Oran's Trial

The light from the altar swallowed Oran whole, plunging him into a suffocating void. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the forest. Instead, he stood in the middle of a vast battlefield, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood and the cries of the dying.

He recognized this place immediately; it was the Plains of Jurok, where the last great rebellion of his tribe had been crushed. The sky above was a sickly gray, and the ground beneath him was littered with shattered weapons and bodies of his kin.

Oran's hands clenched around the spear he now realized he still carried. "Why this place? Why now? " he muttered, his voice echoing unnaturally in the empty expanse.

A familiar voice answered, sharp and accusing. "Because you've never let it go."

Oran spun around to see a figure emerging from the mist. It was his brother, Kalen, the warrior who had once been his greatest rival and his greatest shame. Kalen's expression was hard, his eyes burning with anger.

"You abandoned us," Kalen said, his voice cold and unwavering. "You turned your back when we needed you most."

Oran staggered back, shaking his head. "I didn't! I fought until I couldn't anymore. You know that."

"You fought for yourself," Kalen shot back, stepping closer. "You've always fought for yourself. Even now, you act like you're part of something bigger, but it's a lie. You're just trying to survive, Oran. You always have been."

The words struck like a hammer, dredging up memories Oran had buried deep: the night his tribe was overrun, the fear that had gripped him when he realized the battle was lost, and the shame of running while others stayed behind to fight.

"You think I wanted to run? " Oran shouted, his voice cracking. "I had no choice! I wasn't strong enough to save anyone—not you, not our people. Do you think I haven't lived with that every single day? "

Kalen's gaze softened, but only slightly. "Strength isn't about fighting, Oran. It's about standing for something, even when it costs you everything. Can you say you've ever done that? "

Oran froze, the weight of the question pressing down on him. He thought of the countless battles he had fought since that night, the bravado he used to mask his insecurities, and the walls he had built to keep others at arm's length.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm trying. Maybe for the first time in my life, I'm trying to be better."

Kalen's expression shifted, the anger fading into something like acceptance. "Then prove it. The next time you're faced with a choice, don't think about yourself. Think about them, the ones who believe in you, the ones you still have a chance to protect."

The battlefield began to dissolve, the mist swallowing Kalen as his voice echoed one last time: "Don't let fear decide for you again."

Oran stumbled back into the clearing, gasping for air. Kaiza caught him before he collapsed, steadying him as Mina rushed to his side.

"Oran! Are you okay? " She asked, her voice filled with concern.

He nodded weakly, his usual humor absent. "I'm fine. Just... Give me a moment."

Kaiza studied him closely, noting the haunted look in his eyes. "What did you see? "

Oran hesitated before answering, his voice quiet. "My past. My failures. And what it means to finally make things right."

The voice of the altar returned, its tone calm yet unyielding. "The path continues to unfold. One remains."

Kaiza's gaze lingered on Oran for a moment longer before he stepped forward. He placed his hand on the altar without hesitation, bracing himself as the light consumed him.

Kaiza's Trial

Kaiza found himself standing in the middle of a storm-tossed sea, the waves crashing around him in chaotic fury. The sky above was dark, and lightning illuminated the horizon, revealing monstrous shapes lurking beneath the water's surface.

In the distance, he saw a small rowboat, barely holding together against the onslaught. In it sat a figure he recognized instantly: his younger self, drenched and trembling as he clutched a sword far too large for his hands.

Kaiza approached the boat, walking on the water as if it were solid ground. The boy looked up at him, his eyes wide with fear.

"Who are you? " Is the boy? asked the boy, his voice shaky.

Kaiza knelt, meeting the boy's gaze. "I'm you. Or what's left of you."

The boy's grip on the sword tightened. "Why did you leave me? Why did you let us become... this? "

Kaiza felt a pang of guilt. "I did what I had to. To survive."

"Survive? "The boy echoed, his voice rising with anger. "You call this surviving? You gave up everything—our family, our humanity, our soul! "

Kaiza flinched, the boy's words cutting deeper than any blade. He thought of the centuries he had spent running, fighting, and killing. He had told himself it was all necessary, that it was the price of immortality. But now, faced with the raw, unfiltered pain of his younger self, he couldn't deny the truth.

"I was afraid," Kaiza admitted, his voice barely audible over the storm. "Afraid of dying. Afraid of being forgotten. But mostly, I was afraid of facing what I'd done."

The boy stared at him, his anger slowly giving way to something else: pity. "Then stop running," he said softly. "If you want to make it right, stop running."

The storm began to calm, the waves receding as the boy and the boat faded into the distance. Kaiza closed his eyes, letting the silence wash over him.

When Kaiza returned to the clearing, the others were waiting, their expressions a mix of relief and concern.

"Well? " Oran asked, his usual sarcasm tempered by genuine curiosity.

Kaiza met their gazes, his own filled with quiet determination. "It's time we stop running from our pasts, from our fears, from everything holding us back. If we're going to break this curse, we do it together."

The altar's light dimmed, and the voice spoke one final time. "You have faced your truths and earned the right to proceed. Beyond this forest lies the heart of your journey. But beware, the greatest challenges are yet to come."

As the ground beneath them began to shift, revealing a hidden path leading deeper into the forest, Mina, Oran, and Kaiza exchanged a look.

No words were needed. Together, they stepped forward, ready to face whatever awaited them on the other side.