The chamber was silent.

Aelric stood at the center, his breath steady, his mind sharper than ever.

Around him, the warriors of the hidden city knelt in awe. Not one of them had ever witnessed a trial be conquered. For centuries, they had spoken of the first ancestor—the only one who had ever succeeded.

Until now.

Aelric had not just survived. He had defied the illusion.

And then, the ground trembled.

A deep pressure filled the air, heavier than the Supreme One’s voice, yet different. It was not a force of submission, but of presence.

Aelric’s gaze flickered toward the altar at the end of the chamber.

A figure stood there.

Not of flesh. Not fully of form.

A presence—a Goddess.

She was neither young nor old. Her shape flickered like light cast upon ancient ruins, shifting between something human and something forgotten.

And then, she spoke.

“You are… different.”

The words echoed, not just in the chamber, but within Aelric’s very mind.

He met her gaze without fear. “You were expecting me?”

The Goddess did not answer immediately. Her head tilted slightly, as if considering the question.

Then, she spoke again.

“No.”

Silence.

Aelric’s eyes narrowed. “You say that, yet you are here, watching. Waiting. That means something.”

A pause.

Then—a quiet exhale.

Not a sigh. Something more… human.

“I remember a time,” the Goddess murmured, “when I waited for something. Or perhaps… someone.”

The warriors behind Aelric stiffened. Never had they heard the Goddess speak so freely.

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“But it has been long,” she continued. “So long… that even I no longer know what I was waiting for.”

Aelric’s mind sharpened. A being that has forgotten its own purpose?

He took a step forward. “Then tell me what you do remember.”

The Goddess’s flickering form stilled.

For a long moment, she was silent.

Then, her voice—soft, almost mournful.

“I remember that there was once something other than the Order.”

Aelric’s heart pounded.

The warriors behind him shifted, whispering among themselves.

Aelric’s voice remained steady. “What was it?”

The Goddess’s golden eyes lowered. “I do not know.”

Silence.

Aelric’s jaw clenched. “You say you existed before the Order ruled the world. That means you know what came before. Who erased it?”

The air grew colder.

“I do not know,” the Goddess repeated. “Or perhaps… I have forgotten.”

Aelric exhaled slowly.

She’s hiding something. Or someone has hidden it from her.

But why?

The Supreme One never acknowledged the Unknown Goddess. Not once.

And yet—here she was.

Aelric’s mind raced. If even a Goddess did not remember the world before the Order, then…

What was missing from history?

He stepped forward again. “What are you, then?”

The Goddess’s flickering gaze met his. “A question even I cannot answer.”

Aelric scoffed. “A Goddess without memory. A deity that does not know herself. Then how do you even know you are a Goddess?”

The silence that followed was heavy.

And then, she did something unexpected.

She smiled.

Faint. Barely there. But it was the first sign of expression she had shown.

“You are bold,” she murmured.

Aelric folded his arms. “I don’t waste time with pleasantries.”

“Neither do I,” the Goddess said, her voice regaining its ethereal weight. “So listen well, Aelric.”

The chamber grew silent.

“You have stepped upon a path that few have walked,” she said. “You wish to change the world. To defy what has been eternal. But before you move forward, you must understand this—”

Her golden eyes burned into his.

“The Order does not change because something prevents it from changing.”

Aelric’s heart pounded. “And what is that?”

The Goddess’s lips parted.

Then—she hesitated.

For the first time, her expression darkened.

“I do not know,” she admitted. “But I know that you will learn it soon.”

Aelric remained silent.

The Goddess stepped forward. Though she had no weight, her presence alone was enough to feel like a storm pressing down upon him.

“And when you do,” she continued, “you will face three trials.”

The air stilled.

Aelric narrowed his eyes. “What trials?”

The Goddess raised a single hand.

“The first… is a Truth that will Break You.”

Aelric’s breath slowed.

“There is something in this world that will make you question everything.”

She lowered her hand slightly.

“The second… is a Betrayal that will Test You.”

Her voice grew softer.

“Someone close to you will turn against you. And when that moment comes, you must decide if you will remain who you are… or let it change you.”

She raised her final finger.

“And the last… is a Sacrifice that will Define You.”

The chamber seemed to tighten around him.

“You will be forced to give up something—your ideals, your allies, or even a part of yourself. And the choice you make will decide what kind of future you will create.”

Then, she looked past Aelric—toward the warriors who knelt in reverence.

“You stand among those who were once lost,” she murmured. “Their ancestors came here long ago, led by a warrior who sought only a place to keep his people safe.”

Aelric raised an eyebrow. “A warrior?”

The Goddess nodded. “He found me by chance. And when he passed my trial, he did not ask for power or knowledge. He asked for survival.”

Aelric listened carefully.

“I did not know who I was, nor what I was meant to do. But I used what remained of my power to give them a place to exist—hidden, unseen.”

She glanced toward the walls of the chamber. “This city. The barriers. The monsters and traps above—they were all created for one purpose. To keep outsiders away.”

Her gaze fell upon Aelric again.

“Now, I am at my limit. My power is almost gone.”

She raised a hand—and golden light began to swirl around Aelric.

Aelric’s body tensed. “What are you doing?”

“I entrust my remaining power to you,” she said. “I do not know the future, nor my own past. But you… you may one day find the answers I have lost.”

The golden light surged into him.

And as the last of her energy faded, she whispered:

“What do you want to do?”

Aelric narrowed his eyes. “I will change the world.”

The Goddess tilted her head slightly. “And then what?”

The warriors stilled, listening.

Aelric did not answer immediately.

For the first time, he had no immediate answer.

The Goddess smiled faintly. “That, Aelric, is something even you must discover.”

And with those words—her form faded.

The golden light dimmed.

Aelric clenched his fists.

He had no answer now.

But he would find one.

No matter what it took.

End of Chapter 10