Chapter 10: Trial part 1

—In the end, I stabbed that thing in the eye until it died... and for a while even after it died. Shortly after, the authorities arrived and took me to the hospital.— Although Shoun's story wasn't told in as much detail as Kaze's, the sadness and regrets the young man still carried were clearly visible on his face.

—...— Kaze thought about commenting on how Shoun seemed to have a habit of beating Vestiges even after they were already dead, but even he didn't think that was appropriate. Silence filled the room until Shoun spoke again.

—Since that day, I've regretted many things... I could've done something to help, but I know that's also an absurd thought... In the end, no matter how much I regret or hate myself, they won't come back. There's really nothing I can do.

—That's a lie.— Shoun visibly froze at Kaze's response, but the masked man didn't give him time to reply.— Every time you're cornered, you can only fight back... It's the same here. When you hit rock bottom, the only thing you can do is climb back up.

—...Heh, thanks, Kaze.— Shoun replied as his previously sad expression softened.— Though if you say that, it only means I have no choice but to face the trial.

—I'll be by your side.

—...I know.— After that exchange, the two began to plan how they would face their unknown enemy. There wasn't much to go on, but they needed to do something while Shoun's pain subsided.

Some time later, the two young men stood under the white light in the same place where Shoun had first arrived in the Mirror World. Nearby was the park, though unlike the one in the other world, all the leaves on the trees were a dull gray. The surrounding area was mostly empty, leaving a large open space between the park, the street, and the buildings for the fight.

—Do you usually come here?

—Well, when I leave the Mirror World, it doesn't really matter where I am—I always appear in the same place I entered from. But I don't know if it'll be the same for you. Besides, it's a secluded area, so if we appear in the middle of the day or night, we won't draw attention... or so I hope.

—Good.— Without much more dialogue between them, the two prepared. Shoun summoned his dagger, and Kaze unsheathed his katana. With a tacit understanding, Shoun nodded at Kaze, who seemed to activate the trial, as a notification appeared before Shoun's eyes moments later.

[«Residence Trial: Face the trial alongside your companion to freely enter and exit this world. The trial consists of killing the Vestige.»

«Accept?» «Yes/No» «1/2»]

With a thought, Shoun expressed his approval, and the screen before both young men marked a "2/2." A few seconds later, a red dome sealed the two inside an area of approximately 20 square meters.

At the opposite end of the dome, the previously nonexistent wind began to stir. The surrounding dust was swept up into a small tornado, gradually taking shape and becoming darker.

A powerful roar dispelled the remaining wind and dust, revealing the true form of the creature—a hydra. The five-headed monster stood four meters tall and three meters long, its body covered in black scales that shimmered brightly under the white light. The hydra's heads moved in sync, hissing with their snake-like tongues at the two young men. As the hydra materialized, a notification appeared before their eyes.

[Vestige: Twilight Hydra»

«Characteristics: Alpha Wretch. Each time one of its five heads is cut off, a new one will grow. Each head has its own attacks.]

—An Alpha Wretch... Tch, lucky us.— Shoun muttered briefly to Kaze as he continued analyzing the creature. The hydra's scales looked incredibly tough, likely indicating it was a physical-type Vestige. But seeing that each of its heads had its own attacks, he thought it might also be a magical-type Vestige.

Almost as if it knew they had finished reading, one of the five heads began gathering fire in its mouth before launching powerful fireballs at both of them. Shoun, with electricity already coursing through his limbs, and Kaze, with his Wind Cloak, dodged the attack effortlessly. But this was only the beginning.

—How are we supposed to kill this thing?— Shoun asked as he maneuvered to dodge the fireballs. A few seconds later, Kaze appeared beside him and shrugged. The hydra didn't give them much time to talk, as it had already charged more fireballs and launched them at the two.

Both dodged again, moving to the side and maneuvering, but their margin for error was shrinking as they got closer to the Vestige. Kaze, in a risky move, used his Wind Cloak to quickly close the distance to the hydra. With his sword, he thrust at the creature's belly from its right side, but the scales rendered the attack ineffective. Enraged, the hydra turned its closest head to try and bite Kaze, but he dodged, reactivating his Wind Cloak and evading.

Thanks to that brief exchange between Kaze and the hydra, Shoun noticed a couple of things. First, the hydra could barely move, making it impossible for it to attack with anything other than its heads. Therefore, Shoun concluded that the only way to kill the creature was by cutting off its heads, but at the same time, that would also make it more powerful.

—Damn it... Kaze, the only way to kill it is by cutting off its heads, but you know what that means!— Shoun shouted as he jumped to the side to dodge the fireballs. A few seconds later, Kaze reappeared beside him.

—Then we'll just have to cut them all off at once.

—Tch... I'll try to give you an opening. It'll probably take a few seconds for it to regenerate all its heads, so you might not have to cut them all at once.— After those words, Kaze briefly nodded and disappeared. Shoun, without delay, ran straight toward the hydra. Two of its heads prepared fireballs to launch at the young man. The attack covered all directions Shoun could run, so the only thing he could do was turn back, but that would go against the plan of giving Kaze an opening to cut the heads. Therefore, Shoun decided to approach it differently.

At the cost of a significant amount of electricity, he formed a lightning sphere the size of a soccer ball in his hand and shot it at the fireball heading straight for him. The collision of the two attacks created a screen of smoke. Taking advantage of this, Shoun ran, using more of his electricity and effectively dodging the other fireballs.

The young man was now just a few meters away from the creature, which was preparing to bite him by lunging its two left heads toward Shoun. But a powerful gust of wind appeared and severed both heads mid-strike. In the next moments, Kaze appeared near the middle head, ready to cut it.

But Shoun saw the creature slowly reacting. The time they had wasn't enough to take out all the heads, so seeing that he wasn't the center of attention, he approached one of the severed necks. Despite only a few seconds having passed, it was already pulsating, indicating its imminent regeneration.

Shoun gathered a substantial amount of electricity in his palms and made contact with the severed neck, delivering a powerful shock that paralyzed the Vestige and gave Kaze the opportunity to cut the middle head.

Blood gushed, and another head fell. Not long after, Kaze himself also touched the ground. He needed the firmness of the ground to launch another attack, but unfortunately, the two young men had run out of time.

One of the first severed necks finished convulsing, and two new heads grew from it. They quickly lunged and, with a swift motion of their necks, sent both young men flying with a powerful blow.

—Agg!— Shoun groaned as he crashed into the ground. Not far away was Kaze, who was struggling to get up. That direct hit had left them in bad shape.

Ignoring them, the two heads on the hydra's right side began charging a new attack. Gradually, purple smoke poured from their mouths and filled the entire dome, especially the areas where Shoun and Kaze were.

Shoun, for his part, could barely understand what was happening. Unconsciously, he inhaled the purple smoke and began to feel suffocated. His throat dried up, his eyes watered, and he felt something tightening around his lungs. With wide eyes, he tried to find fresh air, but it was useless. Slowly, his vitality began to fade.

The young man tried to get up and flee the area, but his body wouldn't respond. Gradually, he grew more desperate and tried to fight harder, but his efforts only yielded negative results, as he inhaled more and more smoke.

When all seemed lost, Kaze appeared beside him. The masked man used his Wind Cloak to expand a dome of wind around both of them. As he coughed, it became clear that the hydra's attack was slowly dissipating. The creature had already regenerated its heads and grown the corresponding ones. Now, the two central heads were preparing a powerful attack aimed at the two young men.

—Cough cough!— Shoun coughed and coughed until all the harmful smoke was replaced by fresh air. Kaze did the same and deactivated the wind dome. Both saw the hydra aiming its new attack at them.

—Cough! Sh-Shoun... I'll handle that thing. You cover yourself.— Kaze said between coughs, but Shoun understood the true meaning of those words. He could see Kaze, on his knees, with little spiritual energy left—a result of saving them and using his Wind Cloak throughout the fight.

With those words, Kaze was essentially saying he would sacrifice himself to kill the Vestige, fulfilling the promise he made during his apology the first time they were in his safe zone.

—Cough! No, I can't let you do that!— Shoun shouted, his voice choked with emotion. The memory of his family sacrificing themselves so he could survive inevitably came to mind. He didn't want more people to die protecting him, especially now that he had the strength to stop it.

—...It's my duty.— Kaze said calmly as he struggled to stand. Finally, the hydra finished charging its attack. Two powerful electric beams shot from its mouths toward the two young men. Kaze planned to redirect and endure the attack, then sacrifice himself to kill the creature, accepting his own death. But in an unexpected twist, Shoun stood up and placed himself in front of Kaze, taking the full brunt of both attacks with his body. The force sent both young men flying to the edge of the red dome.