THE WEIGHT OF FAILURE

The air in the Resonant Crystal Caverns was cold and smelled of wet stone and a strange static energy. Man-sized shards of quartz sprouted from the floor and walls, emitting a soft, bone rattling hum. It was Asimil's first mission outside the safe walls of the city, an expedition to collect "Titanium Fragments," rare items rumored to be crucial to the next event in the Pits.

Sacres walked beside him, with the calm of a century-old oak tree. But they were not alone. Two other members of the clan accompanied them: a burly warrior named Borin, whose armor seemed too small for his muscles, and a silent elf, Lirael, who moved with the grace of a ghost.

— Stay close, Asimil — Sacres ordered, his voice a low echo in the cavern. — Do not touch the red crystals. They are unstable. —

Asimil nodded, his heart hammering in his chest. He felt clumsy, slow. Borin's every step was steady; Lirael's every movement precise. His were those of a child learning to walk. The contempt in Borin's gaze every time Asimil almost stumbled was palpable.

The mission progressed slowly. They collected the blue and white fragments, ignoring the tantalizing red crystals that pulsed with intense light. It was then that Asimil saw it. In a small alcove, protected by a thin wall of scarlet crystal, lay a Rainbow Echo Fragment, a legendary rarity.

If I get that... he thought, a surge of anxiety and desire coursing through him. Maybe they'll stop looking at me like I'm useless. Maybe... Sacres would be proud.

— Asimil, no! — Sacres warning voice came too late.

In his desperation to prove his worth, Asimil struck the red glass wall with the hilt of his dagger. It did not break. Instead, it emitted a high-pitched shriek, a discordant note that vibrated the entire cavern. The soft hum of the glass became a deafening roar.

From the bottom of the cave, a massive figure rose up. It was made of the same crystals, a giant golem whose red eyes burned with fury. An Ancestral Crystal Guardian.

— IDIOT! — roared Borin. — You woke him up! —

The chaos was instantaneous. The golem swept through the cavern with its crystal arms, hurling sharp shards like shrapnel. Lirael was hit in the leg, falling with a choked scream. Borin charged, but his axe bounced uselessly off the monster's crystalline skin.

Asimil froze. Frozen. It was his fault. Everything was his fault. Panic, he welded his feet to the ground.

— ASIMIL, MOVE! — Sacres shouted, stepping between him and a downward blow from the golem. The impact caused Sacres' own armor to crackle, throwing him backwards.

That was the blow that broke the spell. Seeing Sacres hurt because of it was worse than any fear. Sacres, with a grunt of pain, slammed his fist into the ground, channeling an enormous amount of energy that shook the earth and opened a crack in the back wall of the cave.

— RUN AWAY! NOW! — he ordered.

The retreat was humiliating and desperate. They dragged Lirael as the golem roared after them, the cavern collapsing behind them.

Back in the silent and solemn hall of Clan Harmonia, the atmosphere was icy. Lirael was being attended to by the healers. Borin, his face red with fury, stood in front of Asimil. — You almost killed us. Because of your stupid ambition. You're a liability, useless. You shouldn't be in this clan. —

Asimil did not respond. He could not. The words hit him with the physical force of the golem. One by one, the other members present turned their backs on him, whispering among themselves. Contempt was a poison that filled the air. He fled from their stares, taking refuge in the darkest corner of the room, sinking into a chair as if he wanted the earth to swallow him up.

And then, the echo hit.

The room faded away. Asimil was in a school gymnasium, the air reeking of sweat and cheap disinfectant. It was the day of team tryouts. He was last in line to jump the colt. His hands were sweating. He ran, jumped... and stumbled. He landed face first on the mat with a thud. Silence. And then, the first laugh. Soon, the whole gym was laughing. He saw the teacher's disappointed face, the looks of contempt from his classmates. He heard one word, clear and sharp, cut through the noise: "Pathetic."

Asimil closed his eyes, the pain of the phantom memory merging with the present humiliation. They were worlds apart, but the feeling was exactly the same. He was the boy who always failed. The one who was always despised.

And in that corner, alone and broken, he wondered if he could ever escape that shadow.