The darkness remained.
Silent. Endless.
I stood there for a long time after he disappeared, unsure of what to do next. The air still felt heavy, like his presence hadn't fully left.
The Soulbound Arena…
The name echoed in my mind.
It didn't feel new.
It felt… remembered.
I clenched my fists.
"If you can't fight… you won't exist."
His words repeated again.
A rule.
Not advice.
Not a warning.
A fact.
I took a slow breath and forced myself to move.
Standing still wouldn't help.
Not here.
Not in a place like this.
As I walked, the ground beneath me began to change.
The endless empty surface slowly shifted into something else—cracked stone, uneven, worn down as if countless battles had taken place here.
And then—
I saw them.
Figures.
Dozens of them.
Standing in the distance.
My steps slowed.
They weren't shadows.
They looked… human.
Some stood alone. Others in small groups. All of them silent, waiting.
Watching.
Just like the shadows had.
A strange uneasiness crept into my chest.
I wasn't alone anymore.
As I got closer, I noticed the differences.
Their appearances varied—different clothes, different ages, different expressions.
But there was something common in all of them.
Their eyes.
Cold.
Tired.
As if they had seen too much.
As if they had been here for a long time.
The moment I stepped into their space—
Every gaze shifted toward me.
At once.
My body froze.
A whisper spread among them.
Low. Quiet. Uneasy.
"…new one…"
"…still breathing…"
"…impossible…"
I swallowed.
They knew.
They could feel it.
One of them stepped forward.
A tall man with sharp features and a calm but dangerous expression. His presence alone made the others step back slightly.
"Interesting," he said.
His voice was steady, controlled.
"You don't belong here."
The words felt familiar.
I met his gaze carefully.
"I've heard that already."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then you should understand what that means."
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't.
Not completely.
He studied me for a moment.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your scent…"
The word hit me strangely.
"Scent?" I repeated.
The murmurs around us grew louder.
"…it's the same…"
"…it can't be…"
"…she already left…"
My heart skipped a beat.
"What are you talking about?"
The man's expression changed.
Not shocked.
But interested.
"Tell me," he said slowly, "what is your name?"
"Anshu."
The moment I said it—
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Different from before.
This silence carried meaning.
Recognition.
The man exhaled slowly.
"So it's true…"
My chest tightened.
"What is?"
He stepped closer.
"Your scent matches someone who once fought here."
My mind raced.
"Who?"
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Then—
"Lily."
The name struck me like lightning.
Everything inside me froze.
"…what?"
The world around me seemed to blur.
"No… that's not possible…"
But deep inside—
Something reacted.
Something real.
"She…" my voice shook, "…she's my—"
"Sister."
He completed the sentence.
My heart pounded violently.
"How do you know that?!"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned slightly, glancing at the others.
"They remember her."
All around me, the souls were staring.
Not with curiosity anymore.
With something else.
Respect.
Fear.
"…she survived…"
"…she reached beyond…"
"…she cleared the trials…"
My breathing became uneven.
"She was here…?" I whispered.
The man nodded once.
"She wasn't just here."
His voice grew heavier.
"She was one of the few who made it out."
My mind struggled to process it.
"Made it out… where?"
He looked up.
Into the empty darkness above.
"Beyond the Arena."
"Elysium."
The word felt distant.
Unreachable.
"What… does that mean for me?"
This time, the man's expression hardened.
"It means," he said, "you've just become the most interesting target here."
A chill ran down my spine.
Before I could react—
A deep sound echoed through the ground.
Different from before.
Louder.
Clearer.
A massive structure began to rise in the distance.
Stone.
Ancient.
A gate.
Symbols glowed faintly across its surface.
The air shifted.
Tension spread instantly.
The souls around me straightened.
Focused.
The man beside me spoke quietly.
"Your first trial is about to begin."
My heart pounded.
"What trial?"
He looked at me.
This time—
There was no calm in his eyes.
Only seriousness.
"In the Soulbound Arena…"
He paused.
Then said—
"No one gets a second chance at their first fight."
The gate trembled.
And slowly—
It began to open.