The floating platform hovered in a void that seemed infinite. The air vibrated with raw energy, twisting light and shadow into jagged, impossible shapes. Every step distorted reality. Gravity bent sideways, time stuttered, sound fractured. The squad stood at the edge, hearts hammering.
Astro's shadows shivered. "Yo… mfana… this vibe? Lowkey terrifying. Feels like the universe itself judging us."
Tenji cracked his knuckles, golden aura spilling like molten sun. "Bruh… Big dawg knows limits exist. But lowkey… limits about to get annihilated."
Hunter's Omni-Grid sparked violently. "Dawg… readings off the charts. Not just mental energy. Spatial, temporal, elemental… MFers built this to fry every neuron we got."
Phantom's shadows writhed like serpents. "Lowkey… perfect. Can't be cheesed. Let's see if we survive and still flex style points."
Lyara floated near Astro, aura calm but tense. "Dawg… you ready? Focus. Don't get lost in the illusions. Your mind will betray you before your body does."
Astro: Shadows and Light of the Mind
The trial ripped Astro into infinite possibilities. Shadows coiled around him, morphing into grotesque versions of people he loved faces twisted in terror, screaming, begging him to fail.
"Yo… mfana… I can't… this ain't real!" he yelled, sweat stinging eyes.
Illusions attacked:
Future selves stabbing him, whispering doubt
Friends falling, screaming in agony
Lyara turning cold, accusing him of weakness
Every clone he created had to dodge attacks from multiple timelines simultaneously. He felt like he'd been running, fighting, and failing for 10,000 years.
Lyara's whisper anchored him: "Dawg… trust your shadows. Focus on reality. Merge light and dark."
He did, blending shadow and light into an instinctual flow. Clones mirrored his thoughts before he could think. He reacted to infinite futures simultaneously, evolving Void-Warp Vision into something even deadlier: he could anticipate near-futures with emotional context, not just physical actions.
By the time the trial ended, he was trembling, mind scorched, but his instincts had reached a level no human should survive.
Tenji: Golden Fists of Eternal Pain
Tenji's trial was a literal hammering of his body and soul. Illusionary fists smashed him repeatedly millions of punches across centuries of simulated time. Each strike carried pain like his bones were breaking and reforming simultaneously.
"Bruh… my fists… feel like molten glass ripping through them," he groaned, blood streaking golden aura.
Illusions recreated:
His friends dying repeatedly at his hands
Entire worlds collapsing
Shadows of his past failures calling him weak
Tenji channeled pain into focus. He synced aura and body, punching through each illusion, each strike shattering centuries of torment. Pain became power, anguish became radiance.
By the end, he unlocked Eternal Radiance Shockwave fists that automatically struck threats before perception, reflexive and unstoppable.
Hunter: Mind Beyond Time
Hunter's Omni-Grid overloaded as illusions attacked in every possible timeline at once. His mental state fractured; seconds stretched into eons. Every clone, every calculation, every move required processing infinite data streams.
"Dawg… bruhh… brain frying," he muttered.
Illusions simulated:
Every ally turning against him
Attacks faster than light
Enemies predicting his predictions
Hunter almost snapped but then let instinct override calculation. He acted without thinking, his Grid syncing with intuition. Suddenly, temporal prediction fused with instinctive reaction.
His Temporal Insight Matrix evolved: he could now anticipate emotional intent, momentum, and psychological tactics, not just physical attacks. Hunter's mind burned, but he emerged sharper than ever.
Phantom: Shadows of Infinity
Phantom faced a relentless storm: his clones attacked him from all directions, some simulating betrayal, others simulating apocalypse-level destruction.
"Lowkey… I can't… this is insane," he whispered, sweat dripping.
Hallucinations assaulted him:
Seeing his friends die repeatedly
Shadows whispering lies about his value
Future selves abandoning him
He merged fear into focus. His clones acted semi-independently, anticipating attacks across multiple temporal planes, relieving Phantom's mind slightly.
By the end, Infinite Mirage Network evolved: clones autonomous, capable of countering threats without direct command, though exhausting his soul.
Environmental Hell
The platform bent reality:
Gravity fluctuated like tides
Light fractured into illusions
Auditory distortions made whispers of doubt omnipresent
Time stretched, then snapped back violently
Every step was a battle. Every breath was a test. Ten minutes equaled 10,000 years of mental torture.
Psychological Consequences
Astro: nightmares lingered, shadows and light burned into his vision
Tenji: agonizing pain memories, body screaming from phantom strikes
Hunter: mind scarred, but instinct sharpened
Phantom: shadow clones autonomous, soul fatigued
Humans were still weak in the eyes of the universe but their potential was undeniable. The boys had survived, but the cost was immense.
Cliffhanger
The vortex shrank. Exhausted, broken, but evolved, the boys stepped out. Lyara hovered near Astro, a faint smile, proud but serious:
"Dawg… survived. Next? The universe won't be forgiving."
Sōma Hoshigaki, the Living Anomaly, observed, aura calm but terrifying:
"Humans… despised, weak, potential unmatched. Survive eternity in ten minutes, mfers. Universe won't forget this lesson."
The dark evolution had begun. Survival was only step one.