When Scott stepped through the gate, he braced himself.
He had expected—
A battlefield.
A monster.
A clear test.
Something he could see.
Something he could fight.
But instead—
There was nothing.
No light.
No ground.
No sky.
No sound.
Just darkness.
Absolute darkness.
Scott froze.
He slowly raised his hand in front of his face.
Nothing.
He couldn't see it.
Not even a shadow.
Not even the faintest outline.
"…What in the world is this?" he muttered, his voice unnaturally loud in the void.
It echoed.
Then disappeared.
His heart began to beat faster.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't like anything he had read.
A trial wasn't supposed to be… empty.
Scott took a cautious step forward.
Then another.
Each movement felt uncertain, as though he wasn't even sure the ground beneath him existed.
"…A trial where I just stand in the dark?" he said, forcing a dry laugh. "That's ridiculous."
But even as he said it—
He didn't believe it.
Because something was wrong.
Then—
He felt it.
A shift.
Subtle.
Almost nonexistent.
But real.
Scott's entire body tensed instantly.
A cold sensation crawled up his spine.
"…Something's here."
He couldn't see it.
He couldn't hear it.
But he knew.
He slowly turned his head.
Listening.
Feeling.
Trying to catch even the slightest hint of movement.
Nothing.
And then—
Slash.
A sharp, invisible force cut across his waist.
Scott's eyes widened.
"—!"
Pain exploded through his body.
He staggered back, clutching his side.
That was deep.
Too deep.
His breathing became uneven.
"…Damn it…"
He looked down instinctively—
But still saw nothing.
And then he noticed something worse.
There was no blood.
Scott froze.
"…What…?"
He pressed his hand against the wound.
No warmth.
No liquid.
No blood.
But he could feel it.
Something was leaving him.
Not his body—
But something deeper.
His life.
Scott's pupils shrank.
"It's… draining me…"
The realization hit hard.
This wasn't a normal attack.
It wasn't physical damage.
It was existential.
If this continued—
He wouldn't just die.
He would be erased.
Scott immediately steadied himself.
"Focus…"
He closed his eyes briefly.
And activated what little control he had.
Life.
He didn't dare fully use it.
Not yet.
Not recklessly.
Instead, he drew on fragments of it.
Stabilizing his body.
Reinforcing his mind.
Restoring what had been taken.
Slowly—
The wound began to close.
The draining stopped.
Scott exhaled quietly.
"…So it works."
But his expression remained tense.
Because now he knew—
This trial wasn't about strength.
It was about something else.
Something far more dangerous.
He opened his eyes again.
Still darkness.
Still nothing.
Then—
He swung.
His arm cut through the air violently.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He moved wildly, attacking every direction.
Trying to hit something.
Anything.
Hours seemed to pass.
Or maybe minutes.
Time had no meaning here.
But no matter what he did—
He hit nothing.
Another slash.
His shoulder this time.
Another drain.
Another silent loss.
Scott gritted his teeth.
"This is pointless…"
It was like trying to catch a shadow.
No—
Worse.
It was like being hunted by something that didn't exist.
He stopped moving.
Breathing heavily.
Thinking.
I can't fight what I can't see.
Silence surrounded him again.
Oppressive.
Endless.
Then—
Scott made a decision.
"…Fine."
His voice was calm now.
Resolved.
"I'll use it."
He slowly closed his eyes.
Letting everything else fade.
The darkness.
The fear.
The pain.
All of it.
And then—
He reached inward.
"My life is my life…"
The words did not leave his lips.
They didn't need to.
They resonated within him.
"Your life is my life…"
His mind sharpened.
His awareness deepened.
"There is no life outside my life…"
Something shifted.
Not outside—
But inside him.
Then—
It happened.
Scott felt it.
Like a thin veil being lifted.
Like something that had always been covering his perception… finally being removed.
His breathing slowed.
His mind became completely still.
And then—
He opened his eyes.
The darkness remained.
But it was no longer empty.
"…What…?"
They were everywhere.
Shapes.
Distorted.
Thin.
Twisted.
Thousands of them.
They clung to the space around him.
Crawling.
Floating.
Watching.
Each one barely visible—
Like shadows within shadows.
Scott's eyes widened.
"…You've got to be kidding me…"
The creatures froze.
As if they had just realized—
He could see them.
For the first time—
They reacted.
A ripple moved through the swarm.
Scott's heartbeat quickened.
"…So this was the trial."
Not strength.
Not endurance.
Perception.
And survival.
The creatures began to move again.
Slowly.
Cautiously.
Circling him.
But this time—
Scott didn't panic.
Because now—
He could see.
And more importantly—
He understood.
"…You're not invisible," he said quietly.
"You just exist… where I couldn't see before."
His body relaxed slightly.
His stance stabilized.
And for the first time since entering the Gate—
Scott smiled.
"…Now we can fight."
The shadows surged forward.
And Scott stepped into them.