Riya kept staring at the same leaves, the ones that melted into the air as they slipped from her hands. There was a tiredness in her eyes, but a strange calm in her heart. Everything in this part of the jungle was so quiet, her own breathing sounded loud.
Aarya turned around and looked at her, "Are you okay, Riya?"
Riya gave a small smile and nodded. "The first trial... or the first illusion... or the first attack, whatever it was... it shook me."
Feran gestured forward. "This jungle is different from the other zones. Every zone has its own logic, and here, emotions and memories are part of the trial."
As the three of them resumed walking, the path of the jungle became even more complex. What was once straight now spiraled. Every few steps, it felt as if the ground was moving. A soft chime rang in the air whenever a butterfly passed near them. Their wings were transparent, but their glow stabbed the eyes directly.
While climbing a small hill, Riya stopped. "There's something here... I can feel it."
Aarya stepped ahead to place his foot at the top of the hill. The ground trembled slightly, and suddenly everything went dark. No sound of wind, no rustling of leaves. Just a deep black silence.
Feran immediately pulled them both back. "This isn't an illusion. It's a zone shift."
A blinding white light flashed in front of their eyes—and when they opened them, the three of them were in a completely different place.
Red sand covered the ground, and the sky above was frozen in motion. The trees looked burnt, their branches like they'd come straight out of an old nightmare. Aarya placed a hand on his chest—his heartbeat was steady, but there was a strange suffocation in his mind.
"Trial 2," Feran said. "Now it begins."
Just then, a voice echoed through the air—but it didn't belong to any one person. It seemed to come from every part of the jungle:
"Only those who can see beyond fear… can cross this path."
Riya asked softly, "Will this trial also be an illusion?"
Aarya saw something in the corner of the jungle—a small girl, dressed in white, staring straight at him. As if he'd seen her before. But the moment he blinked, she vanished.
"This is more than illusion," Aarya said. "This is something... personal."
As they walked deeper into the jungle, their path split into three parts. Each had an inscription:
Beyond the Lies of the Eyes
Filled with the Truths of the Heart
For Those Who Fight Themselves
Feran read the instructions: "This trial's path will be different for each of us. We go separately."
Riya looked nervously at Aarya. "Separately?"
Aarya took her hand. "Just for a while. We'll all meet again."
Feran was the first to step onto his path—"For Those Who Fight Themselves."
Aarya chose "Beyond the Lies of the Eyes", while Riya walked into "Filled with the Truths of the Heart."
Aarya's path was dark. The ground only lit up slightly with each step he took. Whispers came from all around—"You're running from the truth… you're not who you think you are."
At one spot, he saw a giant mirror—not reflecting him, but another version of himself: taller, darker, with a red spark in the eyes.
It spoke, "I'm what you'll become... when you lose control."
Aarya closed his eyes, channeling a calm inside. "You may be a part of me… but you don't define me."
The mirror cracked. The path opened, and Aarya reached a glowing exit gate.
On the other side, Riya's trial was peaceful—but every step was filled with old memories. She saw her parents, her younger self crying, and the girl in the white cloak again and again.
At one moment, the girl took Riya's hand and said, "Let me go. You're ready to move on."
Riya broke into tears, but nodded. The light grew bright, and her path opened too.
Feran's path was the most violent. He saw his old teammates falling one by one, their blood on his hands. But when he finally accepted that their deaths weren't his fault, his exit appeared as well.
The three of them reunited at a glowing clearing—where everything felt calm again. A bit more peaceful, and with a subtle layer of maturity on their faces.
Feran said, "Trial's over. You both did well."
Riya looked at Aarya, "Are you okay?"
Aarya nodded. "Yeah... but something inside has changed."
Just then, a breeze swept through, and another glowing gate appeared in a corner of the jungle.
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TO BE CONTINUE....