Ren's Trial — Wind Unchained...
Ren stands alone in a circular arena suspended in the sky. The wind is wild... untamed. Thunder roars above, and lightning arcs down like divine judgment.
In the center floats the core of Jinrai... his soulbond blade now fractured.
Voice in the storm: "You command the wind… but have you listened to it?"
Suddenly, spiritual fragments of his past self attack... echoes of Ren at his most ruthless, most arrogant.
Ren (gritting his teeth): "I left this behind… I'm not him anymore!"
But the wind grows more violent the more he resists. It's not until he lowers his weapon and opens himself to the chaos that Jinrai reforms... now whole, sleek, and wrapped in stormlight.
BOOM. A thunderclap echoes. The blade fuses back into his hand with a soft glow of blue lightning.
Haru's Trial — Flame of Regret...
Haru steps into a cave of obsidian. The ground burns with intense heat... but he doesn't feel it. Instead, he sees a chained version of himself, snarling and raging behind bars of crimson light.
Echo of the Beast (within the cage): "You fear me. You fear feeling again."
The cage breaks.
What follows is an emotional brawl, not of fists but of feelings... every suppressed regret, every moment Haru didn't let himself cry, hope, or fail, strikes at him in the form of a flaming beast.
Haru (screaming): "I'm tired of holding it in!"
As tears fall, his weapon responds... a gauntlet-axe hybrid, forged from raw heat and anchored in his resolve.
Kai's Trial — The Vaultkeeper's Choice...
Kai stands across from Ashir in a chamber filled with mirrors. Each one reflects a version of himself... some proud, some broken, some... dark.
Ashir: "Which one of these do you fear becoming?"
Kai is silent. He walks up to a version of himself wearing a dark cloak, eyes emotionless.
Kai (quietly): "That one. Because he's the one who stopped caring."
Ashir nods. "Then earn the weapon that'll remind you why you do."
A burst of mythic light. Kai receives a twin-dagger set that can merge into a long spectral spear, forged with balance and duality in mind.
Himari's Trial — Song of the Forgotten...
Himari is drawn into a chamber filled with music... soft, haunting, and broken. In the center is a crystalized version of her twin, Haru, flickering.
Spirit voice: "You keep protecting others, but who protects you, Himari?"
Her trial is not of strength, but vulnerability. Her weapon... a chakram-like ring blade... forms when she lets herself feel, even in silence.
The fan glows with ethereal music. A melody of memory and soul.
Back to Yuki — The Hollow Within...
Yuki faces himself.
His younger self draws a shadowy version of the scythe—void leaking from the blade.
Young Yuki: "You warped reality once. But you're afraid to do it again."
A massive clash begins between both versions. Kairo watches, saying nothing... just waiting for Yuki to realize the truth.
The real scythe only forms when Yuki stops fighting the shadow... and accepts that the void is a part of him. Not a curse.
The weapon pulses with reality-bending energy. Not just a scythe... a key to rewrite fate.
Aiko's Trial — Echoes of Light...
Aiko steps into a realm of pure silence.
There's no ground beneath her feet, only reflections of the people she's tried to save... Yuki, Ren, Haru, Kai, Himari... even strangers she barely remembers.
Whispers from the void:
"You see auras… but never your own.
You carry others… but what carries you?"
Aiko falls into a well of forgotten memories... her own childhood, her first visions, the loneliness of always "feeling too much." It's overwhelming, the emotional weight crushing her.
Then, a single voice breaks through... Yuki's voice, in memory.
Yuki (in echo): "You were never a burden to me."
Aiko opens her eyes, tears falling... but now glowing with inner light. She doesn't push the emotions away... she holds them close.
From the well rises her weapon:
A mirror-shaped staff that reflects spiritual intent, capable of redirecting mythic energy and shielding allies. The staff has a gentle resonance to it, like wind chimes in a quiet shrine.
Aiko (smiling through tears): "I finally see myself, too."
The group emerges one by one from their trials, all of them bearing new soulbound weapons. There's a pause... a silence thick with change.
And then…
Ashir (stepping forward, arms crossed):
"You've passed the Hollow Vault's forge. But a kingdom awaits you outside... and it won't be as kind."