The First Test

Takumi couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched.

The air in the cottage grew colder, the fire flickering low in the hearth as he sat across from Lyra. Her silver eyes never left him, as if she were studying him—searching for cracks in his facade. But Takumi wasn’t sure if he was trying to hide something from her, or from himself.

The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable.

Finally, Lyra spoke, her voice steady, but with an undercurrent of urgency. “The first test will come soon.”

Takumi frowned, his heart skipping a beat. “Test? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been thrown into a world on the brink of destruction,” she said, rising to her feet with a fluid grace that almost seemed unnatural. “But you are not here by accident. The cycles have a purpose. And each time you die, you’ll learn a little more. You will be tested, pushed to your limits. And if you fail, the cycle resets.”

Takumi clenched his fists at his sides, frustration bubbling up inside him. “I don’t understand. What kind of test?”

Lyra’s expression hardened, her gaze sharp. “You will understand soon enough. But first, you need to be prepared. The world around us is no longer the same. Time has been corrupted, warped by forces beyond comprehension. Magic runs rampant, wild and untamed. It can either save you or destroy you. You must learn to wield it.”

Magic. Takumi had heard the word before, but it felt so distant, so alien in this place. How could he—an ordinary person from Earth—learn to use something so powerful? He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t even close to being one.

But as the thought settled in his mind, a strange warmth stirred deep inside his chest. Something was different about this world. Something he couldn’t quite grasp. It was as though the very air hummed with the potential for power.

Lyra seemed to sense his unease and stepped closer. “Magic here is tied to the very essence of life and death. The world itself is built upon it. But it is unstable, decaying. The more you learn, the more you will understand. And the more dangerous the world will become.”

Takumi swallowed hard. “How do I even begin?”

“Follow me,” Lyra said simply, already turning toward the door. “The first test is a trial you will face alone.”

He hesitated for only a moment before following her out of the cottage, his footsteps heavy in the soft earth beneath him. The wind had picked up again, a chill running through the air. The land around him was vast, stretching endlessly toward the horizon. Towering trees loomed overhead, their branches gnarled and twisted, as if they had been corrupted by time itself. The world felt broken, as though it had been left to rot for centuries.

Takumi’s heart pounded in his chest as they walked, his mind racing with questions. Where were they going? What kind of test awaited him? And why was he the one to face it?

Lyra led him to a clearing in the woods, where a large stone archway stood in the center. The archway was ancient, its surface covered in runes that glowed faintly in the twilight. Takumi could feel the magic radiating from it, pulsing like a heartbeat.

“This is the Trial of the Fallen,” Lyra explained, her voice almost a whisper. “Only those who are chosen can pass. Fail, and you will die. But even in death, the cycle will continue.”

Takumi stared at the archway, his throat dry. “What do I have to do?”

Lyra’s eyes narrowed, and she pointed to the other side of the arch. “Beyond this gate lies a world that is not real. It is a manifestation of your fears, your desires, and your regrets. You will face enemies, illusions, and tests that will push you to your breaking point. You must survive. If you do, the cycle will advance. But if you fail…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but Takumi didn’t need to hear the words. He already understood.

“Once you step through, there’s no turning back,” she said. “Remember, Takumi, magic is not something you can control yet. But it will be your only hope. Trust in it.”

With those final words, Lyra stepped back, her figure disappearing into the shadows of the trees. Takumi stood alone in the clearing, staring at the archway. His heart thudded in his chest, his mind a whirlwind of fear and doubt.

But this was it. The first test. The first step in whatever nightmare he had been thrust into.

Takumi took a deep breath and stepped forward.

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