SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: THE WEIGHT OF POWER
The next morning of his battle with the shadow creature, Ryuu rose even earlier than he had ever risen before. The unnatural quiet of the temple had an unusual effect on him, as if time here was not like it was elsewhere.
As if the temple itself was aware and watching him, waiting for his next move.
As Ryuu stretched his cramped limbs, Aeris appeared in the room, her movements quiet and purposeful. She was not surprised to see him awake, yet there was something in her gaze that suggested she had something to communicate.
"Something happened today, Ryuu," she stated, her tone strong but underlaid with something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"The trial coming up will test you to your limits. It's not a question of how powerful you are, but how willing."
Ryuu got to his feet, the past day's battle still lingering in his muscles. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Aeris had never shown such intensity before.
"I'm ready," Ryuu declared, though in doubt. Was he really ready for what was in store for him? Could he handle the power growing within him?
Aeris did not answer immediately. She merely nodded, looking about the room as if preparing herself for something inevitable.
"Come with me," she said after a moment. "The trial comes."
The journey took them deeper into the temple than they'd gone before. With every step, Ryuu's senses seemed to heighten once more, the air heavy with a sense of ancient power.
The walls of the temple were covered in symbols—some familiar, some entirely foreign. Ryuu felt as if they were looking at him, whispering secrets just beyond his reach.
Upon entering the innermost room, Ryuu was surprised to find that the Heartstone was no longer pulsating. Rather, it lay still, the merest glimmer of light radiating from within. The entire room was chilled to the bone now, and tension hung heavy in the air.
"This is what you've been waiting for," Aeris whispered. "The Heartstone has taken you in, but will not reveal all it has for you unless you can prove that you're worthy. This test will be of your heart, not your power. You'll have to face your deepest terrors, Ryuu."
Ryuu gulped, his belly twisting. His worst fears? The weight of her words hit home as he approached the Heartstone. He could feel it calling to him, the strange pull way deep in his chest.
He didn't quite understand what Aeris was saying, but one thing was certain: he was going to be tested outside his limits.
Aeris stepped aside, pointing to the Heartstone. "Feel it, and you will know." She said softly.
Ryuu took a deep breath and reached his hand out toward the stone. When his fingers touched its surface, the world around him blew apart.
The room disintegrated, and he was surrounded by blackness. His heart racing as his senses struggled to make sense of what was happening.
Suddenly, a blast of light exploded before him, briefly blinding him. When his vision returned, he stood in a vast, empty wasteland. The sky was blood-red, the ground cracked and naked.
There was a chill wind sweeping across the empty wasteland, with an air of immense loss.
Ryuu's breath caught in his throat as he looked around. In the distance, he spotted a figure—a man—alone.
The man's face was obscured, but something was disturbingly familiar about him. The man shifted, and Ryuu froze. It was his dad.
"Ryuu," the figure called, his voice twisted, as if he were speaking on the wind. "You've traveled far, but not far enough."
Ryuu's heart beat faster. His dad had been dead for years. What was this? A hallucination? A memory?
"Father…", Ryuu breathed, stepping forward hesitantly. "What is this? Is that really you?"
The figure said nothing, its gaze pinned on him with eyes that seemed to see through him.
"Do you think you can change the past?" the man asked, his voice saddening with regret. "You can't. No matter how much power you gain, no matter how hard you attempt, the truth remains. You'll never be able to outrun what has been done."
Ryuu's head began racing. He couldn't possibly be here. This was not happening.
His father had died during the war, a fight Ryuu could never understand. But this vision this test—did not feel real enough.
"Release the past," the figure said again. "It will hold you back only. No matter how much strength you find, no matter how much you know, it will never be enough."
Ryuu's chest tightened as the weight of those words was on his shoulders. Was he to take this at face value? To accept? Could he throw off the blame and the questions that had tormented him all these years?
The figure stepped back, disappearing into the shadows. "You will always be haunted by your past. There is no escape."
As the figure disappeared, Ryuu was left standing alone in the wasteland, his heart weighed down by the afterimage of what had happened.
The wind blew through him, and the sense of emptiness lay suspended in the air. But as he stood there, another figure emerged from the shadows—not his father. It was himself.
The dark copy of Ryuu proceeded, its face twisted into a cruel grin. "You're weak," the dark Ryuu jeered. "Just like your father. You can't escape fate. You'll fail like him."
Ryuu flinched, his hand trembling as the words hit him like a blow. The dark's eyes shone with evil, its voice a sneering reflection of his own worst fears.
"You'll never be good enough," the shadow insisted. "You'll never be strong enough to save anyone. Whatever you do, you'll always fail. You'll always be weak."
Ryuu grit his teeth, his fists clenched as the shadow fell upon him. He had always feared this: that he would lose, that he would never be able to protect those he cared for. His father's death had haunted him, but this—this was the greatest test of his will.
The shadow attacked him, claws in his face. But Ryuu was not the same anymore. The energy in him burst, a raging fire that made his will stronger. He would not allow this shadow to consume him. Not now, never.
With a roar, Ryuu released a burst of power, his powers emanating outward as a blast of light. The shadows winced, its form vanishing into nothing as Ryuu pressed on, finally having overcome the darkness that had tormented him.
The wasteland collapsed behind him as Ryuu was pulled back into the temple. He dropped to the ground, his chest heaving with exhaustion. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his brain spun with the intensity of what he had just experienced.
Aeris stood in front of him, looking at him with a touch of pride and caution.
"You have passed the test, Ryuu. Keep in mind, however: the strongest battles you will ever wage are not against your enemies—against yourself. The power that you possess is dangerous. You will need to learn how to govern your heart as well as govern your abilities."
Ryuu nodded, his head still spinning from the meeting. His father's words and the silhouette Ryuu seemed to stay in his mind. He didn't know whether he had understood everything, but one thing was for sure: this was more than just a mission to slay foes.
This was a mission to confront his past, his nightmares, and lastly, himself.
"Now, forward we go," Aeris replied, her tone firm. "The real proving of your strength awaits."