Jin clenched his fists, struggling against the anger boiling inside him. He could still feel the weight of the battle, the scent of Ryuu's blood, the visceral fear that had gripped him when he saw him fall. And yet… it all seemed to have vanished, as if the fight had never happened.
The cell remained the same. The cold floor, the bare walls, the dim lighting. A never-ending nightmare.
Ryuu was still asleep against the wall, his face relaxed despite the hell he had just endured. His breathing was steady, proof that the woman had indeed closed his wounds.
Jin, however, couldn't find rest.
She was still there.
That mysterious woman who toyed with their fate.
She stood before him, leaning against the wall, her piercing eyes fixed on him with a hint of amusement.
— You should rest, she advised.
Jin didn't respond.
How could he sleep after what had just happened?
How could he close his eyes knowing they were still in their grasp?
He gritted his teeth.
— What was that test? he finally asked.
The woman raised an eyebrow.
— You haven't figured it out yet?
She stepped forward slowly, crouching before him.
— It was merely an evaluation. A way to see which of you has the potential to go further.
She tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips.
— Ryuu and Kaede passed their trials.
Jin felt his heart clench. He dreaded what was coming next.
— And me?
The woman's smirk widened slightly.
— You, Jin… you failed.
A chilling silence settled in.
Jin felt a wave of conflicting emotions crash against him.
Failed.
The word echoed in his mind like a thunderclap.
He wanted to protest, to scream, to deny it. But he knew. He knew.
He had done nothing.
He hadn't moved. He hadn't fought.
While Ryuu bled, while Kaede faced her own demons… he had remained frozen.
— Two trials remain, the woman continued. Mei's… and Arashi's.
A shiver ran down Jin's spine.
Mei…
He knew she was strong. But he also knew these tests were not meant to be fair. They were designed to break them.
And Arashi…
His fist clenched unconsciously.
If anyone was destined to face the cruelest trial, it was him.
Before he could respond, the woman snapped her fingers.
A golden light rose before them, and the air grew thick, vibrating with an unknown energy.
— Watch closely.
Before their eyes, space warped, forming a translucent screen floating in the center of the cell.
Jin squinted. At first, the image was blurry, as if hesitant to stabilize. Then, little by little…
They saw Mei.
A Temple in the Void
The screen displayed a setting completely different from their cell.
Mei stood before an ancient temple, lost in an endless white void. The massive, imposing structure seemed to float in nothingness.
The pillars were cracked, lanterns hung on the walls emitting a flickering light, casting dancing shadows.
Jin held his breath.
— What is this? he murmured.
The woman didn't answer.
She simply let them observe.
On the screen, Mei frowned, wary.
— What is this?
Her voice echoed in the temple's silence.
No response.
She stepped forward, feeling the cold stone of the stairs leading to the entrance beneath her feet.
She didn't like this.
Being alone.
Since childhood, she had always sought not to be isolated. Jin, Ryuu, Arashi… they were her family. Her only anchor.
So why… why did this test impose absolute solitude on her?
Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on the door.
It… opened on its own.
Inside, the temple was vast.
A great hall stretched before her, supported by countless obsidian columns that vanished into the dark heights.
At the center…
Someone was waiting for her.
A silhouette.
Jin felt a bad premonition tighten his stomach.
— Mei… be careful… he murmured, as if she could hear him.
The woman smiled slightly.
— She is alone.
— She is undergoing her test, she clarified.
On the screen, Mei narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the stranger's face under the lanterns' flickering light.
When the person stepped forward, she felt her blood freeze.
It was herself.
A perfect reflection.
The same posture. The same gaze. But… something was wrong.
The other Mei was smiling.
A twisted smile.
— So, you're Mei? her double murmured.
Mei instinctively stepped back, her hand ready to draw her weapon.
— What is this? An illusion?
Her reflection chuckled softly.
— An illusion? No.
She tilted her head slightly, her smile widening.
— I am you.
Jin felt a shiver run down his spine.
What kind of trial was this?
He exchanged a glance with Ryuu, who had just woken up. His friend still looked weak, but his eyes shone with concern.
— Will she make it? he asked hoarsely.
The woman shrugged.
— That depends.
She cast a sharp gaze at the screen, where Mei faced her double with palpable tension.
— If she doesn't overcome this trial… she will die.
The trial had barely begun, yet Mei already felt an overwhelming pressure crushing her shoulders.
Her double stood before her, an amused smile hovering on her lips.
— You're afraid.
Her voice echoed throughout the vast temple.
Mei didn't respond. Her heart pounded furiously.
She had to stay calm.
Her double took a step forward.
Mei tensed immediately.
— Interesting.
Then… she vanished.
Mei didn't even have time to blink.
A gust of wind.
A terrifying force brushed past her face.
Her instincts screamed.
She threw herself to the side—just in time.
A deadly whistle tore through the air where she had stood just moments before.
BOOM!
The ground exploded violently, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction.
Mei rolled before getting back into position.
She saw nothing.
— Shit…
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
She felt it before she saw it.
A movement—ultra-fast—behind her.
She spun around desperately.
— Too slow.
A forceful impact shattered the air.
Mei was sent flying over thirty meters before crashing violently against a temple pillar.
CRACK.
A sickening sound echoed.
Mei grimaced. Pain shot through her ribs.
Her clone was incredibly fast.
— Approximate speed… 2,000 km/h.
She had never fought someone as fast as herself.
Her gaze lifted.
And her blood froze.
Her copy… was walking toward her.
Casually.
As if she already knew how this battle would end.
Mei struggled to stand, wiping the blood from her lips.
Her double stopped a few meters away.
— This temple is too fragile.
She raised her hand.
— Let's change that.
A sudden tremor.
Mei felt the ground collapse beneath her.
The entire temple began to shake.
Then… it exploded.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The impact was so violent that a shockwave swept across several kilometers.
Massive pillars cracked, the temple's roof disintegrated, and stone fragments flew like deadly projectiles.
Mei leaped back, barely dodging a massive block that crashed where she had stood seconds before.
Total destruction.
The temple was now nothing more than a field of burning ruins.
A scorching wind blew violently, lifting clouds of ash.
At the center of the chaos…
Her copy stood tall, unfazed.
— I like this better.
Then she vanished again.
Mei didn't even have time to think.
BOOM!
A monstrous blow struck her.
Her body was dragged across the ground for several meters before colliding with a remaining column.
Crack.
Mei spat blood.
Her arms trembled.
She was outmatched.
A shadow loomed over her.
She looked up…
… and saw her own eyes.
Cold. Cruel.
Her double raised a fist.
— You're weak.
The punch came at blinding speed.
Mei instinctively raised her sword to block.
Mistake.
The fist struck directly against the blade.
The air shattered with the impact.
A deafening sound rang out.
The metal…
Exploded.
Mei was hurled into the air, her weapon shattered into countless fragments.
She didn't see what happened next.
Only a silver flash.
Then an indescribable pain.
Her back slammed into a wall at full force, bringing it down with the impact.
Her body rolled across the ground for several meters before coming to a stop.
Silence.
Mei slowly opened her eyes.
Her whole body screamed in agony.
Her breathing was ragged.
Her arms wouldn't move.
She tried to move her fingers.
…
Nothing.
Her lips trembled slightly.
She was paralyzed.
In the distance, her double approached slowly, like a predator stalking its prey.
— See…
She crouched in front of her.
Her fingers grasped Mei's bloodied chin, forcing her to look up.
— You're weak.
Mei…
Didn't respond.
She couldn't speak.
Her black eyes, usually so full of life…
…were now empty.
Her clone watched her with a cruel smile.
— The trial is over.
She raised her sword above her head.
— And you lost.
In the Cell – Jin and Ryuu Watching
— MEI!!
Jin slammed against the invisible barrier separating them from the trial.
His eyes burned with fury.
— DAMN IT, SHE'S GOING TO DIE!!
Ryuu…
Said nothing.
But his fists trembled.
He knew.
He could feel that Mei was going to lose.
— This can't be…
He clenched his teeth.
They couldn't do anything.
They were watching Mei die… unable to help.
The sword descended.
Among the Ruins – End of the Fight?
Mei saw the blade falling.
Her heart pounded one last time.
Then…
She closed her eyes.
…
A voice.
— Are you afraid of being yourself?
Her eyes slowly reopened.
Something had changed.
The blade was falling.
Mei watched it descend in slow motion, her own shattered reflection in the polished steel.
A fatal strike.
She was going to die.
But at the last moment…
A pulse.
A heartbeat.
An invisible force shook the air.
Then…
Everything stopped.
The sword froze just inches from her throat.
Her clone frowned.
— …?
She hadn't stopped her attack.
So why couldn't her body move?
Mei slowly opened her eyes.
A deep, resonant sound echoed in her mind.
A distant pulse, like a heart beating for the first time.
— Are you afraid of being yourself?
That voice…
It wasn't coming from outside. It wasn't from the temple.
It echoed from within her.
A whisper born from her own soul.
Then…
Something shattered.
A new sensation spread through her body.
As if all the chains holding her back had broken at once.
Mei inhaled.
And everything changed.
BOOM!
An invisible explosion rippled through the air, sending her clone flying backward.
The sword, still suspended in the space of a heartbeat, was repelled as if it had struck an unbreakable wall.
Her double shivered.
— What…
A crack.
The ground beneath Mei splintered.
Her gaze, once clouded by fear…
…was now deep, sharp.
Her clone tensed immediately.
She felt it.
— …You're different.
She took a step back. For the first time.
Mei was no longer the same.
Her body, broken just moments ago, showed no sign of pain.
She stood there, as if reborn.
Her muscles were relaxed, her breathing perfectly controlled.
Her clone gritted her teeth.
She didn't understand.
— What happened?
Mei lifted her gaze.
And smiled.
— I understand now.
Her clone didn't respond.
She didn't like this.
So she attacked.
Faster. Stronger.
In an instant, she crossed the space between them and slashed down with all her might.
BOOM!
A shockwave shattered the debris around them.
But…
The sword hit nothing.
Her clone blinked.
Mei…
Had disappeared.
No.
She was still there.
Right behind her.
Just inches away.
Without a sound.
— Impossible…
Before she could react…
Mei struck.
A lightning-fast blow to the ribs.
CRACK.
The clone's body bent under the impact.
Her feet lifted off the ground.
BOOM!
She crashed through a column before slamming violently into the ground several meters away.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Jin and Ryuu, still frozen behind the invisible barrier, couldn't believe it.
— …She… She hit her?
Ryuu clenched his fists.
He understood.
Mei was no longer running away.
She was dominating now.
Back on the battlefield
In a cloud of dust, Mei's clone struggled to her feet.
Her eyes were filled with confusion.
— How…
Mei didn't let her speak.
She was already on her.
A strike.
Then another.
And another.
Her clone could no longer keep up.
Her own body, which had controlled the fight moments ago, couldn't react anymore.
Every hit was precise, relentless, merciless.
She tried to dodge, counter, retreat.
But Mei was always faster.
Her clone realized she was no longer leading the fight.
She was losing it.
— No… No!
She leaped backward, gathering all her energy.
Her aura erupted, a storm of power sweeping across miles.
Mei didn't move.
Her clone gripped her sword tightly with both hands.
— I'll crush you!
She charged straight at her, faster than ever before.
2,000 km/h.
4,000 km/h.
6,000 km/h!
A streak of steel sliced through the air.
But this time…
Mei didn't move.
She didn't need to.
At the last moment…
She simply raised her hand.
The clone's sword stopped dead against her palm.
A terrifying shockwave shook the space around them.
But Mei didn't even flinch.
She looked at her clone…
…and smiled.
A smile filled with certainty.
— You lost.
CRACK.
She closed her hand.
The sword shattered into a thousand pieces.
Her clone didn't even have time to react.
A single, devastating blow struck her chest.
Her body soared into the air.
Then…
BOOOOOOM!
She crashed violently into the ground.
A crater formed beneath her.
The dust slowly settled…
And her clone, utterly defeated, didn't move again.
Mei stood atop the temple ruins and took a deep breath.
Then, she turned her back.
The battle…
Was over.
In the Cell – Jin and Ryuu
— …She won.
Jin, still pressed against the invisible barrier, couldn't believe it.
Ryuu, on the other hand, smiled slightly.
— Yeah.
Mei had passed the trial.
And she wasn't the same anymore.
She had changed.
She had evolved.
And this was only…
The beginning.
To be continued…