Chapter 45
Even though I'd chosen the easier route, I still expected a catch.
Especially from the map, which had glowed like it had completely lost its mind the entire way to Point O.
I'd tried asking it questions.
It had ignored every single one.
The moment the map showed I was only a few yards from my destination, I spotted two familiar figures in the distance.
Kaeron.
And Pria.
They stood before a massive oval-shaped dome of glowing light.
It pulsed with faint streams of air, and it almost looked as if anyone who stepped too close would be swallowed into its depths.
I quickened my pace.
The movement didn't go unnoticed.
Both of them turned toward me immediately.
"Well, look who it is," Pria purred. "I'm impressed you made it this far on your own. Especially with only two trials left."
She spoke in that usual tone of hers, making it impossible to tell whether she was being sarcastic... or genuinely impressed.
"I honestly didn't think I'd run into anyone," I admitted.
Then her words caught up with me.
"What do you mean, only two trials left?"
My gaze bounced from Pria to Kaeron, then down to the remaining letters scattered across my map.
"Kaeron figured out the Light Realm's pattern during the third trial, after we'd passed two empty checkpoints," Pria explained.
Judging by my expression, it was obvious I still had no idea what she was talking about.
"The order of the trials," Kaeron said, "is hidden in the word ABIKOZ, which translates from Urpis as the beginning of the path."
I blinked.
"Good thing I ran into him during the second trial." Pria shrugged. "Otherwise, I would've gone through every single letter."
She rolled her eyes.
"No one ever bothered teaching me Urpis."
I nodded.
Fair enough.
Then my attention shifted to her map.
"Damn... You cleared every trial correctly?"
Not a single scorch mark.
Not a single tear.
Her map looked flawless.
"They were too easy for me," she said dismissively, turning back toward the glowing dome. "Besides, I'd been preparing for this mentally for years."
"What is that?" I asked, stopping beside them.
"The Death Realm's trial," Kaeron replied flatly.
I swallowed.
This...
This was exactly what I'd been dreading ever since I'd first heard about this trial.
I was terrified of becoming a laughingstock before all twelve worlds.
But even more than that...
I was afraid of exposing my friends.
Of revealing things they were never supposed to know.
"Are you afraid everyone will see the thing that hurt you the most?" I asked, desperate to distract myself.
"I'm afraid of living through those memories again," Pria admitted quietly.
Kaeron said nothing.
"I'll go first."
Without waiting for either of us to answer, he stepped into the glowing dome.
I froze.
It felt as though the entire world froze with me.
The silence wasn't oppressive.
Nor was it tense.
Yet somehow, it still refused to let me breathe.
Then images began to form inside the dome.
No...
memories.
Kaeron's memories.
Seen through his own eyes.
A room swallowed by blackness.
Not painted black.
Covered in soot.
The only light came from a lone lamp resting on a charred wooden table.
Across from it sat Kaeron.
His gaze wandered around the room before settling on a boy no older than ten, dressed in black clothes stained with ash.
I couldn't tell how old Kaeron was.
He never once looked down at himself.
The boy picked up a medium-sized hammer.
Then he began speaking in a language I didn't recognize.
Kaeron stretched out a small hand toward the table.
He was just a child.
The boy slowly moved the hammer as he spoke, pointing to himself at one word...
then to Kaeron at the next.
Almost like he was reciting a counting rhyme.
Kaeron watched every movement with complete concentration, as though trying to memorize every word.
Then...
on what sounded like the final word...
the hammer stopped above Kaeron's hand.
Kaeron began saying something.
Repeating the same word over and over.
Pleading.
The boy ignored him.
Without hesitation, he brought the hammer down on Kaeron's hand.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I couldn't bear the sound of flesh and bone being crushed.
I wanted to cover my ears too—
to block out Kaeron's screams.
Another blow.
Then another.
Then another.
The screaming stopped.
Silence followed.
My eyes flew open.
Terrified, I looked back at the dome.
Kaeron was already stepping out of it.
His face was deathly pale.
He wouldn't look at either of us.
But I noticed his hands...
They were trembling.
He stopped beside me and said quietly,
"Who's next?"
Pria and I exchanged a glance.
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in her eyes.
It caught me completely off guard.
I'd never imagined there was anything capable of frightening her.
Before I could dwell on it—or maybe before I even realized what I was doing—my body moved on its own.
"I'll go next."
The words left my mouth before I'd made a conscious decision.
Pria didn't argue.
She simply nodded.
"Good luck," she said quietly.
I forced something that vaguely resembled a smile before turning toward the dome.
Then I stepped inside.
It felt as though my lungs filled with something both icy and warm at the same time, stealing my next breath.
My head—
No.
My very consciousness—
began to spin so violently I thought I was going to be sick.
Something brushed gently against my temples.
As though asking permission.
I couldn't resist it.
My body relaxed on instinct, even while the tension inside me kept building, threatening to tear me apart.
Then a crushing pain gripped my heart.
As if something was trying to rip it straight out of my chest.
And suddenly...
the memories came.
Airis.
The first moments I found myself drawn to him.
The moments trust had quietly taken root.
His words.
Our kisses.
The closeness we'd shared.
Every memory was accompanied by my own thoughts, each one sending another wave of pain crashing through me until it felt impossible to breathe.
As though I were drowning in it.
Then the memories reached...
that moment.
The moment he told me he wanted only my body.
Not me.
The pain became unbearable.
Everything inside me shattered.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
...
I had no idea how much time had passed when my eyes finally opened again.
Kaeron and Pria stood in front of me.
Neither of them could quite hide the shock on their faces.
I knew.
They had seen everything.
Maybe they pitied me.
Under any other circumstances, that realization would've destroyed what little pride I had left.
But beneath all the humiliation...
another feeling quietly surfaced.
Relief.
The Scorpio Realm hadn't exposed my friends to all twelve worlds.
Only me.
Anastasia Lang's POV
The Death Realm's trial surprised me.
Instead of my worst memory...
it showed me one of my happiest.
It was one of those rare family days when Alicia and I were eight years old, and our parents were still together.
I'd always assumed my mind clung to painful memories—
the ones that broke you.
The ones that left scars.
But apparently...
it held on to the happy ones just as tightly.
The realization shook me.
Not that I had time to dwell on it.
Our little group continued toward the final trial at Point Z.
I deliberately stayed near the back, leaving all the navigating to Azalia, who had somehow managed to befriend the map.
I still couldn't believe it had been interactive the entire time.
I could've been talking to it all along.
Turns out...
not everything in this world had to be difficult.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Rosalie falling into step beside me.
I sighed inwardly, pretending not to notice her.
Unfortunately, she had other plans.
"Giving up Tarven as your mentor was the right decision," she said with a smug smile.
"Oh, absolutely." I returned a pleasant smile of my own. "I owe that idea entirely to you."
I needed to stay careful.
Careful...
and composed.
Throughout the Selection, tiny invisible creatures recorded parts of our trials—and sometimes even our conversations.
You never knew when one might be nearby.
By the end of the Selection, those recordings would be broadcast across all twelve worlds, and people would spend months dissecting every embarrassing moment.
"I'm just thrilled I won't have to watch my brother around you all the time anymore."
Rosalie, apparently, had forgotten all about that.
Or maybe she'd decided two girls talking wasn't interesting enough to be filmed.
"I'm glad your wish came true."
I picked up my pace, pretending I wanted to catch up to Taylor.
Instead, my attention snagged on Azalia's map.
Point Z was flashing.
Right where an enormous temple stood before us.
Its sandstone-colored walls shimmered beneath the sunlight, while massive crimson crystals above dozens of arched entrances glowed with an eerie light.
The Temple of Moroda.
It had no fewer than fifty entrances and imprisoned some of the most dangerous monsters in existence.
It was also capable of interacting with the souls of those who came there to pray.
The perfect place for a final trial...
one that forced you to confront your true self.
"Wow..." Azalia breathed, unable to hide her amazement. "It always looked so much smaller on television."
"For a temple with fifty entrances?" Aaron said. "You could call it small."
"I still can't believe we've actually made it to the final trial," Rosalie said, once again drifting back to my side.
It took every bit of self-control not to step away.
Was it just my imagination...
or was she deliberately staying close to me?
"Has anyone ever used the temple's services?" Azalia asked. "To learn what their soul is really like?"
"Two years ago, our father took my brother and me to the Temple of Moroda in the Dark Realm," Aaron replied.
Then he fell silent.
As if weighing his next words.
Or perhaps reliving the ritual itself.
"And?" Rosalie prompted impatiently.
"Your true self appears before you," Aaron said at last. "And it may be nothing like the person you believe yourself to be."
"Oh, please." I waved a dismissive hand. "I think I'll survive."
I couldn't understand the caution in his voice.