Eryx felt the ground shift beneath his feet as the darkness began to clear, revealing a new landscape. The disorienting sensation of falling faded, and he found himself standing in the middle of a vast, mist-covered forest. Towering trees loomed overhead, their branches entwined, blocking out the sky. The air was thick with fog, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The stillness was unsettling. Eryx could feel the weight of the trial pressing down on him. The power inside him hummed with anticipation, but he knew this trial would not be about raw strength. The creature he had faced before was a test of physical might, but now, something more insidious awaited.
The shadowy figure's voice echoed in his mind. "This trial will test your mind, Eryx. Power is not only the strength of your body, but also the strength of your will. Can you overcome your deepest fears?"
Eryx frowned, scanning his surroundings. The mist seemed to thicken as he ventured deeper into the forest, swirling around him like a living thing. Each step felt heavier, as though the very air conspired to slow him down. He could sense something watching, lurking in the shadows beyond the trees.
The fog closed in, and Eryx's breath quickened. He pressed forward, though unease settled in his chest. The path ahead was unclear, and the deeper he ventured, the more the forest seemed to twist and shift, as though the landscape itself was alive. His instincts screamed that he wasn't alone.
Suddenly, a soft voice whispered from the fog. "Eryx…"
He froze, every muscle tensing. That voice—it was familiar. He spun around, searching for its source, but the forest remained empty. His heart raced as the voice echoed again, this time closer.
"Eryx… why did you leave us?"
It was his mother's voice.
Eryx's blood ran cold. He hadn't heard her voice in years, not since the day she'd fallen ill. His family had been torn apart by her death, and he had left, unable to bear the pain. He clenched his fists, willing himself to ignore the illusion. This trial was a trick—a test of his mind. He couldn't let it get to him.
But the voice persisted, now sounding directly in his ear. "You abandoned me, Eryx. You left us alone. Why didn't you save me?"
His breath caught in his throat. He tried to push the feelings away, but the guilt he had buried for so long surged to the surface. Memories of his mother's illness, of watching her wither away while he stood helpless, flooded his mind.
Suddenly, the fog parted, and there she was. His mother, standing just a few feet away, looking as she had in her final days—frail and pale, her eyes hollow with sickness. She reached out to him, her voice full of sorrow.
"Eryx… you could have saved me."
He stumbled back, his heart pounding in his chest. "This isn't real. You're not real," he muttered, trying to convince himself. But the sight of her, the way her eyes seemed to plead with him—it was almost too much to bear.
"You've failed before, and you'll fail again," his mother's voice whispered, her form flickering like a mirage. "You can't protect those you love. You'll never be strong enough."
The words struck deep, feeding the doubts that had always lingered at the edges of his mind. Was he truly strong enough to face what lay ahead? Could he wield the sanctuary's power without losing himself? Or would he, like before, fail when it mattered most?
His mother's image began to fade, replaced by others—figures from his past. His father, his sister, his closest friends, all of them staring at him with cold, accusing eyes. They circled him, their voices blending into a chorus of doubt and despair.
"You can't do this, Eryx. You're not worthy."
"You'll never control the power."
"You'll lose everything… again."
The fog thickened, the voices growing louder, until it felt as though they were pressing in on him from all sides. Eryx squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block them out, but their words continued to pound in his head, feeding the fear that gnawed at him.
His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, his hands pressed against his ears. The weight of it all—the guilt, the fear, the doubt—it was crushing him. He couldn't breathe. His mind was fracturing under the pressure of the trial, and the darkness threatened to swallow him whole.
But in the depths of that despair, a spark flickered within him. A memory, distant but clear, surfaced. Lorian's words echoed in his mind: Power is not a weapon, it is a tool. And the greatest tool you have is your will.
Eryx's eyes snapped open. The voices were still there, swirling around him, but something had shifted inside him. He had come this far. He had faced beasts and forces beyond his understanding. He had survived, and he had grown. This was another test—a test of his will. He wasn't the boy who had left his family in fear and grief anymore. He had faced the unknown and was still standing.
Slowly, Eryx pushed himself to his feet. His hands fell away from his ears, and he stood tall, facing the phantoms of his past.
"You're not real," he said firmly, his voice cutting through the cacophony of voices. "You're not real, and you have no power over me."
The figures hesitated, their forms flickering as though unsure of themselves.
"I am not that boy anymore," Eryx continued, his voice gaining strength. "I've made mistakes, and I've lost people, but that doesn't make me weak. It makes me stronger. And I will not let fear control me."
As he spoke, the fog began to lift, and the figures around him dissolved into nothingness. The voices quieted, fading into the wind until there was only silence.
Eryx stood alone in the clearing, the weight that had pressed down on him lifted. His heart still raced, but the fear no longer held him in its grip. He had faced his doubts, his guilt, and his fears—and he had overcome them.
The shadowy figure's voice returned, this time softer, almost approving. "You have passed the second trial, Eryx. Your mind is strong, but your journey is far from over."
Eryx exhaled, the tension in his body easing as the forest around him began to dissolve, replaced once more by the stone chamber. He was back where he had started, but something had changed within him.
The trials were far from over, but for the first time, Eryx truly believed he could succeed.
As the chamber's doors creaked open to reveal the path ahead, Eryx stepped forward with renewed purpose. Whatever the next trial held, he would face it head-on—because now, he knew his greatest strength lay not in the power of the sanctuary, but in himself.