Riley became exhilarated the moment he saw the runes pop up before him. Freedom from his nightmare was finally within his grasp. Soon, he would return to reality. His mind raced with anticipation.
What kind of ability would he possess? Would it be something extraordinary?
"It must be an overpowered ability—after all I went through," he concluded with fervent convinsion.
A sense of gratitude swelled within him at the thought of possessing an ability powerful enough to ensure his survival, especially when his doom attribute threatened to spiral out of control.
After everything he had endured over the past few days, his trial could undoubtedly be considered the most harrowing in the history of Nexus ascenders.
While others merely had to slay some Nexus Creatures or, at worst, criminals, none of them had been thrust into the enigma of an unknown god.
Yet, despite the relentless trials, he was elated to have unraveled the mystery. As his vision faded, Riley found himself enveloped in darkness.
The world fell silent, as if sound had been swallowed by the void. For a moment, he floated in the atmosphere, weightless and disoriented. Then, with a blink, his eyes opened to a landscape both alien and eerily familiar.
The white, desolate landscape stretched endlessly before him, a barren wasteland where even the horizon seemed to blur into nothingness. Tiny, lonesome statues resembling humans jutted out from the ground, their forms half-buried beneath the shifting dunes.
They stood like silent sentinels, their presence dwarfing the landscape around them. The familiar slithering movement of bones drew his gaze as time itself seemed to rewind.
Soon, he found himself once again amid the skeletal army, their bony forms marching relentlessly through the desert. This time, they were perilously close to the angels. Riley was momentarily stunned.
He had not anticipated being cast back into the white desert. He had expected to be transported back to reality, where he would awaken, test his newfound powers, and plan his revenge on the broken sword clan.
A future where he would buy a house for himself and his sister, a sanctuary far removed from the chaos of his past. Was the Trial playing a cruel prank on him?
He had seen the rune clearly, indicating that his Trial was over and that he would be appraised shortly. So why was he back at the beginning of the trial?
Despite his confusion, an inexplicable urge to touch the weeping angel again welled up within him. He needed to confirm if they would react the same way.
But something was different this time. The soldiers did not regenerate their flesh as they had before. They remained as skeletal remains, their hollow eye sockets staring vacantly into the endless white desert. They were like wandering souls—lost, confused, and aimlessly roaming a world without purpose.
Riley glanced at his hands, only to be met with horror. His flesh was gone. He, too, was a skeleton—just like the others. He shook his head, trying to dispel the nightmarish illusion.
He wouldn't have been surprised if the other soldiers were skeletons—after all, they were dead, and he had caused their deaths. But he was different. He was alive.
Suddenly, the army of bones halted. They seemed to freeze in place, their movements suspended in eerie stillness. For a brief moment, Riley thought time had frozen again, but the gust of wind that swept across the sands told him otherwise.
One by one, the skeletons turned to face him. If they still had flesh, Riley would have seen the anger and murderous intent etched into their faces. But even without features, he could sense their malevolent gaze bearing down on him. He knew he was in trouble.
The skeletal ranks parted, and a figure on horseback emerged from their midst. The skeleton of a man, clad in remnants of armor, sat astride a skeletal horse, its bones creaking with every step.
The figure rode calmly, with an air of authority, and soon came to a stop before Riley. He recognized the man as the commander of the army. Although the commander's face was now nothing more than a skull, Riley's intrusion told him that his skeletal commander was frowning—a sign that did not bode well, especially since Riley was now unarmed.
"You caused our death. You killed us, just like you killed your mother," the commander hissed, his voice a raspy echo that sent shivers down Riley's spine.
Riley stiffened, his entire body turning to ice. The skeleton commander's words struck him like a hammer.
Truthfully, He was the one who killed his mother. He hadn't physically done it, but he had planned and executed the sequence of events that led to her death.
Back then, he had been consumed by anger, bitter that his parents had sold him for a silver coin. He had hated them with every fiber of his being.
And when he was banished from the clan, he knew how difficult it had been for his parents to provide for themselves and his sister in the dregs. He had come to realize that if his parents hadn't given him to the clan, he might have been kidnapped or, worse, died of starvation.
He had wanted to ask for their forgiveness, but it was too late. The dead cannot forgive. They can only be pacified. That's why he had thought of taking care of his sister, buying a new house for them, and maybe, someday, when his sister was old enough, he would tell her the truth—that he was the one who killed their real parents.
Riley choked on his words, struggling to find the strength to make any sarcastic remark about them. He realized that what he had considered to be fun had led to the deaths of others, condemning them to a fate where they could neither live nor die.
They were cursed to wander the endless expanse of the white desert until the end of time. Wasn't he one of them now? His insatiable curiosity had led to this entire mess.
Eventually, he forced himself to speak, but all that came out was a soft, shaky, "I'm sorry." His voice was barely audible, but the sincerity in it was undeniable. Despite his remorse, he only felt sorry because the commander had reminded him of something he could never forget.
The skeleton army turned away from him, their bones creaking as they resumed their endless wandering through the white wasteland.
Riley watched them go, a sinking feeling in his chest. He began to realize that he might not have been the one responsible for condemning this army to their eternal wandering.
He had initially thought the angels had caused the army's demise, but now he wasn't so sure. If that were the case, it wouldn't explain the scene he had witnessed when time reversed. The dismembered body parts of the skeletons were scattered too far from where the angels had struck them down.
Although he might have instigated their deaths, he hadn't cursed them to this fate. Whatever was keeping these soldiers trapped in this endless cycle of wandering had to be hidden somewhere in the desert.
Riley began to think back to the scenes he had witnessed during the time reversal, but try as he might, he couldn't recall anything out of the ordinary. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see, a vast, desolate expanse devoid of anything remarkable, save for the remnants of an ancient civilization.
Was there something he was supposed to find here? Some clue or artifact that would explain this cursed existence?
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, jarring message:
[Error… Error… Error.]
"Uh?" Riley muttered, bewildered.
[Your Soul Cannot Take Shape.] [Your Soul Is Damaged.][Timeline Compromised.] [You Are Being Erased From Reality.][System Override.][Memories About You Have Been Erased. The Trial Can No Longer Continue. You Will Be Returned Now. By The Way, You Did Well...]
A sense of dread washed over Riley as he felt his consciousness slipping away, fading into oblivion. The world around him dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only the echoes of the desert wind.
--
Several scenes flashed across Riley's face. It was as if he was in the cinema, watching a movie of his own past. He saw himself, standing in front of his mother with a cold expression on his face.
He remembered that time, that very day, it was a very dark day for him. The day he lost his mother due to his ignorance.
He remembered that time, that very day, it was a very dark day for him. The day he lost his mother due to his ignorance... it was the same dream he had always had, the scene of the day his mother died... the metal houses, the blood, and everything, it made him sick, and heartbroken.
*
And then a silhouette walked out of the darkness, it was of his mother.
Riley's legs grew weak, and his body shivered, snorts and tears streamed down his eyes. He walked towards her silhouettes and tried to hug her, but grabbed nothing but air.
"Riley… are you there? it's so very dark here. There's something you should know... I forgive you."