The storm thinned, but what awaited was no relief.
The path narrowed into a razor's edge clinging to the cliffside. Barely wide enough for two feet, it stretched upward toward the next plateau—but only a few at a time could pass.
The disciples, eyes wild from exhaustion and fear, understood at once.
If they waited, they would be hurled from the mountain by the storm's fury. If they pushed forward, they would have to fight each other.
The Peaks demanded not just endurance, but struggle.
---
Desperation Unleashed
A brawny disciple snarled, shoving a weaker one aside. "Move or die!"
The youth's scream was lost in the wind as he plummeted into the abyss.
That single act broke the thin thread of restraint.
Blades were drawn. Qi flared. The narrow path became a battlefield, steel clashing against steel, desperate roars echoing across the cliffs.
Some fought to climb, others to survive. Many were simply crushed between.
---
Arhaan's Choice
Arhaan pressed forward, his chains rattling in warning. He saw disciples locked in combat, their bodies crashing against the cliff's edge.
The mountain demanded blood. But his heart recoiled.
He clenched his fists. If I cut them down, I'll be no different from Kael.
Yet hesitation nearly cost him. A blade slashed toward his throat, driven by a desperate disciple. Instinct took over—Arhaan's chains lashed out, shattering the sword and hurling the attacker back.
The disciple teetered on the edge, eyes wide with terror.
Arhaan's hand shot forward, catching his wrist just as he slipped. With a heave, he pulled him back onto the path.
"Climb. Don't let heaven turn you into a beast."
The disciple, trembling, could only nod before staggering upward.
---
Kael's Cruelty
Further ahead, Kael moved like a shadow cutting through flame. Every disciple who barred his way fell—some struck unconscious, others left screaming as the abyss swallowed them.
Yet he never appeared merciless. Each strike was precise, almost graceful. To the watching disciples, he seemed righteous, decisive—a man who made hard choices when others hesitated.
But the truth glimmered in his eyes, crimson flickering behind the calm mask. Every life taken, every scream silenced, fed the darkness within him.
He glanced back at Arhaan, who still dragged others up rather than casting them down. A smirk touched his lips.
"Still clinging to mercy? Let's see how long it holds when the mountain itself demands their deaths."
---
The Plateau Ahead
At last, the survivors—bloodied, battered, half-mad—stumbled onto the plateau. The storm eased, and the narrow path widened.
But silence fell as a low rumble shook the stone beneath their feet.
From the shadows of the cliffs ahead, a massive silhouette stirred. Golden eyes opened, burning like suns in the mist.
The next trial had awakened.