Ascension Protocol: Rouge System

It was cold, and Keiran and Lira harnessed themselves deeper in the Forgotten City by a golden trail. Dim light emanating from it outlined pieces of broken statues, pieces of weapons, and full landscapes covered by fallen structure after structure. Every step fell with more weight as the past weighed upon soles.

"You know," Lira said, breaking the silence between them, "this is starting to feel less like an adventure and more like a bad idea."

Keiran smirked, though his grip on his dagger tightened. "And yet, here we are. You could have stayed back at the library."

"Right, because leaving you to fumble your way into some trap is a much better idea," she said in return, her voice light and teasing, though her eyes were sharp.

He didn't answer immediately, his gaze caught by the path ahead. The golden light seemed to grow in intensity as they walked up to a huge ornamented gate. The carvings that danced across its surface showed fights between figures wielding the elements, their faces contorted in triumph and agony.

"This must be it," Keiran said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

---

Gate of Trials

Lira stepped forward, her eyes running over the carvings. "Looks like another trial. Let me guess-more 'embracing wisdom' and less 'charging in blind.'"

Keiran reached out hesitantly, his fingers brushing against the cold metal. As he did, the Zenith System flared to life.

"Gate of Trials detected. To proceed, seekers must overcome the Inner Reflection. Only those who understand their own limits shall pass.

Inner Reflection?" Keiran echoed, furrowing his brow. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

Lira folded her arms. "Sounds like a fancy way of saying we're about to be tested on something personal. Great. Just what I wanted-therapy in the middle of a death trap.

The heavy gate yawned open, slowly creaking to a dark corridor lined by flickering blue torches; inside, the air was thick with repressed energy, and within it, the soft murmur of whispers seemed to shift about.

"Stay close," Keiran said, stepping into the corridor.

Lira followed after him, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "Always close, Keiran, but will you be prepared when this finally catches up?

With every step, murmurs grew louder-unintelligible, rising up to words that cut and stung, hacking into Keiran's brain.

"Weak. Unworthy. A child playing at being a hero."

Keiran staggered to a stop; his breath caught. The corridor blurred, and he wasn't walking beside Lira, was instead standing in that one small, meanly lit room, far too well known.

This-this was my old room," he said, stammering with shaking. The old bed with its worn mattress and cracked mirror, its heap of thrown-away schoolbooks-he remembers the whole thing just exactly alike.

As it grew louder, out stepped the figure of shadow-a hunched, sunken-eyed, grinning entity-from the corner.

"You really think you could manage with this?" he taunts. "You will be only a failure, Keiran. Running from failure into error, hoping that people can help you out."

Keiran's heart raced, yet he fisted his hands. "You're not real. You're just… part of the trial.

The shadow laughed, its voice loud in his ears. "Oh, I'm real enough. I'm every doubt you've ever had, every time you told yourself you weren't good enough. Face it, Keiran—you're weak."

---

The Turning Point

Keiran closed his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath. The weight of the shadow's words weighed in on him, yet he made himself remember all that had befallen him: the Guardian's trial, the library, the path he'd taken to walk.

"Maybe I am weak," he said finally, tone even. "But it does not make me stop trying. Being weak does not equal failing; it's where one starts.

It faltered, and for a moment, doubt was in its grin. The room around Keiran began to shift; the oppression inside lifted a bit. The Zenith System chimed.

"Inner Reflection: Stage One complete. Strength comes from acknowledgment."

The shadow dissipated, and Keiran found himself back in the corridor. Lira was standing some feet away.

"You okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keiran nodded, though his hands still shook. "Yeah, let's keep moving."

---

The Second Reflection

They were not very far along when the corridor again flashed and whirled Lira within its brilliance. Keiran turned to her, but she was no more there, only the darkened forest.

"Lira?" he called into the void; his voice came back.

But Lira was alone in the middle of the forest, shallow in breathing, her grip on her sword tight. Leaves rustled and muffled laughter seemed everywhere.

"Lira, Lira, always so strong," a voice jeered in song.

She whirled, her eyes slitting. A figure emerged from the dark: a young man with a lean face and a cruel smile, his eyes glinting in the dark.

"Gale," Lira whispered, sudden anger and hurt roughening her voice.

He laughed and opened his arms. "Miss me, sister? Or have you forgotten how you left me behind?"

Lira's jaw clenched. "You're not real. Gale's dead."

"Perhaps. But the guilt you wear? That's very real." He stepped closer, his voice softening. "You think you can save everyone, Lira. But you couldn't save me."

She swallowed hard, the knuckles white on her sword. "I did what I had to do. You wouldn't understand."

"Did you?" Gale returned, his head cocked to one side. "Or are you just telling yourself that so that you can sleep at night?"

---

A Moment of Resolve

She shut her eyes, making her breathing steady. Keiran, the journey they had embarked on, the people she still had to save flashed across her mind.

"I won't be able to change the past," she finally said, her voice firm. "But I can make sure that it doesn't happen again. That's how I can honor you, Gale."

The woods had started to break apart into mist, and the figure of Gale vanished into that. A voice echoed from the Zenith System.

"Inner Reflection: Stage Two complete. Strength in forgiveness."

Lira opened her eyes, finding herself back in the corridor; Keiran stared anxiously at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, though somber. "Yeah. Let's keep moving."

---

The Gate Opens

The golden trail reappeared, leading them to another massive door. This one bore a single word carved into its surface: Unity.

Keiran glanced at Lira. "You think we're done?"

"Not even close," she said, a faint smirk on her lips. "But at least we're still standing."