The air inside the Temple of Lost Memories was thick, almost tangible, pressing against Jaswant's chest like an invisible force. Shadows twisted along the walls, flickering with a life of their own, whispering secrets in a language only the soul could understand.
Ahead of him, the massive guardian shifted, molten rock and shadow writhing in a monstrous form. Its eyes glowed with a fiery intelligence, and the floor trembled with each of its steps. Jaswant's system pinged:
"Guardian Detected. Estimated Power Level: Supreme. Recommended: Full Skill Utilization."
He swallowed hard but did not step back. Every fiber of his being screamed caution, but the year of survival, training, and betrayal had taught him one rule: power favors the bold.
[Jaswant was a little nervous when a voice echoed.]
(The First Soul Essence: The Essence of Will)
---
[As the sound echoed, the domain in front of him began to change.]
The cavern pulsed with heat.
Every breath Jaswant took burned his throat like acid.
He stood at the threshold of a world carved from molten rock — rivers of fire flowing like veins of a living god. The air shimmered, heavy with the scent of ash and ozone. His skin prickled, sweat turning instantly to steam.
[ Trial Initiation: Trial of the Unyielding Flame]
Objective: Endure. Do not retreat. Do not resist.
The voice of the system echoed like judgment in the void.
As he stepped forward, the flames stirred — whispering. At first, it sounded like the crackle of burning wood. Then came the voices.
"You couldn't save her…"
"You watched them die."
"You were never enough, Jaswant."
He froze.
Those were his memories — his failures, alive and speaking.
The fire twisted upward, forming human-like figures, sculpted from living flame. Their faces shifted between those he once loved and those who betrayed him —Vihaan and his mother Mandira.
"Get out of my head," he growled, summoning energy into his palm. His Crushing Index Finger glowed with power — he thrust it forward.
The fire dispersed… then reformed.
[Warning: Physical attacks ineffective. Trial is spiritual.]
He cursed, staggering back.
The heat grew unbearable. The whispers turned to screams.
"You burned everything you touched!"
"You destroy more than you protect!"
"You are the fire — not the savior."
His knees buckled. His vision blurred.
It wasn't the fire consuming him anymore — it was guilt.
He clenched his fists, trembling. "I am not defined by your lies," he whispered — but even his voice faltered.
The system's alert cut through the chaos:
[Mental Stability: 41%]
[Body Temperature: Critical]
The river of fire ahead seemed to stretch into infinity, and on the far side of it shimmered a golden crystal — the Soul Essence of Will.
It called to him, faintly glowing like a heartbeat.
---
The River of Fire
The bridge was narrow — no railings, no safety, only molten death below.
"Cross," the system commanded.
"Or perish."
Jaswant inhaled deeply. His chest ached.
He stepped forward — one foot, then another.
Each step drew screams from his nerves. The soles of his boots melted. The flames licked his flesh, carving burning sigils into his skin. He bit his lip until blood flowed.
"Why… why do you burn me?" he rasped.
The flames answered, their chorus merging into a single voice.
"Because you still doubt."
The bridge trembled — cracks spread beneath him. His body screamed to stop. But he kept walking.
His mind whispered: You've failed before. You'll fail again.
But his soul screamed louder:
"Even if I fall, I will not kneel."
---
Midway across the bridge, the stone beneath his feet shattered.
He plummeted into the molten abyss.
Flames engulfed him instantly — yet death didn't come. Instead, agony did.
It was pain unlike any wound. His spirit was on fire — every regret, every memory, every broken promise burning alive inside him.
He saw Vihaan's smirk. Mandira's betrayal. His mother's dying eyes.
"You couldn't protect anyone," the flames hissed.
"Then burn me!" he roared. His scream echoed through the cavern like thunder. "If pain is what it takes to change… then burn me until nothing false remains!"
The fire pulsed. The molten current stopped flowing.
[Resonance Detected — Undefined Energy Forming]
---
The flames around him shifted — crimson turning gold.
The heat no longer scalded; it embraced.
Each breath fed the fire within him. His body glowed with inner light. The more he accepted the pain, the more the fire obeyed him.
"I understand now…" he whispered. "The fire isn't my enemy. It's my teacher."
A brilliant flame erupted from his heart — a pillar of light piercing the darkness. The entire cavern trembled.
The molten river parted, revealing a radiant sphere hovering in midair — the Soul Essence of Will.
Jaswant rose from the river, untouched, his eyes burning like twin suns. The fire bowed to him, swirling in reverence.
He stepped forward and extended his hand.
The Essence floated into his palm, its warmth neither burning nor soothing — it simply was.
[The fragment of first Soul Essence of Will Acquired]
[New Ability Unlocked: Flameheart]
[Title Earned: The Unyielding One]
The cavern walls erupted into blinding gold light.
The flames whispered one final time — not mocking, not cruel, but reverent.
"Fire does not destroy the worthy. It forges them."
---
When Jaswant opened his eyes again, he stood on solid ground, far from the burning cavern. His wounds were gone, replaced by glowing, ember-like runes that pulsed faintly across his chest.
He looked down at his hands — they trembled not from weakness, but from power.
He smiled faintly.
"Then let the next trial come," he murmured.
"I've already walked through hell."
---
As he muttered, the domain began to change and the trial began.
Yet one thought haunted him: the remaining Soul Essences. Where were they hidden? What trials awaited him? And more importantly, what would he have to sacrifice to claim them all?
[The system sound echoed – Second trial begins]
"Warning: The next Guardian possesses intelligence surpassing human comprehension. Strategy required. Recklessness will be punished."
Jaswant smirked, a spark of dark determination in his eyes. Then let the game begin. Let every Guardian know the Nameless God has arrived.
---
Trial of the Infinite Mirror
(The Second Soul Essence: The Essence of Truth)
---
The Temple gates sealed behind him with a sound like glass breaking.
Silence filled the air — deep, unnatural silence.
Before him stretched a vast hall, seemingly endless.
Every surface shimmered with reflection — walls, ceiling, even the air itself.
It was not a room; it was a maze of mirrors, each reflecting not reality… but possibilities.
[Trial Initiation: Trial of the Infinite Mirror]
[Objective: Face the truth of the self. Accept what is real. Deny what is false.]
[Warning: Lies within may take form.]
'The hall of reflection's corridors stretched endlessly, their walls shifting subtly as if alive, responding to Jaswant's presence.'
Jaswant exhaled slowly.
He could handle flame, blood, and pain — but the stillness here unnerved him more than fire ever could.
As he stepped forward, his reflection followed — not in sync, but with a delay.
---
The First Reflection
He turned left. The reflection smiled.
But he did not.
The glass rippled, and the reflection stepped out — wearing his face, his clothes… but its eyes were hollow.
When it spoke, its voice echoed with bitterness.
"You're no hero, Jaswant."
"You fight not for justice — but for revenge."
He tightened his fists. "You're wrong."
"Am I? You say you fight to expose Vihaan and Mandira, but deep inside… you just want to see them suffer."
The mirror shuddered — cracks spreading like veins of truth.
The reflection grinned. "Tell me — how many have died because of your choices?"
Jaswant launched forward, striking it with Crushing Index Finger.
The mirror shattered, and shards fell — but each fragment reflected his face, whispering:
"Murderer."
"Failure."
"Pretender."
He stumbled back, heart pounding. For the first time since entering the temple, he felt fear.
---
The Hall of Lies
He walked deeper.
The path kept splitting, twisting — every mirror showing a different life.
In one reflection, he saw himself crowned as a god — worshipped, adored.
In another, he was broken and forgotten, crawling through ash.
In yet another, he stood beside Mandira… smiling.
"Which one are you?" the system asked, voice emotionless.
Jaswant stood between the mirrors, lost.
"I don't know," he whispered.
The reflections began to move on their own, surrounding him in a circle.
Each one spoke — louder, faster, overlapping:
"You crave power."
"You're a coward."
"You still love her."
"You killed him."
"You're nothing."
Their words struck like blades.
He tried to destroy them — each time, the mirrors reformed.
The air grew colder. The reflections twisted into monstrous parodies of himself — eyes black, mouths stretched into endless grins.
"You can't shatter us," they hissed. "You built us."
---
He fell to his knees.
The floor beneath him rippled like water, and he saw his reflection — not distorted, not monstrous. Just him.
Bruised. Tired. Human.
"You tried," the reflection said softly. "You failed. You lost everything. And you kept going."
Tears welled in Jaswant's eyes.
"I made mistakes," he whispered. "I wasn't strong enough to save them. I wasn't perfect… but I never stopped trying."
He stood, voice shaking but clear.
"I am not your illusion. I am not your god. I am me. Broken, flawed, but unyielding."
---
The hall began to glow.
Every mirror shattered at once, their glass transforming into particles of light.
The countless false Jaswants dissolved, their whispers fading into silence.
The system chimed.
[Truth Acknowledged]
[Self-Awareness Reached: Stage One Complete]
From the remnants of the mirrors rose a single beam of silver light — pure, radiant, unwavering.
Inside it floated the Soul Essence of Truth — a crystal shaped like a single, perfect tear.
Jaswant reached for it.
The crystal pulsed, and a wave of clarity surged through him — memories realigned, emotions balanced, illusions dispelled.
A single Soul Fragment floated toward him, glowing brighter than the last. Jaswant caught it, feeling power surge through him.
[The second fragment: Soul Essence of Truth Acquired]
[New Ability Unlocked: Perception Break — Allows the user to see through illusion and deceit]
[System Note: Truth liberates the mind, but burdens the heart.]
---
The Voice in the Light
As he turned to leave, a voice whispered from the dissolving hall — gentle, ancient.
"To see truth is to bear pain, Jaswant. Most fear it. Few embrace it."
He paused.
"Then let the truth hurt," he said quietly. "Because lies have hurt me more."
The hall vanished into pure white light — and when he opened his eyes again, he stood at the entrance to the next temple.
Behind him, the Hall of Mirrors was gone.
Before him, a bridge of dusk stretched endlessly into a realm of twilight — the path to the Trial of Balance.
"Soul Fragment 2/5 acquired," the system announced.
And so, the journey continued — a descent into shadows, a test of power, and the unyielding pursuit of the Five Soul Essences.