While they continued with the next person in the first chamber, in the second chamber, Reik was completely stunned by what he saw upon entering. It was anything but normal. The second chamber was a place engulfed in fire and heat, with stones burning from the magma—a place where demons dwell. Reik couldn't make sense of it, let alone understand how something so unnatural could exist inside a cave. His mind nearly collapsed, overwhelmed with questions. He decided to search for Fain, but he could no longer hear his screams. The chamber was so vast, almost endless, that finding him seemed like an impossible task.
Reik had been searching for Fain for twenty minutes without success when suddenly, someone unexpected appeared.
A man floated in the air, wrapped in a dark robe that hovered around him as if it had a life of its own. His presence radiated a latent danger, a suffocating aura that instantly put Reik on high alert.
"Who are you?" Reik asked, frowning.
"You are the second one to enter... I'm the one who will test you in this chamber. You should show more respect and introduce yourself first," the man replied in a firm voice.
Reik hadn't expected someone with such a strange appearance to be his examiner. Wasting no time, he responded immediately:
"I apologize. My name is Reik. What does this test involve?"
"Greetings, Reik. My name is Dion, and this chamber is the result of my magic. It's not real, but the demons you encounter here were created by me—and they can hurt you for real. They exist within the limits of my power; naturally, I can't create anything that surpasses it."
"Incredible... You must possess immense magical power to create something like this. The only magic I've seen so far is from a companion who uses healing magic," Reik replied, amazed.
"Healing magic is very necessary in battle, but it's also the simplest of all…" said Dion.
Reik remained silent, listening carefully, but his concern for Fain made him interrupt.
"Is Fain nearby? Is he okay? We heard him screaming from the other room," he asked nervously.
"Correct, he's here, but each of you must walk your own path. Your companion couldn't pass this trial—unfortunately, he lost. But don't worry, he's not seriously injured. He's being treated right now," Dion replied.
"He... lost?" Reik asked, incredulous.
He couldn't quite grasp that Fain had failed the second trial. He wondered what the challenge actually involved.
"This trial consists of three battles. First, you'll face a low-level demon—I'm sure you've already encountered a few of them, considering you just came from reclaiming the valley. The second will be a high-level demon, and the third, a high-level demon of rank two," Dion explained.
"How many ranks do demons have?" Reik asked.
"They don't have ranks themselves. They simply obey those more powerful than them," Dion explained. "It's us who classify them to have a reference for their power level and to assess our chances when facing them. Their energy gives us a rough idea of what rank they should belong to."
"Have you killed any demons?" Reik asked.
"Yes, many. But let's leave that conversation for another time. Let's begin your trial—we shouldn't waste time," Dion replied seriously.
Reik's question seemed to unsettle him somehow, and his expression hardened immediately.
"Right, sorry. I'm ready," Reik responded quickly.
Dion, without losing his composure, extended his hand and effortlessly summoned a lesser demon out of thin air.
"You may begin, Reik," he said, pointing at the demon.
Reik charged at the lesser demon and quickly defeated it with a single sword strike.
"Good. Now we move on to the greater demon. This one is far stronger than the last—its power is on a whole different level. Prepare yourself and be cautious," Dion warned.
"Understood!" Reik replied, taking an offensive stance.
Dion took a few seconds to summon the demon, as its power was nothing to scoff at. Once conjured, the demon looked at Reik with a grin and spoke.
"Hello, little worm. I'm going to wipe you out... hahaha, you're nothing," the demon said mockingly.
Without replying, Reik lunged forward and attacked, thinking he'd managed to slash the demon's arm. However, the demon's speed far surpassed his own, and it easily dodged the strike. Reik immediately felt the same discomfort he'd experienced when facing Sergoth in the valley—an overwhelming sense of being outmatched in both speed and power.
"You're slow... you'll need to try harder and move faster if you want to win," said Dion.
"Yeah, genius, I noticed," Reik replied.
In an instant, the demon appeared in front of Reik and struck him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Blood trickled from his mouth, but Reik quickly stood up and assumed a defensive stance, bracing for another attack. The demon grinned and lunged again, this time with a kick—Reik narrowly dodged it and used the opening to counter with his sword, slicing off one of the demon's hands.
"Not bad, human! But it'll take more than that to defeat me," the demon sneered.
He kept laughing, fully aware that he was superior to Reik in every way—and that, in truth, he was just toying with him. This time, though, he went in for the kill. With a brutal knee to Reik's stomach, followed by a powerful punch to the jaw, he sent Reik reeling. The force of the blow knocked the sword from Reik's hand, and it clattered to the ground.
Then, the demon grabbed Reik by the neck with one hand and lifted him off the ground.
"Aren't you going to step in, Mage? I'm going to kill him," the demon said, staring directly at Dion.
Dion watched the scene without the slightest hint of concern, as if he couldn't care less about what was happening.
The demon kept squeezing Reik's neck, relentless. There was no time left; death felt inevitable.
"I'm... going to die... no! I won't allow it..." Reik murmured through gritted teeth.
"What was that, worm? Just die already," the demon growled, now tightening his grip with both hands.
In the next instant, the demon no longer had Reik in front of him—nor did he have his arms.
Reik appeared at his side, holding one of the demon's arms in each hand.
The demon froze in panic. He turned his head slowly and saw Reik standing beside him. Terrified, he began to back away.
High above, floating in the air, Dion watched the scene unfold with mild surprise. From the moment he'd seen Reik, he had sensed something unusual within him—but he hadn't expected it to be something so extreme... or powerful.
Reik stared at himself in disbelief. A surge of confusion and fear overtook him as his mind flooded with questions.
What am I? Am I... a demon? Or something like it?
Dion kept his eyes on Reik, watching intently. He wondered whether Reik would remain the same—or if he would lose his humanity entirely. If that happened, Dion was ready to stop him... no matter the cost.
"That doesn't matter right now!" Reik shouted, shaking his head. "I have to keep going. I want to get stronger. I'll think this through later," he thought, making up his mind.
Dion smiled at his determination, assuming Reik had finally cleared his thoughts.
Meanwhile, the demon, who had been slowly backing away in overwhelming fear, trembled even more when Reik's eyes locked onto him. Without a word, the demon turned and started running in a desperate attempt to escape.
But Reik, moving at an absurd speed, reached him in less than a second. With a single blow to the demon's skull, he caused it to disintegrate completely. The force of the impact was so immense that even the world Dion had created for the trial began to destabilize.
"It's more than I imagined…" Dion thought, watching Reik in awe. "I'd even say it's very likely that this isn't the full extent of his power."
"Well done. You're powerful, Reik," Dion said with a slight smile.
"Yeah…" Reik murmured, still processing what had just happened.
Dion chose not to reveal anything yet about Reik's true nature, although he suspected Reik was beginning to realize it himself.
"Do you want me to summon the last one? The rank 2 high-level demon?" Dion asked, eyeing him with interest.
"Go ahead! I want to see how far I can go," Reik replied with determination.
Dion extended his hand once more and began summoning the demon. It took several minutes, as this one was even more powerful than the previous one. But finally, the creature appeared.
This demon surpassed the last in every way: power, intelligence, and endurance. Though slightly smaller in size, its strength was far greater. Its advanced mind immediately recognized that it had been summoned and that the world around it wasn't entirely real. Then, it turned its gaze toward Dion.
"You summoned me. Do you think I'm here to be used by you, you filthy human pest?" the demon roared furiously.
Dion didn't answer. He simply shifted his gaze to Reik.
"Reik, you can begin whenever you're ready," he said calmly.
"Oh, so you're ignoring me?" the demon growled with disdain.
As soon as Dion gave the signal, Reik didn't hesitate for even a second. He pushed forward with force and launched himself directly at the demon without a trace of fear. His kick landed squarely on the creature's ribs, sending it flying through the air and crashing into several massive rocks, shattering them in the process.
This is going to be fun… Dion thought with a smile.
The demon stood up without a single scratch and locked eyes on Reik with an intrigued expression.
"Physically, you're human… but inside… you're a demon. Is it some kind of magic? An experiment? Or perhaps… is one of your parents a demon?" it asked, full of curiosity.
Reik wasn't surprised. Ever since the previous fight, when that dark power had surged from within him, he had already begun to suspect the truth. Now, those words only served to confirm his doubts.
The demon extended its arm and pointed at Reik with an open hand. A deep crimson energy began to radiate from its body, concentrating in its palm until it formed a sphere the size of a human head. Without warning, it hurled it at blinding speed.
Reik barely had time to react. With no chance to dodge, he crossed his arms in a desperate attempt to block the impact. The sphere exploded on contact, unleashing a brutal shockwave. A searing pain tore through his limbs as a torrent of blood splattered onto the ground.
"I'm surprised you're still in one piece," the demon said with a mocking grin. "I thought your arms would vanish."
Reik was breathing heavily. His arms trembled, lacerated and soaked in blood. The pain was unbearable, but he knew he couldn't give up. He had to keep going.
"I'm fine. I can keep fighting," Reik said, glancing at Dion, hoping he wouldn't call off the fight because of his injuries.
Dion watched him for a few seconds before responding with a serious tone:
"Very well. But if I see you're about to lose consciousness—or die—I'll stop the fight."
Reik smiled, ignoring the searing pain in his arms.
"I have to defeat him as quickly as possible," he thought, focusing all his attention on the demon.
The demon channeled all of his power at that moment, and a red, demonic energy engulfed his entire body. His eyes glowed with a sinister intensity as he turned his gaze toward Dion.
"You'll be the one to blame for this boy's death," he said with a malicious grin. "Though maybe you won't care much—considering he's part demon."
He let out a chilling laugh as the energy around him intensified, warping the air with its sheer force.
Dion smiled calmly at the demon, which only fueled his rage further.
The demon roared in rage and threw his arms back, lowering his body like a beast about to charge. With a powerful leap, he tore through the ground beneath his feet and launched himself at Reik with terrifying speed. His fist, wrapped in demonic energy, glowed with a dark, dense aura, maximizing the force of the blow.
The punch struck Reik squarely in the abdomen, and he felt the devastating power tear through him. However, at the last moment, he instinctively gathered his own demonic energy at the point of impact. The defense wasn't perfect—he still felt the pain and the shock coursing through his body—but he had managed to absorb enough of the blow to survive.
He hadn't fully mastered this new power yet, but he was learning faster than anyone could have predicted.
"Not bad, but you won't be able to defend yourself many more times. And even if you do, you're still taking damage," the demon said with a mocking smile.
Without giving him time to respond, the demon launched a relentless assault. Reik managed to withstand most of the blows by focusing his demonic energy to shield himself. However, in a moment of carelessness, he took a brutal knee to the head. His vision blurred, his body wavered, and in that instant, he was pushed to the brink of death.
But just as his consciousness began to fade, something inside him awakened.
This time, it wasn't just a surge of power like before. Something else was happening. His body was changing. His eyes took on a deep crimson hue, and thin black lines began to mark his face, spreading across his skin like dark veins.
But the most shocking part wasn't that.
From the top of his forehead, two short black horns emerged—sharp and dark as the night.
"You keep surpassing yourself without pause… It's truly terrifying what you could become. We'll have to keep an eye on you." thought Dion, watching closely.
Despite the transformation, Reik was still himself. He hadn't lost control or been consumed by the power. Now, he was ready to show how far he could go.
"Ready? This time it's my turn," he said, rolling his neck until it cracked.
The demon didn't respond with words. Instead, he channeled all his demonic energy into his fist, ready for a decisive blow. Reik did the same. In an instant, both of them clashed with full force.
The result was overwhelming.
The impact shook the ground and distorted the air around them. But when the dust settled, it was clear who the victor was.
The demon looked at his body in horror: his arm was completely gone, and much of his torso was shattered. Half his body was barely left.
Reik's power wasn't just immense. It was something beyond the ordinary—even in the world of demons.
"Alright, we're done for today," Dion said, raising his hand and making the demon disappear.
"But... I hadn't beaten him yet," Reik protested, breathing heavily.
"He had nothing left. It was only a matter of time. Continuing the fight would've been pointless. Besides, we need to heal you, or you'll bleed out," Dion replied calmly.
With a simple gesture, Dion dispelled the magic that maintained that strange place, restoring everything to normal. As soon as Reik returned to his human form, a sharp pain surged through his entire body. Pushing himself to the limit had taken its toll.