Inside the jungle, it had become completely cold. Thin flakes of snow floated in the air, and in places, the snow settled on the ground like small wounds. The trees were no longer dense, their leaves pale and brittle, as if they had fulfilled their purpose.
Aarya was walking slowly. His Granthnishaan on his chest was gradually shifting from red to a soft blue glow—as if it was sensing this new trial. His heart was heavy, but his feet moved instinctively along the path of this zone.
Feran and Riya were walking beside him. Feran's large body was now slightly more frozen, and his silver eyes scanned every corner of the jungle. His paws were damp, and the falling flakes were making his fur even colder.
Riya glanced at both of them, then said softly, "This zone... is the most dangerous. If you survive here, you'll uncover another piece of your past. Another memory of your pain."
Aarya looked down at the ground. His Granthnishaan was glowing brighter, as if an old image was surfacing in his mind. His face was pale, and for a moment, he stopped.
"Why am I here?" Aarya whispered, as if talking to himself. Riya looked at him, then replied quietly, "There are things within you that are ancient. Your past... will surface with each trial. This zone... will give you another memory. You must understand where it came from inside you."
A strange image flickered in Aarya's eyes. His mind returned to the crying girl, and the old building—the burning structure—spun in his thoughts again.
---
The jungle gradually ended, revealing a vast ancient ruin. Reaching this point, Aarya felt as if he had entered another world—the Frozen Echo Ruins, where ice and fear took form.
Cold wind blew around the ruins' gates, and the snow-covered ground masked every step. Even the trees were so ancient that their roots were slowly buried in the frost.
Riya sniffed the air slightly and said quietly, "You have to go in there. Every corner of this place hides a secret. And for you, those secrets lead to the truth inside."
Aarya remained silent. His Granthnishaan glowed softly, and his heartbeat quickened.
He placed his hand on his chest and felt a sharp pain—an old ache, an old memory. But this time, the pain wasn't here to kill him, only to remind him.
As he stepped into the ruins, a soft whisper echoed in the air around him. The sound crept into his ears—an old, terrifying voice. Each step seemed to freeze in place, as if the ground was trying to pull him under.
"...You had everything. It was all in your hands. You left that girl behind..."
Aarya's breath halted. He felt the voice inside him. "What was I? Why did I leave her behind?"
Riya looked at him, her eyes holding a trace of curiosity, but she said nothing.
"Your answers lie here. You must understand your past."
Aarya slowly continued forward, and as he entered deeper, fragments of a ruined structure appeared before them. Each fragment concealed flickering light within the doorways.
His full attention turned toward the building. From beneath the ground came an echo—a crying girl's scream. Aarya placed his hand on his chest and whispered, "Who... was I?"
A clear flash lit up his mind—an old building, a burning structure, a small girl crying. And then... Aarya saw himself pushing the girl with his own hands. His face was blank, expressionless. He watched himself breaking his own story.
"...you left her. You let her die."
Aarya's mind blurred again. Memories came one by one, but each carried a corner of darkness—the girl's face, crying, dying... just like him.
"Why... why?" Aarya felt overwhelming pain.
Then... another memory shard entered his Granthnishaan, and he saw another piece. The face of the crying girl lit up in his eyes.
He saw the face—his own reflection—the girl who had died.
Aarya stopped breathing. His Granthnishaan burned brighter for a moment, and his heart pounded like it wanted to break free.
"Did I... let her die?" Aarya whispered. His throat was dry, his hands trembling from the cold.
Feran stood nearby. His large frame was covered in frost, and his silver eyes locked onto Aarya. "Your past was written by your own hands, Aarya. What you did... that burden stays within you."
Aarya looked at Feran, a strange restlessness in his eyes. "I wasn't like that... how could I be?"
Riya, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. Her face was calm, but her green eyes held curiosity and a bit of sorrow. "The memories hidden in your Granthnishaan will reveal your true self. Each trial will remind you of what you were... and maybe what you still are."
Aarya's breath quickened. "No... I can't be that anymore."
Feran spoke telepathically, his tone sharp and harsh: "If you don't accept the truth inside you, you won't survive. These Ruins are designed to break you through your pain."
Aarya slowly placed his hand on his chest. The Granthnishaan now glowed even brighter, as if preparing for another trial.
Then... a sharp metallic echo rang from within the ruins.
The wind inside the ruins suddenly grew fierce. Snow shards flew through the air, and from within them, a large shadow slowly emerged.
Riya quickly tightened her grip on her blade and stood in front of Aarya. "Something's coming... and it's not a spirit beast. It's the protector of these Ruins."
Feran's claws dug into the snow. His large body tensed like a hunter, and his silver eyes focused on one spot. "Aarya... stay back. This is your zone's guardian."
Aarya inhaled deeply. "Will it test me?"
Feran replied through telepathy, stern and merciless: "It will try to kill you."
Then it appeared.
A massive beast made of snow stood at the center of the Ruins. Its body was half stone, half ice, and from within its throat echoed a sound—a mix of pain and rage, as if it was once human. Its eyes glowed white, and each step it took shattered the ground.
Riya whispered, "Icebound Warden... it guards every echo. Your trial will end only when you defeat it."
Aarya stared at the beast, his Granthnishaan glowing intensely. In his mind, the dark voice echoed again—"...take its essence... only then will you get the next shard..."
Aarya tried to control himself. "No... I won't become that again."
Feran let out a loud growl and leapt at the Warden. His jaws clamped onto the beast's stone shoulder, but its frame was so rigid that Feran was thrown back.
The Warden raised its massive ice claw and struck toward Feran. Feran dodged the first blow, but thin icy streams shot from its paw and began to freeze his fur.
Aarya stepped forward immediately, but Riya blocked his path. "Without you, this fight can't be completed. Your Granthnishaan is the key to this zone. You must be the one to break it."
Aarya looked at her. "I don't want to kill it!"
Riya's eyes sparked sharply for the first time. "Aarya, this is the guardian of the Ruins. It exists to test your pain. If you don't stop it, it will destroy Feran."
Aarya's breath grew heavier. The girl's scream echoed in his mind again—"...you let her die..."
He picked up snow in his hand and looked at his Granthnishaan. "I won't kill it... but I will stop it."
The Warden struck Feran again, and Feran fell to the ground. His telepathic voice reached Aarya, filled with pain: "Aarya... this is your trial. There's no more time...!"
Aarya took a deep breath and walked straight to the Warden. His Granthnishaan flickered between red and blue—two powers battling within him.
He placed his hand on the Warden's icy neck and looked into its glowing white eyes. "You're in pain too... right? You were trapped here because of someone else's mistake..."
The Warden paused for a moment. Its roar softened, and for a second, its eyes shimmered with something human.
Aarya's Granthnishaan shone white.
Then another memory shard unlocked in his mind—a large building, an ancient battlefield, and Aarya... pushing people, letting them die, his face emotionless.
Tears filled Aarya's eyes. "How... how could I have been like that..."
The Warden let out a painful cry, and its massive icy frame slowly shattered. Snowflakes turned into mist, and its body merged into the frost of the Ruins.
The trial was over.
Feran slowly stood and walked toward Aarya. His telepathic voice was softer now: "You chose the hard path again... but you survived."
Riya watched them from a distance. Her face was calm, but in her green eyes, a small glimmer of respect shone. "You're... different, Aarya. Maybe that's why your Granthnishaan still burns white."
Aarya simply looked down at the ground, his breath still heavy. "When... will I be able to forgive myself?"
Far ahead, within the Ruins, another Sigil glowed faintly—a new place, a new trial.
TO BE CONTINUED...