The chains wrapped around Sayos first. They dragged him off his feet, slamming him into the stone floor. He coughed blood, laughing through the pain. "Figures… I always said my life would end tied up in some dumb mess."
"Sayos!" Rika screamed, struggling against her own bonds.
The warden's voice rumbled. **"You carry wind… but wind scatters. Weak. Useless. Prove your worth… or be crushed."**
The chains pulled Sayos into the darkness, separating him from the others. He landed in a void. No walls, no ground—just endless wind screaming past him.
He stood, teeth clenched. "A trial, huh? Fine. I'll play."
Figures appeared in the storm. His father's face, cold, disappointed. "Never enough, Sayos. Always chasing, never catching."
Sayos's fists shook. "Shut up."
Another voice. Friends he'd failed, people who had left. "You're weak. You're a joke. You can't protect anyone."
He laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I've heard that one before." But his eyes burned. His fists tightened. "Not anymore."
---
Back in the cavern, his body convulsed, his crystal glowing violently green. Rika and Honkai struggled to hold him down as chains tried to crush his chest.
Lucy barked, frantic, her paws scratching the ground. Mizu still didn't move.
The warden leaned closer, chains rattling. **"If he fails… he dies."**