"Surrender?" asked Issen.
"We have already used our best combinations of attacks, and they have not even used their abilities," said Ashar. "I cannot see a way for us to defeat them."
"Well, that's not good enough for me!"
He prepared an Axiom Arrow, intending to shoot it at the Soldier in the middle and detonate it in a flash that would blind the others.
One of the Soldiers raised his hand.
"Arrestment."
Ashar and Issen collapsed to the ground at once, their bodies frozen.
"Hey, wha—? I can't move! I can't move at all!"
"Stay calm," said Ashar.
"What happened to us? How did we get taken down so easily?"
It was Arrestment, a Tier Two ability. When activated, anything within its range would be completely frozen. Only another Tier Two being could counter it.
Against such power, Ashar and Issen were utterly helpless.
It was for this reason that Ashar saw no point in becoming emotionally invested.
"What happens now?" he asked calmly. "Do we die here?"
The three Soldiers stared at them, conducting silent assessments that Ashar and Issen could not follow. Then they turned and left the altar chamber, Ashar and Issen's bodies levitating behind them.
They entered a circular chamber with seven stone mirrors surrounding a central pedestal.
At the base of the pedestal lay another figure.
Two more Soldiers stood over her.
A blonde, haggard woman lay on the ground, her expression lifeless, yet strangely thoughtful.
"Maereth!" Issen cried.
She smiled faintly and looked down.
"Now you are all together," said one of the Soldiers. "Tell me which one of you is the former Eastern Leader."
The three of them remained silent.
"One of you used the Eye of Sophia earlier," another Soldier continued. "Which one was it? Was it the girl who escaped?"
Issen looked around in confusion.
"What's an Eye of Sophia?"
Without effort, a Soldier kicked him into the wall. The impact forced blood from Issen's mouth.
"Stop it!" Maereth shouted.
Ashar shot her a sharp look, warning her to stay quiet.
"I thought you were supposed to be emotionless killers," Maereth continued anyway. "What's making you lose your temper?"
"Why does it frustrate you so much?" another Soldier asked. "Do you have an attachment to this man?"
She nearly responded, but quickly realised the position she had put herself in and fell silent.
"Which one is it, then?" a Soldier asked. "Who is the Eastern Leader? Tell us now, and the rest of you can leave safely. After all, we are not monsters. We are simply trying to bring a dangerous individual to justice."
"No sane person would attempt to hide the Eastern Leader," another Soldier said. "Think about it. How many scavenger groups did he burn down without hesitation? How many tribes and brotherhoods did he slaughter? He was likely the reason many of you joined forces in the first place."
One of the Soldiers knelt beside Maereth.
"He probably killed someone you loved dearly, did he not? I can feel it radiating from you."
Maereth stared back without expression. The Soldier stood again.
"The Eastern Leader," he continued, "once overwhelming, who scattered the Shadow Clan throughout the Realms like rats… now reduced to a lowly First Tier peasant living underground. How tragic. A being who once existed in perfect bliss, free from worry, sadness, or the burden of good and evil, now forced to wander the world in doubt. No matter how much he hides it, the curse remains."
The central Soldier extended his hand, revealing a spell.
"All of that can change," he said. "Whoever takes this will be restored to the form of the Eastern Leader. All they must do is declare their desire for that power."
The Soldiers carefully watched the three captives, searching for the slightest crack in their expressions.
But they found none.
"Well?" the Soldier asked. "Who among you wishes to ascend?"
At last, they saw it.
In the centre of the group, Ashar allowed the faintest smile to appear.
"What a worthless bluff," he said.
"So it is you, then?"
"What do you mean?"
The Soldiers surrounded him, summoning their blades.
"You seem different from the others."
"Yes… it must be you."
"I'm just a straggler who followed them," said Ashar. "I think you have mistaken us for someone else."
A blade slid slowly toward his neck.
"We know it is you."
Ashar looked up, his blue eyes steady, his long dark hair hanging like a shadow in the mist.
"In that case," he said calmly, "do whatever it is you must."
The Soldiers remained still.
"Go on," Ashar continued. "Do something."
Still no movement.
"Oh… was that a bluff?" he said lightly. "My mistake. Let me ask you something instead. Why was the poison so slow to kill us? Surely your leader could have annihilated the entire forest instantly. So why attack us like that?"
He smiled.
"It was to guarantee that we came here, for the healing spells, so that we could be captured. Not killed. Captured. I wonder why."
Ashar's grin widened.
"If you kill the one who possesses the Eye, the ability will vanish. And then you will have failed your mission. The Supreme Leader will not rest until he extracts the secret of that power. Your flawless leader is disturbed by its existence."
Ashar began to laugh.
One of the Soldiers seized him by the throat and lifted him from the ground.
"It is clearly you," the Soldier said coldly. "We can simply extract the Eye from your body."
"Alright," said Ashar calmly. "Then do it."
The Soldier hesitated.
"Can you sense it on me?"
The Soldier paused.
There were five of them in the chamber, with at least four more waiting in the corridors.
And yet now all of them were trapped by the problem Ashar had created.
If he could not defeat them with his body—
he would defeat them with his mind.
On the pedestal beside them rested a glowing sphere of dormant Axiom energy.
Above it were engraved the words:
"The world is illusion.Truth is mind.Find the true mind."
Seven mirrors surrounded the pedestal.
Each reflected a different version of those who stood before them.
One showed them as children.One showed them dead.One showed them as monsters.One showed them as kings.One showed them as faceless shadows.One showed nothing at all.And one showed their present selves.
The pedestal contained seven empty slots.
Only one mirror could be chosen.
If the wrong mirror was selected, the one who chose would likely die.
This was the second trial.
Ashar chuckled quietly.
The battle had only just begun.