The doorway pulsed like a living heartbeat
a gateway carved from pure light,
yet trembling as if unsure whether it should open.
Rihan-Aurelis-took a slow breath.
The boy beside him whispered,
This door was sealed the day your memories were taken.
Only your true name could wake it.
The light rippled across the chamber floor,
spreading like waves in a quiet lake.Rihan stepped closer.
Each step echoed not in the room,
but in his mind.Thud.Thud.Thud.
Memories surfaced, half-formed:A vast palace buried in clouds…
A council of elders trembling before a child with glowing eyes…
A voice speaking Aurelis, you are the one who will choose the fate of this era.Rihan flinched.Who was he back then?
A savior?A threat?A mistake?The boy looked at him gently.
Do not fear what you were.
Only fear forgetting who you must become.
Rihan placed his hand on the shimmering doorway.
Instantly The world tilted.A rush of wind spiraled around him.
Symbols lit up along the walls-ancient runes that vibrated with power.
The door cracked open.
A blinding white path stretched ahead, surrounded by swirling fragments broken memories of thousands of lives,
pieces of forgotten histories.Rihan stepped through.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then he found himself standing on a bridge made of crystal light,
suspended in an endless void.
Below him, drifting like faint stars, were visions of other worlds
cities burning,armies marching,children laughing,
oceans rising…All connected.All waiting.
The boy stepped forward beside him, no longer flickering.
His form was stabilizing
growing stronger as Rihan awakened more of his past.
This place, the boy whispered,
is the Corridor of Echoes.
Every path here leads to a truth you once knew.
Rihan stared into the swirling abyss.
How many truths did I lose?The boy answered softly:
Enough to change the destiny of the world.
Rihan gripped the railing of the crystal bridge.
Then I will reclaim them.One by one.
The boy pointed toward the far end of the corridor,
where a massive gate made of starlight awaited.
Your first trial lies beyond that gate.
Rihan took a deep breath.
What's behind it?The boy hesitated.
A fragment of your power…
and a memory you feared more than death.
Rihan felt a cold shiver crawl along his spine.
Still, he stepped forward.
The gate of starlight began to unlock.
The trial of the Dawnbearer was about to begin.
The gate of starlight trembled, releasing a deep, ancient hum that vibrated through the crystal bridge beneath Rihan's feet.
Each lock clicked open like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant.
The boy-his Echo stepped back.
This is where I cannot follow, he whispered.
Rihan turned sharply.
Why?The boy's eyes dimmed.
The first trial is meant for the Dawnbearer alone.
Only your soul can withstand what lies beyond that gate.
If I enter… I will be erased.
Rihan felt a sudden, unexpected ache in his chest.
I just regained a part of my past… and now you're telling me I have to lose you?The boy smiled softly sadly.
No. You're not losing me.
You're stepping into the memory that created me.
Before Rihan could reply,
the final lock clicked. BOOM.
The gate burst open
a wave of blinding white light roared outward, tearing through the corridor.Rihan shielded his eyes.
When the glare faded, he saw it:
A vast realm made entirely of shifting gold light,
like a sea of molten dawn.The boy bowed his head.
Go.What waits inside… is your first truth.
Rihan stepped into the light. Instantly, the world dissolved.
He was no longer on the crystal bridge.
No longer in the Corridor of Echoes.He stood on a battlefield.
A battlefield of light.Shattered pillars floated in the air.
Golden dust fell like snow.And in the center…
A boy stood alone
glowing with the same radiance that was now awakening inside Rihan.
Rihan gasped.That's… me?
The boy—his younger self—lifted his head slowly.
His eyes were bright enough to blind.
You finally returned, the younger Aurelis said.
Rihan stepped forward, trembling.Am I… facing my past?
No.The younger self shook his head.
You are facing the part of you that you abandoned.
Rihan swallowed hard.Why did I abandon it?
The child raised his hand, and the entire realm shook violently.
Because this power… this destiny…broke you.
Rihan felt his knees weaken as visions burst around him:
People bowing in fear…Worlds collapsing under light…
Prophecies written in blood…Children screaming his name…
A throne made of shattered dawn…
Rihan stumbled backward.
This can't be me.. This can't be my fate
The child's voice cut him like a blade.
You wanted freedom.You wanted a normal life.
So you sacrificed me—your power, your memories, your identity.
Rihan felt tears burn his eyes.
But I didn't want this! I never asked for this!
His younger self lowered his hand.
I know.For the first time, the child looked small.
Vulnerable.That's why the world erased you.
To protect itself…and to protect you.
Rihan's breath trembled.
What is this trial, then?
The child's golden aura ignited fire, light, storm, and creation swirling around him.This trial is simple.
He pointed at Rihan, eyes fierce and burning.
Face the power you abandoned or be destroyed by it.
The realm cracked open beneath them.
The first trial had begun.
The battlefield of light trembled violently, as if the world itself was afraid of what was about to happen.
Rihan stared at his younger self-at the blinding, overwhelming radiance that radiated from him like a living sun.
The child Aurelis lifted his hand.Light surged.
The sky split into swirling spirals of white fire.
Rihan staggered back.What are you doing!?
The child's voice echoed through the battlefield, ancient and thunderous despite his small form:
I am everything you abandoned.
And you cannot reclaim your truth…until you conquer your fear.
Rihan clenched his fists.
I'm not afraid!The child's expression hardened.Then show me.
Before Rihan could react
A beam of pure dawn-light crashed toward him,
splitting the ground and sending shards of golden stone flying.
Rihan threw himself aside just in time.BOOM!
The explosion shook the realm, sending waves of scorching light across the cracked battlefield.
He shielded his eyes, gritting his teeth.
This power… this is what I once controlled?
The boy's voice floated across the smoke.You didn't just control it.
You shaped worlds with it.Rihan's heart pounded.
This child...this fierce, merciless being...
was him.Another blast soared toward him faster than any human could see.Rihan raised his hand instinctively.A shockwave erupted.
A faint shield-weak, flickering-formed in front of him.
The blast struck it.CRACK!
Rihan was thrown back like a broken leaf.
He hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of him.
His younger self walked toward him, steps glowing, the entire realm shaking with each footfall.
You can't protect yourself, the child said quietly.
You can't protect anyone.Not unless you reclaim me.
Rihan coughed, pushing himself up.
Why are you fighting me?Aren't we the same?
The child stopped a few feet away.
His eyes-star-like, burning-locked onto Rihan's.
We were the same.But when you abandoned me, I became the echo of everything you feared:Your destiny.Your strength.
Your responsibility.
Rihan felt something inside him break.I'm sorry…
I didn't know the price
The boy's expression softened-just for a moment.
Then he raised his hand again.
This trial is not punishment.It is awakening.
Light swirled, forming a spear of pure dawn.
Stand up, Rihan.Or fade away forever.
Rihan forced himself to his feet, pain shooting through his limbs.
I won't run this time.The child Aurelis smiled-sad, proud, fierce.
Then let me see the strength of the man who once challenged fate.
Light exploded around him.The spear of dawn flew forward
And the true battle began.