Darkness.
It clung to them like a second skin, suffocating, relentless.
Adrian and Zayn could barely breathe, barely think. The crushing weight of the void pressed upon them, a force so overwhelming it made their very existence feel insignificant.
But this was no mere test of endurance.
This was a trial of destruction and rebirth.
The Guardian's voice thundered through the abyss.
"To wield power, one must be reforged."
And then—the suffering began.
---
The First Trial – The Weight of Existence
Their bodies collapsed to the ground as if an unseen force had slammed into them. Gravity twisted unnaturally, growing heavier with each breath.
Adrian gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as he tried to lift himself. It was impossible.
It wasn't just gravity—it was something deeper.
A force pressing into their very souls.
Zayn coughed, his body trembling. "This… isn't normal."
Adrian didn't respond. His bones creaked, his lungs burned. Every second that passed felt like an eternity, his body slowly being crushed under the unbearable weight.
Was this death?
The Guardian's voice echoed again.
"To hold power is to bear its weight. Will you crumble?"
Adrian refused to give in. His fingers clawed against the stone floor, his veins bulging as he struggled to lift himself. His body was breaking—his mind fracturing.
But he didn't stop.
Neither did Zayn.
Every movement was agony. Bones cracked. Muscles tore. Yet, neither yielded.
Adrian let out a guttural roar and forced himself onto his knees. The weight pressed harder, trying to bury him, but he held.
Zayn followed, blood dripping from his nose as he struggled against the force.
They refused to break.
And then—the pressure lifted.
Their bodies collapsed, lungs gasping for air, sweat and blood pooling beneath them.
The Guardian's voice rumbled in the void.
"You have endured. But endurance alone is not enough."
And then, the second trial began.
---
The Second Trial – The Shattered Self
A sudden coldness seeped into their bones. Memories flashed before their eyes—their pasts, their failures, their fears.
Adrian saw his family's disappointed gazes. His wasted potential, the expectations he failed to meet.
Zayn saw his childhood, the beatings, the hunger, the pain of growing up in a world that never gave him a chance.
The pain wasn't physical—it was mental, emotional, spiritual.
And then—it turned cruel.
They saw themselves die.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
Each time, the deaths were more gruesome, more agonizing.
Eaten alive.
Dismembered.
Drowned in blood.
Burned by their own power.
Adrian gasped, clutching his chest as he watched Zayn get torn apart by Thornback Ravagers, his body left in pieces.
Zayn fell to his knees, eyes wide with horror as he saw Adrian betray him, driving a blade through his heart.
They knew it wasn't real.
But their minds refused to believe it.
The Guardian whispered.
"What are you willing to sacrifice? What will you lose?"
Adrian screamed, his fingers digging into his scalp. He was breaking. He could feel himself splintering—his sanity unraveling like a fragile thread.
Zayn was shaking violently, his breath ragged.
It would be so easy to give in.
To let the suffering consume them.
But they held on.
Through the agony. Through the madness.
Through the fear of losing themselves.
And then—the illusions shattered.
They gasped, bodies trembling, eyes filled with pain that no wound could compare to.
They had survived.
But the Guardian wasn't done.
---
The Third Trial – The Baptism of Power
The air shifted, thick with something ancient, something primal.
Adrian and Zayn barely had time to breathe before the fire consumed them.
It wasn't ordinary fire—it was raw power, sinking into their flesh, rewriting them at their core.
Adrian's bones felt like they were melting, his muscles twisting, his veins burning with something unnatural.
Zayn's body convulsed, every nerve in his body screaming as the fire dug into his soul, reshaping him into something stronger—something more than human.
It wasn't just pain—it was transformation.
Knowledge poured into their minds—languages, history, the laws of this world.
They understood it all instinctively, as if it had always been there, buried within them.
The fire branded them permanently, searing into their very existence.
And then—the flames died down.
Adrian collapsed, his breath heavy, his body changed.
Zayn fell to his hands and knees, his blood now filled with something more than mortal strength.
The Guardian's voice returned, this time satisfied.
"Rise."
And they did.
---
The Rebirth
Adrian's body felt different.
Stronger. Faster. Sharper.
Zayn clenched his fists, feeling the surging power beneath his skin. His wounds were gone. The agony that had once crippled him was now a distant memory.
They had been changed.
No—they had been reborn.
A massive doorway appeared before them, carved from ancient stone, inscribed with runes that pulsed with raw energy.
Adrian exhaled, glancing at Zayn. "Ready?"
Zayn rolled his shoulders, a sharp grin forming. "After all that? I wish something would try to stop me."
Together, they stepped forward—toward the next chapter of their fate.
And the real battle had only just begun.