ch 42,43,44

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Chapter 42 – The Bonds We Don't Choose

Morning mist rolled across the trial grounds like a living fog, curling between tents and stone walkways as the second day of trials began.

Kael stood alone, hands tucked into his sleeves, watching the other participants as they gathered again in front of the announcement platform.

Some were laughing. Others already looked weary. A few sat in silence, blades resting beside them, eyes shadowed with quiet focus.

Kael exhaled and looked up at the Gate again.

Still glowing. Still humming.

Still waiting.

---

The Final Trial Announcement

"Candidates!"

A sharp voice cracked through the early silence. The speaker this time was a short woman in black and silver robes. Her eyes were hidden beneath a thin veil, but her voice carried the weight of command.

"Today's trial will test not only your strength, but your trust."

A few confused murmurs stirred the crowd.

"You will be assigned a random team of three. You will not know them beforehand. You may not change your group. You will be placed within a simulated dungeon—a controlled replica designed to mimic real-world challenges. Inside, you will either work together and pass… or fail."

A scroll unrolled midair, names glowing as teams were assigned.

Kael watched nervously as names floated by.

Then, he saw it:

> Team 47 – Kael, Yren of House Solvain, Mira of the Silverroot Clan

He blinked.

He didn't recognize either name.

---

Meeting Team 47

They were waiting by the far wall.

One was a boy, tall and clean-cut, his dark purple robes stitched with gold thread. He wore a badge—a noble house crest—and carried a slim wand at his side. His hair was immaculately parted.

The other was a girl with wild, chestnut curls tied into a messy braid. She had a curved blade strapped to her back and moss-green gloves that looked hand-stitched. Her smile came easy, even if her eyes didn't.

Kael approached slowly.

"You're Kael?" the girl asked. "I'm Mira. That brooding statue over there is Yren."

"I'm not brooding," Yren said without looking at them. "I'm thinking."

"You always look like that when you're thinking?"

"It helps me think better."

Kael chuckled quietly, the tension easing a bit. Mira smirked.

"Well," she said, offering her hand to Kael, "looks like we're stuck together. Hope you don't snore."

---

Into the Trial

The simulated dungeon wasn't what Kael expected.

There were no monsters at the start. No looming traps. Just a forest—dense, dark, with winding paths and a strange blue haze that made everything feel... slightly off.

"Stay close," Mira whispered. "This place feels alive."

Kael nodded. "It's a constructed realm. They use illusion magic and beast remnants to shape it. That's what Seventeen told me."

"Seventeen?" Yren asked, frowning.

Kael blinked. "Uh… just a friend. Talks too much."

"I do not," Seventeen said in his head, mock-offended.

The forest deepened.

Soon they came across the first challenge: a massive root-beast, all twisted bark and glowing green eyes. It blocked the path and roared when they approached.

Kael stepped forward, drawing his dagger. But before he could move—

"I've got this!" Mira darted in, her blade slicing across the creature's leg.

It screamed and thrashed.

"Wait—Mira!"

Too late. Another root whipped forward, catching her across the chest and sending her crashing into a tree.

Yren raised his wand. "Sakrael's Bind!"

A chain of light lashed out and wrapped around the beast's limbs, buying Kael a heartbeat.

He moved. Fast.

One slash to its underbelly—shallow but well-placed. Then another, drawing blood-like sap. The beast roared again, weakening.

Yren fired a burst of flame into its mouth.

Kael followed through, slashing its throat.

It fell.

Mira groaned. "Ow… that was awesome."

"You almost got skewered," Kael muttered.

"Yeah. But cool, right?"

He sighed and helped her up. "Let's not do that again."

Yren dusted off his robe. "Agreed. We'll need actual coordination moving forward."

---

Campfire Confessions

That night, the three of them sat around a magical firestone that kept the simulated forest's chill at bay.

Mira hummed a song under her breath while Kael leaned against a log, chewing on dried meat. Yren studied a small glowing orb in his hand—a mana reading tool.

Kael broke the silence first.

"So… where are you two from?"

Mira perked up. "Silverroot clan! Way out in the Deep Wilds. We hunt, we forge, we sing. I once punched a badger."

"Why?"

"It looked smug."

Yren rolled his eyes. "I'm from House Solvain. Eastwall region. My family specializes in restoration magic, mana theory, and—"

"Sounds fancy," Mira cut in.

"It is," Yren replied proudly. "And suffocating."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Why come here, then?"

Yren stared into the fire. "Because… if I pass, I get to choose where I go. What I study. Who I become."

Kael understood.

He looked at the fire, thinking of his mother's gentle voice, his sister's laugh, his brother's endless questions.

"I just want to protect my home," he said quietly.

Mira nodded.

"Same."

---

The Final Gate

By morning, they reached the dungeon's heart: a glowing crystal guarded by three spectral beasts—each tied to one of them.

Yren faced a hawk made of pure wind.

Mira, a panther cloaked in shadow.

And Kael…

A skeletal hound with green flame in its eyes.

His heart skipped.

"Necromancer," Seventeen whispered, a hint of pride in his voice. "This is your trial."

Yren and Mira turned to him.

"What do we do?" Mira asked.

Kael stared at the hound.

"…Let me handle mine. You two work together."

"Are you sure?" Yren asked.

Kael nodded.

The hound circled, its breath rattling like bones in a jar.

Kael stepped forward.

The dagger in his hand felt heavier than ever.

This was more than a trial now.

This was a glimpse of what he'd chosen… and what

---

Chapter 43 – Trials in the Dark

The academy grounds were quiet, the kind of quiet that settled just before a storm.

Night draped over the campus like a blanket, but for Kael, it was anything but restful.

Tomorrow was the beginning of the "Gate Trials."

And it wasn't just about passing.

It was about being allowed to stand at the entrance of a whole other world.

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1. A Sleepless Night

Kael sat on the windowsill of the dorm, knees to his chest, chin resting against them. From here, he could see the training field. It was empty, the moonlight glinting off the dull stone tiles where hundreds of students would gather in the morning.

Behind him, Yren's steady breathing filled the room. Mira had fallen asleep in the corner, curled up with a book she hadn't finished. Even the skeletal hound Kael summoned earlier—whom he quietly named "Dust"—was lying peacefully by his bed.

But Kael couldn't sleep.

The last few weeks had moved too quickly. His world had expanded in every direction—family, powers, new friends, a personal domain. And now… a chance to enter a realm where the gods had opened rifts.

The Otherworld.

The place where legends walked and monsters ruled.

---

"Seventeen," Kael whispered in his thoughts.

"Still here." The System's voice was calm and gentle, always close, always patient.

"You think I'm ready?"

There was a pause.

"No one's ever ready the first time," Seventeen said. "But you're not going in alone. That matters."

Kael looked toward Mira and Yren.

They did matter.

More than he ever expected.

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2. The Trial Grounds

The next morning, the academy's training field was transformed.

Hundreds of students lined up in uniform rows, groups of three to five, each team whispering last-minute plans or calming jittery nerves. Instructors walked between them, strict but not cruel.

Kael stood between Mira and Yren.

Mira adjusted her ponytail with a grin. "You ready to show off those skeleton boys of yours?"

Kael smiled shyly. "They're not boys. They're Dust."

Yren chuckled, tapping his staff on the ground. "Let's just hope they aren't dust when we're done."

The Headmaster stepped onto the high platform above them, cloaked in a robe marked with silver stars.

"Today, you face a mirror," the Headmaster said, his voice carrying through the air. "A gate is not just a passage—it is a trial. You will be tested not only in skill, but in courage, teamwork, and resolve. Many of you will return. Some of you will not."

A hush fell.

"This is not a death trial. But failure… will feel like dying. Remember your training. Remember who stands beside you. Proceed."

The ground beneath their feet rumbled.

Twelve gates shimmered into view across the far side of the field, each glowing a different color. Kael's eyes were drawn to the seventh—dark green, swirled with ash.

Their gate.

---

3. Through the Gate

The moment their feet crossed the shimmering threshold, the world shifted.

No longer were they standing on academy grounds.

Instead, they were on a cracked plain of stone, mist swirling around them. Trees twisted like old bones. The sky overhead was purple and red, and nothing made sense in the way it moved.

Mira exhaled. "Well… that's creepy."

Yren tapped the stone underfoot. "No mana lines. No sense of time. A dimension carved by the gods, but left abandoned."

Kael felt something stir in the pit of his stomach.

Not fear.

Not even dread.

Something older.

Something familiar.

Dust appeared beside him with a quiet rattle of bone.

Kael reached down and scratched the side of its skull.

"I'm glad you're here too."

---

4. The First Trial – Echo Beasts

They didn't have to wait long.

Within minutes of moving deeper into the twisted forest, the first beasts attacked—small, hunched creatures made of mist and broken echoes. They looked like wolves with no eyes and mouths stitched shut, moving soundlessly through the fog.

"Hold close!" Mira called, sword drawn.

Yren's hands lit with a soft glow, casting light through the darkness.

Kael raised his hand. "Summon Skeleton: Dust."

With a snap, another figure appeared beside him—a second skeleton, this one wielding a bent spear.

They didn't speak much.

They didn't need to.

They moved like a unit, covering each other's flanks. Kael stayed back, managing summons, observing patterns. Mira was the frontline, a whirlwind of blade and movement. Yren supported, casting shielding pulses and stunning flashes.

By the time the last echo beast fell, the ground was littered with their fading mist.

Kael knelt.

From the remains of one, he found a small, glowing shard.

[Low-Tier Echo Core: F-Rank]

"Fifty percent chance," Seventeen whispered. "Would you like to attempt a skill absorption?"

Kael nodded.

The shard dissolved into his hand.

A moment later:

[Skill Failed to Absorb.]

Kael didn't complain. It felt fair. A risk, a cost.

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5. A Moment to Breathe

Later, they rested near a ridge, hidden behind thick roots. Mira cleaned her sword while Yren adjusted his mana lines with quiet focus.

Kael leaned against a tree, Dust curled beside him.

"I thought we'd be overwhelmed," Kael admitted.

"You weren't?" Mira asked.

"I was. But we made it through."

Yren smiled faintly. "Together."

That word.

Together.

It echoed through Kael's thoughts.

He wasn't a lone figure anymore.

He had a team. A place.

And as he looked toward the deeper forest, where the mist turned darker, where even the trees seemed to shift and whisper…

He felt something different from fear.

Excitement.

This world was dangerous, yes.

But it was also full of wonder.

And Kael was finally beginning to believe he belonged inside it.

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Chapter 44 – Clash of Teams

The mist grew thicker as they pressed deeper into the dimensional forest.

Each step echoed in the silence, disturbed only by the distant growls of unseen things. Trees became warped pillars, covered in moss that pulsed like breathing skin. The sky overhead flickered—red one moment, pale gold the next.

Kael stayed close behind Mira and Yren, Dust trailing him like a silent shadow. His second skeleton—whom Mira jokingly called "Snap"—held the rear, watching for ambushes.

"Feels like we're walking through someone's lungs," Mira muttered, blade glinting faintly.

"Not lungs," Yren said. "A dream. Or a nightmare."

Kael didn't speak.

He was listening.

To the way the air shifted. To the movements no one else seemed to notice.

And then, he stopped.

"Someone's here," he whispered.

Mira and Yren froze.

And then they heard it too.

Footsteps—multiple—rushing toward them.

---

1. Unwelcome Meeting

Five figures emerged from the mist, weapons raised. They weren't monsters.

They were students.

"Identify," one of them barked.

Mira narrowed her eyes. "Mira from Northline Branch. These are my teammates, Kael and Yren. We're in Trial Gate 7."

The lead boy stepped forward. He was tall, lean, with a curved blade strapped to his back and a chip on his shoulder that weighed more than his armor.

"Northline, huh? That's where they send the charity cases."

Mira stiffened. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Raze. Royal Capital Branch." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "My team and I are clearing this zone. You're in our way."

Kael felt Dust tense behind him.

Yren stepped between them. "The Trial's rules don't assign zones. The map's open for everyone."

"Doesn't mean I want to babysit a bunch of low-ranked kids who play with bones," Raze sneered, eyes landing on Kael. "Especially Necromancer trash."

Kael didn't flinch, but Mira's sword was half out of its sheath before he could blink.

"You want to test that theory?" she said.

Raze's group shifted, tension crackling like dry leaves.

"Enough," Kael said softly.

Everyone looked at him.

He stepped forward, calm but not submissive. "We don't want a fight. But we won't leave either. You want to go ahead? Go. You want to try and push us out? Try. Just don't blame me when you regret it."

Raze's smirk faltered—just slightly.

"You've got spine," he said. "We'll see how long it lasts."

He turned, and his group moved on, vanishing into the mist.

But the tension lingered.

Mira exhaled sharply. "I really wanted to break his nose."

"I really wanted to let you," Yren added.

Kael looked ahead.

He had a feeling that wouldn't be their last encounter.

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2. The Fogbeast

Not long after Raze's team disappeared, the ground beneath Kael's group began to shake.

It was subtle at first.

Then, it roared.

A beast lunged from the trees—towering, covered in shifting fog, its head an open cage of bones. It was at least twenty feet tall, and its growls sounded like dozens of whispering voices layered atop each other.

[Trial Fogbeast – Rank E+]

It charged.

"Split!" Mira shouted.

Kael dove left, calling both Dust and Snap to intercept. Their skeletal frames crashed into the creature's legs, slowing its charge by mere seconds.

Yren chanted rapidly, summoning barriers of pulsing mana that deflected one of the beast's sweeping limbs.

Mira dashed across its flank, blade cutting deep into its mist-flesh. But the wound closed almost immediately.

"It's regenerating!" she shouted.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

Then raised both hands.

"Bone Bind."

Dark bones erupted from the ground, wrapping around the beast's ankles. It staggered, just long enough for Snap to jab its spear directly into one of its eye sockets.

That gave Yren the opening he needed.

"Flash Pulse!"

A brilliant surge of mana burst from his staff, blinding the Fogbeast. Mira leapt—one clean arc of steel—

And the creature fell, crashing to the forest floor in a foggy collapse.

Kael approached carefully.

From the remains, a core shimmered.

He reached out.

[E+ Core Obtained]

[50% Chance to Absorb Skill: Mistwalk]

"Seventeen?" he asked silently.

"Absorb attempt rolling… Skill absorbed successfully."

Kael's heart jumped.

[Mistwalk – Active: Briefly become mist to avoid attacks or pass through small gaps. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

He smiled.

His first real skill.

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3. The Campfire Conversation

That night, they made camp in a hollowed-out tree. Mira managed to find edible roots, Yren boiled them with herbs he packed, and Kael summoned Dust to stand watch.

They sat together, quietly eating.

Mira nudged him. "That skill looked cool."

"Yeah," he said, shyly. "First one I absorbed."

"You're growing," Yren added. "Slowly. But solid. That's the best way."

Kael looked at them.

At the small flame between them. The safety of company.

"This isn't how I thought it would feel," he said.

"What?" Mira asked.

"Adventuring. Fighting beasts. It's not… terrifying all the time. It's hard. But it feels right. Like we're doing something real."

Yren nodded. "Because we are."

There was a long pause.

Kael broke it softly.

"Do you think the other teams feel the same?"

Mira snorted. "Not Raze."

They laughed. Even Dust gave a soft clack, like bones chuckling.

---

4. A Message in the Dark

Just before dawn, Kael stirred.

He wasn't sure why.

But he heard something.

A whisper.

No—words.

Not from monsters.

Not from Seventeen.

From something else.

From the domain.

It called to him.

A faint signal—like a door creaking open in the back of his mind.

He closed his eyes.

And for a moment—

He saw it.

His personal domain.

The grass greener. The air cleaner. Trees of Beast growing stronger. A new shape forming near the edge—a new tree, perhaps.

And behind it…

A gate.

Another one.

Closed, for now.

But soon to open.

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