Fallen Heaven: Rise of Faizi Tian
Episode 44 – The Third Trial: A Blade Between Brothers
The wind howled through the forest like a living thing, carrying with it the scent of rain and something else… metallic, sharp — the smell of blood.
Faizi Tian walked a step behind Elder Ren, the narrow trail winding upward into the mountain mist. The Demon Seal was warm against his chest, beating faster than before, almost in rhythm with the storm clouds above. It had been three days since the second trial, and he could feel the third approaching like a predator in the dark.
Ren didn't speak much during the climb. His eyes scanned the terrain with the discipline of a veteran, but every so often, Faizi noticed him glance toward the Seal. There was something unreadable in those glances — not greed, not fear, but a strange, heavy calculation.
Finally, they reached a flat plateau overlooking the valley.
"This is the place," Ren said, dropping his pack. "Rest here. The storm will pass soon."
But the storm didn't pass.
The air thickened, the sky bleeding from gray to a deep, unnatural crimson. Faizi's stomach twisted. He knew this sensation — the shift between worlds. The Seal's voice slid into his mind like smoke.
*"The third gate opens. This time… your enemy wears the face of a friend."*
Before Faizi could respond, the ground cracked, and black mist spilled upward, swallowing the plateau. When it cleared, the world had changed.
The mountains were gone, replaced by a circular arena of stone suspended over a bottomless void. Above, no sun shone — only swirling darkness. And across the arena stood Elder Ren… but his eyes burned with the same crimson glow Faizi had seen in his second trial.
"Ren?" Faizi called out, his voice uncertain.
Ren's lips curled into a smirk. "So, you've brought the Seal this far. Good. Hand it over, and maybe I'll let you live."
Faizi's grip on his sword tightened. "This is another illusion."
"Is it?" Ren stepped forward, drawing his own blade — a weapon Faizi had seen him use to defend innocents countless times. "Or is this the truth you've been too blind to see?"
The Seal's voice slithered between them. *"One of you will die here. Choose quickly, or the choice will be made for you."*
Faizi's mind raced. If this was an illusion, striking Ren would mean nothing — but what if it wasn't? What if the Seal was showing him Ren's real heart? The thought gnawed at him, threatening to split his focus.
Ren charged first. Their blades clashed, the impact sending ripples through the stone beneath their feet. Faizi parried, stepping back, trying to read his opponent's movements. Every strike was precise, calculated, like Ren knew every flaw in Faizi's stance.
"This isn't you!" Faizi shouted, blocking another swing.
"Isn't it?" Ren's crimson eyes narrowed. "Every time you've grown stronger, I've been there. Watching. Guiding. Waiting for the right moment to take what's mine."
Faizi's chest burned. The Seal was pressing harder now, feeding doubt into his mind like poison. *He's been too convenient. Too close. Has he been leading you into these trials for himself?*
The battle raged across the arena. Sparks flew, blades sang, and with each clash, Faizi felt the weight of the decision closing in on him.
Then Ren's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and cold:
"If you hesitate here, you die."
For a split second, Faizi saw something — not in Ren's stance, but in his eyes. A flicker of the man he knew. The teacher. The protector.
But was it real… or another trick of the Seal?
The darkness around them deepened, the Seal's whisper growing louder. *"Strike him down, and the path to the final gate will open. Fail… and you will never leave this place."*
Faizi's blade trembled.
He had one heartbeat to decide.