The sun was low on the horizon, bleeding red across the sky as Lee Sung trudged forward, the weight of Akane's journal heavy in his pack and even heavier in his heart.
The peaceful sanctuary was long behind him now. In its place stretched a desolate expanse: the Ashen Wastes. Once fertile lands, now reduced to scorched earth and swirling, toxic winds. The journal had spoken of this place — a no-man's-land where only the desperate dared tread, and even the gods' influence thinned.
Lee Sung tightened the straps on his pack, his necromantic shadows swirling protectively around him. Every step stirred the dust and ash, making breathing difficult. Shapes moved on the edges of his vision — lost souls, remnants of those who had failed the trials before him.
"Stay focused," he muttered to himself. "Stay alive."
Hours passed in brutal silence. His body ached, his mind screamed for rest, but Lee Sung pressed on, fueled by a burning hatred for Helios and a desperate need to fulfill Akane's last wish.
Near twilight, the ground beneath his feet shifted. The ash swirled to reveal a forgotten road — a crumbled stone path leading deeper into the wasteland. At its end, he could see a faint shimmer of light: a portal. The journal had hinted at this — the Veil of Embers, the only way forward.
As he approached, a sudden sound broke the eerie stillness — a soft scraping, then a guttural growl. From the ash rose monstrous creatures, skeletal beasts whose bodies seemed stitched together from bones and molten stone. Their eyes burned with mindless hunger.
Lee Sung summoned his shadows without hesitation. They rose around him like a black tide, taking on twisted, ghastly forms. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them surging forward.
The battle was fierce. The creatures were relentless, each one striking with the rage of a world long dead. Lee Sung fought with everything he had, weaving between attacks, commanding his shadows to rip through his enemies.
But for every beast he felled, two more seemed to rise.
Breathing hard, he retreated towards the portal. "I can't fight them all," he realized grimly. "Not yet."
One particularly massive creature — a horned colossus stitched together from the remains of fallen warriors — lunged at him, jaws wide. At the last moment, Lee Sung dove through the portal, feeling the rush of heat and energy as the world shifted around him.
For a moment, there was only darkness.
Then, he stumbled out onto solid ground, gasping for air. Behind him, the portal shimmered and closed, sealing away the horde.
He lay there for a moment, catching his breath. The new landscape was not much better — a broken, rocky terrain lit by a sickly green sky. The Ashen Wastes were only the beginning. Ahead, in the distance, he could see the faint outlines of ancient ruins — the location of the next test.
But he was not alone.
From the shadows emerged a familiar figure — Jin, the archer from the sanctuary. His bow was already drawn, an arrow nocked and aimed straight at Lee Sung's heart.
"We meet again," Jin said, his voice cold. "And this time, you won't walk away so easily."