Chapter 29: The Three Trials
Leon stepped through the gateway, his body still trembling from the weight of claiming the Mark of Eternity. The burning sigil on his chest pulsed faintly, as though alive, reminding him that this power was now a part of him.
The familiar voice of the System echoed in his mind, cutting through the silence.
"Three trials remain. These gates will push you beyond your limits, breaking and remaking you. Only those who overcome them may walk the path of destiny."
Leon stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Three? After everything I've endured, there are still three more?"
"These are no ordinary gates," the System continued. "Each is a crucible designed to test the essence of who you are, to uncover the truth behind your strength. Be warned: the challenges within will demand everything you have—and more."
Leon clenched his fists, his breath steady but his heart pounding. "I didn't come this far to back down now. Where is the first one?"
Ahead, the air shimmered, revealing a massive, ornate door carved into the fabric of reality itself. It gleamed with an otherworldly light, the surface covered in swirling patterns that seemed to shift and writhe like living things. At its center was an inscription:
"The Gate of Mirrors: Face the truths you hide, the lies you tell, and the self you fear."
Leon approached cautiously, his reflection rippling on the door's surface. As he extended his hand to touch it, the System's voice grew colder.
"Once you enter, there is no turning back. The Gate of Mirrors shows no mercy—it reveals only the raw, unfiltered truth."
The words hung heavy in the air, but Leon didn't hesitate. "Let it show me whatever it wants. I'll face it."
The moment his palm pressed against the door, a blinding light engulfed him. When it faded, he found himself standing in a vast, endless void filled with fractured mirrors. Each shard floated weightlessly, reflecting distorted versions of him—some familiar, others unrecognizable.
From one shard, he saw himself as a boy, cowering in fear as his village burned around him. From another, a version of himself stood atop a mountain of corpses, his face cold and devoid of emotion.
"Is this who I was? Or who I might become?"
Suddenly, the shards began to move, encircling him like predators closing in on prey. One flew toward him, embedding itself in his arm. Pain shot through him, but it wasn't physical—it was emotional.
Memories flooded his mind. The screams of those he couldn't save. The hollow laughter of enemies who had mocked his weakness. The crushing guilt of surviving when others hadn't.
"Stop!" he shouted, clutching his head as the shards continued to pierce him, each one a reminder of his failures and fears.
But the void did not stop. A voice—his own—rose from the mirrors, cold and mocking.
"You think you're strong? You're nothing but a coward who hides behind borrowed power."
Leon's breathing grew ragged, his vision blurring. He fell to his knees, the weight of the accusations threatening to crush him.
Yet, as he knelt there, broken and battered, another voice emerged—faint but resolute. It was his own voice again, but this time, it wasn't mocking. It was steady, calm, and filled with determination.
"You've endured worse. You've fought through pain, loss, and despair. These memories don't define you—they're a part of you. And you're still standing."
Leon gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise. His reflection in the shards began to change, the fractured images merging into a single, clear vision of himself—not as a boy, not as a villain, but as a man determined to carve his own path.
The shards dissolved, and the void began to fade. As the Gate of Mirrors disappeared, Leon found himself back in the golden expanse, his body trembling but his resolve unshaken.
The System's voice returned, quieter this time.
"You have passed the first trial. Two remain. Prepare yourself—what lies ahead will test you in ways even this could not."
Leon wiped the sweat from his brow, a faint smirk crossing his lips. "If that's the best you've got, then bring on the next one."
Ahead, another gate began to form, its design even more foreboding than the last. But Leon didn't falter. He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the path before him, and stepped forward.