The void around them began to shift. Slowly, like curtains pulling back, the blackness peeled away. Stone corridors formed beneath their feet. A dungeon was shaping itself — not from old ruins, but from the will of belief.
> [Dungeon floor 1 generated: Hall of Echoes.]
[Begin.]
Arjun's fingers clenched slightly around the bamboo. A smile flickered across his lips.
He didn't remember his past life. He didn't remember his dream.
But something inside him did.
.
.
.
The black mist peeled back like paper soaked in flame. Stone formed beneath their feet — ancient, cracked, and pulsing with dim blue light. Walls rose, twisting into curved patterns, etched with symbols neither Arjun nor Vhim could read, but which felt watchful, as though the dungeon itself were alive.
A low hum filled the air, vibrating in their bones. The first floor had formed.
> [Dungeon Floor 1 Generated: Hall of Echoes]
[Objective: Find the Three Keys of the Family]
[Sub-Objective: Survive]
Arjun glanced at Vhim. "Looks like we've been thrown straight into a trial."
The tiger followed silently behind, still cautious but no longer aggressive. Its red eyes glowed faintly in the dim hallway light, reflecting the blue pulses beneath their feet.
Vhim tightened his grip on his bamboo staff. "Do you think that tiger's… on our side now?"
Arjun hesitated. "I'm not sure. But it hasn't attacked since the teleportation. Maybe it's bound by the rules of the dungeon now… or maybe it sensed something bigger."
The hallway ahead split into three paths.
Each corridor was lit with faint blue torches that flickered as though they were breathing. The air carried whispers — not sounds, but imprints of voices long gone. The kind that brushed against your thoughts when you weren't looking.
> "Where do we go?" Vhim asked.
Before Arjun could answer, a faint rumble echoed from the left path — followed by a distorted cry, like a scream stretched too thin across time. The right path flickered with unstable light, like it couldn't decide whether it existed. The middle path… was silent.
Arjun stepped forward. His instincts said middle. But something inside — deeper than instinct — whispered:
"All three must be walked eventually."
He turned to Vhim. "Let's go middle. If it's quiet, we can scout without drawing attention."
They moved slowly, the tiger staying behind them. With every step, the whispers grew louder — not in volume, but in presence. Like their memories were being peeled apart.
And then the corridor opened into a chamber.
A circular hall, ancient pillars rising like broken teeth around a grand mural carved into the floor. It depicted a single man standing over mountains, dozens of children at his feet. Behind him, a tree — massive, blooming with a hundred different fruits, each with unique colors.
At the base of the mural, in cracked golden letters:
> "Only those who carry burden, blood, and will may claim the Family's root."
In the center of the room stood a stone pedestal. On it, a glowing crystal — pulsing a deep violet.
> [Key of Will Detected]
Vhim stepped forward in awe. "That must be one of the keys!"
Arjun reached out cautiously. "Wait—"
But it was too late. As Vhim's fingers grazed the pedestal—
> [Guardian Trial Activated]
From the walls, shadows pulled themselves free. Not monsters — echoes. Faint, humanoid shapes, like smoke given form. Their eyes were hollow voids, their hands wielding translucent weapons.
Arjun's grip tightened on his staff. "Get ready!"
The tiger growled — a real, guttural snarl — and leapt forward without hesitation. It tore into one of the echoes, its claws passing through slightly before the creature disintegrated into dust.
"They're weak!" Vhim shouted, smashing one with a swift strike. "But they're fast!"
More emerged, forming a ring around the mural. One lunged at Arjun — he ducked and spun, his staff cracking the echo in the side, causing it to ripple and burst into mist.
Then it clicked — these weren't real entities. They were tests. Illusions formed from will and memory. How you fought… mattered.
And suddenly, Arjun's instincts sharpened. He didn't remember training, but his hands moved like they knew. Every swing was precise. Every dodge efficient. Like someone else had fought through hundreds of battles inside him.
A part of him he hadn't met yet was waking up.
> [Hidden Passive Activated: Combat Memory Resonance Lv.1]
More echoes burst around them — and one, larger than the rest, stepped forward from the shadows. Its eyes burned white. Its blade wasn't made of smoke — it was forged of something more… solid.
The tiger hesitated.
Arjun didn't.
He rushed forward, sliding under the echo's swing, and slammed his staff upward — hitting its chin. The creature stumbled.
Vhim followed up with a leaping strike from above. "RAAHHH!"
The echo shattered — its body exploding into white sparks.
> [Guardian Defeated. Key of Will Acquired.]
The pedestal hummed, and the violet crystal floated upward, splitting into three fragments before converging into a shape like a glowing leaf. It sank into Arjun's palm, searing a mark — a small tree sigil — into his skin.
Arjun winced, but didn't cry out.
> [Will Key Engraved. 1/3 Acquired.]
Vhim panted, wide-eyed. "That was… insane. I've never fought like that."
Arjun looked down at his hands. "Neither have I."
But the strangest thing?
He wasn't afraid.
He was excited.
The mural beneath them shimmered once, and the three corridors behind them shifted again — the walls reorganizing themselves.
> [Next trial will begin when ready.]
The tiger approached Arjun, rubbing against his side.
Vhim laughed. "Guess you're its alpha now."
Arjun didn't respond. He stared at the shifting walls, the glowing tree on his hand… and somewhere, deep inside, something laughed.
Not cruelly. Not joyfully.
But knowingly.
The walls shifted again. The air went still.
As the glowing mark of the Will Key dimmed on Arjun's hand, the corridor ahead opened into a narrow passage, long and silent. A faint wind blew from the other side — cold, and filled with something heavy.
None of them said anything. Not Arjun. Not Vhim. Not even the tiger.
It was as if something in the air told them to be quiet.
The three walked slowly. Each step echoed strangely, as if the space was listening.
At the end of the hallway, they arrived at a black arch. It wasn't made of stone. It looked like shadows frozen into a doorframe. Letters they couldn't read floated across the surface like ripples on water.
Arjun reached out.
The moment his fingers brushed the arch, a message appeared in the air.
> [Burden Key Trial Initiated]
To carry the Will, one must carry the Weight.
Enter, and face what crushes you.
They stepped through together.
And the moment they did — the world split.