The path narrowed, its stones glowing faintly with runes carved by an ancient hand. A veil of mist spilled down from the cliffs, thick and shimmering like liquid moonlight.
The disciples stepped into it—and the world shifted.
Gone was the mountain.
Gone was the path.
Each stood alone, surrounded by visions spun from their own fears and desires.
---
Arhaan's Trial
Arhaan blinked, and the mist hardened into a barren plain of broken chains. Bodies lay scattered, faces he recognized—disciples, villagers, even Selene—crushed beneath links of heaven's iron.
The sky above split open, and from it descended a colossal hand of light, reaching to bind him once more.
The weight of despair pressed against his chest. His knees trembled, the crimson-gold chains within him thrashing like caged beasts.
Bow, the voice of heaven thundered in his mind.
Accept the fate written for you.
For a heartbeat, Arhaan's spirit wavered. His legs began to sink into the broken earth. But then he heard a faint echo—not heaven's decree, but Selene's words beneath the silent moon:
Climb for yourself.
Arhaan's eyes flared. His chains erupted in defiance, lashing against the sky. "No chains will bind me—not heaven's, not fate's!"
The vision shattered like glass, and he staggered back onto the stone path, breath ragged, but unbroken.
---
Kael's Trial
Kael walked into the mist, and a throne appeared before him, carved from black stone, rising above kneeling shadows.
The sect masters bowed. The elders prostrated. Even Arhaan knelt, chains broken and head bowed.
A whisper curled around Kael's mind.
This is your future. Take it. Rule. Devour the one who dares defy you.
Kael reached out to touch the throne—and his aura pulsed, crimson-black energy feeding greedily on the illusion. Instead of being tested, he grew stronger, his demonic pact warping the trial into nourishment.
His lips curved into a cold smile.
"So this is what heaven calls a trial? Pathetic."
When the mist parted, Kael stepped out unscathed, calm, and utterly composed—while disciples around him cried, staggered, or collapsed, broken by their visions.
---
The Divide Grows
Whispers filled the ranks.
"Look at Kael… untouched!"
"Arhaan survived too, but he looks… drained."
The mountain rumbled, its next test waiting higher above.
Kael glanced sidelong at Arhaan, whose breath still heaved from the shattered vision. His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"Step by step, you're sinking. And when you fall… I'll be there to watch."
Arhaan said nothing, but his chains rattled quietly, answering Kael's venom with silent defiance.
The climb was far from over.