The forest whispered secrets as Kael stepped through the shattered gateway of the fourth trial. A mist thick as velvet clung to the roots of the ancient trees, and the air felt heavy with expectation. There were no enemies here, no bloodthirsty beasts or spectral assassins. Only silence—and the unnerving sense that something was watching.
Behind him, Aerin paused. "This doesn't feel like the others," she murmured, her voice subdued.
Kael nodded. "It isn't. This one's... different."
The trial's name had been etched into the obsidian monolith guarding the entrance: The Mirror of Trials.
They advanced slowly. The path wound like a serpent through a tunnel of trees, each one gnarled and twisted like tortured souls reaching for the sky. Kael's grip on his blade tightened unconsciously. He could hear his own heartbeat, loud in the silence. There was no wind. Not even the usual rustling of the leaves. Only a quiet pressure building in his chest.
They came to a clearing.
At the center stood a mirror—massive, tall as three men, its frame a tapestry of gold and bone. The glass shimmered unnaturally, not reflecting their images but something else entirely. Inside the mirror was a room. A room Kael knew too well.
His old chamber, back at the orphanage.
Every detail was the same—the chipped wooden desk, the window that never quite closed, the old ragged quilt on the bed.
And on the bed sat himself.
A version of Kael that looked no different physically, but his eyes... they were hollow. Empty. The Kael inside the mirror stared back with a bitterness that sent a chill down his spine.
"What in the hells is this?" Aerin whispered, stepping beside him.
Kael didn't respond.
The mirror-Kael stood.
"You made it this far," he said, his voice warped slightly, like two tones layered over each other.
Kael's mouth went dry.
"What is this trial?" he asked, though part of him already knew.
The mirrored Kael walked to the edge of the reflection, as though it were a window, not glass.
"This is where most fail," the mirror version said. "Not because they are weak... but because they are afraid of themselves."
With a pulse of light, Kael felt himself pulled forward. The world twisted, the trees vanishing, the mist dissipating—and he was suddenly inside the reflection.
The mirror was gone. Aerin was gone. It was just him—and himself.
"You think you've grown stronger," Mirror-Kael said, circling him slowly. "But let's see what you've really become."
Kael didn't reach for his weapon. It didn't feel like that kind of confrontation. Not yet.
"You abandoned them," Mirror-Kael hissed. "Juno, Reylan, even the old man at the Blackridge Inn. You left them all behind."
Kael gritted his teeth. "I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice," the mirror-self spat back. "You just chose your own strength over their lives."
That stung. Because somewhere deep, he knew parts of it were true.
Mirror-Kael stepped closer. "Do you remember the night your parents died? Of course, you do. But you've never told anyone the truth. Not even Aerin."
Kael's fists clenched.
"Tell me, Kael," the copy sneered. "Who was the real coward that night?"
The memory hit him like a fist to the gut. The fire. The screams. The locked door he never opened. He'd been a child—but he had known. Known that his parents were trapped. And yet he'd run.
"I was just a kid," he murmured.
Mirror-Kael shook his head. "No. You were afraid. That fear is still with you. And until you face it—you'll never rise. You'll never ascend. You'll never be free of me."
Suddenly, the other Kael charged.
Kael dodged instinctively, but the blow wasn't aimed at his body—it struck his mind.
Visions exploded behind his eyes. Failures. Losses. His lowest moments—laid bare.
Juno's tearful face as he turned away. The corpses of innocents who died during his early quests. The guilt he buried beneath layers of ambition and drive.
The mirror-self struck again—and Kael fell to one knee, gasping.
"This is who you are," the double snarled. "You cannot outrun it."
Kael gritted his teeth, pushing himself up. "Maybe not... but I can accept it."
That gave Mirror-Kael pause.
"I made mistakes," Kael continued, his voice steadier now. "I chose wrong. I failed people I cared about. But that's not all I am. My past doesn't define me. It drives me."
A faint glow sparked at his chest.
The System interface flickered into life.
Hidden Trait Activated: Will of the UnbrokenYour resolve has awakened a suppressed memory and strengthened your core attribute: Mental Fortitude +10
Mirror-Kael's expression twisted.
"You think acceptance will save you?" he roared. "Let's see if it can protect you."
The double's form warped, transforming into a monstrous version of Kael—taller, darker, a warped amalgam of all his fears and regrets. The beast lunged.
But Kael didn't run.
This time, he stood firm.
He didn't draw his weapon. Instead, he opened his arms—and embraced the monster.
There was a shudder in the air. A scream—then silence.
The beast dissolved in his arms, melting like ash in the wind.
The world around him fractured—and the real forest returned.
Aerin stood before him, mouth slightly open.
"You—what just happened?" she asked.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
He turned toward the fading mirror. Its surface cracked, then shattered, leaving only a scattering of golden dust in the air.
He exhaled.
"I passed."
A new window appeared before him:
Trial Complete: Mirror of TrialsYou've faced yourself and endured.Rewards: +3 Levels | Unique Skill Unlocked – Inner Sanctum(Grants mental resistance to illusion, fear, and mind-control effects. Can shelter allies within a psychic barrier once per day.)
Warning: Next Trial unlocked – Trial of the Divine Flame
Kael blinked at the name.
Something stirred in the distance—like a heartbeat beneath the earth.
Aerin looked toward him, her voice more gentle now. "Are you okay?"
He looked at her—really looked—and gave a small, tired smile.
"I will be."
And for the first time in a long while, he actually believed it.