The floating platform hummed beneath Auron's boots, drifting ever closer to the towering gates of the Celestial Crucible. Glistening in radiant gold and inscribed with ancient sigils, the Gates of Valor shimmered with celestial power. Massive statues flanked the entrance — winged warriors wielding blades that hummed with pure judgment. Each held one eye open, as if watching Auron with suspicion… or fear.
Seraphine stepped beside him, her flame-touched armor casting ripples of light in the void. "The gods test spirit first," she said, voice low. "They want to see if your soul is pure. If it can be broken."
Auron's smirk returned. "Then they've already lost."
The gate groaned and opened, revealing a long, glowing pathway suspended in endless sky. As Auron and his companions walked forward, reality warped. The void trembled and flickered. They were no longer in the Celestial Crucible.
Trial Realm: Memory of Chains
Auron found himself alone.
The sky above him was gray. Broken. He stood within ruins that looked eerily familiar — the shattered remnants of his childhood village. The air smelled of fire and iron.
Footsteps echoed.
From the smoke emerged a woman — not celestial, not monstrous. Just… human. Her eyes were soft, lips trembling. Auron knew her face.
His mother.
But this was impossible. She'd died when he was barely a boy, her throat slit by raiders who sold him to chains.
"I missed you," she said, her voice cracking.
Auron's hands clenched at his sides. He stepped back.
"This is an illusion," he growled. "A test."
She stepped closer. "Even so… I forgive you."
His memories surged — the blood, the helplessness, the nights in the dark with cold iron cuffs.
"You shouldn't," he whispered. "You wouldn't."
"But I do. Because you survived. You conquered."
Auron stared into her eyes, those same gentle eyes he remembered once holding him. But he was no longer a child. He wasn't the boy she once knew.
"I don't need forgiveness," he said. "I need power."
And with that, he turned his back on her.
The illusion shattered like glass.
Elsewhere – Seraphine's Trial
Seraphine knelt in a temple of flame, surrounded by the ghosts of the innocent she'd burned during her crusade. They wept, screaming curses, demanding retribution.
But Seraphine smiled, lips curling in holy defiance.
"I'd do it all again," she whispered. "Every flame served him. Every scream forged our kingdom."
Her trial ended in fire, and she rose reborn.
Isilyn's Trial
The Icebound Queen stood atop a frozen mirror, staring at her past self — the lonely monarch who once ruled with nothing but bitterness.
"You gave them everything," her reflection hissed. "And in return, they knelt."
"I didn't give," Isilyn said, voice sharp. "I surrendered. And I've never felt more free."
The reflection cracked. Shattered. She passed.
Auron Reunites with His Harem
The illusions faded.
Auron, Seraphine, and Isilyn stood again before the now-open inner gate. Azhara joined them, her trial untold, but the look in her eye burned with savage pride.
Above them, Aurielle watched in silence. The Herald did not speak.
System Update:
"Trial 1: Gates of Valor — Complete"
"Divine Favor: 27%"
"Trial 2: The Labyrinth of Flesh and Judgment — Pending"
Auron stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"They thought spirit would be our weakness." He chuckled darkly. "It's our weapon."