Chapter 3 - Chapter Three: The First Test at Acrén

Kyle Oren stood in front of the portal that was pulsing with blue light, his heart beating rapidly, and all his senses tensed. The air around him was slapping his face with strange pulses, like mild electric shocks, but he didn't back down. He had no choice, he understood that this was not just a portal, but a testing portal, and that the world he entered was unforgiving to those who hesitated. Ensu Varys stood beside him, her eyes shining with anticipation, as if she were watching his every move, every thought in his mind. "Kyle, remember, nothing here is ordinary. Everything is reacting to your intentions and thoughts. If you allow fear to take over, you will collapse before you even begin." Kyle took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I'm ready," he said, feeling his heart beating with something strange inside his chest, something he had never felt before. It was a feeling of power, or perhaps a connection to the order he had carried since the Last Earth, but he did not yet know how to control it. When he took a step towards the portal, a light emanated stronger than any he had ever seen in his life. The ground beneath his feet began to glow, and the energy lines began to move more quickly, as if they recognized and responded to his presence. Suddenly, a virtual examination room appeared before him, but it was not a room as humans knew it. They were shifting expanses of light and metal, formed into passages and buildings floating in the air, and everything in them was constantly changing, as if testing the mind's ability to adapt to unstable reality. Kyle felt dizzy, but he held himself together. Then he heard a voice inside him say, not in words, but as a clear thought: "If you want to survive, you have to take control." Remember Enso's words: "Everything reacts to your intentions and thoughts." He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to focus on the energy within his body, on that pulsation he felt in the Last Earth. Suddenly, the lines around him began to glow softly, as if in sync with his breathing. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet turned into a sea of ​​energy, surrounded by waves of blue light. Strange creatures began to appear in front of him, half metal and half pulsing light, moving quickly and attacking him from all sides. Cale didn't know if these were real creatures or just a mental test, but he felt that his reaction should be quick. He raised his hand towards one of the creatures, and without complete awareness, focused on the strange pulsation within his body. Suddenly, the creatures felt as if they were hitting an invisible wall, and a wave of blue light emanated around them, pushing them away. Kyle felt an inner voice saying: "You're starting to learn." But the test is not over. The Earth shifted again and became a huge platform floating above the endless void. In front of him, four pillars of light, each pillar emitting a different energy: light, shadow, sound, and thought. Moving symbols appeared before him, as if they were a new language, the language of this world. Ensu shouted: "Kale, choose! Each pillar represents a kind of command, each pillar will give you power if you learn to control it. But be careful, your choice will determine your path here in Akryon!" Cale looked at the pillars, and felt his heart leaning towards the second pillar, the Shadow Pillar. Something inside him connected him to the darkness he saw in the Last Land, to the ruins, to the fear he experienced, and perhaps to the power of the order he carried. But he also felt threatened. The shadow is ruthless, and if it loses control, it will be the first to be swallowed. He took a step towards the pillar and raised his hand, focusing on every feeling, every thought, every fear within him. The ground shook around him, and the energy lines began to interact with his will, forming strange shapes around his hand, as if they were reflecting every part of himself. Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared in front of him, embodying all his fears, every weak moment he had experienced, and every trauma he had witnessed. Cale was horrified, but he remembered Enso's words: "Actions are more important than words." Gathering all his courage, he released the energy he felt from the last land towards the shadow. It was not just an attack, but the concentration of all his will, all his feelings, all his life experience in one go. The light exploded, and the shadow faded, but Cale felt exhausted, deeply exhausted, as if something inside him had changed forever. Insoo approached him and said with a smile, "You survived. Not only because you are strong, but because you learned to control fear. That is the essence of the orders here. Power without control is just destruction." Kyle felt relieved, but there was no time to rest. In front of him, a new portal appeared, this time smaller, but glowing with very powerful energy. The ground felt his origin, as if telling him that this portal would take him to another part of Acreon, where the next challenge awaited, and where the confrontation of force against reason would begin. "Kale," Insoo said, "You have survived the first test, but this is only the beginning. Each portal here will test something different. Power, will, understanding, and even spirit. Every step you take will bring you closer to knowing the secret of this world, and perhaps the secret of the prophecy it holds." Cale raised his head towards the glowing light of the new portal, and took a deep breath. Despite the exhaustion, he felt something new inside him: hope. power. The feeling that everything he had been through so far was preparing for this moment. With one step towards the portal, Kyle began his true journey inside Acreon, a journey that would reveal to him the secrets of the orders, about friends and enemies that would change his path, and about a power hidden within him that he had never known before. A new world, full of dangers, but also full of opportunities for those who have the courage and control of their energy. Thus, Kyle Oren's first test in Akryon ended, but little did he know that the greatest challenge was yet to come, and that every step he would take from now on would lead him to discover his true power, and to confront the great truth about the prophecy and the Thirteenth Warden.