The Eternal Court trembled.
As the celestial gate sealed shut behind them, ten ascendants stood in a vast, circular arena suspended in the void—ten thousand steps across, gleaming with divine patterns. Above them, the sky howled like a wounded beast. Below, a yawning abyss writhed with formless shadows and forgotten prayers.
From the heart of the arena emerged Elyndra, the Chrono Arbiter. Her robes glimmered with constellations; her staff ticked with gears of starlight.
"The Trial of the Ascendants begins now," she declared, her voice echoing through time itself. "Each of you shall face the Shadow of Your Fate. Triumph, and ascend. Fall, and be erased from memory."
A pulse of cosmic force split the arena, flinging each combatant into their own isolated realm of trial.
Tang San's Trial – Echo of Destiny
He landed in a dimension of fractured mirrors and endless blue skies. From one mirror stepped a version of himself—clad in black, with silver eyes. An Echo of a future he could become.
"To reach godhood," the Echo hissed, "you must abandon your soul. Become a tyrant... or die a hero."
They battled in the air. Chains of fate wove around them, striking not just flesh but spirit. Each clash stirred visions—Xiao Wu's smile, the brotherhood of Shrek, betrayals, triumphs.
Tang San bled from wounds carved into his heart, not his body. But he clenched his trident, defiant.
"I'll ascend... but not by forgetting who I am."
With a cry, his Seagod Trident exploded in azure light, purging the Echo in a storm of redemption.
Shi Hao's Trial – The Ashen King
In a world of gray and ruin, Shi Hao faced the Ashen King—an undead monarch crowned with the embers of extinct stars.
"Your legacy ends with you," the monarch whispered. "End this pain. Sleep forever."
The king swung a blade forged from ancestral bones, each strike carrying sorrow from a thousand generations.
Shi Hao unleashed his Eternal Immortal Domain. Phoenix flames circled his form, golden and defiant.
"I bear their regrets—but I refuse to die with them."
He soared upward, fists blazing, and struck the monarch into scattered ashes. The gray world dissolved in fire.
Nie Li's Trial – The Time Eater
Before him stood a shattered hourglass larger than a mountain. From its sands rose a serpentine horror—the Time Eater.
"You've lived twice. But who are you without memory?"
The beast slashed at his soul. His past, friends, and love—Ye Ziyun—began vanishing.
Nie Li gritted his teeth. "Even without memory, conviction remains."
He activated the Temporal Seal. Time froze for both him and the beast. In stillness, he etched a soul anchor into reality.
Time resumed—and the beast shattered. Nie Li emerged, unchanged, yet stronger.
Fang Han's Trial – Dream Devourer
He awoke in a perfect dream: peace, family, love. All restored.
Then the voice came: "Stay. Forget the pain."
The Dream Devourer slithered through illusions, twisting comfort into chains.
Fang Han burned with rage. "This peace is a lie!"
The Hell-Fire Sutra ignited from within. Dreams burned away. Screaming, the Devourer vanished.
Fang Han stood alone, but awake.
Lin Feng's Trial – Heart of Shadows
He faced an older, bitter version of himself. Blood on his hands. A friend dead at his feet.
"You saved the world," the shadow whispered, "but not him."
Lin Feng knelt, eyes hollow. But then... he rose.
"I failed. I'll carry it. But I won't become you."
Divine Sword Awakening surged with sorrow and hope. One slash scattered his shadow into feathers of light.
All ten trials ended in the same instant.
The arena reformed.
Ten figures stood, changed forever. Above them, Elyndra nodded once.
"Ascendants, you have been weighed and not found wanting. Prepare—for the War of Heavens begins now."
To be continued...