Jade's grin widened.
For a moment, he simply stood there, allowing the feeling to wash over him.
He had done it.
After everything he had suffered.
After being forgotten by the world.
After becoming a stranger to the people he cared about most.
After watching his friends look at him with confusion.
After hearing them deny even knowing who he was.
It was finally over.
The loneliness was gone.
The silence was gone.
His Fate had returned.
Jade looked at Aviana and laughed.
A genuine laugh.
One free from bitterness.
One free from pain.
"I got back my Fate," he said softly.
"Beast God returned it."
The moment the words left his mouth, Aviana threw her arms around him.
The impact nearly knocked him backward.
She hugged him so tightly that even Jade felt his ribs protest.
"I never want you to leave my side again," she whispered.
There was anger in her voice.
Relief.
Fear.
And something deeper she couldn't put into words.
Jade's smile softened.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
The battlefield around them seemed distant.
The screams.
The fighting.
The monsters.
Everything faded away.
Only that moment mattered.
Finally, Jade spoke.
"I can't promise that."
Aviana tightened her grip.
Jade chuckled awkwardly.
"But I'll try."
He looked toward the horizon.
"I'll try my best to never leave your side."
Aviana nodded silently.
Meanwhile, Aaron was still cutting down monsters.
Seven floating swords circled around him like loyal guardians.
Each sword moved independently.
Each sword carved through creatures with terrifying precision.
Monsters died wherever the blades passed.
Yet Aaron's attention wasn't fully on the battle anymore.
Something felt different.
A missing piece had returned.
A forgotten memory had suddenly snapped back into place.
Then realization hit him.
His eyes widened.
"Oh."
Aaron nearly laughed.
His swords almost missed their targets.
"Oh!"
More memories returned.
The convoy.
The trial.
The promises.
The arguments.
The plans.
The countless battles.
And standing in all of them—
Jade.
Aaron slapped his forehead.
"How in the world did I forget Jade?"
The thought sounded absurd.
Impossible.
Yet somehow it had happened.
Then another realization struck him.
He remembered everything Jade had accomplished during the trial.
His eyes slowly moved toward the young man standing beside Aviana.
Aaron's expression changed.
"Wait..."
He stared harder.
"Is Jade actually that terrifying?"
The more he remembered, the more unbelievable it became.
The countless creatures.
The impossible situations.
The ridiculous plans.
The blood oath.
Everything.
The realization almost made Aaron laugh again.
At the same time, similar scenes were happening across the battlefield.
Henry suddenly froze.
A memory returned.
Then another.
Then another.
His jaw dropped.
Blake stopped fighting for a moment.
Sarah blinked repeatedly.
Ella nearly missed a strike.
One after another, memories flooded back.
The forgotten pieces returned.
The missing person returned.
Jade returned.
The blood oath.
The promise.
The vow he had made before entering the trial.
To bring them back before nightfall.
Every single person remembered.
And then they noticed something.
The sky.
It was still morning.
The trial had not even lasted a full day.
Jade had actually done it.
He had kept his oath.
An impossible oath.
Yet he had fulfilled it anyway.
Nearby, the crippled copy of Ant Demon continued writhing on the ground.
Its body was already collapsing.
Its copied powers were failing.
Its death aura weakened with every passing second.
Jade slowly walked toward it.
The creature looked up.
Its eyes contained fear.
For the first time.
Fear.
Jade didn't hesitate.
The creature had caused enough trouble.
His beast senses immediately identified the weak point.
One clean strike.
The crimson greatsword flashed.
The creature's head separated from its body.
Silence followed.
Then the familiar voice finally returned.
Not distant.
Not disconnected.
Not muted.
The System.
Its voice echoed clearly inside Jade's mind.
You have slain an Initiate Overlord.
Data acquired.
Data Name: Titan Beast Clone.
Data Type: Echo.
Data Rank: Evolvable.
Data Class: Evolvable.
Jade stared at the notification.
For a moment, he simply smiled.
Not because of the reward.
Not because of the Echo.
But because of what it represented.
The System could see him again.
The world could see him again.
His Fate had truly returned.
Yet surprisingly—
Jade wasn't as excited about the System as he would have been before.
Instead, he found himself thinking about Beast God's words.
Thinking about the period when he had been disconnected.
Thinking about how helpless everyone would have been if he had relied entirely on System data.
A lesson had been carved deeply into his soul.
Never depend completely on the System.
The System was useful.
Powerful.
Necessary.
But it could also be taken away.
Jade now understood something many awakened warriors never learned.
Power that belonged entirely to someone else could never truly be trusted.
If he wished to survive the future—
He needed another path.
His own path.
He needed knowledge.
Ancient knowledge.
The language of the old world.
The secrets hidden before the System existed.
Methods of becoming stronger without relying on data.
Methods of fighting without depending on echoes.
Methods of surviving even if Fate abandoned him again.
Because one day—
He might have to disconnect himself from Fate willingly.
And when that day came—
He intended to survive it.
Jade's thoughts were interrupted when several figures suddenly crashed into him.
He blinked.
Then nearly fell over.
Arms wrapped around him from every direction.
Aaron.
Henry.
Sarah.
Ella.
All at once.
Jade immediately regretted standing still.
Henry was the first to speak.
"How could I forget you?"
He shook his head repeatedly.
"Seriously, Jade. That's insane."
Then he laughed.
"Thanks, man."
Ella crossed her arms.
Her expression was stern.
Very stern.
"Please don't ever do that again."
Jade opened his mouth.
Ella immediately pointed a finger at him.
"No."
"You don't get to explain."
"You don't get to justify it."
"You don't get to say it wasn't your fault."
"Just don't do it again."
Aaron immediately interrupted.
"That's my line."
He placed an arm around Jade's shoulder.
Then he looked directly into Jade's eyes.
For once, he wasn't joking.
For once, he wasn't smiling.
"Seriously."
"Don't ever do that again."
Jade scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I'll try."
Sarah suddenly stepped forward.
Her expression was completely serious.
"Jade."
"Next time, kill yourself before putting us through that again."
Silence.
Everyone stared at her.
Jade blinked.
Aaron blinked.
Henry blinked.
Even Ella looked confused.
Sarah frowned.
Then realization slowly appeared on her face.
"Wait."
She looked around.
"That was a joke."
More silence.
Sarah sighed.
"Am I really that bad at making jokes?"
Aaron immediately pointed at her.
"Never do that again."
The entire group burst into laughter.
Even Sarah started laughing.
The tension finally disappeared.
Jade laughed harder than anyone.
For the first time in what felt like forever—
Everything felt normal again.
Aaron eventually recovered and pointed at Jade.
Jade smirked.
"Don't make me kiss you again."
Aaron immediately jumped backward.
"Watch where your lips are going."
He pointed dramatically.
"They should never touch that of my sister."
The group laughed even harder.
Even nearby convoy members began smiling.
Then suddenly—
The battlefield shook.
Everyone turned.
Aviana had reached the treasure.
The radiant sphere floating above the ground.
The thing that had caused everything.
Without hesitation, she grabbed it.
The sphere shone brighter than the sun.
Then—
She slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
A wave of golden light exploded outward.
The light spread across the entire Trial Forest.
Across every battlefield.
Across every mountain.
Across every river.
Across every tree.
The world itself seemed to tremble.
Then something miraculous happened.
The Shadowed Area vanished.
The eternal darkness disappeared.
The corrupted shadows faded.
The black mist dissolved.
The cursed land returned to normal.
Grass grew.
Trees regained their color.
Sunlight touched places it had never reached before.
The shadow monsters looked around in confusion.
Then one by one—
They faded.
Their purpose had ended.
The curse had been broken.
The trial was complete.
A few moments later, a familiar voice echoed across the entire forest.
Every participant heard it.
Even those who had naturally become Initiates.
Even those far away.
The System spoke.
Congratulations, Aspirants.
You have conquered your First Trial.
The world trembled once more.
Then doors began appearing.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Each participant received one.
Every door was different.
Every door was unique.
Every door carried a single name.
Jade looked forward.
His own door stood before him.
His name glowed brightly upon its surface.
The doorway home.
The doorway to his appraisal.
The doorway to the next chapter of his life.
Around him, everyone stared at their doors.
Excitement filled the air.
Relief.
Joy.
Victory.
Then Aaron suddenly raised his hand.
"Wait."
Everyone stopped.
Aaron pointed directly at Jade.
A grin spread across his face.
"I think someone should say a few words before we leave."
The convoy followed his gaze.
Hundreds of eyes landed on Jade.
The warriors who had fought beside him.
The people he had protected.
The people he had led.
The people whose lives had been changed by the trial.
For a moment, complete silence covered the forest.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting to hear what Jade would say.
And Jade slowly looked at all of them.
The countless survivors standing before him.
The people who had suffered together.
The people who had survived together.
Then he took a step forward.
And opened his mouth to speak.