Endurance... that's what this trial was truly about.
Mother never once mentioned the need to protect or defend anyone. She didn't even suggest that saving people was part of the task. This wasn't a test of strength or heroism—it was pure, brutal endurance.
No retaliation. No salvation. Just... enduring.
And yet, nobody realised it... Expect one!
The chosen ones misunderstood everything. They believed this trial was about rescuing the innocent, about fighting back and winning.
But it wasn't.
They did the exact opposite of what was expected of them. What was required wasn't courage—it was restraint. The true test was to sit in silence, to remain still and bear witness as their Empire crumbled, knowing they could do nothing.
That... was the real trial.
In the end, only one person passed it.
Only one truly understood.
Nyx Shadowfall.
Nobody else.
Aether exhaled slowly as he listened to what happened in the Origin Pillars.
