The chamber echoed with Orion's shaky breathing. The silver starlight in the pool rippled gently, almost like it was listening to his fear. The image of the crying boy—his younger self—still burned in his mind. His hands trembled.
Was that really him?Was he truly the one who destroyed a world?
He didn't know.And that scared him more than any battle ever had.
The floor trembled beneath him. Soft footsteps echoed from behind.
Orion turned sharply—ready to fight—
But the person who stepped into the dim light was not an enemy.
It was him.
Another version of him.
Not a boy this time, but an adult—calm, tall, wearing armor made of silver plates and a cloak that shimmered with stars. His eyes glowed bright blue, steady and cold.
Orion froze."…Who are you?"
The figure smiled lightly, though it wasn't a friendly smile.
"I am who you could become," the armored Orion said. "Or… who you once were."
Orion's stomach tightened. "That means—"
"Yes," the echo finished."I am the part of you that remembers everything."
Orion stepped back. "No. I would never destroy a world."
The echo tilted his head, curious. "Wouldn't you? If it was the only way to stop something worse?"
He raised his hand.
The pool of starlight glowed, reshaping into a memory:
A massive shadow creature, larger than mountains, devouring entire cities.
A darkness that spread like night.
A world collapsing.
The armored echo stood alone, facing it. His power shone brighter than the sun.
The memory froze.The echo spoke softly:
"You didn't destroy the world because you were cruel. You destroyed it because you were the last one who could."
Orion's chest ached. He whispered, "But I can't be that person. I don't want to be."
The echo walked closer, stopping just inches away. His voice lowered:
"You fear your power. But fear makes you weaker. Fear makes you blind."
Orion clenched his fists.Fear?Yes. He was afraid. Not of monsters, but of himself.
He stepped back, shaking. "If you're me… why are you here?"
The echo smiled sadly.
"Because the mountain wants to know what you choose. Will you reject your power… or will you accept it?"
The chamber darkened. The echo's voice deepened:
"You cannot save this world with half a heart.Choose, Orion.Light or nothing."
Suddenly, the echo attacked.
A blast of blue energy shot forward like a lightning strike. Orion barely dodged, rolling across the stone floor. The impact shattered the tiles behind him.
The echo's voice rang out:
"You cannot run from yourself!"
Orion gritted his teeth and countered with his own strike—a shockwave of blue air. The echo caught it with one hand.
One hand.
"That is your limit?" the echo asked. "Weak. Afraid. Unworthy."
Orion felt something snap inside him.
"I am not unworthy!"
He charged.
Their fists collided—light against light. The chamber exploded with blue energy, trembling like it would crumble. The force knocked Orion backward, skidding across the ground. Pain shot through his arm.
The echo walked toward him, slow and steady.
"You cannot fight me," he said. "Because you still hate what you are."
Orion pushed himself up, breath ragged. His voice cracked:
"I don't hate what I am… I hate that I can hurt people."
The echo paused.For the first time, he was silent.
Orion continued, louder, braver:
"I don't need to be perfect. I don't need to be a legend. I just need to protect the people who stand with me. Liora. The children. The innocent."
He clenched the pendant.
"And for them, I WILL face myself."
Something changed in Orion's eyes.
The echo charged again.
But this time, Orion didn't run.
He stepped forward, met the attack head-on, and grabbed the echo's wrist. Energy surged between them—the same power, the same light, clashing like two stars colliding.
The echo whispered, "Finally."
Cracks spread across his armor—light leaking out like shards of the sun.
"You have accepted yourself," he said. "Now the world may stand a chance."
The echo dissolved into thousands of glowing particles that swirled around Orion and sank into his chest—merging.
Orion breathed in.
For the first time, he felt whole.
The mountain trembled.A deep voice filled the chamber:
"THE TRIAL IS PASSED."
A doorway opened behind him, glowing with warm light.
Liora waited on the other side.
Orion stood tall.
He went forward—toward the exit, toward the truth, toward the beginning of the real journey.