Chapter 18: Trial of the Chosen Betrayer

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Trial of the Chosen Betrayer Kai woke to the sound of bells. Not from the camp. Not from this world. But from somewhere else — higher. Older. The air around him shimmered like a heatwave. The stars above bent and twisted until the sky shattered like glass. [System Override Detected] Source: Divine Realm Protocol: Chosen Hero Trial – Class S Objective: Determine Control Threshold Welcome, Kai Veyron... to your reckoning. The world vanished. And when Kai opened his eyes— He stood in a black field of glass, stretching endlessly in all directions. No sky. No wind. Just reflections. His reflections. Thousands of versions of himself, staring back — all at different points in time. Bleeding. Laughing. Burning. Dying. A voice boomed overhead, neutral and vast: "One among your companions will betray you." "You must prove that you can make the right choice — before the end." "Choose who you cannot save." "And kill her." Kai’s breath caught. "What kind of sick game is this?!" [Trial Condition Activated] You will be shown a future vision. It may be true. Or it may be false. You must act as if it is real. Before him, a doorway rose from the void. A single name etched across it in glowing script: YULIA. The door creaked open. And inside... A battlefield. Fire. Ruins. Corpses. And in the center, floating above the wreckage — her eyes glowing with silver light, robes shredded, hair like a storm — was Yulia Astrem. Laughing. Magic swirled around her like a black sun. And beneath her feet, Kai’s body. Burned. Broken. Unmoving. Kai stepped forward, trembling. "This is fake," he whispered. "Yulia would never—" But the vision Yulia turned to face him, voice distorted with divine echo: "I didn’t mean to kill you, Kai." "I only meant to stop you." He stared in horror. Because part of him believed it. Not because he didn’t trust her... But because he’d already seen what his power could do. And if he couldn’t be stopped— Maybe she would try. [Trial Directive: Execute Subject] Do you choose to strike? Y/N Kai gritted his teeth. Everything in him screamed no. But everything around him said yes. He fell to his knees. "I... can’t..." And then— A hand touched his shoulder. He looked up. Yulia. But not the one in the vision. The real one. Or... maybe another version? "Don’t," she whispered. "Even if this is real?" "Especially if it is." The battlefield crumbled. The vision shattered. And the system pinged. [Trial Outcome: Refusal to Execute] Emotional Anchor Preserved Divine Judgement: Deferred Status: Hero Morality – +1 Trust Bonus (Yulia): +10 But your power remains unstable... Kai collapsed back into the void. Everything spun. The reflections vanished one by one. Until only one remained — himself. Just... him. Shaking. Bleeding. Alive. He opened his eyes. Back in camp. Still night. Yulia was asleep beside the fire. So calm. So quiet. He stared at her for a long time. And whispered, "Thank you." Even if she never heard it. [System Note: You have passed the Trial.] But the gods are not satisfied. Next trial: She Who Lies First Somewhere far above, a divine figure watched the outcome. Eyes glowing. Fingers poised. And whispered to the void: "He chose mercy." "Let’s see if it kills him."