Chapter 102: Trials
Laura heard footsteps behind her.
She stopped.
The Dragon Passage stretched ahead, illuminated by a faint crimson glow.
She slowly turned.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
Laura’s grip tightened around her weapon.
"Who’s there?"
Silence.
Then a second sound.
A single step.
Tap.
Laura’s eyes narrowed.
"Come out."
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Small hood.
Quiet expression.
Black-orange energy flickering around one hand.
Joseph Yonder.
Laura’s expression immediately hardened.
"You."
Joseph stopped several meters away.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Laura noticed something.
He wasn’t looking at her.
His eyes were fixed farther down the passage.
"What are you doing here?"
Joseph answered calmly.
"Walking."
"That’s a terrible lie."
He looked at her.
"I don’t need to explain myself."
Laura raised her weapon.
"You’re right."
She stepped forward.
"But you’re not getting past me."
Joseph’s eyes narrowed.
"I don’t want to fight you."
"Then leave."
"I can’t."
The black-orange glow around his hand intensified.
Laura prepared herself.
"Why?"
Joseph looked past her.
"Because Noah is here."
Laura’s expression changed.
There it was.
The reason.
She immediately attacked.
CLANG!
Joseph blocked.
The force pushed him backward.
Laura followed with another strike.
Joseph twisted aside.
Her blade sliced through his sleeve.
He looked at the cut.
Then back at her.
"You’re protecting him."
Laura’s eyes sharpened.
"Yes."
Joseph’s expression remained cold.
"Why?"
Laura didn’t hesitate.
"Because he’s my friend."
Joseph stared at her.
"Friend."
Something about the word seemed to bother him.
He raised his hand.
Black-orange energy gathered around his palm.
Laura’s instincts screamed.
She moved.
BOOM!
The blast tore through the corridor.
Laura jumped aside.
Stone exploded behind her.
She landed on one knee.
Joseph stood amid the smoke.
His energy wasn’t ordinary fire.
It was darker.
Denser.
Almost corrosive.
Laura’s eyes narrowed.
"What is that?"
Joseph didn’t answer.
He attacked.
Meanwhile, deeper within the Bear Passage...
Noah and Luna reached a massive chamber.
At its center stood a stone pedestal.
Something rested upon it.
A circular medallion.
Its surface carried the symbol of a bear.
Violet light flowed through the cracks.
Noah stopped.
"The relic."
Luna nodded.
"Probably."
They approached carefully.
Noah’s system activated.
[Ancient relic detected.]
[Ragnarok resonance increasing.]
Noah immediately stopped.
Luna noticed.
"What happened?"
"My system."
"What did it say?"
"Ragnarok is reacting to the relic."
Luna stared at the medallion.
"Then maybe you shouldn’t touch it."
Noah agreed.
"Yeah."
But the moment he stepped backward...
The medallion lifted from the pedestal.
It floated into the air.
Violet light filled the chamber.
Noah’s eyes widened.
"I didn’t touch it."
Luna drew her weapon.
"I know."
The medallion rotated.
A symbol appeared in the air.
FLAROS
Noah stared at the name.
"Flaros."
The word echoed throughout the chamber.
Then another symbol appeared.
A dragon.
And beneath it...
Balgard.
Noah’s breathing slowed.
"Two."
Luna looked at him.
"Two what?"
"The other names."
Before Noah could explain...
The chamber shook.
BOOM!
The medallion dropped.
Noah caught it.
The moment it touched his hand, his vision disappeared.
He stood beneath three enormous moons.
The Crimson Moon.
The Blue Moon.
The Scarlet-Violet Moon.
A gigantic figure stood before him.
Its body was covered in flames.
Noah couldn’t see its face.
"Who are you?"
The figure didn’t answer.
Instead, it raised one hand.
A second presence appeared behind Noah.
Maroon.
Almost pink.
Its eyes glowed red.
Noah froze.
It looked exactly like him.
But wrong.
The figure smiled.
"You are not ready."
Noah stepped backward.
"What are you?"
The reflection raised its head.
"Dead Zone."
Noah’s heart stopped.
Then the vision shattered.
Noah collapsed.
Luna caught him.
"Noah!"
His eyes opened.
He gasped for air.
The medallion was still in his hand.
Its violet light had disappeared.
Luna stared at him.
"What happened?"
Noah looked down.
"I saw something."
"Dead Zone?"
He looked at her.
She didn’t know that name.
She couldn’t have.
"No."
He closed his fist around the medallion.
"Nothing."
Luna knew he was lying.
But she didn’t push.
Back in the Dragon Passage...
Laura and Joseph separated after another clash.
Both were breathing harder.
Laura had a cut across her arm.
Joseph’s sleeve was torn.
Neither had won.
Then the ground shook.
Joseph looked toward the deeper passage.
Laura noticed.
"What was that?"
Joseph didn’t answer.
His expression had changed.
For the first time...
He looked concerned.
Then a crimson light appeared beneath them.
The Dragon Passage began glowing.
A voice echoed through the stone.
"The first guardian has awakened."
Laura froze.
Joseph’s eyes widened.
Somewhere deeper in the structure...
A door opened.
And behind it...
Something enormous breathed.
HUUUHHH...
Laura slowly raised her weapon.
Joseph stared into the darkness.
Neither of them moved.
Then another voice whispered through the chamber.
"The bearer approaches."
Joseph’s eyes narrowed.
"Bearer?"
Laura looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Joseph didn’t answer.
Because he had already realized something.
The relic wasn’t simply waiting for someone to find it.
It was waiting for Noah.
And whatever was behind that door...
had been waiting far longer than this tournament had existed.
The enormous breathing sound faded.
Laura remained frozen.
Joseph stood several meters away, staring into the darkness beyond the newly opened doorway.
Neither of them spoke.
Then the crimson light beneath their feet disappeared.
The passage returned to silence.
Laura slowly lowered her weapon.
"What was that?"
Joseph didn’t answer.
She looked at him.
"You heard it too."
"Yes."
"What did it mean?"
Joseph’s eyes remained fixed ahead.
"I don’t know."
Laura didn’t believe him.
But before she could press further, another vibration traveled through the walls.
This time, it was different.
A faint violet glow appeared beneath Laura’s feet.
She looked down.
The symbol of the flower appeared again.
Her breathing stopped.
The same flower.
The same shape.
The same strange violet light.
A memory surfaced.
A locked room.
A younger Laura sitting alone on the floor.
Her knees were pulled against her chest.
Someone stood outside the door.
"Again."
The word echoed.
Laura shook her head.
"I can’t."
"You have to."
"I don’t want to."
Silence.
Then the door opened.
A blinding violet light filled the room.
Laura screamed.
She suddenly returned to the present.
Laura staggered backward.
Joseph noticed.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
Her voice was quieter.
Joseph stared at her.
"You remembered something."
Laura’s eyes sharpened.
"Don’t."
He stopped.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Joseph looked toward the flower.
"That symbol means something to you."
Laura tightened her grip.
"I said don’t."
Joseph didn’t push.
Instead, he looked away.
"Fine."
Meanwhile...
Noah and Luna were still inside the Bear Chamber.
The violet medallion rested inside Noah’s hand.
Its surface had become completely black.
Luna stared at it.
"What happened to the light?"
"I don’t know."
Noah turned it over.
Three tiny lines had appeared across the back.
They formed the shape of a claw.
Luna stepped closer.
"Does your system say anything?"
Noah looked at the empty space before him.
Nothing.
"Not anymore."
That worried him.
The system had reacted to everything else.
Why had it suddenly gone silent?
Then footsteps echoed through the passage.
Luna immediately disappeared.
Noah extinguished his flames.
A figure appeared.
Damien.
He looked exhausted.
"Noah."
Noah stepped toward him.
"What happened?"
"I found the Serpent relic."
He held up a blue medallion.
Its symbol was a serpent.
Noah stared.
"So that’s Sylthin."
Damien looked at him.
"How do you know the name?"
Noah hesitated.
"I saw it."
Damien frowned.
Before he could ask anything else...
A communication crystal activated.
Laura’s voice came through.
"Damien."
"I’m here."
"Get back to the central chamber."
"Why?"
A pause.
Then Laura answered:
"Joseph is here."
Noah’s expression changed.
"Joseph?"
Laura continued.
"We fought."
Luna looked at Noah.
Noah immediately started walking.
"Let’s go."
The three returned to the central chamber.
Laura was waiting.
Her arm had a small cut.
Noah noticed immediately.
"You’re hurt."
"It’s nothing."
Noah looked toward Joseph’s passage.
"Where is he?"
"Still inside."
Damien looked at the three medallions.
"You found them."
Laura stared.
"All three?"
Noah nodded.
"Flaros."
Damien held up the serpent medallion.
"Sylthin."
Laura looked at the final one.
The dragon.
"Balgard."
The three medallions suddenly responded.
Crimson.
Blue.
Violet.
They rose from their holders.
Noah’s eyes widened.
The chamber shook violently.
BOOOOOOM!
The three medallions began rotating around each other.
A massive projection appeared above them.
Three moons.
Three guardians.
Then a fourth image appeared.
A figure standing beneath the three moons.
Its face was completely obscured.
Damien stared.
"Who is that?"
Noah didn’t answer.
The projection disappeared.
The medallions fell.
Noah caught the violet one.
Laura caught the crimson.
Damien caught the blue.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
"The guardians have recognized their bearers."
Noah’s eyes widened.
"Bearers?"
The voice continued.
"But the flame has already awakened."
Noah’s heart sank.
Laura looked at him.
The chamber began shaking again.
Then the tournament announcement suddenly broke through the ancient voice.
"ATTENTION ALL CONTESTANTS!"
"THE RELIC EVENT HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED!"
Everyone froze.
"ALL CONTESTANTS ARE TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
Damien looked toward the ceiling.
"Why?"
The answer came from beneath them.
A tremendous roar shook the entire structure.
ROOOOOOOAR!
Stone cracked.
Dust fell from above.
Laura tightened her grip on the Balgard medallion.
Noah’s flames erupted instinctively.
And somewhere deep inside the ruins...
Something had awakened.