*****
Zephyr began recalling his most treasured memories.
"Son, let's go. We're going to catch some fish today." a man said—his face blurred, impossible to remember.
"Dear, lunch is ready. Call your father and your little brother," a gentle woman called out, her voice warm and comforting in a way Zephyr could never fully explain.
"Take this! Hahaha! Now I can defeat you!" a delicate voice echoed in his mind—a younger brother he could no longer clearly remember, yet the aching sense of loss clawed deeply within his heart.
'Why… am I… remembering this now…?'
Zephyr slowly lifted his head. All he could see was the end—darkness closing in, death approaching.
Yet…
"If… only… I were powerful… enough… maybe… this… wouldn't have happened…"
Still standing, barely clinging to life, Zephyr wiped the blood and tears from his face with his remaining hand.
Despite everything, his eyes burned.
Defiance.
A raging, unyielding will.
A desire so intense it shone like a divine sun within the abyss.
*****
In the deepest part of the freezing world, something stirred.
A fragment of existence—something that could not be defined by mere words—laughed maniacally.
"HAHA… HA?H??AHA… TH?E DE?SP?AIR… GR?IE??F… AND HO???PELESS?NESS… YET… THAT DEF?IA???NCE IN YO??UR EYES… IS COM???MEN?D??ABLE??…"
Its voice was distorted, fragmented, as if reality itself rejected its existence.
"A W?OR??THY SEED… TO BE N??URT??UR??ED… SH??OW ME… SOM??ETHING… MORE INTER??ESTI??NG… HU??MAN…"
With a simple flick of its finger—
Countless eyes opened within the massive trees.
In a single instant, they filled the sky.
And then...Everyone and everything died.
All the beings scattered throughout the trial were instantly annihilated.
No screams,no warning,no resistance.
They died without even knowing how.
A meaningless death.A dog's death.
This was the horror of existence.
To be erased on a whim—just to satisfy the curiosity of something far beyond comprehension.
To such beings, all life was insignificant.
Like insects, struggling to live and clawing to an endless pit
Desperately chasing power, wealth, and glory through the Ascent.
Yet to others...
It was nothing more than entertainment.
This was reality.
Bodies exploded without reason. Blood painted the frozen world—but within seconds, everything vanished like mist into thin air.
As if none of it had ever existed.
Zephyr watched what should have been his final moments.
The Minotaur charging toward him suddenly exploded into nothingness.
He didn't understand.He couldn't understand.
Then—
Everything changed.
The frozen wasteland disappeared.
Zephyr found himself kneeling.
Before him stood a grandiose castle, towering into the heavens.
Massive spires pierced the sky. The architecture was breathtaking—intricate carvings, colossal columns, and ancient engravings that seemed to hold forgotten secrets.
Statues of regal warriors lined the hall, each holding different weapons, radiating power and authority.
And at the very center—
A throne.
A massive throne that seemed to touch the sky itself.
It was made of a material that absorbed all light, as if darkness itself had been forged into form. Its design was so intricate, so flawless, that it felt as though it had been crafted by the hands of gods.
And upon that throne…
Sat a being.
A being with countless maws.
Its crown radiated authority—regal, glorious, and malevolent all at once.
Yet beyond its majesty, there was something far more terrifying.
Despair,Carnage and Unfathomable horror.
A presence so overwhelming that
existence itself seemed to tremble.
Zephyr instinctively tried to open his eyes wider
But in that very moment...They burst.
Blood splattered across his face as pain consumed him.No one was allowed to gaze upon such a being.
"H?MM… YO??U H??AVE… S??OME COU??RAG??E… I WILL G??IVE YOU TH??AT… BUT ON??E M??UST K??NOW… THAT B??EING W??EAK… IS A S??IN??…"
The pressure crushed him.
The hopelessness he had felt before the Minotaur was nothing compared to this.
This—Was true dread.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHGGGGG---!!!"
Zephyr screamed with everything he had.
Yet at the same time…No sound escaped.
'What… is happening… to me…?!I don't… want to die… yet…I need… to save my brother…I need…revenge…'His thoughts spiraled endlessly, repeating over and over again, refusing to fade.
"HA??HA??H?A… DO Y??O?U W??ANT RE???VEN???GE… HU??MAN?" the being ask
"DO YOU W???ANT PO??WER?,BUT THE QUESTION IS…DO YOU HAVE… WHAT IT TAKES?"
'I… want… power… I want power…! I WANT POWER!! I don't care… if I die…Just give it to me…!!!'
Though his body could no longer respond, his thoughts screamed louder than ever.
"HA???HA?HAHA??… AS YO??U WI??SH."
With another flick—
A mysterious wisp appeared.
It drifted slowly through the air before plunging directly into Zephyr's forehead.
The moment it entered—
His consciousness shattered.
"ARGHHHHHH!!!"
Zephyr screamed as he jolted awake.
It felt as if his head had been split in two.
"Hah… hah… hah… where… am I…?"
He gasped, struggling to breathe.
Then he froze.
His eyes—They were back.Restored.
His arm—The one that had been severed—Was completely whole again.
Zephyr stared at his body in disbelief.
Everything was… healed.But one question lingered in his mind.
What happened?
After he lost consciousness—There was nothing.No memory.No trace.It was as if everything had been erased.
Trials were mysterious.It was widely known that they were remnants of the past—fragments of something ancient and unknown.
Those chosen were thrown into these trials, transported to other worlds… or perhaps remnants of worlds long gone.
No one truly knew, they were forced to face challenges designed by something beyond comprehension.If they survived they lived. If they failed they died.
Simple, Cruel and Absolute.
That was the rule of this world.The strong survived.The weak were left behind to rot.
Zephyr slowly stood up, his body trembling.
He looked around.
The frozen wasteland was gone.
The suffocating presence was gone.
Everything was… normal..He was back.
"I… survived…?"His voice trembled.
Zephyr couldn't believe it.He had been certain of his death.
Yet somehow—He lived.
He tried to recall that being.The one who spoke to him.
The one who gave him something.
But no matter how hard he tried—There was nothing.
No face,No voice,No memory.
Everything felt like a mirage.A fleeting illusion.As if it had never happened at all.
And yet—Deep within him...
Something had changed.Something was… waiting.