After being transported from there, Kaios opened his eyes again in another place, but in his front he found nothing.
Only white.
A boundless, endless realm streching in white. No horizon, no ceiling, no ground—just a flat plain of luminescent blankness that stretched beyond his senses.
He looked down, but found that even his own shadow was refusing to exist here. The faint hum of his breathing was the only sound that reminded him that he was still the only existence here.
As he scanned himself to see any thing amiss, he found himself stripped of his alloys. With nothing in his power, a slight worry crawled inside him.
"Where… am I now?"
His voice drifted outward, but there was no echo, even in these emptiness—only stillness, as his words were not even traveling a mere meter from him.
Then— a sudden ripple tore through the silence, the stillness of this white realm.
A voice, deep and calm, reverberated through the horizon.
"You've reached the end, Kaios."
A look of understanding glinted in Kaios's eyes, he knew the owner of this voice.
Master Raion
He thought inwardly, as this calm and deep voice belonged to his master.
"Every trials you have faced till now—" the voice continued. "Each one meant not to test just your strength, but your alignments."
Kaios tilted his head slightly. "Alignments?"
"Yes. Strength can be built, if one is diligent… but alignment— it must be realized by self."
Kaios waited, silent, while the world around pulsed faintly with the faint vibrations of Raion's voice.
"Both tested different allignments of yours, that only you can realize." Raion took a pause, then continued. "But this trial was different."
"There was no rule for this trial."
Kaios frowned. "What do you meant by that, Master?"
Raion didn't reply directly. His voice softened, almost as though fading in and out.
"In this trial, you have to figure the rule on your own. And you only have thirty minutes to spare, before you fail."
Then silence. The realm became absolute all again, as the voice Raion vanished after uttering those last sentences.
Kaios who heard this, exhaled slowly, letting the air out through his mouth. "So, a test of understanding, huh…"
He folded his arms, his gaze tracing the infinite blankness streched to the horizon infront of him, as if trying to find answers within it.
He then sat on the white floor below, pondering about the previous trials, wanting to find any hints from them.
His mind travelled back to the first trial. He rembered the those nightmares of metals and his battle against them.
How he defeated the five nightmares using alloy powers, before defeating that elderitch eye nightmare at last. And how he used the alloys from each other to defeat the rest, also the first on-field usage of his Special Attribute Trader Of Bonds.
As Kaios was pondering about it, he murmured to himself, pacing slowly.
"If both trial had many allighnments to test, then the one I realised was adpatibility and versatilty."
That's what the first trial tested him, it checked how early he can adapt to a foreign land. It also taught how to use his powers in more creative ways.
"If I go with same thought process." Kaios again muttered to himself, "Then the allighnments I realised from the second trial will be—"
"Resilience and Awareness from the minigame 1. Perception and Reasoning from the Minigame 2."
"Hmm... this one was slightly tricky," He took some pause as he thought about the last game, Game Of Tag. "As it ultimately tested me all the previous ones along with restraint.... and probably being strategic."
As Kaios listed one by one all his thoughts on the previous trials, his thinking halted on this trial.
"There are no rules in this trial unlike previous two, so this… is not a trial for allighnments through of actions."
"Hmm...then could it be about understanding!?" He said as his chin was being rested upon his palm.
As he thought about it, he shook hai head, "Nah... that's too easy."
Then a sudden realisation struck in his head suddenly. "Could this be trial for introspection!?"
The moment these words released from his lips, the whiteness flickered faintly around him.
"This white realm has no rules… perhaps because it no longer expects anything from me."
"Instead, it was meant for me to reflect on my previous alignments."
As Kaios said this, he stood again and closed both of his eyes. "So the answer is simple."
The whiteness began to tremble faintly.
"I understand."
Then a quiet breeze rippled through the space— even though there was no air here.
The world began to fracture, as the white layers began peeling away as if old paints flaking from a withered wall, revealing a golden glow behind.
Then the glow intensified, before engulfing him entirely, until the whiteness around him vanished like a forgotten dream.
When Kaios opened his eyes again, he was no longer in that emptiness.
He now stood in a grand hall. As his eyes wandered, he saw the walls of the hall, carved from dark polished stone that shimmered faintly under the soft ambient light.
Then the tall windows, those arched high above, letting in the warm golden radiance that seemed to breathe energy into the chamber. As he looked below he saw the smooth floor beneath his feet, reflecting his figure.
And there, at the far end of the hall, he saw his master— Magister Raion standing with both of his hand clasped behind his back.
Raion's presence filled the space, commanding it even when he was only standing still. His eyes, sharp yet calm, swept over Kaios with a mixture of pride, astonishment, and a trace of amusement.
"Well… well, well," Raion's voice echoed, a low chuckle threading through the words. "I must say… I did not expect you to figure it out this quickly."
Kaios exhaled, as he straightened slightly "Well....it just happened, Master." he said while scratching the back of his head.
Raion's eyebrows rose slightly, as small grin appeared on his face. "Just happened, hmm? And here I thought I'd have to watch you wrestle with it for days. You've managed to see through the last trial faster than even I anticipated."
Kaios's brow furrowed when he heard it . "Days…?"
"Two days," Raion said matter-of-factly, the humor in his tone now fading. "You spent two full days inside the both trialsl… or, at least, according to the time of here."
Kaios blinked in surprise, as he heard the revelations. "Two days… but it felt like mere hours."
"Ah, yes. Time there bends to perception," Raion's grin widened. "The time there was chaotic, it wasn't fixed."
"But, what is that place, master?" Kaios asked Raion.
"Ohh..that..... It was my most prided creations till now— A world different than this, solely under the rules of mine." Raion said, his voice sounding prideful. "It was a world born of my Special Attribute."
The moment Raion said it, a heavy silence followed, leaving Kaios speechless in the hall, as he heard his master's words. But in the next second, he broke himself from this reverie.
Then his gaze flicked toward his master, eyes sharp. "So… what comes next?"
Raion stepped forward, his long robes brushing the polished floor. The light from the hall reflecting behind his back, giving him an almost ethereal presence.
His expression shifted from pride to seriousness, though a hint of amusement lingered in his eyes.
"Next…" Raion began, his voice softening. "Next, we train. And not just to strengthen your alloys or sharpen your Special Attribute…" He paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "…but to prepare you for the truths that lie beyond those trials... for the real world."
Kaios's chest tightened with anticipation, curiosity coiling within him like a spring. He leaned slightly forward, ready to absorb every word of his master.
Raion's gaze held him firmly on Kaios, measuring not just his body but every intent of his.
"And for that," Raion continued, "we start… by teaching you some of my techniques."
"But master.... Are you not a user of mirror." Kaios emotion became puzzled from his earlier curiousness, "Also don't you treaded on the path of illusion."
"So, how will you teach me your techniques?"
When Raion heard the questions of Kaios, a wide smirk formed on his face, "Who told you that you can't use the Path of illusion, if you were a metal user?"
"There are still many things, you do not have knowledge on Kaios." He said, still maintaining the smile of his,
"But before that let's check your rewards, for clearing this trial."