Shadows Overcome

The echo of battles resounded through the sanctuary’s halls. Every scream, every roar, every blow against the stone reminded me that my friends were facing trials as harsh as ours. As Aria and I shattered the living statues, I couldn’t help but wonder what the others were enduring.
Nara advanced alone through a corridor lit by blue flames. The heat was suffocating, and with every step, the fire seemed to whisper temptations. A figure identical to her emerged from the flames: mocking smile, cunning eyes.
“You’re weak,” said her reflection. “You always hide your fear behind jokes and sarcasm. All you know how to do is pretend.”
Nara clenched her teeth, summoning fire into her hands. “And yet I’m still standing.”
Her reflection laughed, unleashing a torrent of fire that filled the corridor. Nara responded with equal intensity, the clash of flames shaking the walls. Slowly, the illusion weakened, until only the real Nara remained, breathless but with a proud smile.
“I may hide my fears, but I won’t let them control me.”
The corridor lit up and allowed her to move forward.
Rei walked through a tunnel covered in shadows. His footsteps echoed, and familiar voices whispered in the darkness: his mother’s, his father’s, all begging him to abandon revenge. Suddenly, a vision of himself appeared, younger, crying before the bodies of his parents.
“See?” said the illusion. “You’ve done nothing but chase a ghost. You will never have peace.”
Rei clenched his fists. “No…” his voice trembled, but he raised his gaze. “Revenge brought me here, but it’s not all I have. Now I have Kaoru, Aria, Lysbeth, and Nara. They are my strength.”
The child vanished, and with him, the darkness. Rei pressed forward, his shadow now lighter, as though a weight had been torn from his heart.
Lysbeth found herself on an illusory battlefield. Dozens of soldiers lay dead around her, all bearing the insignia of her order. Her sword was stained with blood. A voice thundered from the sky.
“You failed as a leader. You will always fail.”
She looked at her bloodstained hands, trembling. Fear paralyzed her for a moment, but then she remembered the faces of her companions, fighting at her side.
“I am not perfect,” she shouted at the void. “But my duty isn’t to never fail… it’s to rise every time I fall.”
The battlefield vanished, replaced by a bright path. Lysbeth moved forward with firm steps, more confident in herself than ever before.
Meanwhile, Aria and I continued fighting the statues. The final strike split the last figure in two, and the chamber fell silent. I leaned on my sword, exhausted.
“Are you all right?” asked Aria, her breath unsteady.
I nodded. “Yeah… but I feel that voice feeding more with every battle.”
She took my hand. “Then we’ll fight so it doesn’t consume you.”
At that moment, the three corridors lit up, and Nara, Rei, and Lysbeth returned one by one, their eyes carrying deep emotion.
“You made it?” I asked.
Nara gave a weary smile. “Doubt it? No one can beat my fire, not even my own reflection.”
Rei crossed his arms. “Darkness tried to deceive me, but I’m no longer the same as before.”
Lysbeth raised her sword. “I’ve accepted my failures. They don’t define me—what I choose to do with them does.”
I felt proud of each of them. They had faced their fears and returned stronger.
The barriers of light vanished, revealing a corridor leading to the heart of the sanctuary.
“The Oracle awaits us,” I whispered.
We advanced together, shoulder to shoulder. The tension was palpable, but so was the unity that bound us.
The corridor brought us into a circular chamber, unlike any before. At its center was a pool of crystal-clear water, and above it floated a hooded figure. Their face was hidden, but their presence was undeniably powerful.
“Welcome,” said a voice that was both male and female. “You have overcome the trials of the soul. Now you stand before the Oracle of Echoes.”
We knelt instinctively, but the figure raised a hand. “You need not bow. You have proven enough courage.”
Aria stepped forward. “Oracle, we seek answers. My friend Kaoru bears a shadow within him, a power consuming him. And also… I want to understand why Kiseki and I share the same face, as if our souls were connected.”
The Oracle tilted their head. “All answers are bound together. The shadow within Kaoru… the bond between Aria and Kiseki… and the god who pulls the strings of your fate.”
The air grew heavy. A chill ran down my spine.
“A god?” I asked, my voice trembling.
The Oracle nodded. “Yes. The very one who brought you to this world, the very one who has sown pain along your path. And his vengeance has only just begun.”
The words echoed through the chamber, setting a new course for our lives. The enemy was not only Kiseki, nor the Devotees of Chaos… it was something far greater.

I turned to my friends. Their faces showed fear, but also determination. I felt that, despite everything, we were ready.
The Oracle extended a hand over the pool’s surface. “If you desire more, then you must see with your own eyes what lies ahead. But beware: the visions I show are not easy to endure.”
Aria squeezed my hand tightly. “We’ll see them together.”
I nodded, ready to face whatever awaited us.
The water began to glow, revealing images we could not yet understand, but knew would mark the beginning of our true trial.