The Lake of Forgotten Echoes was behind them, and a new path stretched ahead. It led into something incomprehensible—a space that changed with every step they took. At first, it was just an ordinary trail covered in silver dust that shimmered in the darkness. Then it began to branch out, twist, transform into narrow bridges over the abyss, stone staircases leading upward, and sometimes even chains suspended in the air without any visible support.
— This place… — Watery looked around, feeling his consciousness start to disperse. — It is not constant.
— It’s a trial, — Emiren replied. — And it changes along with us.
Ahead, amidst the swirling chaos of shifting reality, they saw the Gate of Change—a massive archway forged from the very essence of time. One half glowed with golden light, pulsing like a living heart, while the other was dark, resembling a void that consumed reality itself.
— What is this? — Flamen asked as he stepped closer.
— A choice, — Empty answered. — An entrance to a new reality.
The First Trial: Facing One’s Reflection
As they approached the gate, the space trembled, and before each of them appeared a reflection—not in a mirror, but suspended in the air.
Flamen saw himself—but not as he was now. Before him stood a man whose flames did not blaze but merely smoldered. His eyes no longer burned with passion but were filled with weariness.
— Is this me? — he whispered.
— This is you, who chose a different path, — the reflection answered. — You, who gave up the fight.
— No. That is not me.
— What if one day, it will be?
Flamen didn’t answer. He simply stepped forward, through the reflection, and it dissolved in a fiery burst.
Watery saw himself shattered—his body composed of hundreds of droplets, each one a different version of himself.
— I cannot be everything at once, — he whispered.
— But you fear choosing just one form, — the reflection responded.
Watery took a deep breath, focused his essence—and his image fused into one.
Emiren saw his own shadow separate from him and speak:
— You think you control time? You think you create it?
— I know I do.
— But what if you are wrong? What if you are merely a consequence, not a cause?
Emiren remained silent, gazing at his shadow. Then he extended his hand—and the shadow returned to him, merging once more.
The gate flared with light, allowing them to pass through.
The Second Trial: The Diverging Paths
As soon as they took the next step, the space around them split apart. The gate was behind them, but now they stood at a crossroads with only two possible paths.
To the right—light, harmony, predictability. Everything there was stable and clear.
To the left—chaos, transformation, risk. Everything was in a state of constant motion.
— We cannot take separate paths, — said Empty.
— But we must choose one, — Flamen added.
— If we go right, we will become part of a predetermined order, — Emiren said. — If we go left, we risk changing forever.
Watery hesitated.
— We did not come here to become part of the old order. We came to create a new one.
They chose the left path.
The Third Trial: The Test of the True Word
The road led them to a place where nothing existed—no sky, no ground, no time. In the very center, suspended in emptiness, was the Book of Change—an artifact in which every possible future path was recorded.
— Anyone who opens this book must write their true word inside, — a voice echoed from nowhere.
Emiren reached out and opened the first page. It was blank.
Flamen took the pen, but he did not know what to write.
— The word defines the path, — Empty said.
At last, Emiren wrote:
“I change.”
And the book burst into light.
The path opened.
Ahead awaited the Final Gate—and the last trial.