The First Step Beyond

The moment the Gate of Eternity opened, the world shifted.

A pull, deeper than gravity, dragged Xian Ye forward. He barely had time to react before the obsidian surface swallowed him whole, the chamber vanishing in a blur of liquid shadows.

Then—silence.

No ground beneath him.

No air to breathe.

No light to see.

Just an endless, weightless void.

But he was not alone.

From the depths of the darkness, something moved.

The Voice of the Abyss

"You should not have come here."

The voice was not loud, yet it resonated through his very soul.

Xian Ye turned—or at least, he thought he did. He had no body here, no shape, only consciousness floating in the abyss.

And before him, something immense began to take form.

A colossal silhouette, shifting like a shadow given life. Its presence was overwhelming, beyond mortal comprehension—a fragment of something ancient, something eternal.

It had no face, no form. And yet, its presence felt familiar.

"You have no memory of me."

"Yet I remember you, Forsaken One."

A shiver ran through Xian Ye's being.

"Forsaken One?"

That title did not belong to him.

And yet… it did.

A Test Beyond Mortality

"Who are you?" Xian Ye's voice echoed, despite having no mouth to speak.

The entity remained silent for a moment, as if measuring his worth.

Then, with an earth-shattering tremor, the darkness collapsed inward.

And suddenly—Xian Ye was falling again.

No longer weightless.

No longer just consciousness.

His body returned—and with it, the crushing realization that he was plummeting straight toward solid ground.

A massive stone platform rushed toward him at impossible speed.

Instinct kicked in.

He twisted midair, his body moving with a memory he had no right to possess. His arms snapped outward, controlling his descent, shifting his weight—

And then—

Impact.

The platform shook violently as his feet slammed down, cracks splintering outward from the force. Dust and shattered stone erupted around him.

But he was unharmed.

He stood in the center of a vast arena, surrounded by towering pillars inscribed with glowing runes. The sky above was not sky at all, but a swirling mass of celestial energy, shifting between deep blue and endless black.

And before him, seated upon a throne of black stone, was the silhouette of the entity that had spoken to him.

The Guardian's Challenge

"If you seek to reclaim what was lost, then prove yourself."

The air trembled as the entity rose from its throne. Its form was shifting, constantly changing between humanoid and formless void.

And then, in the blink of an eye, it moved.

Xian Ye barely had time to react before a massive blade of pure darkness cleaved through the air toward him.

He dodged.

Not by thought.

Not by choice.

His body moved on its own, driven by the remnants of a combat instinct that had no place in his current self.

He ducked low, twisting sideways as the blade tore through the stone where he had stood just a second before.

Another strike.

Faster this time.

Xian Ye's footwork carried him backward just in time, the black blade slicing through the air with a sharp hiss.

And then—he countered.

His right hand moved instinctively, forming a gesture he did not recognize—

And suddenly, the very space around his fingers distorted.

A pulse of invisible energy erupted outward, slamming into the entity's form.

The impact sent ripples through its body, forcing it to take a step back.

For the first time, the entity paused.

"Ah… I see now."

It straightened, withdrawing its weapon. The oppressive aura it had radiated just moments before dimmed.

"You are incomplete."

"And yet, even in your current state… you still wield the echoes of what you once were."

Xian Ye's breathing was ragged. He didn't understand what had just happened.

He had fought with a skill he did not remember learning. He had struck with power he did not yet possess.

"Who am I?"

The entity tilted its head, as if considering his question.

Then, it extended its hand.

A single glowing mark appeared in the air before Xian Ye—an ancient sigil, pulsing with energy.

"Take this, Forsaken One. It is but a fragment of what you have lost."

"Reclaim yourself… or be consumed by what you cannot remember."

The sigil drifted toward him, its light wrapping around his body.

And then—

The world shattered.