The sun had shifted lower in the sky, casting long, golden beams across the city square. The tension that had momentarily eased after the first round now thickened again as the elders returned to the center platform. Their robes swayed lightly in the wind, their expressions unreadable.

The First Elder stepped forward, his silver eyes sweeping over the contestants. "The first round is now complete," he announced, his voice carrying through the plaza. "The second round begins immediately."

Murmurs broke out among the gathered cultivators. Some still reeled from their results in the first round, while others straightened their backs, ready for whatever trial lay ahead.

The Third Elder, draped in black with a silver sash, raised his hand for silence. "All of you will now be divided into groups of ten. Each group will take their place at one of the side stages."

Masked disciples moved swiftly through the crowd, guiding contestants toward their designated spots. Aaryan found himself among a mixed group—some looked confident, others uneasy.

On each side stage, the contestants formed a circle, sitting cross-legged. In front of each of them lay a single, round object, not bigger than a baby’s fist—an Astral Seed.

The Fourth Elder, an old woman with dark tattoos curling up her arms, stepped forward, her voice carrying an eerie calm. "Before each of you lies an Astral Seed," she said. "A magic artifact, inscribed with chants and mystic spells."

Aaryan's gaze flickered toward the object. The Astral Seed was no ordinary item—it pulsed faintly, as though a dormant energy lay within. Covered in intricate, almost living inscriptions, it radiated an indescribable pressure, neither hostile nor welcoming, merely... waiting.

The Second Elder, the one in silver mist-embroidered robes, continued. "Each of you will drop a single drop of blood onto the Astral Seed. The moment your blood touches it, the second round will begin."

A cold gust of wind swept through the square, though the sky remained clear.

The contestants exchanged glances. Some reached for their daggers immediately, pricking their fingers without hesitation, while others hesitated, wary of what lay ahead.

Aaryan took a steady breath. His fingers hovered over his dagger. He hesitated—not out of fear, but out of thought.

The first round had rejected him. The stone had shown nothing. But this time, there was no stone to judge him. No silent crowd waiting to mock his failure.

This was different.

This was a challenge that required only his will.

"It doesn't matter what happened before. I will not fail again."

He drew his dagger in a swift, controlled motion. The sharp edge pressed against his fingertip, a thin bead of blood welling up.

His gaze hardened.

A part of him wanted to yell at them, to scream that it wasn’t his fault. That the stupid stone was wrong. That he wasn’t weak.

But he wouldn’t.

He never cried, not when he was kicked in the dirt, not when they took food from his hands, not even when he was left to fend for himself. But this... this was worse.

Being laughed at in front of so many people, being told he was nothing.

His small fingers tightened around the hilt of the dagger.

His throat felt tight, but he swallowed it down.

"Fine."

If they wanted him to fail, to give up, then he would do the opposite.

He raised the dagger and pressed the tip against his fingertip. The sting barely registered. A single drop of blood welled up.

"I'll show them. They laugh at me because they think I am weak. They won’t be laughing for long."

With that final thought, he let the drop of blood fall onto the Astral Seed.

As the blood splashed onto the seed, the symbols carved into it ignited, glowing with an otherworldly radiance.

And then—

The world around them shifted.

Aaryan blinked.

One moment, he had been sitting on the cold stone stage, the Astral Seed glowing beneath his fingertips. The next—everything had changed.

He found himself standing in the middle of a dense, ancient forest. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something sharper—something metallic. The towering trees around him were twisted and gnarled, their bark covered in glowing veins that pulsed like faintly beating hearts. Strange mist drifted along the forest floor, curling around his ankles like ghostly fingers.

His breath came out uneven. "Where am I?"

His small hands clenched into fists as his eyes darted around, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing he remembered was the Astral Seed’s glow—but this? Was this real? A dream? A hallucination?

Other contestants were in similar situations, looking around in confusion. Some were muttering to themselves, others cautiously taking defensive stances.

Aaryan took a slow breath, steadying himself.

This place felt… off.

The weight in the air, the way the wind barely moved—it wasn’t normal. It reminded him of something. Something he had felt before.

Then, it clicked.

His heart pounded as the realization struck him.

The valley.

The night the scorpion-tailed wolves had lurked in the shadows, unseen but watching.

That same oppressive feeling, that sensation of being prey.

He stiffened. His skin crawled.

Something was here.

His ears strained, his instincts screaming at him to move. He wasn’t alone.

The whisper of leaves shifting. A breath of air, different from the wind. The faint scrape of claws against bark.

Then—

A blur of movement.

A beast lunged from the undergrowth.

Aaryan barely had time to react before his body moved on instinct. He threw himself to the side, rolling across the dirt as sharp fangs snapped where he had just been standing.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It was smaller than the wolves but just as fast.

The creature was sleek, muscular, and covered in dark, bristling fur. Its glowing yellow eyes locked onto him, filled with pure predatory hunger. Jagged, bone-like protrusions jutted from its shoulders, and its long, curved claws dug into the ground. It was already shifting, readying itself for another strike.

Aaryan pushed himself to his feet, his pulse hammering.

The beast snarled, its yellow eyes glowing in the mist. Its jagged bone-like protrusions twitched as it circled Aaryan, low to the ground, muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap.

Aaryan’s breathing was steady, but his body was tense. This wasn’t like the scorpion-tailed wolves. The creature was smaller, its movements erratic, but—it was weaker.

Or so he thought.

It lunged.

Aaryan moved too slow.

Claws raked across his left arm, tearing through fabric and biting into skin. Pain flared. He sucked in a sharp breath, stumbling back. Blood dripped from the wound, warm against his skin.

The beast snarled, already preparing for its next attack. He couldn’t afford to hesitate again.

He sprinted toward a tree, ignoring the sting in his arm. His fingers broke off a thick branch. Without a second thought, he grabbed a sharp stone from the ground, using it to carve the tip into a crude spear as fast as his trembling hands allowed.

A sharp rustle came from behind.

The beast attacked again.

Aaryan twisted—but not fast enough.

The creature’s weight slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs. His back hit the ground hard, and he barely turned in time to avoid its snapping jaws. It was on top of him now.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

With a desperate growl, he thrust the wooden spear upward, straight into the beast’s throat.

It let out a gurgling hiss, thrashing violently before collapsing. Its glowing eyes dimmed as it disintegrated into mist.

Aaryan gasped for breath, pushing himself up. His whole body ached. His left arm throbbed where the beast had clawed him, warm blood trickling down his skin. He clenched his teeth.

And then—a sound.

He turned.

Two more creatures emerged from the mist, faster than the first. Their claws scraped against the forest floor as they rushed at him without hesitation.

Aaryan forced himself to his feet, pushing the pain aside.

“Too fast. I can’t keep dodging.”

The first beast lunged. He moved, but his injured arm slowed him down. Its claws grazed his side, tearing into his ribs. He stifled a pained grunt.

There was no time to check the wound—the second beast was already in the air.

Aaryan threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding it. His grip tightened around his wooden spear.

“If one hit could kill them... then I just need to strike first.”

The first creature lunged again. Aaryan ducked low, driving the spear into its underbelly. The beast screeched as it dissolved into mist.

The second snarled, leaping at his exposed back.

At the last second, Aaryan twisted, grabbing a thick branch and smashing it across its skull. The creature staggered, and he wasted no time plunging his spear into its chest. The mist swallowed it.

Silence returned.

Aaryan straightened, gasping for breath. Three down. Blood dripped from his arm and side, pain pulsing beneath his skin. His vision swam for a moment, but he shook it off.

Then the mist thickened.

He felt them before he saw them—four more creatures emerging, watching him.

Aaryan’s fingers clenched around his weapon.

“What kind of stupid test is this? Do they want us all dead?”

Or... maybe, this test isn’t about killing them.

His mind raced. His eyes flicked around the forest.

“The real trial isn’t about how many I can kill…” He dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding a claw. “It’s about surviving. Or finding a way out.”

Aaryan took a deep breath, forcing his aching body to stay steady. His wounds throbbed, but he had no time to rest.

He scanned the trees. The creatures came in pairs, doubling each time. That meant...

Aaryan turned sharply, noticing the mist. It had grown thicker, swirling unnaturally around him. It wasn’t just hiding the creatures—it was controlling the trial.

He took a step back. The beasts didn’t move. They just stared. As if waiting for him to play into the cycle.

“So this is a game…” He clenched his jaw. “What happens if I don’t play my part?”

Without hesitation, Aaryan turned and ran—not forward, but sideways. He veered off into the thickest part of the trees, cutting through the tangled underbrush.

The creatures howled, but they didn’t follow.

Aaryan pressed on, dodging trunks and shoving through the mist that fought to pull him back. If this test was about survival, escaping the cycle was the answer.

After what felt like an eternity, Aaryan slowed. The mist around him had changed—thicker, heavier. The air felt wrong, tainted with something unseen.

He had ventured deeper into the forest, and something about this place didn’t want him here.

At first, the silence was comforting. But it quickly became oppressive.

With each step, a creeping unease settled in his mind.

“What if I wasn’t meant to escape?”

The thought hit him so naturally, he barely noticed it.

But then another followed.

“What if I wasn’t meant to be here at all?”

His footsteps faltered.

“What if they were right?”

The stone had given him nothing—no glow, no reaction, no affinity. He wasn’t strong. He wasn’t gifted. Maybe...

“Maybe I really don’t belong here.”

Aaryan exhaled shakily. His fingers clenched and unclenched. His wounds burned, a constant reminder of his weakness.

His legs grew heavy. The trees ahead blurred, their shapes twisting as if rejecting him.

“I wasn’t meant for this world.”

His stomach churned.

Aaryan stopped.

His breath hitched. Something was wrong.

The doubts had always been there, lurking, but now they overwhelmed him—too sudden, too crushing. It wasn’t just fear. It was as though something was pressing down on his very soul, drowning him in despair.

Aaryan clenched his fists.

“No… I belong where I want. These thoughts… they’re not mine.”

The realization hit him like ice water.

The forest wasn’t just trapping his body—it was attacking his mind.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he snapped out of his thoughts. His fists trembled, and his wounds flared, but he hadn’t moved an inch.

The trees were still the same. The mist still thick. And worst of all...

The four beasts stood before him, exactly where they had been before he tried to escape.

His heart pounded. “I never left.”

A cold chill settled in his chest. The trial wasn’t testing his strength, nor his ability to escape. Every time he tried to move forward, he had only been running in circles.

Which meant...

“If running isn’t the answer, and fighting isn’t either... what do they want from me?”

Aaryan exhaled shakily, forcing his mind to work. “What is this trial really asking?”

If survival was the goal, he would have passed already. If it was about combat, he would have had to kill more beasts. But the moment one fell, another appeared.

The trial wasn’t about fighting or running. Then what?

Aaryan’s gaze flickered back to the creatures. They weren’t attacking. They were waiting. For what?

His grip tightened around his spear as a dangerous thought took root.

“What if it’s not what it looks like? I’ve been treating this like something I need to beat, but... What if I don’t have to fight at all? What if the answer... is to surrender?”

“But if I’m wrong, I’ll die.”

Aaryan’s jaw clenched. Then he took a step forward.

The beasts reacted instantly. Their yellow eyes flashed, and they snarled, lowering into attack positions.

Aaryan’s hands trembled, but he didn’t raise his weapon.

He took another step. Then another.

The beasts lunged.

Claws tore through the air. Aaryan shut his eyes.

Pain never came.

----------------------------------------

A sudden pull, as if his entire being was being yanked from existence—

A rush of cold wind slammed into him—

Then—

Aaryan gasped. His vision blurred. He was back.

His breath came in uneven gasps. His body ached, but there were no wounds.

The cold stage beneath his feet. The murmurs of the crowd. The ever-watchful eyes of the elders—all real. No more mist. No more beasts.

Had he passed? Had he failed?

Aaryan didn’t know.

But as he looked down at his trembling hands, something caught his eye. All around him, the astral seeds placed before the contestants were dim, their glow long since faded. But his...

His seed still shone.

A faint, pulsing light flickered at its core—the only one not gone dark.

Aaryan’s fingers twitched. His mind raced. What did this mean?

Before he could make sense of it, a voice rich with amusement echoed across the stage.

"Well, well..."

One of the elders, the old woman with dark tattoos, stepped forward. Her lips curved into a smirk as her gaze swept across the stunned crowd.

"It seems that only one person has truly passed this test."

A stunned silence followed.

Aaryan’s eyes widened. What?

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Contestants, barely recovering from the trial, snapped their heads toward him. Their faces a mix of disbelief, frustration, and shock.

"What?!"

"Only one?"

"That’s impossible!"

The murmurs swelled into an uproar.

The elder raised a hand, silencing them with a single motion.

"For the rest of you," she said, "your results will be judged based on how long you survived and how many beasts you managed to kill. But as for who truly cleared the trial—"

Her eyes, filled with some surprise, locked onto Aaryan.

"You qualify for the Final Round."

The silence was deafening.

For a long moment, no one spoke. No one moved.

Then—

"WHAT?!"

A furious cry broke the silence.

The contestants erupted. Some stared at Aaryan in confusion, others in outrage. The noble-born youths who had scoffed at him earlier looked as though they'd been slapped.

“Didn’t he get 0 in previous round.”

Even the elders showed flickers of surprise.

Yet, amidst the chaos, the First Elder remained silent.

His silver eyes were locked onto Aaryan, unblinking. His expression was a mask, but deep within, a thought stirred.

"How... intriguing."

He walked the same path as the others, yet reached a different end.

The trial was meant to test resolve, survival, and instinct. It wasn’t meant to be cleared. And yet, this boy had done so.

The First Elder’s fingers curled slightly in his robe.

"No affinity... yet this result? Either he’s a mistake... or something much more dangerous."

His gaze lingered for a moment longer before he finally closed his eyes.

"Let’s see what fate has in store for you, boy."