Chapter 52 – Stormglass Citadel

The sky wasn't blue. It wasn't gray. It was something in-between—fractured, like it had shattered once and never healed. Floating islands drifted lazily across the air, suspended by glowing mana chains that pulsed like veins in a giant's arm. Lightning rolled sideways, illuminating an enormous black castle hovering midair—Stormglass Citadel.

The sixth floor had finally revealed itself.

Ankit stood silently, his hand resting on the hilt of Vijra. The Trial of Identity had taken its toll—emotionally more than physically—but he'd passed. They all had.

Blackhunt regrouped on a circular crystal platform that hovered just above a thin, endless mist. Behind them, the Echo Gates shimmered—the only way back to Earth. Ahead, a thin bridge extended toward the Citadel.

No monsters. No sounds. Just wind.

Kaido shivered. "Okay. I take back what I said earlier. I preferred being punched in the face by lava wolves."

Sana chuckled nervously. "This place feels like it's watching."

"It is," Toni replied, his gaze fixed on the floating fortress. His violet bow rested on his back, resonating faintly.

Riya stepped forward, the icy trail of her boots echoing slightly. "Whatever's in there… it's waiting for us to be unsure."

Ankit nodded once. "Then we don't wait."

He took the first step onto the bridge.

Inside the Stormglass Citadel

The moment their boots crossed the threshold, the temperature shifted. It wasn't cold or hot. It was numb. Like stepping into a dream before it turned nightmare.

The hall before them was enormous—wide enough to fit a military parade, with ceilings as tall as skyscrapers. But there were no chandeliers, no torches. Instead, floating shards of stormglass—crystalized mana storms—drifted through the halls like jellyfish in water, their faint glow pulsing in rhythmic patterns.

Above them, glyphs wrote themselves onto the walls. Some matched Earth languages. Most didn't.

[Floor 6 – Phase II: Echo Resonance Initiated.]

Each member's soul will draw forth a test unique to their presence.

Clear as a guild to proceed. Failure of one = Rejection of all.

Toni frowned. "Meaning we don't just fight our own demons now—we fight each other's."

Vikram cracked his knuckles. "Let's get on with it."

They moved as a unit, progressing through winding, surreal corridors. The halls shifted subtly behind them. Doors vanished. Hallways reconfigured. It felt like they were walking through someone else's memory.

Then came the first room.

Trial One: Asha's Echo

The doors opened to a hall made of mirrors.

Dozens. Hundreds.

Each reflected Asha's face—but they weren't normal. Each mirror showed a different illusion. One showed her as a child, her hands bloody. Another showed her torturing enemies. Another had her laughing as allies died.

Asha trembled.

"No…"

Sana grabbed her hand. "What is this?"

A voice echoed from the mirrors.

"You were born to deceive. Even you don't know which version of yourself is real."

Kaido moved forward. "Shatter the mirrors!"

But as soon as he stepped ahead, one of the reflections lunged out of the glass and tackled him. It took the form of Asha—but with a demonic grin, dual daggers, and eyes like voids.

More versions spilled out.

"Protect Asha!" Toni shouted.

Ankit drew Vijra, the curved blade flashing with orange fire as he slashed through the first doppelgänger. Kaido flipped back, landing beside Riya, who conjured a wall of ice to slow the others.

But the real trial wasn't the fight.

It was Asha.

She fell to her knees. "I can't tell which one is me anymore…"

Ankit didn't hesitate.

He knelt beside her, and gently held her head against his chest.

"I can."

She blinked up at him.

"You're the one who ran back into a collapsing dungeon to save a dying stranger. You're the one who healed Raghav when he was unconscious. You're the one who always looks people in the eye—even when lying hurts less."

"You're you."

He stood. "Now prove it."

Asha's eyes lit up. The illusions paused. Every mirror rippled.

She raised her hand. Illusions mimicked her—but only one failed.

She crushed that one.

[Trial Complete – Soul Echo Stabilized: Asha]

The rest of the illusions shattered like dust.

Trial Two: Raghav's Shadow

The next room was completely dark.

No lights. No mana pulses. No reflections.

Just the sound of breathing.

Something stalked them—something massive. It wasn't visible, but it was there.

"You fear being weak. Powerless. Forgotten."

Raghav stepped forward, his spear igniting with blue flame. "I don't."

A shadowed version of him leapt from the dark, driving a black spear into his chest.

Raghav coughed, fell back, bleeding.

The real fight began.

Unlike the previous illusions, this one was fast. Smart. It dodged even Ankit's attacks, harassed the backline, and kept re-forming in the dark.

"We can't see it!" Riya hissed.

"We don't need to," said Toni.

He grabbed Asha. "Cast dual-lens projection. Shift the room's illusions."

They worked together, and soon, a giant glowing rune-circle floated above the battlefield, revealing the shadow's form—a serpentine version of Raghav, made of smoke, flame, and guilt.

Ankit, Raghav, and Vikram cornered it.

But Raghav had to deal the final blow.

He drove his spear into the creature's chest, not in rage—but with understanding.

"I feared being forgotten because I forgot myself. But my spear reminds me who I am."

[Trial Complete – Soul Echo Stabilized: Raghav]

Between Rooms

The team sat briefly in a hollow chamber of cracked glass.

Each trial was taxing—not just physically, but spiritually.

Ankit stared into the distance.

"We're going to have to face each member's past. All of it."

Kaido sat cross-legged. "Mine might get… colorful."

Toni smiled weakly. "Yours might be the one room that breaks the Tower's rules."

Raunak adjusted his gloves. "Mine might break you."

Everyone laughed lightly—but it was a tense laugh. A real one.

They'd all changed.

And the Tower knew it.

Stormglass Citadel – Phase III Incoming

As they stepped deeper into the Citadel, the walls began showing reflections of the future. Visions of Ankit leading a legion of climbers. Of Toni standing atop a collapsed mountain of ruins. Of Riya alone on a throne of frost.

The Citadel wasn't just testing the past.

It was warning them of what they might become.

[Phase III: Core Collision – Multiple Echoes Detected. Trial Countdown Begins: 48 hours]

Toni narrowed his eyes. "That means in 48 hours, we either pass all trials—or the floor resets, and we start from zero."

Ankit nodded.

"Then we move faster."

But in the center of the Citadel, beyond all rooms, a mirror throne began to pulse.

A figure sat upon it—composed of fragments from each of their reflections.

It had yet to open its eyes.