The Trial Forest rim was heavy with mist. The air clung damp against skin and feathers, and the silence after Greed felt unnatural, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. William's giants stood motionless, moss glowing faintly in their seams. The hatchling at his hip hummed softly, its cloud-tail curling around him like a tether. Gudan adjusted his bowstring, Camelio's chameleon flickered muted colors, and Jigoku flexed his fists, calluses ridged from the last trial.
But Sys was missing.
William noticed first. He turned, feather tether brushing against his chest. "Where's Sys?"
The folded map lay abandoned on a stone. Silence pressed in, thicker than the mist.
Then a shadow peeled itself from the fog. Sys stepped forward, cloak trailing like ink. His face was unreadable, but his voice carried inevitability.
"I did not walk Greed with you," he said. "I already hold that checkpoint. My trial was long before yours."
The group exchanged glances. Gudan's grin faltered. Camelio's eyes narrowed. Jigoku tilted his head, silent but alert.
Sys continued: "Now I want to see your strength. Not desire. Not greed. Just power. Show me what you are when pushed."
---
### Jigoku's Test
Sys pointed to a massive boulder at the clearing's edge. It was taller than William's giants, scarred by centuries of wind and rain.
"Jigoku," Sys said. "Strike it with everything you have."
Jigoku stepped forward. His shoulders rolled, fists clenched. He inhaled deeply, the air vibrating around him. He crouched, then launched his fist forward with all the force he could summon.
The ground trembled.
But as his knuckles met stone, Sys's eyes narrowed. He saw it — a flicker of water around Jigoku's hand, shimmering like a veil. It clung to him, refusing to disperse. The punch landed, cracking the boulder — but only a quarter shattered.
Jigoku staggered back, breathing hard. "That was… everything."
Sys's voice was calm. "I suspected as much."
He raised his hand. Shadows coiled around his fingers. "Shadow Steal."
The flicker of water dissolved, sucked into Sys's palm. It vanished into his cloak, but the air smelled faintly of salt.
Jigoku blinked. "What did you—"
"I stole it," Sys interrupted. His katana gleamed as he drew it, light catching along the blade. "The water was yours, but not truly. It was not sea water. It was misplaced power. Now it is mine." Jigoku clenched his fist, inhaled, steadied himself, and drove his knuckles into the stone. This time, the boulder exploded. Shards flew outward, embedding themselves in the soil. The giants stirred, moss fluttering. The hatchling chirped in alarm. Jigoku stood in the wreckage, fist trembling, breath ragged. He stared at his hand. No water flickered. Only raw strength. Sys lowered his katana. Light shimmered along its edge, and droplets of water flickered from his other hand. "The water was holding you back. It was a tether, a weight. You were carrying it without knowing. Now you are free. And I carry the water." Gudan whistled low. "So the big guy was punching with a handicap this whole time?"
Camelio's chameleon flickered green, then blue, then settled into gray. "It explains his restraint. He wasn't weak. He was bound."
William stepped forward, feather glowing faintly. "And you stripped it away."
Sys's gaze met his. "I did not strip. I stole. Shadow Steal takes what is yours and makes it mine. Jigoku's strength is purer without it. But now I wield the water."
Jigoku flexed his hand, staring at the ridges of his knuckles. "It feels… lighter."
"Good," Sys said. He raised his katana, light shimmering along its edge. "Because now I will measure all of you." Sys Declares the Trial He stepped into the clearing. Shadows rippled outward, forming a circle. Mist thickened, air grew heavy. "I will fight you all," Sys said. "Not to kill. Not to wound. To measure. Each of you carries a lesson from Greed. Now I will see if those lessons hold when faced with me." The group tensed. Gudan nocked an arrow, Camelio's chameleon flickered purple, William's giants stirred, Jigoku rolled his shoulders. Sys raised his katana. Light flared along its blade, and water flickered at his fingertips — Jigoku's stolen power, now obedient in shadow. "Come." Jigoku moved first. He charged, fist raised, strength unbound. His punch tore through mist, aimed at Sys's chest. Sys drew his katana in a single fluid motion. The blade caught the mist, glowing faintly, and when Jigoku's punch came down, Sys angled the sword — light flared, blinding Jigoku for a heartbeat. His fist struck empty air.
"Strength without sight is wasted," Sys murmured.
Jigoku spun, fist swinging again. Sys caught it with one hand, katana angled in the other. The ground cracked beneath them, but Sys did not move.
"You are free of water," Sys said. "But you must learn to direct the ocean, not drown in it."
He pushed Jigoku back, shadows rippling.
**William stepped forward.** His giants stirred, vines curling from seams. He whispered to the foam, moss thickening beneath his feet. "Protect them," he murmured — Cedric's words echoing. A giant raised its arm, swinging at Sys. Sys swung the katana, and a crescent of light cut through the vines, severing them mid-strike. The giant staggered, moss spilling from its seams. "Roots endure," Sys said, "but light severs what clings." William clenched his fist, vines curling tighter. "Then I'll root them." He pressed his palm to the ground. The giant's seams glowed, moss sprouting from joints. When it struck again, the ground itself rose with it, roots anchoring its blow. Sys caught the strike, shadows bending. He nodded. "Better." Gudan and Camelio moved together. Gudan loosed an arrow, Camelio's chameleon flickered blue, guiding the shot. Sys flicked the katana, and the arrow dissolved into sparks before it reached him. "Precision," Sys said. "But precision without purpose is vanity." Camelio's eyes narrowed. "Purpose is stopping you." She loosed another arrow, tipped with sleep. Gudan followed with a bite arrow. The two crossed mid-air, weaving into a single strike. Sys raised the katana — a wall of light shimmered, the arrows bouncing harmlessly away. "You aim true," Sys said, "but light bends truth." Then he turned the katana toward Jigoku again. Water flickered at his fingertips — Jigoku's stolen power — and he fused it with light. The blade glowed brighter, arcs of liquid radiance dripping from its edge. He swung, and a wave of luminous water surged forward, crashing against Jigoku's chest. Jigoku staggered, coughing, but his eyes burned with defiance. "That's mine," he growled.
Sys's expression didn't change. "It was yours. Now it is mine. And I wield it better." The hatchling chirped, cloud-tail flickering. It leapt from William's hip, wings beating mist. It darted at Sys, small but fierce.
Sys caught it gently, shadows dissolving. He held it for a moment, then released it back to William.
"This one is not yours to test," he said softly. "It is the forest's gift. Protect it."
The sparring raged for hours — fists, arrows, giants, vines, shadows, water, and light. Sys wielded Jigoku's stolen ability, streams flickering from his hands, striking with precision Jigoku had never mastered. Each strike was met, each lesson tested. Sys did not wound, did not kill. He measured.
At the end, the group stood panting, bruised, exhausted. Sys stood untouched, katana glowing faintly, water dripping from its edge.