Chapter 23: The Trial of Wrath

The corridor twisted and warped, as if the very walls were alive, shifting subtly in the dim glow of their torches. Anant and Surya moved cautiously, each step echoing ominously against the polished stone floor. The air grew heavier, thick with an unseen force pressing against them.

Then, the passage opened into a vast, circular chamber lined with towering obsidian pillars. The ceiling was shrouded in darkness, seemingly stretching into eternity, while the walls flickered with spectral fire, casting eerie shadows that twisted and writhed as if they had lives of their own.

At the heart of the chamber stood a massive iron gate, its surface pulsating with an unnatural crimson glow. Symbols of an ancient, forgotten language were etched into the metal, shifting and reforming as though they were watching the intruders.

Anant's pulse quickened. He could feel something watching them—something ancient, malevolent.

"We're being tested," he muttered.

Surya nodded grimly. "Then let's not fail."

Then, without warning, the shadows moved.

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A Battle Against the Damned

A deep, guttural rumble filled the chamber. From the edges of the darkness, warriors emerged—figures wrapped in tattered armor, their faces obscured by twisted helmets. They radiated an unnatural heat, the air around them shimmering like the edge of a flame. Their eyes burned with unholy fire, hollow voids filled with endless fury.

Surya tensed. "This isn't just an illusion."

Anant's grip tightened around his staff. "No. These are the damned."

Rudrakaal's elite warriors—souls bound by blood and agony, cursed to serve in death just as they had in life.

The first warrior lunged.

Anant barely dodged as a massive axe came crashing down, splitting the stone where he had stood moments before. The force sent shockwaves rippling through the floor, nearly knocking him off balance.

Surya countered instantly, his sword flashing in the dim light. The blade sliced through one of the spectral warriors, but instead of falling, the figure reformed, its armor molding back together like liquid metal.

More warriors surged forward.

Anant swung his staff, striking one square in the chest. The impact should have shattered bone, but the warrior barely staggered. Instead, the flames in its eyes flared, and with a guttural snarl, it came at him twice as fast.

"These things—" Surya gritted his teeth as he parried another strike. "They don't die!"

Anant's heart pounded. He struck again, his movements growing more desperate. But no matter how hard he hit, how precise his strikes, the warriors didn't weaken. They absorbed the blows, growing stronger with every attack.

A terrible realization crept into his mind.

"We're feeding them," Anant murmured.

Surya barely managed to deflect another attack. "What?"

Anant took a step back, his mind racing.

"This chamber… it's a Trial of Wrath," he said. "If we fight in anger, we fuel the curse."

Surya hesitated, glancing at their enemies—at their burning eyes, their unstoppable forms. His breath came fast and uneven, adrenaline and frustration boiling in his veins.

Anant saw it. He felt it, too.

The chamber was feeding on them—stirring their aggression, whispering to them, urging them to fight.

If they continued, they would lose themselves.

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Resisting the Trial

Anant inhaled sharply, forcing his emotions into calm stillness.

Then—he did the unthinkable.

He dropped his staff.

The warriors froze. The fire in their eyes flickered, uncertain.

Surya turned to him, confusion flashing across his face. "Anant—what are you doing?!"

"I reject this trial," Anant said firmly. "Wrath is not my path."

The warriors hesitated. The shadows around them wavered, as if caught in a silent storm.

Surya clenched his jaw, glancing at the cursed warriors still advancing toward them. He could feel the chamber pulling at him, urging him to strike back.

But he wasn't just fighting the warriors anymore.

He was fighting himself.

With a deep breath, Surya sheathed his sword.

The reaction was immediate.

The warriors froze mid-motion—their bodies flickering like flames caught in the wind. The chamber shuddered, and a deep, otherworldly scream reverberated through the stone.

One by one, the cursed warriors crumbled into dust, their rage finally dissipating into the void.

A heavy silence fell over the chamber.

Then, with a groan, the iron gate creaked open, revealing a spiraling staircase leading deeper into the abyss.

---

Beyond the Trial

Surya exhaled slowly. "That was… unsettling."

Anant nodded, still gripping his pendant. The residual energy of the trial clung to them, like the ghost of a battle unfinished.

"If we had given in," he said quietly, "we would have been trapped here forever. Just like them."

Surya ran a hand through his hair. "So what's next? More tests?"

Anant glanced at the dark stairway, feeling the oppressive energy seeping from below.

"This was only the first trial," he murmured. "And I don't think the next one will be any easier."

They shared a look—one of understanding, one of resolve.

Then, with hearts hardened by experience, they stepped forward, descending into the unknown.

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