The silence that followed the defeat of the dragon-lion was palpable. Every breath Yuto took seemed to echo in the vast arena as he stood amidst the wreckage of his battle. His body ached, his limbs trembling with the weight of exhaustion, but the victory was his. He had faced the dragon-lion, a creature of unparalleled strength, and emerged victorious. But even now, standing tall amidst the ruin, Yuto felt the weight of the next trial pressing down on him.
The silver-haired elder's gaze never left him, her piercing blue eyes studying him closely as the ground beneath them began to tremble.
"You have proven yourself capable," she said, her voice as cold and unwavering as ever. "But the true test lies ahead. The final trial is not one of strength alone. It is a trial of heart, mind, and soul."
Yuto's heart skipped a beat. "A trial of what?"
The elder's lips curled into a faint smile, though it lacked warmth. "You will understand soon enough."
With a gesture, the air around them shimmered, and the world seemed to warp. Yuto blinked, his surroundings shifting in an instant. The arena, the golden pillars, the watching elders—all of it vanished in a flash, replaced by a dense forest that seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions. The trees here were ancient, their trunks thick with age, and the canopy above was so dense that only slivers of light pierced through, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor.
"This is the Realm of Echoes," the elder's voice echoed, as though coming from all directions at once. "It is a place where one's innermost fears and desires manifest. The final trial will require you to confront your deepest truths."
Yuto looked around, confusion settling over him. "Confront my truths? What does that mean?"
The elder didn't answer directly. Instead, she raised her hand, and suddenly, the forest seemed to pulse with life. The shadows shifted unnaturally, and from the darkness, strange figures began to emerge—creatures, half-formed, their faces twisted in agony and rage. Yuto's breath caught in his throat. These weren't just beasts; they were something worse—manifestations of his own fears, his doubts, and insecurities.
One by one, the figures took shape. Some were monstrous, towering and hideous, while others were smaller, more subtle. There were faces he thought he had forgotten—people from his past, memories long buried beneath the weight of his new life. He saw the faces of people he had lost, faces that had been twisted by his own guilt.
"These are your fears," the silver-haired elder said softly, her voice like a whisper in the wind. "You will have to face them, one by one. Only then will you be truly worthy to ascend within the Golden Dragon Sect."
Yuto's heart raced, his pulse thundering in his ears. The creatures around him, the faces—everything felt like a nightmare. But in that moment, he realized that it wasn't just the creatures he had to defeat. It was the memories, the fears, the doubts that he had carried with him since he arrived in this world.
He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He had faced down physical monsters before, but this was something different. He wasn't just battling for survival; he was battling for his very soul.
A creature in the shape of a twisted, dark shadow lurched toward him, its body shifting like liquid darkness, its eyes glowing with malice. It was the first to strike, its sharp claws reaching for his throat. Without thinking, Yuto leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.
But the creature didn't stop. It swirled around him, its form ever-changing, each movement faster than the last. Yuto's heart pounded in his chest as he twisted and dodged, his limbs moving instinctively. His energy, his power—it was there, but it wasn't enough to defeat this thing.
He had to confront it.
"Fight back," he muttered to himself. "Don't run from it."
Drawing on his Saiyan blood, Yuto tapped into the well of energy that had already proven itself in battle after battle. He could feel the power coursing through his body once again, and this time, he focused it inward. The creature wasn't just physical—it was a manifestation of his own doubt, his own fear. And the only way to defeat it was to face it head-on.
With a roar, Yuto surged forward. His fist, glowing with blue energy, collided with the creature's shifting form. The impact caused the darkness to ripple, and for a moment, the creature staggered, its form faltering. But it quickly reformed, its eyes narrowing as it hissed at him, an expression of pure hatred on its face.
"Is this really all you are?" Yuto shouted, his voice full of defiance. "Is this the fear that holds me back?"
The creature screeched, its body expanding and contracting, and it attacked once more. But Yuto didn't flinch. He had faced worse—he had fought through his own demons, his own doubts—and he wasn't about to let something like this stop him now.
With a final, decisive blow, Yuto slammed his fist into the creature's heart, sending a burst of energy through it. The darkness shattered into nothingness, its form disintegrating like mist in the wind. The victory felt strange, but Yuto knew it was just the beginning.
More creatures emerged from the shadows, each one representing a different fear, a different doubt. Some were familiar, others were completely alien, but they all had one thing in common—they were born of his own mind.
But Yuto was different now. He wasn't just the scared, confused man who had arrived in this world. He was a warrior, a Saiyan, someone who had learned to fight for his survival.
The battle raged on. Each fear that appeared was met with a burst of energy, each doubt was shattered by his resolve. As the last of the creatures fell before him, the forest seemed to sigh with relief, and the shadows that had once threatened to overwhelm him receded.
The silver-haired elder appeared before him once more, her expression unreadable. "You have faced your fears and doubts, Yuto. You have proven your heart, your mind, and your spirit. You are worthy of the title of disciple within the Golden Dragon Sect."
Yuto stood tall, his chest rising and falling with exertion. The trial had tested him in ways he hadn't imagined, but he had emerged victorious. He had faced his deepest fears and confronted the doubts that had plagued him since his arrival in this world. And now, he was ready for whatever came next.
The elder nodded, a faint approval in her eyes. "The path ahead will be difficult, but you are no longer the same person who entered the Golden Dragon Sect. You have the potential to rise to the very top."
Yuto smiled, the weight of the trials finally lifting from his shoulders. "Then I'll rise to the challenge. I won't stop until I understand why I'm here—and until I'm strong enough to protect this world."
With those words, the first chapter of his journey in the Golden Dragon Sect came to an end, but the path ahead was still long and uncertain.
But one thing was for sure—Yuto would face whatever came next with the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a Saiyan.