The Grandmaster led Ochieng out of the underground chamber and into a vast open courtyard. It was nothing like he had expected. The ground was layered with black stone, and in the middle stood a massive bronze gate, ancient and covered in strange carvings.
"Your body has endured suffering. Your mind has faced the abyss. Now, you must step through the First Gate," the Grandmaster said.
Ochieng felt an invisible pressure emanating from the gate.
"What's beyond it?" he asked.
The Grandmaster gave a rare smirk. "A path only the worthy can walk. If you hesitate, you will die."
Ochieng took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The moment his hand touched the bronze, the world turned black.
---
Ochieng opened his eyes and found himself standing in an endless void.
No sky. No ground.
Just darkness stretching forever.
Then—whispers.
Voices, murmuring in an ancient tongue, filled the void. He turned, searching for the source, but there was nothing.
A chilling wind passed through him.
Then a voice—clear, deep, and ancient—spoke his name.
"Ochieng."
He spun around.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was him.
But different.
A darker version of himself. Eyes like burning coals. A smirk filled with malice.
"You don't deserve power," the dark Ochieng said. "You don't deserve anything."
Ochieng clenched his fists. "You're not real."
The dark figure laughed. "Aren't I? I know your fears. I know your weaknesses."
Suddenly, memories flooded Ochieng's mind.
His mother's death.
The betrayal.
The humiliation.
The endless nights of pain.
His body trembled.
This was the real test.
Not just strength—but willpower.
Ochieng gritted his teeth. "I don't fear you."
The dark figure smirked. "Then prove it."
A blade appeared in Ochieng's hand.
And the battle began.
---