The earth shifted.
Not beneath his feet—but behind his mind.
> [System Directive: Combat Environment Simulation – Initiated.]
> [Warning: Consciousness Detachment at 12%... 48%... 89%.]
> [Welcome, Crimson King.]
Darkness enveloped Adexander. Not the absence of light—the suppression of reality.
When his eyes opened again, he stood in a place that didn't exist.
A crimson labyrinth.
Stone corridors stretched in impossible angles—walls breathing with veins of dull red energy. The floor pulsed like muscle. There was no sky, no stars, only a red aurora above that danced like northern fire.
Adexander stepped forward.
> [Objective: Survive.]
> [Timer: None.]
> [Death: Non-fatal. Pain: Max.]
He smirked.
> "Testing me already?" he muttered.
> [Correction: Reminding.]
Something screamed—not a beast, but a memory.
He turned, blade drawn, as a figure appeared down the corridor.
Himself.
But older.
Armored in deep obsidian, wrapped in spiked crimson bands. His eyes glowed like molten runes. A version of himself from a time before betrayal.
> "So this is what I was," Adexander whispered.
The Echo didn't speak.
It attacked.
Steel met steel—but not equally.
The Echo was faster. Stronger. A perfected version. Each strike forced Adexander backward, his system-enhanced reflexes struggling to keep pace.
> "System," he growled. "What the hell is this?"
> [Trial of Echo. Initiated by Trait: Echo of the Crimson Past.]
> [Defeat Required to Progress: None.]
> [Choice Unlocked: Fight, Learn, or Submit.]
He ducked under a vicious arc, sliding across the blood-glass tiles.
Then stood.
And smiled.
> "I don't want to win," Adexander said coldly.
> "I want to remember."
He lowered his blade.
The Echo paused.
A pulse rippled between them—two versions of the same soul, separated by time and death. The Echo stepped forward, and its sword fell away, dissolving into strands of light.
Their hands touched.
> [Memory Fragment Recovered.]
> [Crimson Record Updated.]
> [Skill Unlocked: Blood Echo – Adaptive Combat Recall.]
— Gain temporary access to past-life combat instincts when overwhelmed. — Duration: 7 seconds. — Cooldown: 2 hours. — Unlocks deeper fragments upon repeated exposure.
The labyrinth flickered.
Cracks tore through it—as if time itself rejected this space. Adexander closed his eyes as the place shattered.
---
Gravehold – Inner Chamber
He awoke in the war chamber, blade still across his knees.
Sweat rolled down his temple.
Kaien leaned in from the doorway, holding a half-eaten apple.
> "Nightmare?" he asked, amused.
> "No," Adexander murmured, standing. "Lesson."
He walked past Kaien.
Kaien blinked, looking at the empty apple in his hand.
> "...I don't even remember finishing this."
---
System Log – Internal
> Crimson Progression: 5% Awakened
Trait: Echo of the Crimson Past [Stable]
New Skill Acquired: Blood Echo
Next Trial: ???
Path Divergence Possible: Awaiting Input...