Darkness swallowed everything.
There was no pain at first.
No sound.No ground.No sense of direction.
Ryan stood—or thought he stood—inside an endless void.
"So this is hell?" he asked quietly.
Satria's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once.
No.
This is silence.
The First Descent
The moment Satria finished speaking, the world collapsed.
Ryan felt gravity tear him downward.
Then—
Pain.
His body struck an unseen surface with crushing force. Bones shattered. Muscles tore. Breath vanished from his lungs.
Ryan screamed.
The sound echoed—but brought no relief.
Before he could even process the pain, his body reconstructed itself, energy forcing bones back into place, flesh knitting unnaturally fast.
He gasped.
"W–What is this?!"
Satria answered calmly.
This is the minimum requirement.
Your body must learn to break without dying.
Pain Without Escape
The cycle repeated.
Fall.Impact.Destruction.Reconstruction.
Again.And again.And again.
Ryan lost count.
There was no time to rest.No moment to prepare.
Pain became constant—no beginning, no end.
Ryan bit down on his own scream.
Endure.
That word became his anchor.
The Question of Self
At some point, Ryan stopped screaming.
Not because it hurt less—
But because his mind began to detach.
"That's dangerous," Ryan muttered weakly.
Satria's voice sharpened.
Correct.
If you abandon pain completely, you will abandon yourself.
The ground vanished.
Ryan fell again.
"But if I don't—" Ryan gasped as his body shattered once more.
Then you will break.
Ryan clenched his teeth as his body healed.
"So what do you want from me?!"
Satria answered without hesitation.
Awareness.
The Second Trial — Memory
The void changed.
Ryan stood in his childhood home.
Warm light.Familiar walls.
Then—
The scene twisted.
He saw himself beaten on the factory floor.Saw her crying helplessly.Saw his grandfather's disappointed silence—imagined, but sharp.
Ryan staggered.
"No… stop…"
Pain of the body is temporary, Satria said coldly.Pain of memory decides who you are.
Ryan fell to his knees.
"I'm scared," he admitted.
The words burned.
"I don't want to lose anyone again."
Satria was silent.
Then—
Good.
Breaking the Instinct to Run
The memories intensified.
Every failure.Every doubt.Every fear he buried.
Ryan felt the instinct rise.
Run.
Escape into numbness.
Let the power take over.
"No," Ryan whispered.
He forced himself to stay.
To feel.
To remember why it hurt.
"I choose this pain," Ryan said, voice trembling but steady."Because it reminds me what I'm protecting."
The memories froze.
For the first time—
Satria did not speak immediately.
The Third Trial — Resistance
The void erupted with pressure.
Invisible weight crushed down on Ryan from all directions.
His energy surged instinctively.
Ryan stopped it.
He controlled his breathing.
Slow.Measured.
Energy aligned with will—not emotion.
Satria's voice returned, quieter now.
Most fail here.
They use power to escape pressure.
Ryan shook violently.
"I won't."
The pressure increased.
Ryan's knees bent—but did not touch the ground.
Sweat poured down his face.
"I won't let power replace my resolve!"
Silence.
Then—
The pressure vanished.
Acknowledgment
Ryan collapsed to one knee, breathing hard.
Satria's presence hovered close.
You survived the first gate.
Ryan looked up, exhausted.
"How many… gates?"
Satria laughed softly.
Enough to strip away everything that is false.
Ryan wiped blood from his lip—blood that faded seconds later.
"Then don't hold back," he said hoarsely."If I'm going to walk this path—"
His eyes hardened.
"—make sure I deserve to."
For the first time, Satria did not sound amused.
He sounded satisfied.
Very well, Ryan.
Hell will continue.