I opened my eyes and saw a silhouette standing in front of . It glowed faintly, its body radiating a soft, white light. No face. No features. Just a figure in emptiness.
[ Co closer, mortal, so I can see your deepest fear, one even you don't know.]
I hesitated but felt a strange pull, as if the light itself were dragging forward. As I approached.
*What is my biggest fear?*
Not knowing who I am is problematic enough. Not having mories, wasn't that already terrifying? How could I fear sothing deeper, sothing I couldn't even rember?
The figure reached out and touched . Its glowing hand was cold but not unpleasant. Then it stepped back, as if recoiling from sothing.
[ Well then, It was obvious. Your greatest fear is death.]
I froze. Death?
The figure tilted its head, glowing brighter. [ Your fear of death stems from your unyielding desire to live and survive. But that was expected. After all, stripping away your mories, taking almost everything from you, and a desire to know truth is a strong enough motivation to keep clinging to life, isn't it? ]
My chest tightened as its words sank in. *What is it talking about? Is this their plan? Was this the reason they took our mories?* To leave us stranded in confusion and desperation? To make sure we all shared the sa fears and desires?
[ You're on the right track, Dune, ] the figure said, its voice creeping into my thoughts.
[ And now, you shall face your death.]
[ our goal was to find those humans who can stare into the abyss, endure the worst pain and tornt imaginable, and erge without fear of death. Only they will be worthy to dominate this world with their unbroken resolve and limitless power.]
[ Beat 3rd Trial in exchange of all your remaining mories]
[ you want to know what happened right? Then survive Dune. ]
My heart sank. The weight of its words crushed . I wanted to run, to scream, but before I could protest, before I could even think, my vision went black.
I woke up, disoriented, looking around. The scene before made no sense.
"What...?"
In front of stretched a massive room with ceilings towering over thirty ters high. Two long tables stood at the center, lined with people laughing, eating, and drinking as though they hadn't a care in the world. The air was thick with the scent of roasted at, wine, and perfu.
Next to , a group of beautiful won danced gracefully, their laughter blending with the clinking of glasses and cheerful chatter. So handed platters of food, their movents fluid and srizing.
"What is this?" I muttered, my voice barely audible over the noise.
One of the won smiled and perched herself in my lap, holding out a golden cup filled with wine. I glanced into the cup and froze.
My reflection stared back at , a man in his forties with a thick beard and brown eyes.
*Who am I?*
The girl chuckled, her laughter soft and teasing. "What a stupid question," she said, brushing a lock of hair from her face.
"Tell ," I urged her. My voice was sharp, but there was desperation in it.
She gave a strange look, then shrugged. "What's wrong with you, It's your party. Did you forget? You're the son of the lord.
Great Axel. Relax, have a nice ti."
*Axel? Not dune?* Before I could respond, she leaned in to kiss , but I stood abruptly, nearly knocking her off my lap. The golden cup tumbled from her hands, spilling wine onto the polished floor.
"I don't understand," I muttered. "What's going on? Shouldn't I be fighting Death?"
The girl blinked at , her brows furrowing in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked, but I ignored her. I took a few steps away, trying to make sense of the chaos in my mind.
That's when it happened. The enormous gates at the far end of the room slamd open with a deafening crash. An army poured in, dozens of n ard with axes, swords, and other brutal weapons.
"What the hell... who are these people" I whispered as the sound of screaming filled the room. The invaders began slaughtering everyone in sight. Blood splattered the walls and the once-cheerful banquet turned into a massacre.
"Sir, this way!" shouted one of the warriors beside . "We'll hold them off!"
He didn't get the chance. An axe buried itself in his skull before he could take a step.
I turned, panic seizing my chest. Before I could react, soone kicked in the face. Pain exploded through my head, and I stumbled backward.
*Nebastep.*
I thought of the word instinctively. It was my power, my weapon, but nothing happened. I tried again. *Neba!* But still, nothing.
The attacker swung his sword, severing my arm. Pain shot through like fire. I scread, stumbling as blood poured from the wound. But it wasn't red, it was golden. Golden blood dripped onto the floor, pooling beneath .
I didn't have ti to process it. A second later, they were on . The pain was unbearable as fists and boots rained down on my body. Everything blurred together: the shouting, the blows, the golden blood staining the stone. Then, nothing.
When I woke, I was tied to a chair in a dimly lit cell. My head throbbed, my body felt like it had been torn apart.
The stench hit first, sweat, and blood. A man with a single eye entered the room, his filthy clothes clinging to his gaunt fra. He pulled up a chair and sat across from .
"I won't beat around the bush," he said, his voice gruff and cold. "Tell where she is."
"What?" My voice cracked. "Who?"
He stood abruptly and kicked my chair, sending crashing to the ground. Pain shot through my back, but before I could recover, he kicked again, this ti in the ribs.
"Stop playing gas!" he snarled, kicking again. Blood dripped from my mouth, pooling on the floor beneath . Tears blurred my vision.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about!" I gasped.
"This is your last chance," he growled, crouching beside . "Tell where she is. She's the last one. If we don't find her, it'll be a big problem, for all of us."
I clenched my teeth, my mind racing. *What is he talking about? Who is 'she'?*
"I don't know!" I scread, the words tumbling out in desperation.
The man stood and drew a knife. He leaned closer, his one good eye burning into mine. "If that's your answer, then this is where it ends for you Axel."
I panicked. "Wait!" I blurted. "I know where she is! Just... take with you. I'll show you in the city." I decided to lie, desperate to save my life.
He paused, considering my words. But before he could respond, the door swung open. Another man entered the room, his armor splattered with blood.
"We found her," the newcor said flatly.
The one-eyed man's gaze flicked back to , his lips curling into a sneer.
"No wai—"
I didn't even finish the sentence before his blade plunged into my throat.
I gasped, golden blood pouring from the wound as I fell to the ground. Desperately, I freed my hand and clutched at my neck, trying to stop the flow.
"Ah... I don't want to die... not like this... not here..." I choked, the pain overwhelming . My vision blurred, then went completely dark.
[ Death: 1 ]
I died. I died. I died. I was no longer in the cell.
I found myself kneeling in snow. My breath caught as the freezing air hit my face, sharp and bitter. The icy ground beneath my knees felt as though it were seeping into my bones.
I shivered violently, gasping as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
That's when I noticed the pain. A sharp ache spread across my back. I reached behind , but my stiff, weak arms could barely move. *Ah... it's so painful*
Looking down at my hands, I froze. They were wrinkled and skeletal, trembling with the weakness of old age. My fingers were so thin they barely looked like they belonged to .
Chains hung heavily from my wrists and ankles, their rusty iron biting into my flesh. Every small movent sent a fresh sting of pain. The cold of the tal burned against my skin.
*What is this?.. why am I chained?" I thought, panic rising in my chest. *I thought I died...*
Suddenly, distant voices echoed through the icy forest. "He's sowhere here. Chase him!"
The barking of dogs followed, growing louder with each second. A surge of fear shot through , and without thinking, I stumbled to my feet.
*Run.*
It was all I could do. My frail legs trembled beneath , barely supporting my weight, but i forced myself forward. The icy snow cut into my bare feet like shards of glass with every step.
The dogs' barking grew louder, closer. The sound of snapping branches and crunching snow behind sent my heart into overdrive.
"Ah, fuck. Not again...". *I can't stop.*
The edge of a cliff lood ahead, the frozen expanse of snow and jagged rocks stretching out far below. The dogs were nearly upon now, their snarls tore through the air like thunder.
Before I could think, they were on .
I stumbled, falling to my knees as another dog tore into my leg. Pain shot through as its teeth sank into my flesh. I scread, struggling to fight them off, but my hands were too weak.
Another dog clamped its jaws around my arm, shaking violently. I cried out, trying to push it away, but the chains on my wrists made it impossible. Golden blood poured from my wounds, spilling onto the snow. mixing with the pure white beneath . The pain was unbearable.
"Ahhh! Get off !" I scread, thrashing weakly against them. The cold only amplified the agony as my body grew weaker with each bite. And then, they stopped.
The dogs backed away suddenly, their snarls silenced. Through the haze of pain, I saw a man dismounting from a horse. He approached slowly, his boots crunching in the snow. His face was shadowed by a hood, but his contempt was clear in his voice.
"This one is not needed anymore," he said coldly, crouching to inspect . "You should've known better than to run away, old man."
I coughed weakly, golden blood dripping from my mouth onto the snow. I wanted to speak, to ask him *why*, but no words ca out.
He spat on , his face twisting in disgust.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
Then, without warning, he kicked in the chest.
I gasped as my body tipped over the edge of the cliff.
I hit the ground with a sickening thud, the impact jolting through . The world grew colder, darker, until there was nothing left.
[ Death: 2 ]
Two guards held by my arms, their grip like iron. I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind, and before stood an elephant made entirely of tal. It glead in the dim light, its form unnaturally rigid.
*What the hell is this now?* My mind struggled to make sense of it. I didn't care anymore. I didn't want to know. I just wanted to breathe, to run, to escape whatever nightmare this had beco.
But I couldn't. My legs were too weak, my body too battered. With whatever strength I could muster, I tried to pull away, to escape, but my body wouldn't respond.
One of the guards yanked on my long hair, yanking my head back. "You bitch, stop resisting. he spat, the words laced with venom as he kicked in the ribs. My body jerked from the blow, pain radiating through .
As I winced in pain, I glanced at the reflection of myself in the tal surface of the elephant. What I saw froze .
My chest, my hands, and my face, none of it was familiar. I was a woman. My long white hair, frail and weak body.
Before I could make sense of it, the guards pushed forward, shoving toward the open belly of the tallic beast. Cold air rushed over as I was thrust inside.
The chill hit like a slap in the face, biting into my skin as I stumbled to my knees. The air felt like ice. I trembled violently, my teeth chattering.
"What is this place?" I cried out, panic rising in my chest. "Let go! Damn it, do you hear ? I want to leave!" My voice cracked as I scread, my breath fogging in the cold.
But there was no answer.
Then, in an instant, the temperature began to shift. At first, it was bearable, a slight warmth that brought relief.
But the heat grew, creeping up slowly until it beca unbearable. I could feel the temperature rising, the tal walls pressing in on like a furnace.
"No, no, no..." I gasped, my feet burning from the heat seeping through the floor. I tried to move, to escape, but the iron walls pressed closer, trapping in the searing heat.
Red blood spilled from my hands as I slamd my fists against the walls. My feet were on fire, and I couldn't move. My body shook uncontrollably.
My skin was lting away. The unbearable pain consud , until I collapsed to the floor, unable to fight it any longer.
I left parts of my skin and flesh on the tal, the burning sensation numbing as I crumbled. Tears fell down my cheeks, mixing with the blood that coated my hands.
I died.
I died again, and again, and again.
I died.
I died again.
Burned alive in the tallic elephant.
[ Death: 12 ]
Torn apart by wolves in forest.
[ Death: 23 ]
Drowned in a blackened sea rocks tied around my waist.
[ Death: 145 ]
Abandoned in the cell.. died from hunger.
[ Death: 345 ]
Crushed beneath a collapsing tower, the weight of stone grinding my bones into dust as I scread into the void.
[ Death: 2,345 ]
Falling endlessly into a fire, my body breaking apart as flas consud over and over again. A never-ending cycle of tornt, pushing closer and closer to the edge of sanity.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
[ Death: 24,560 ]
*I'm tired,* I thought. *Tired of this, tired of everything.*
They threw to the ground, and I lay there, struggling to catch my breath. My face was pressed against the cold stone as I blinked up at the world, watching people walk by, oblivious to my suffering.
"Get up, you bastard," one of the guards snarled. His boot slamd into my ribs, pushing the air out of my lungs.
I groaned, the pain sharp and familiar. It wasn't anything new. Then I heard a cry, a scream that cut through the air.
I turned, my head barely lifting off the ground, and saw her. A little girl, no more than six or seven. She was dragged by others... They laughed, their hands pulling her by the arms, ignoring her cries.
Sothing inside snapped. I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain. "Let her go!"
The guards turned, sneering at .
"You think you're in a position to order us around, little rat?" one of them sneered.
I didn't care who was right and who was wrong. I didn't think. I moved before my mind could even catch up.
I lunged at them, my hands reaching for the girl. One of the kidnappers swung a fist toward , but I dodged it, spinning away, then grabbing the girl's hand and yanking her from their grasp.
"Run!" I shouted at her. "Go, now!"
The girl hesitated for a second, then ran, her small feet kicking up dust as she bolted down the street. But as she disappeared into the crowd, I felt the weight of the situation settle in.
The n didn't take kindly to intervening. They were on in seconds, grabbing by the hair, slamming to the ground. The world spun as they kicked and punched, each blow landing with brutal precision.
I laughed.
I laughed hysterically, my chest rising and falling with each breath. The pain didn't matter anymore. The blood pouring from my wounds, the broken ribs, the bruises, all of it didn't matter.
One of the n pulled out a blade, the gleam of the steel catching the sun. He raised it high, ready to bring it down on .
But I wasn't afraid. So what if i died then?
"Go ahead," I muttered, my eyes burning with madness. "You think death is scary? You think it's the worst thing that can happen to you don't you?"
The guard faltered for a mont, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. The others paused, unsure of what to make of my defiance.
I slowly stood up and grinned, blood dripping from my lips. "You want to kill ? Fine. Do it. But don't you think i'll go down without a fight... i.. i will take your eyes hand or sothing that's even more important to you... i will die but be sure i will leave scars on you that won't ever heal... You won't break ."
The world around began to shimr, the faces of the people,those who had tornted , watched die, or simply stood by, faded into nothingness. One by one, they vanished like smoke in the wind.
[ Trial 3 End ]
"I... I understand it now," I whispered hoarsely, my voice barely audible. "I understand what this trial is about."
"I have no fear of death left in ," I said, my voice growing steadier. "But you gods...You should be afraid."
A flicker of defiance ignited in my chest, a fla that refused to be extinguished despite everything I had endured.
"My anger... all the torture I've been through... I...im glad.. im glad that i beca stronger " My teeth clenched as tears welled in my eyes, the emotions boiling inside too strong to suppress. "But I won't forget this."
I rose to my knees as I gazed into the emptiness where the gods watched.
"And I'll be coming for each one of you," I whispered, my voice trembling, filled with unrelenting resolve.
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