The snow continued to fall softly as their hands slipped apart.
Yet the atmosphere around them shifted.
The once-calm gray sky now trembled as if torn from two sides. Thin cracks formed in the air, radiating crimson and deep violet light — colors of a power that did not belong to any world they knew.
"Is this… the first trial?" Arthur muttered quietly.
Zeref didn't answer. His eyes sharpened, his body tensed. The hunter's instinct honed in the world of Megicula screamed loudly, warning him of a danger that was rapidly approaching.
[DING!]
Event of the Chaos Realm: First Trial – "The Shadows Born of Sin"
Objective: Survive the assault of chaotic entities born from your deepest sins.
Time: Undetermined.
Reward: Fragment of the World Key.
"Sin…?" Zeref whispered. But before he could think further, the ground beneath him began to crack.
From the fissures, something emerged.
At first it was just black mist… then the mist thickened, forming into a tall humanoid figure with a face he knew all too well. Silver hair, glowing crimson eyes — and a sinister grin that had haunted his worst nightmares.
"…Impossible…" Zeref took a step back. "That's… me."
It was his own shadow — a version of himself far crueler, colder, and thirstier for blood. A self he had buried deep since his death on Earth. A self that had sworn to burn the entire world to ashes for revenge.
"Have you forgotten… who you really are?" the shadow mocked, its voice echoing from the depths of his past. "You're no hero. You're a monster who wants to watch the world burn."
Zeref clenched his fists. He wanted to deny it… but deep inside, he knew those words weren't entirely wrong.
Meanwhile, Arthur was facing his own nightmare.
Before him stood a woman with long brown hair and tear-filled eyes — a face he knew better than anyone.
"…Mother?" he whispered.
The figure didn't respond. She only stared at Arthur with a piercing look of disappointment.
"Why did you leave without saying goodbye? Why did you abandon us in that world…?"
Arthur froze. His heart felt as if it were being crushed from the inside.
This isn't real, he tried to convince himself. This is just a trial… just a shadow…
But the voice kept slipping into his mind, breaking down the walls of his resolve.
"You didn't even say farewell… Did everything we shared mean nothing to you, Arya?"
"Stop…" Arthur hissed softly, but the figure stepped closer.
"Answer me… my son…"
"STOP!" Arthur roared, mana bursting from his body, shattering the snow around him.
But even after the scream, the shadow didn't disappear. It only grew stronger — and more real.
[DING!]
Mental Status – Stability decreased by 12%
Consciousness Link – Assimilation risk increased
Zeref glanced at Arthur from the corner of his eye. "Arthur! They're not real! This is part of the trial!"
Arthur didn't reply. His eyes reddened, his breath heavy. The past he had buried was biting back, trying to drag him into the abyss of regret.
Zeref knew that if Arthur sank any deeper, the trial would end before it truly began.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly — then opened them with a sharp gaze. A faint golden aura emerged from his body, wrapping around the air.
"If it's sin you want… then I'll face it without running away."
His shadow smirked. "That's the Zeref I know."
"And if I must accept my darkest side to leave this place…" Zeref stepped forward, black and white mana swirling in his hands, "…then I will defeat myself first."
The snow shook. Two figures — Zeref and his shadow — dashed toward each other, their clash of mana shattering the silence of the white world. On the other side, Arthur trembled between two worlds — the past that haunted him and the present he wanted to protect.
The first trial had begun.
And only by defeating the shadows of their sins… could the two reincarnators move closer to the deepest secrets of the Chaos Realm.
The first burst of mana shook the white world.
Zeref's body was thrown backward, crashing into a mound of snow and carving a crater five meters wide. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips — even though his opponent was merely a "shadow," the power it wielded was terrifyingly real.
The shadow walked slowly toward him, each step leaving dark cracks in the ground. Thick black aura rose like living mist, hissing with whispers of hatred.
"Look at you now…" it taunted. "Weak. Chained by compassion. Is this the new form of the monster who once swore to destroy the world?"
Zeref wiped the blood from his lips and stood again.
"No. This is the form of someone who's finally learned what life truly means."
He swung his hand, merging black and white mana into a spinning spear of light and shadow that exploded toward his shadow. But the figure only laughed and brushed it aside as if it were a gentle breeze.
"Then die with your weakness!"
The shadow vanished from its spot, appearing right in front of Zeref in an instant. A fist slammed into his stomach, followed by a mana-coated kick that sent him flying dozens of meters away.
So fast… far beyond my current speed, Zeref thought, panting. But that makes sense. Because he… is me without any limits.
Meanwhile, Arthur knelt in the snow. His breath was ragged, his eyes blurred by unstoppable tears. The figure of his mother was no longer silent — she circled him, whispering words that cut deeper than any mana blade.
"You failed to protect us…"
"You chose to die without thinking…"
"Did our love mean nothing to you…?"
Arthur bit his lip until it bled.
Stop… stop this… I've suffered enough…
[DING!]
Mental Status – Stability decreased by 32%
Assimilation Risk – 51%
"Arthur!" Zeref shouted as he blocked another blow. "Fight back! That's not your mother!"
Arthur stared blankly. "But… she's right. I did leave them…"
"And you also chose to live again!" Zeref roared in return. "If the past is a sin… then atone for it with the present you live now!"
That voice, for some reason, pierced through the fog in Arthur's mind.
His hands trembled, then slowly clenched into fists.
"Mother…" he whispered, staring straight at the shadow. "Forgive me. I can't go back… but I swear I will live in a way that makes you proud."
Suddenly, a crimson aura blazed from Arthur's body. The snow around him evaporated, and the wind swirled into a massive vortex. The shadow of his mother screamed before shattering into black mist and dissolving into the air.
[DING!]
Shadow Trial – Arthur: PASSED
Reward: World Key Fragment (1/2)
Arthur gasped for breath, but for the first time since the trial began, his eyes were clear. He turned toward Zeref — who was now being pushed back by his own shadow.
"Zeref! I won't let you fight alone… I'll help you!"
Arthur raised his sword high, merging his crimson and silver mana into a colossal slash that shot forward like a meteor toward Zeref's shadow. The blow struck true, forcing the figure backward with an enraged roar.
"Stay out of this, Pendragon!" the shadow snarled. "I am everything he wants to forget — and I will take over this body!"
"Try it," Zeref said, rising slowly, his body drenched in blood yet his smile unshaken. "Because I will never run from anyone… not even from myself."
He closed his eyes, then opened them again — this time with golden-glowing pupils. Holy and dark auras swirled in perfect balance around him, creating a pressure that made the snow fall even heavier.
"Thank you… for showing me the side I must confront."
In an instant, Zeref vanished from sight — his speed surpassing his previous limits. His body appeared behind the shadow, his fist crashing into it and shattering its dark aura. Blow after blow landed fast and precise, each one carrying the resolve to never again be consumed by past hatred.
"This… is the power of the new path I've chosen!"
With a final roar, Zeref drove the spear of light and darkness into the heart of his own shadow.
The shadow screamed, its body cracking before shattering into fragments of black mist that vanished into the gray sky.
[DING!]
Shadow Trial – Zeref: PASSED
Reward: World Key Fragment (2/2)
Special Mission: Merge the Fragments to unlock the Gate of the Chaos Realm.
Silence once again blanketed the place.
Only the heavy breaths of Zeref and Arthur echoed amidst the falling snow.
Arthur approached and extended his hand. "We did it."
Zeref took it. "Yes… for now."
But before they could catch their breath, a new crack ripped across the white sky — far larger and far more violent than before. From within came the sound of a woman's laughter… cold, echoing, and filled with delight.
"Hahaha… how interesting. Two souls from the mortal world have overcome their own shadows."
A silhouette slowly descended from the rift, cloaked in dark-violet light. Their eyes widened in shock.
"That's…" Zeref whispered, "…the Goddess of Chaos?"
Arthur drew his sword, his eyes locked sharply on the sky.
"Our battle isn't over yet."