Fade was still kneeling in the water-covered void.
The Cliff Watcher stood silently before him. The light in the room flickered dimly from an indistinct source. Neither day nor night. Neither was Fade alive, nor dead.
The Watcher of the Abyss spoke.
His voice didn't echo. It was as if it had formed right inside Fade's mind:
"The first lesson is to be able to carry your spirit." Strength is not just physical."
Your soul... is bound by chains. And without breaking these chains, you can neither reach true power... nor freedom.
Fade shook his head with a low voice. He didn't feel ready, but he knew there was no turning back now.
The lookout raised his right hand.
A circle formed in the air. This was a passage, but not like a door; more like an opening vibrating like the wave created by a stone thrown into water.
[System Notification]
The Training Area is Being Activated: "The Weight of the Soul – Inner Resistance Application"
Physical Statistics Temporarily Disabled.
Mental Balance will be evaluated on a scale of 100.
Initial Spirit Load: 84%
Fade, as soon as he stepped onto the crossing, everything suddenly changed.
The area he was in was no longer a room.
It was a place as empty as nothingness, yet at the same time as suffocatingly full.
There was no ground, there was no gravity, but Fade could still walk.
With every step he took, an echo was created.
But these echoes were not sound... they were feelings.
The first step — Regret.
Second step — Fear of Loss.
Third step — Guilt.
And with each step, a weight was being added to Fade's back.
It was as if huge stones were hanging from their shoulders, bound by invisible chains.
[Status Update]
Psychological Pressure is Increasing: +12%
Current Load: 96%
The critical limit has been exceeded. High Risk of Loss of Consciousness.
Fade knelt down on his knees.
Breathing has turned into torture.
But he couldn't escape. The voice of the lookout reappeared:
"Don't be afraid of being engulfed by the darkness of your soul."
Without looking inside, you can't get out.
Suddenly, images started to form around him.
These were not memories.
They were the forms that emotions took.
A small child... Fade's childhood.
A child clinging to his mother's skirt, afraid of the outside world.
That child's face bore both Fade's expression and that of a stranger.
And he stood in front of Fade:
"You ran away from me so much..."
You forgot who you are. But I am yours."
Fade instinctively threw a punch.
Not to the child, but to yourself.
But the punch swung into the void, because the enemy was not a child, but the past.
Suddenly, another symbolic chain was bound to Fade's back.
This time, there was a face at the end of the chain.
His grandfather.
The only person he trusts.
But now he was having doubts.
Trust was turning into a chain.
[Status Update]
Psychological Pressure: 102%
Consciousness is Weakening...
Collapse Threshold: 110%
Fade's vision went dark.
But just at that moment… a faint cracking sound came from one of the chains.
It was as if it was starting to unravel.
His mother's words came to his mind:
"Don't... completely trust what your grandfather says."
For the first time, a chain was broken.
The broken chain rose to the sky and disappeared from sight.
[System Notification]
The Chain of Spirits Has Been Broken: "Blind Trust"
Spiritual Pressure -18%
Current Load: 84%
Consciousness Stabilizing...
Fade stood up again.
This time, his eyes were clearer.
The same pain was there, but it no longer ruled him.
The voice of Watcher of the Abyss was heard again:
"You broke the first chain."
But this road is long. With every step, a new scream will await you.
And the scream within the silence... will be the truest voice of your soul."
Suddenly, the surroundings started to dissolve again.
The void disappeared, the water's surface reappeared.
And Fade opened his eyes in the middle of the water.
The training was over.
But the change had just begun.
[System Update]
Training Successfully Completed.
Ability to Carry Spiritual Burdens: Acquired
[Passive Skill: Inner Resistance – Level 1]
Provides 10% resistance against psychological pressure.
During emotional turmoil, the threshold for loss of consciousness increases by 20%.
Fade slowly rose from the water.
He wiped his face with his hand.
He was tired. But he was strong.
And then… The lookout appeared again.
But this time, he stood silently behind Fade.
"Now you're ready for the second training."
But this time... you will fight not with your emotions, but with your shadows."
Fade looked back.
What stood before him was no longer just an instructor, but a reflection.
The watchman's eyes sparkled for the first time:
In the darkness... like hope.