The descent felt endless. The stairs before them spiraled downward into a sea of shadow that shimmered faintly with drifting motes of light. Each step echoed like a heartbeat in the silence of the Abyss. The deeper they went, the colder it became not the kind of cold that touched skin, but one that reached inside, numbing the soul itself.
Reina walked beside Kaien, her new wings folded close. Since the merging at the Gate of Memory, she felt stronger, more whole. But with that strength came a strange heaviness — as if the light and darkness within her were constantly testing each other, searching for dominance.
Kaien said nothing. His eyes were fixed ahead, his hand resting lightly on Noxveil's hilt. He could feel something waiting below. Not just power , intent. The Abyss was alive, aware, and watching every move they made.
After hours of descent, they reached the bottom. The air shimmered faintly, and before them stretched a vast plain of white sand beneath a black sky filled with glowing orbs. Each orb pulsed softly, drifting like fireflies, and the faint sound of whispers filled the air.
Reina looked around. "This… doesn't feel like the Abyss."
Kaien's gaze followed one of the glowing orbs as it drifted past. Within it, he saw a faint figure a soldier, armor cracked, eyes hollow.
"It's not," he said quietly. "It's what's left of those who fell here. The souls of the forgotten."
A voice rose from the still air. "Welcome, Kaien of the Shadow Flame. Welcome, Child of Balance. You have reached the Third Gate — the Gate of Souls. To pass, you must face what your hearts have buried."
The orbs began to gather, swirling above them. The light thickened, and from it emerged shapes — human at first, then monstrous, each one forged from memory.
Kaien froze.
He recognized them. Every face. Every scar. Every scream. They were the warriors he had slain when he rose against the Demon Lords, the comrades he failed to protect, the innocents caught in the wars he started.
Their eyes glowed faintly white as they stepped forward. "Why, Kaien?" one of them asked — a young man with a broken blade and the same armor Kaien once wore. "You swore to protect us. But we died screaming your name."
Reina turned to him, her expression softening. "Kaien…"
He didn't answer. His jaw tightened as he drew Noxveil. The sword pulsed faintly, the shadow along its edge alive with his heartbeat.
"I did what I had to," he said, voice low. "The world needed peace. And peace demands sacrifice."
The young man's hollow voice trembled. "Peace? Or vengeance?"
Kaien's grip tightened.
The souls moved closer, their forms flickering like candlelight. Behind them, the ground began to shift, and more figures rose — countless, endless.
Reina's hand found his shoulder. "You don't have to fight them," she said softly.
He shook his head. "Yes, I do. They deserve the truth."
He stepped forward and raised his blade. "You are right," he said. "I wanted vengeance. When the Demon Lords burned my realm, I swore I'd destroy them all. And in that fury, I forgot why I fought in the first place."
The souls paused.
Kaien lowered his weapon slowly. "But I remember now. I don't fight for vengeance anymore. I fight to end this cycle — to make sure no one else has to walk this road again."
The whispers grew louder, rippling through the air. One by one, the souls' eyes dimmed. Some smiled faintly before fading into light.
But not all.
From the back of the horde, a new figure emerged. Taller. Darker. Wrapped in flames that burned without heat.
Reina's breath caught. "That's—"
Kaien finished for her. "My father."
The figure's voice was calm but cold. "You killed me, my son. You struck me down to claim your throne. Tell me, do you still believe that was justice?"
Kaien didn't move. "No," he said quietly. "It was mercy."
His father stepped closer, his eyes glowing like molten silver. "Mercy would have been letting me die in battle. But you struck from behind."
Reina looked at him in shock. "Kaien… is that true?"
He didn't deny it. "It is."
The figure's flames flared brighter. "Then face the truth of your sin."
He lunged. Kaien raised Noxveil just in time to block the strike, the force sending tremors through the sand. Sparks of dark light erupted around them as the two clashed, father against son, shadow against shadow.
Reina could feel the energy from their battle shaking the air. Every clash was more than strength — it was grief, regret, and fury.
Kaien's father struck again, blade to blade. "You wanted power. You always did. Don't pretend it was for anyone else."
Kaien's eyes burned crimson. "Maybe I did. But I've learned something you never did — power means nothing if it destroys everything around you."
He twisted, disarmed his father, and drove his blade into the ground beside him. The older man froze, then looked down at the untouched sand.
"You would spare me again?"
Kaien nodded once. "Because you were wrong. But so was I. I don't need to keep fighting ghosts."
His father's expression softened. Slowly, the flames faded, revealing the face of the man he once knew — proud, tired, and at peace.
"You've grown," he said quietly. "Then perhaps you are ready for what waits beyond."
The spirit stepped back and dissolved into light. The plain fell silent once more.
Reina approached him, her voice gentle. "You faced your past."
Kaien's shoulders lowered slightly. "And you'll have to face yours next."
Before she could respond, the whispering began again. The orbs turned toward her, gathering until they formed a single towering shape — a woman with flowing white hair and eyes of pure silver.
Reina froze. "Mother…"
The figure smiled faintly. "My child. You walk with a monster."
Kaien stiffened, but said nothing.
Reina shook her head. "He's not a monster. He's—"
Her mother's voice cut through her words. "He carries the blood of the Abyss. The same blood that destroyed our kind. And you, my daughter, have tainted the light that was given to you."
The pain in those words was sharper than any blade. Reina's wings flickered. The white half dimmed.
Kaien stepped forward, but she raised a hand. "No. This is my test."
Her mother's expression softened slightly. "Then prove you are worthy of the light you claim."
Light burst around them. The two clashed — not with weapons, but with will. Every memory, every emotion, every regret collided between them.
Reina saw flashes of her past — her childhood in the city of glass towers, her training as a guardian, her first encounter with Kaien, the moment she chose to defy the celestial order to save him.
Her mother's voice echoed through it all. "You betrayed us for love."
Reina's tears fell freely. "No. I betrayed no one. I chose life over obedience. I chose truth."
The light wavered.
Her mother's image began to fade. "Then walk your path, Child of Balance. But remember — love and ruin often share the same face."
The last word echoed as her spirit vanished into mist.
Reina fell to her knees. Kaien caught her before she hit the ground.
She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. "Was she right? Am I the cause of all this?"
He shook his head. "No. You're the reason I still have something to fight for."
They stood together in silence as the last of the souls faded away. The plain began to tremble. The sand parted, revealing a massive gate of obsidian etched with glowing runes.
The same voice from before spoke again. "You have faced the dead and forgiven yourselves. The Gate of Souls opens to those who carry both pain and hope."
The gate split down the middle, light pouring from within.
Kaien looked toward it, then back at Reina. "Three gates down."
She nodded. "And three more to go."
As they stepped through, the light swallowed them whole.
When their vision cleared, they stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast sea of fire. Above it, massive chains stretched into the darkness, binding something enormous beneath the flames.
Kaien felt the air tremble. He could sense it — the presence waiting beyond the next gate.
Reina whispered, "What is that?"
Kaien's eyes narrowed. "The next gate… and the prison of one of Zarveth's children. The Fallen Sovereign."
The sea roared below, and a single crimson eye opened within the fire.
A voice thundered through the air. "So… you've come this far, heir of the Shadow Flame. Come then. Let me see if the light beside you can survive the fire."
Kaien drew Noxveil, its blade igniting with black light. "Then the Fourth Gate awaits."
Reina spread her wings, her aura flaring with silver fire. "Let's end this."
Together, they stepped forward — toward the inferno that marked the beginning of the next trial.