Author's Note: Did you really think they'd reach the planet so easily? Let me show you how fate truly plays its game.
Just as the blinding light from the Gateway of Drazul faded and the group felt the solid ground of Dezivileous beneath their feet, a sudden tremor cracked the surface below. In an instant, the land beneath their legs began to pulse with strange symbols—sigils neither divine nor demonic, but ancient and unknown.
Chrizer, sensing something wrong, shouted, "Get ready—this isn't over yet!"
But before a reaction could be made, the very fabric of reality beneath them tore open. A cosmic rift spiraled from their feet, and the Gateway exploded in reverse—becoming not a door to Dezivileous, but a trap of fragmented realms. Everyone fell.
Not together—no, fate was far crueler.
Chrizer (My Perspective)
The blinding white shimmer faded as we stepped through the Gateway of Drazul. My heart was pounding with resolve. I could still feel the residual heat of Elligus' power—his dual divinity scorched the air. But we had won. We had stepped through to Dezivileous, the planet of celestial trials.
Or so we thought.
The air here… it wasn't right. It smelled like metal and thunder. Suddenly, without warning, the ground beneath us twisted—not cracked, but twisted like liquid reality—and a low hum filled the air.
"What is this…?" I muttered, just as a portal tore open beneath our feet.
"CHRIZER!" Mizelein shouted as he reached toward me, but we were too far apart already. I saw everyone falling, spiraling into voids of different colors—each one like a personal abyss.
And then—
Darkness.
Mizelein's Perspective – The Trial of Radiance
I woke up in a world of blinding sunlight. It hurt my eyes. Everything was golden, as if the sun itself poured onto the land endlessly.
"Where…?" My voice echoed. I stood on a vast field of glass that reflected the sky. There was no shadow, no night.
Then I saw them—echoes of myself, dozens of versions. Some smiling, some broken. One stepped forward and spoke.
"To wield the Sun Core, you must endure the fire of your own past."
They rushed me.
I fought them—versions of me who had failed, who had doubted, who had once turned away from battle. Each strike I dealt shattered one memory, but each wound I took… made me remember my weakness.
Hours? Days? I didn't know. But as I stood, panting, surrounded by nothing but sun-scorched earth, a voice boomed:
"Only when the sun rises within you, can it blaze through darkness."
A tattoo of solar glyphs burned into my arm. Power surged. I smiled, even through blood.
Yuna's Perspective – The Trial of Duality
My dragon vanished the moment I fell. I landed on ice—pure, black ice—reflecting a moonless sky.
Then I saw her—a version of me in silver armor, blade drawn.
"I'm you… but colder," she whispered. "The Moon Vessel's strength lies not just in grace, but in accepting solitude."
She attacked.
I fought, not just with sword, but emotion. I had always led alone, cold and decisive. But now… I missed the warmth of the team.
Each strike was a question: Can you trust others with your power?
I screamed, blocking a blow that nearly shattered me. "Yes!"
The reflection shattered. The moon rose above. And in its light, my blade glowed—not with cold, but unity.
Phiona's Perspective – The Trial of Chains
I landed in a crimson wasteland. Broken weapons littered the ground. A battlefield—frozen in time.
From the shadows stepped my sister. Not my real one. The one I failed to save.
"You swore to protect me."
"I know," I whispered, pain stabbing my chest.
Chains shot from the ground, wrapping around my limbs.
"To become stronger, you must forgive yourself."
She raised her sword. "Or you'll be trapped here forever."
I cried as I broke the chains—not with strength, but will.
"I'll fight for the living. And carry you in memory."
She smiled… and vanished. My chains turned into a weapon—a divine flail glowing with purple flames.
Yugia's Perspective – The Trial of Instinct
I crashed into a jungle of shadows. Everything moved. The plants, the air, the animals. My instincts screamed.
And then I saw them—creatures formed of my fears: being useless, being weak, being forgotten.
"You're the least powerful," a voice hissed. "The spare."
"No," I growled. "I'm Yugia. I'm still standing."
I fought. Not smart, not graceful—but hard.
A beast lunged. I tackled it. Clawed my way through trial after trial until my hands bled.
"Sometimes instinct is survival," a voice whispered as the beasts dissolved.
I stood, taller now, breathing heavily, empowered. A glowing gauntlet formed around my arm.
Chrizer – Trial of Infinity
I awoke in a void. Endless stars spun above, but none of them shone.
"You possess both light and dark," echoed a deep voice. "But do you understand either?"
Before me stood Elligus, again—but this was not the real one. This was… a mirror.
"You used the dark stone," he sneered. "Can you control it?"
I fought him, but the more I used the dark powers, the more it consumed me. My skin turned ashen. My eyes glowed red.
"No," I growled. "I'm not you. I'm not your puppet!"
I let go of rage. Instead, I embraced both fire and void. Flame danced with shadow.
Suddenly, two stones—Relligus and Sallitus—rose in front of me, spinning.
"You are the balance. Learn the harmony."
I raised my hand, and the stones became one—hovering inside my chest.
My body glowed. Fire. Void. Light. Time. All in rhythm.
Back to the Surface of Dezivileous – (Narration Summary)
Each of us, in our own dimensions, faced the core of who we were.
These were not just battles. These were reforgings of the soul.
The Level-Up Arc had begun.
In this world, time flows differently. A day here could be a year there. Ten chapters of trials await us, each more brutal than the last.
We do not know how—or when—we will reunite.
But one thing is certain:
We are no longer the same warriors who stepped through the Gateway of Drazul.
We are becoming legends worthy of gods.
Chapter - Ended
Next Chapter - Coming Soon