In some time earlier, before Lucas arrived in the castle.
Bam—!
The door closed behind him.
As soon as Lucas entered the door to the Test of Mind, he was transported into a different world.
A world which he was quite familiar with.
Like the voice said much earlier. It was the world from his past—in where he used to live and where most of the significant events in his life happen.
At first, he was lost on what he must do in the test, but eventually he realized his objective when he saw something that made his eyes widened.
Lucas saw himself, in the body of a child.
But there was a large difference.
Unlike when he was a child, the boy in front of him had pure unblemished skin as though cared and relaxed throughout his life.
In comparison to the ashen, pale white skin he possessed on his body, it was a clear contrast.
Thus in curiosity, he followed the boy. Observing the child closely. What had changed?
As though living the best of his life, the boy wore a wide smile.
As though having no curse of death within him, the boy was reckless and mischievous.
As though having people behind him, the boy conversed with his mother and father lovingly.
It was strange.
Lucas thought while observing through the castle.
It took him until seeing the sight of his mother and father managing to live to realize the source of everything he was seeing.
It was his deep seated wish when he was a child. When he was alone against the world, without parents and friends, and without death following him.
***
Looking at the child-reflection of him, Lucas felt a tinge of envy within him before shaking it off.
"..Amends are to be made in the past, afterall. I did wish to have a life like yours. Life so bright, dazzling and carefree."
"That was my wish when I was weak and ignorant."
Lucas looked outside the mirror, observing the falling winter snow.
"Maybe if I was still the old me, I would've been easily fooled by this kind of illusion. Unfortunately, I've long changed and come to terms with my past."
"There is no need for a family. There is no need for emotions. There is no need for other people to exist near me."
"But even as I say that… oddly I still feel envy within me."
Lucas softly smiled and shook his head.
"How strange. Truly strange. Even with both knowledge and power, I still can't understand my own self. My own emotions."
Turning back to look at the child him, Lucas slowly wiped off the smile on his face before speaking up in an emotionless tone:
"Still, this vision shows that I still hold a weakness in myself… an unnecessary one. I have no choice but to remove it at its very core."
The child-him took a step back, as though not understanding his words.
"I suppose this challenge objective is to kill off any remaining weakness within me. I'll happily oblige."
Lucas raised his hand, using soulforce to create flames. For one last look, he stared at the child-him that fell to the ground.
"... For my goals, I'll eliminate anyone standing in my path."
Woosh—!
As the boy screamed and cried, Lucas pointed his hand and dropped the flames to the ground.
At that moment, the flames fell to the castle. Fire that flared so bright, burned so passionately and incinerated all life.
It was Fire that extinguished hope and the virtue of good itself, the flames of resolve in evil.
***
In the next illusion, Lucas was transported in a different place.
It was a place of utter darkness with light absent in all forms and shapes.
As though he was blind and crippled, he couldn't see nor sense a single thing near him.
The only thing he knew was that he was falling.
He could feel the fall himself. The wind shouldering his body and endless hole that pulled him to the ground.
He felt his body continue to fall beneath without end. It was akin to a depthless abyss that had no limit to it.
He even tried to move his soulforce to create light, but he realized he couldn't even control his own body much less soulforce.
Thus, he continued to drop helplessly.
After an unknown time has passed, familiar voices appeared on his mind:
"Transgression. Evil. Bane."
A cursing voice.
"Devil. Inhumane. Terror."
A terrified voice.
"Help. Stop. Don't."
A begging voice.
As though haunting him, they erupted and became louder in each passing second.
Soon, Lucas realized why he felt the voices were familiar.
"Remember us."
It was…
"Engrave us in your mind. Keep us. You did this to us, didn't you?"
It was each and every one of his victims—people he killed in the past without remorse.
Forgotten and deeply locked in memories came crashing into his mind, causing a pain searing sensation erupt in his body.
They screamed for unfairness. For evil. For anger. For help. They wanted him dead... to suffer, so they pulled him down.
Even knowing where the voices came from, no guilt or remorse was evident on Lucas' face.
Lucas accepted the voices and continued to fall to the depthless abyss unaffectedly. Perhaps this was his hell. His own punishment.
It was as though he was stuck within this hell for all eternity, he continued to fall in the abyss for eternity.
***
After an unknown amount of time, Lucas finally passed the second illusion and was transported to the third illusion.
Upon arriving, the first thing he did was stand up and blink.
"Haa…"
Realizing that he could finally see and feel his body, he let out a relieved sigh. In truth, he really thought that he was stuck there for all eternity…
Lucas bit his lip before shaking off the thoughts in his mind.
He prefers to forget that encounter entirely. Even with his mental state, that illusion really felt like hell if it was true.
While he was brooding over what happened, a familiar voice abruptly called out to him.
"You're here. Have a seat, Lucas."
Lucas looked where the voice came from and widened his eyes in surprise.
Like in the first illusion, it was another reflection of himself. But this time it was not him from the past. It was a different version entirely that he couldn't pinpoint himself.
"..Who are you?"
Lucas asked calmly, furrowing his brows.
"Not nervous at all, huh? Let's talk while we play this game. I'm supposed to be your final test."
The "person" said with a smile while staring at the chessboard on top of the table.
Looking around the place, Lucas paused for a moment before agreeing.
The third illusion was in a blank dark world with only a table and chair present. When he looked beyond the place he was standing on, only the void remained.
Lucas sat on one of the chairs and stared at his mirrored self quietly before asking again:
"Who are you?"
"...As you can see, I'm you. If that was not obvious enough. But deeper than that. My name is Lucas but I'm also known as a demon heart."
"Lucas" answered while moving a pawn on the board. He looked at Lucas and spoke:
"Your turn."
"... Aren't you supposed to test me?"
Lucas asked, confused. He looked at the chessboard and his counterpart in bewilderment.
Hearing that, "Lucas" chuckled before shaking his head:
"There's no point in that. I'm you. I know myself more than anyone. And I saw what you did in the two tests anyway."
"The heights you will go through and the resolve you possess. I am satisfied with your performance."
"So now, let's play the old game of chess."
Lucas looked at his demon heart silently before moving his own pawn to the board.
Tak—!
"Let's talk, my original true self. If you beat me, I'll consider it as you passed."