Step by step, Yor walked down the stone stairs.
The air grew colder.
The light behind him faded.
Only shadows ahead.
But he didn't stop.
> "No matter what's down here… I'll face it," he whispered.
The stairs twisted and turned, leading deeper underground.
The walls were made of dark stone, covered in strange glowing symbols.
Some of them moved, like they were alive.
Yor didn't understand the symbols, but something in his chest felt heavy—like these walls knew his pain.
---
After a while, he reached a large gate.
It was made of bone.
In the center was a carving—a pair of eyes crying black tears.
As Yor stepped closer, the gate opened on its own with a low, groaning sound.
Inside was a huge empty hall.
The floor was covered in old blood.
Chains hung from the ceiling.
And in the middle… was a circle of mirrors.
Twelve mirrors.
Each one cracked.
Each one showing something different.
---
Yor stepped into the circle.
The mirrors glowed.
One by one, they lit up—and showed him his past.
His happy childhood.
Yuna laughing.
His mother humming a song while cooking.
His father carrying him on his shoulders.
Then came the pain.
The monster attack.
Yuna screaming.
Their home burning.
Yor falling to his knees, powerless.
---
He closed his eyes.
His heart hurt.
But he didn't cry.
> "I won't run from this," he said. "I'll carry it with me."
One mirror shattered.
Then another.
Until only one mirror remained.
In it, Yor saw himself.
But this version of him had black wings.
Eyes glowing red.
And behind him… were thousands of people kneeling.
Was this the future?
Or a warning?
---
Suddenly, the mirror cracked.
And a voice came from behind him.
> "Do you want power?"
Yor turned around.
A woman in a white dress stood at the edge of the hall.
Her face was hidden by a long veil.
Her voice was soft—but filled with sadness.
> "Real power… always comes with a price."
> "Would you pay it, Yor Satoshi?"
Yor looked at her.
> "If it helps me protect the people I love," he said, "then yes."
---
The woman raised her hand.
A small flame appeared on her palm—blue, like the one Yor used before.
> "This is the Flame of Memory," she said.
> "If you take it, you will remember everything—every pain, every fear, every regret."
> "It will make you strong… but it will also make you suffer."
Yor stepped forward.
> "I'm not afraid of pain."
He touched the flame.
It entered his chest.
And suddenly, everything changed.
---
His mind opened.
He saw himself as a child, crying alone in the dark.
He saw Yuna holding his hand, promising she would always be there.
He saw the moment she was taken—the helplessness, the silence.
Tears ran down his face now.
But he stood tall.
> "I'll never forget again," he whispered. "Never."
---
The woman smiled.
The mirrors vanished.
Chains fell to the ground.
The hall became quiet.
Then the woman said one last thing:
> "You will face the Guardian next. Be careful… it doesn't care about your pain. It only tests your truth."
As she faded away, a door opened at the end of the hall.
Yor wiped his tears.
His eyes were calm.
Sharp.
Unshaken.
> "No matter who the Guardian is… I'll prove my truth."
> "Because I… am Yor Satoshi."
He walked through the door.
And the next trial began.
---
Far away, in a room swallowed by shadows…
A lone man stood before a wall of glowing orbs—each showing fragments of the world.
One orb displayed Yor.
The man leaned closer, his cloak brushing the floor.
> "He reached the Flame… no one ever did that before."
His voice was deep. Cold. Curious.
> "So… the boy truly carries it within him. Hah…"
He turned away, his face hidden beneath a hood.
> "Prepare the next layer. He's no longer just a survivor..."
> "He's the variable we never accounted for."
---