The beast took a menacing step forward, its claws scraping against the obsidian floor with a sound like grinding stone. Its shimmering scales reflected the swirling auroras above, a mesmerizing yet terrifying sight. Louis swallowed hard, feeling his heart hammering in his chest.
"Okay," he muttered, trying to psych himself up. "Okay, okay... If this is a trial, then there's got to be a way to pass it. No way this is 'fight the giant cosmic lizard and die.'"
The creature snarled, and Louis could feel the raw intensity of its presence pressing down on him like a crushing weight. His legs screamed at him to run, but something deep within him—some primal instinct—kept him rooted in place.
'Well? Do something, unless you plan to be dinner.'
The voice had returned, its usual smugness barely hiding a hint of anticipation.
"Do what exactly?!" Louis snapped, his panic bubbling over. "I don't have a sword, a gun, a magic wand—hell, I don't even have a rock to throw at this thing!"
'Then stop thinking like a mortal.'
Louis gritted his teeth, eyes darting around for anything that could help. The beast tensed, muscles rippling beneath its strange, radiant hide, and in the next instant, it lunged.
Move!
The thought was instinctive, and before he even realized what he was doing, his body obeyed. He twisted sharply, barely dodging the monstrous claws that came crashing down where he had just stood. The impact cracked the obsidian beneath it, sending out jagged lines like shattered glass.
Louis landed in a crouch a few feet away, heart pounding. He had never moved like that before—so fast, so precise. Something felt different. His body felt lighter, more responsive, as if something deep inside had been awakened.
The beast turned its head, those glowing red eyes burning into him, assessing him. It growled low as if recognizing something within him.
'There it is,' the voice mused. 'You're finally starting to feel it.'
"Feel what?" Louis hissed, still watching the creature warily.
'Your power. It's been inside you all along, but you're too used to thinking like an ordinary person. This trial isn't just about courage—it's about realization.'
Louis clenched his fists. Power? What power? He wasn't some kind of hero or chosen one. He was just a guy who got a weird box from an even weirder entity. But still… his body did feel different. More attuned. More capable.
The beast snarled and lunged again, faster this time. Louis had no time to think—only to react.
His body moved on its own, twisting around the attack with a fluidity that should've been impossible. His foot slid effortlessly across the obsidian, and before he even processed what he was doing, his hand shot out.
And then something happened.
A pulse of energy surged from his palm, invisible but powerful. The beast recoiled as if struck by an unseen force, its claws scraping wildly against the ground as it stumbled back.
Louis stared at his hand, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?!"
'Your divine energy, finally waking up,' the voice said, sounding pleased. 'Took you long enough.'
Louis barely had time to process before the beast recovered, shaking its head violently. It let out an enraged roar, its scales glowing even brighter, and then—it changed.
The creature's form began shifting, twisting, and evolving. Its body stretched taller, its limbs elongated, and its claws grew wickedly sharp. The once-pristine obsidian beneath it cracked and crumbled as the sheer weight of its presence intensified.
Louis felt his breath hitch. This wasn't just some wild animal—this thing was adapting.
'Oh, that's new,' the voice mused, suddenly a lot less smug.
"You wanna explain before I get turned into space dust?!" Louis yelled.
'It's responding to you. The stronger you get, the stronger it becomes. Looks like your trial isn't just about awakening your power—it's about mastering it before this thing eats you alive.'
Louis swore under his breath. "Great. Just great."
The beast wasted no time. It shot forward with blinding speed, a blur of shimmering scales and deadly intent. Louis threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe that could have cut him in half.
He hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. The moment he stopped, he pressed his palm to the obsidian and willed that same energy to surface again.
A pulse of raw force rippled outward, but this time, the beast didn't just stagger—it absorbed it.
Louis barely had a second to register the horror before the creature threw that energy back at him.
The shockwave slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward. His vision blurred as he tumbled across the obsidian, the world spinning in a haze of light and darkness.
When he finally skidded to a stop, everything ached. His head pounded. His lungs burned.
The beast slowly prowled toward him, exuding an aura of absolute dominance.
Louis coughed, spitting blood onto the obsidian. "Fantastic."
'You're not dead yet. That's a win in my book.'
"Shut. Up."
But even as he groaned, something inside him refused to back down. His body might have been screaming, but deep within, something else was stirring.
A voice—not the smug, annoying one that had been guiding him—but something his.
A whisper of power, a pulse of something ancient.
Louis clenched his fists and slowly, painfully, forced himself to his feet. His vision swam, but he refused to fall.
The beast bared its fangs, growling low as if recognizing that something had shifted.
Louis exhaled. "Alright, you overgrown lizard… let's try this again."
This time, when he raised his hand, the energy didn't just pulse—it roared.
Louis's heart pounded like a war drum as the beast stepped fully into the flickering, ethereal light of the Nexus. Its form was unlike anything he'd ever seen—twenty feet tall, with a sleek, serpentine body covered in iridescent scales that shifted colors with every ripple of its muscles. Bone-like spines jutted from its back, glowing faintly with a sinister crimson hue. Its maw was filled with razor-sharp, crystalline fangs, each glinting like shards of broken glass. But it was the eyes that unsettled him the most—two burning, red orbs filled with malice, intelligence, and something worse: recognition.
Louis swallowed hard, his hands trembling at his sides. What the hell am I supposed to do? He didn't have a weapon. He didn't have armor. All he had was the faint echo of the voice in his head and a growing sense that this was more than just a test of courage.
The beast let out a low growl, its claws scraping against the obsidian floor with a sound that sent shivers down Louis's spine.
Focus, Louis, he told himself. You've faced worse. Well... maybe not worse, but you've faced stuff. Right?
The beast lunged.
Louis barely managed to throw himself to the side, rolling across the smooth, cold floor as the creature's claws slammed into the ground where he'd just been standing. The impact sent shards of obsidian flying like deadly shrapnel. One grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, stinging line of blood.
Scrambling to his feet, he backed away, his mind racing. Think, think, think!
'You're not going to survive by running, you know.'
The voice was back. Calm. Annoyingly calm.
"GEE, THANKS FOR THE TIP!" Louis snapped, dodging another swipe that nearly took his head off.
'This isn't a trial of courage,' the voice continued, unfazed by Louis's panic. 'It's a trial of self.'
"What does that even MEAN?!" Louis shouted, ducking under the beast's tail as it whipped toward him like a giant whip.
'It means you're fighting the wrong enemy.'
Louis stumbled, barely avoiding another strike. The words echoed in his mind, even as adrenaline surged through him. The wrong enemy?
His eyes darted to the creature again. It was fast, strong, and clearly trying to kill him. But there was something strange about the way it moved. Its attacks were brutal, but almost... instinctive, like it wasn't fighting him but lashing out blindly. Its eyes burned with fury, yes, but not just at Louis. It was like it was fighting something invisible. Something inside.
The wrong enemy...
Louis skidded to a stop, breathing heavily. His legs burned from the constant dodging, and his lungs screamed for air, but he forced himself to stand tall.
"No," he whispered, realization dawning. "You're not the trial, are you?"
The beast growled, pacing like a predator sensing a shift in its prey.
Louis closed his eyes. Not the beast. Me.
He took a deep breath, centering himself like he did before playing the organ, letting the chaos around him fade. He reached inward—not for strength, not for power, but for understanding.
And that's when he felt it.
A knot deep within his chest. A tangled mass of fear, doubt, anger... all the things he'd been avoiding. All the emotions he'd buried under sarcasm and bravado.
The beast roared again, but this time, Louis didn't move. He didn't run. He didn't dodge.
Instead, he opened his eyes, filled not with fear, but clarity.
"If you're part of me," he said softly, "then it's time we talked."
The beast charged.
But instead of flinching, Louis stepped forward.
As the creature's massive claw came down, he reached out—not with his hands, but with that newfound connection within himself. A surge of warmth spread from his chest to his fingertips, manifesting as a faint, golden glow.
The claw stopped inches from his face, trembling mid-air.
Louis stared into the beast's eyes, and for the first time, he didn't see a monster. He saw reflection—rage born from fear, strength twisted by insecurity.
"This isn't who I am," Louis whispered. "You're not who I am."
The beast roared, thrashing, trying to break free, but Louis didn't waver.
"I'm done running from you."
The glow intensified, spreading through the beast's body like cracks in its form, light seeping through the darkness. The creature let out one final, deafening roar before it shattered—bursting into fragments of light that swirled around Louis like fireflies before sinking into his skin.
He collapsed to his knees, panting, the silence almost deafening after the chaos.
'Not bad,' the voice said after a moment. 'Took you long enough.'
Louis let out a breathless laugh. "Yeah, well... self-discovery's not exactly on my morning routine."
He glanced around. The Nexus remained, but it felt different now—less oppressive, more... open.
A small pedestal appeared where the beast had stood, holding a single object: a pendant shaped like an infinity loop, pulsing faintly with light.
Louis stood, legs shaky, and approached. As his fingers closed around the pendant, warmth spread through him—not just physical, but something deeper.
'Congratulations,' the voice said, sounding genuinely impressed for the first time. 'You've passed the Trial of Self.'
Louis smiled faintly, slipping the pendant around his neck.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I guess I did."
But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.