The divine arena was silent.No teasing goddess voice, no glowing portals — just stillness.
Ethan rubbed his neck. "Okay, that silence can't be good."
Venelith finally appeared, but this time her expression wasn't mischievous — it was almost somber.
"You survived desire, mortal. Now you face what truly breaks mortals: fear."
Ayaka, Luna, Hana, and Subject M exchanged uneasy glances.
Ayaka: "Fear? Like... spiders? Or exams?"Venelith smirked. "Try again. This trial doesn't prey on your mind. It preys on your heart."
Before anyone could respond, the floor shattered into mirror-like shards — and each of them was pulled into separate reflections.
Ethan's Isolation
Ethan awoke in a gray wasteland.The air was cold. Dead trees. No sky. Just endless fog.
He looked around — the girls were gone.Only his reflection stared back from a cracked mirror.
Then it spoke."You can't protect them," it said. "Every time you win, the world gets worse."
"Yeah, thanks for the pep talk," Ethan muttered.
The reflection continued:"They love you, but for how long? When the system turns on them — when they see what you really are — they'll run."
Ethan clenched his fists. "I've already lost enough. I'm not losing them too."
The mirror shattered, releasing a faint pulse of light that scattered into the fog.
[Trial of Fear: Stage One Cleared]
Ayaka's Fear
Ayaka opened her eyes to find herself standing in a classroom.Her old school uniform. Empty seats. No one there — except Ethan.
But this Ethan wasn't smiling.He was walking away from her, hand-in-hand with another girl.
"Ethan?" she whispered. "Wait—"
He didn't turn back. The hallway stretched infinitely, his figure fading.
Ayaka ran after him, tears stinging her eyes. "You said you wouldn't leave me again!"
Venelith's voice echoed faintly, testing her resolve:
"Fear of being forgotten… can you face it, girl?"
Ayaka stopped. She pressed her hand to her chest, trembling — then smiled through tears."I'll trust him… because even if I'm not in his sight, I'm in his heart."
The illusion dissolved into light.
[Ayaka's Fear Acknowledged – Passed]
Luna's Fear
Luna floated in darkness.Stars blinked faintly, then died one by one.
"This… this isn't space," she whispered. "This is my loneliness."
From the dark, Ethan's voice echoed, distant:"You'll always be alone, Luna. Even gods forget your light."
Her hands trembled. She wanted to scream, to vanish. But instead, she whispered:"No… Ethan found me. Even if the stars fade, he's my sky now."
Light flared — her tears crystallized into stars that reignited the void.
[Luna's Fear Acknowledged – Passed]
Hana's Fear
Hana stood in a battlefield.Her city was burning. Soldiers fled. She was alone, surrounded by ashes.
She looked down — her sword was broken.
A monstrous shadow loomed ahead, whispering,"You're weak. You'll only slow them down."
Hana screamed, "Shut up! I'm not weak anymore!"
The flames around her roared higher — fueled not by anger, but courage.
"I fight not because I'm fearless, but because I'm terrified of losing them!"
She thrust her broken blade into the ground — and light burst out, shattering the illusion.
[Hana's Fear Acknowledged – Passed]
Subject M's Fear
Subject M stood in a white void, her expression unreadable.
No illusions. No shadows. Just silence.
Then, faintly, a voice:"Mother."
She froze. A small child stood before her — her younger self.Tears welled up in Subject M's eyes as memories she buried resurfaced — of the experiments, the betrayal, the loneliness that shaped her.
The child asked, "Why did no one ever love us?"
Subject M knelt, trembling. "...Because we never let them try."
She smiled — fragile, but real."But someone does now. And I'll protect that warmth."
Her younger self smiled, fading into light that wrapped around her.
[Subject M's Fear Acknowledged – Passed]
The Reunion
Ethan gasped as the world pieced itself back together.The girls appeared one by one — exhausted but smiling faintly.
Venelith appeared above them, radiant and serious.
"You faced your shadows. You did not run. You chose trust over despair."
Ethan fell to one knee, panting. "That… was worse than a horror movie marathon."
Venelith chuckled. "Mortals fear pain, but you feared loss. And yet you stood tall. Perhaps you truly are the anomaly I sensed."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Anomaly?"
Venelith only smirked. "You'll find out soon, mortal. The final trial awaits — The Trial of Unity. Fail, and your hearts will break forever. Pass, and I might even let you steal a kiss from a goddess."
Ayaka: "Wait, WHAT?!"Luna: "That's… an option?"Hana: "You're not allowed to enjoy that!"Subject M: "Depends which goddess."
Ethan sighed. "Can we get one day without emotional trauma or flirting with deities?"
Venelith winked. "Not in my realm."
The divine arena faded once again, light swirling into a single phrase: