire Demon (seductive, horned, power: lust manipulation, color: crimson with black veins) and Carnal Beasts (feline predators, power: claw slashes, color: deep red) pounced, the Demon warping his desires, showing Isolde's betrayal, blood gushing. She turned? he thought, a Beast's claw ripping his thigh, blood pooling. "Fuck you, bitch!" he laughed, casting Lust's Dominion, whips flaying the Demon's flesh, blood soaking him. His Slime Serpent's Venom Lash melted a Beast's face, guts spilling. The Worm flashed a corrupted memory—his lust with a shadowed figure. Paranoia hit—Was it me? Vespera caged, fearing harm. Sablon decapitated the Demon, head rolling in gore. The AI glitched, "Memories… twisted… a traitor's birth…" He grabbed a Mindshield Cloak shard, the system warning, Failure enslaves your mind—become a thrall. The ground quaked.
Author View (Third-Person)
Zynia's rage revived Sablon, the Mindshield Cloak merging into a shimmering, psychic-resistant shroud, its edges crackling with energy. But the gate's collapse roared, mind-crystals shattering, trapping them in a psychic void—Will they survive this mental hell?
The siblings gasped, "Who's the traitor?" as a golden light erupted, confetti showering them. The system boomed, Congratulations, Heroes, you have passed the trial for Gate 5! If you had lost, your minds would have shattered, leaving you as hollow shells. Your reward: the full Mindshield Cloak, granting psychic immunity, mental resilience, and mind beast summons! Onward! The light dazzled amidst the gore, but the Hollow Watcher's tendrils lashed out, its eyes flaring—What stalks them now?