Julian's laughter echoed in Kael's mind, a cold, mocking chorus that tainted the golden light of the Primal Seed in his hand. The air around them grew thick, not with mana, but with a suffocating, ancient pressure. This wasn't a trap for his body, but for his very existence.
The ground beneath his feet melted away. The mossy forest floor, the silvery trees, the moonlit sky all of it dissolved into a screaming, purple-black torrent of energy. Kael fell into the abyss, the Primal Seed a hot, burning ember in his palm. The Ledger screamed in his mind.
[Trial Protocol: Initiated]
[Progenitor Event: Activated]
[Status: Host Locked]
He landed not on solid ground, but on a vast, cracked plane of shimmering obsidian. A sky of swirling, chaotic nebulae swirled above him. The air thrummed with raw, unfettered power. This was a Trial Realm, a pocket dimension carved from the raw essence of Mythos Prime itself.
From the cracks in the obsidian ground, a primeval form began to rise. It was a creature of myth, a fusion of stone and light, its body a colossal humanoid shape made of obsidian plates that pulsed with the light of trapped galaxies. Its eyes were burning emeralds, and its breath was a plume of freezing cosmic dust. This was a Stone Progenitor, a physical incarnation of the will of this realm. It was a being of pure, brute force and ancient logic, and its sole purpose was to crush new Players.
The Progenitor's voice rumbled in the air, a sound like grinding continents. "New Player, you carry the Seed and you carry the Debt. Surrender your Karma, or be assimilated into the Mythos."
This was not a creature of intelligence but a force of nature. Kael had no choice but to fight. The Progenitor was massive. Its first step shook the entire realm. Kael dodged the colossal foot, the air cracking from the sheer kinetic force. He was outmatched in power, but not in knowledge.
In his past life, Kael's old self had studied the ancient myths of Mythos Prime, believing them to be just stories. But he remembered a detail the Progenitors were beings of raw will, and they were utterly predictable. They had no creativity. He also remembered their greatest weakness: a specific frequency of sonic mana that would destabilize their obsidian bodies.
Kael began to fight, not with brute strength, but with a desperate, calculated dance. He wove through the Progenitor's attacks, a tiny fly against a mountain. He used the Ardyn Clan's most basic agility techniques, a blur of motion that kept him just ahead of its earth-shattering strikes. He used his mana, not for attack, but to produce a series of high-pitched, resonant tones. The sound was inaudible to the human ear, but it was a piercing, discordant note in the Progenitor's physical form.
The Progenitor's body began to shimmer, the plates of obsidian vibrating erratically. The emerald light in its eyes flickered. Kael pushed more mana into the sonic frequency, driving his body to its limits. He had to break the Progenitor's form before its cold, logical mind could adapt.
With a final, desperate surge of mana, Kael threw his entire body into a single, focused sonic attack. A wave of pure, concentrated energy slammed into the Progenitor. The sound of cracking stone echoed through the void. The magnificent form of the Progenitor shuddered, then began to crumble, the plates of obsidian dissolving into shimmering motes of light. The emerald light in its eyes dimmed, then vanished completely. The monster was gone.
Kael collapsed to the ground, panting, his body screaming in protest. He had done it. He had defeated the Progenitor. The Ledger chimed a victory notification.
[Trial: Passed. Progenitor Subdued. Reward: Karma Points +100]
But the realm didn't disappear. The obsidian plane remained, a silent, empty space. The Keybearer's voice returned, its tone flat and final.
"Trial concluded. The path to the next Vestige Realm is now open. Keybearer is ready to accept the new Player."
Kael's heart sank. He wasn't free. He was just the new guardian. Julian's voice, now crystal clear and devoid of any sonic interference, echoed through the empty realm, a triumphant sound of total victory.
"Congratulations, Kael. You beat my first test. You earned the right to stay. The Primal Seed wasn't a bomb, it was an anchor. You are now the 'Player' of this realm, and I am the one who has the key to get out."
Julian's voice was the last thing he heard before a heavy, invisible weight settled upon him. He looked down at his own body. He was no longer a person; he was a key. A key to a door he couldn't open. Julian's laugh was the last thing he heard as the world of Mythos Prime, the world where Julian was now free to act, spun away.
"Enjoy your little kingdom, Kael. I've just won our game. Now, let's see what you do when the entire board is your prison."