The air inside the Forge grew heavier with each step, the pulsating glow of the runes casting eerie shadows on the walls. Kaito’s grip on the relic tightened as they entered a vast chamber filled with shimmering, glass-like pillars.

“What is this place?” Kaito asked, his voice hushed.

“The Hall of Echoes,” Sayuri replied, her tone grave. “A place where the Forge reveals the truths we hide—even from ourselves.”

As she spoke, the pillars began to shimmer, their surfaces rippling like water. Images appeared—fragments of memories and fears, flickering like flames.

Kaito froze as one pillar showed a scene of his childhood. He saw himself training with his father, his clumsy strikes earning both laughter and stern correction.

“You’ll never be strong enough,” the image of his father said, his voice cold.

“That’s not what he said,” Kaito muttered, shaking his head.

The image shifted, showing Kaito standing in the aftermath of a failed mission, his clanmates injured and glaring at him with disdain.

“This is your fault,” one of them hissed.

Kaito clenched his fists, his breathing unsteady. “These are just illusions.”

“Are they?” Sayuri’s voice came from behind him, but when he turned, she was staring at her own pillar. Her expression, usually calm and composed, was now stricken with fear.

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“Sayuri?” Kaito stepped closer, but she raised a hand to stop him.

“Focus on your own trial,” she said, her voice trembling. “This place is merciless.”

The chamber shifted, the pillars dissolving into a swirling void. Kaito found himself standing on a narrow bridge suspended over an endless abyss. At the far end, a glowing pedestal held a fragment of the relic’s power, pulsing with fiery light.

“Kaito!” Sayuri’s voice echoed from behind him.

He turned to see her trapped on another bridge, surrounded by shadowy figures. They advanced slowly, their weapons raised.

“Kaito, help me!” she called, her voice desperate.

The relic whispered in his mind: “The power you seek lies ahead. To save her is to risk losing it.”

Kaito’s heart pounded as he glanced between the glowing fragment and Sayuri. The shadows were closing in, their presence dark and suffocating.

“What kind of test is this?” he shouted into the void.

“A test of resolve,” the guardian’s voice boomed. “Will you choose the path of strength or the path of compassion?”

Kaito hesitated, his hands trembling. The relic’s heat burned against his back, urging him forward, but Sayuri’s pleas pulled at his heart.

Finally, he made his choice.

Kaito turned away from the fragment and sprinted toward Sayuri, the relic igniting in his hands. The shadowy figures hissed as he struck them down, each swing of his blade dispersing their forms into smoke.

When the last figure vanished, Kaito fell to his knees, his breathing ragged.

“You chose me over the relic,” Sayuri said softly, helping him to his feet.

“You’re the only reason I’ve made it this far,” Kaito replied. “I couldn’t just leave you.”

The void around them dissolved, returning them to the Forge. The guardian’s molten form loomed above, its fiery gaze fixed on Kaito.

“You have passed the second trial,” it rumbled. “But know this: every choice has a cost.”

Kaito glanced back at the pedestal, now empty. The fragment of power was gone.

“What happens now?” Kaito asked.

The guardian’s voice echoed ominously: “The final trial awaits.”

As they rested in a quiet alcove of the Forge, Kaito couldn’t shake the weight of the guardian’s words.

“Sayuri,” he said, breaking the silence. “What did you see in the Hall of Echoes?”

Sayuri hesitated, her gaze distant. “A reminder of why I’m here. And why I can’t fail.”

Kaito frowned. “You’ve been helping me this whole time, but I still don’t know why. What’s your connection to the relic?”

Sayuri sighed, her expression softening. “It’s not the relic itself—it’s what it represents. A chance to fix something I couldn’t before.”

“Fix what?”

She shook her head. “Not yet, Kaito. When the time comes, you’ll understand.”

Kaito wanted to press her further, but the firelight reflected in her eyes made her look so vulnerable that he decided to let it go.