There were no maps for places buried by shame.
But Rael didn't need a map.
He followed silence. And silence always pointed toward death.
---
Eastern Wastes – Three Days Later
The air here was dry and sharp, like a knife dragged across the throat of the wind.
The Eastern Wastes stretched beyond the last cultivated borders of Linhai. Once part of a great dynasty, now only a graveyard of ash dunes, rusted armor, and old bones poking from cracked earth.
Yue Qingshi had not followed him.
Not this time.
Rael walked alone.
A sack of dried meat, one gourd of water, a broken compass, and the bow strapped across his back.
His steps were steady.
> [Qi Flow: Balanced – Minor Enhancements Active]
[Condition: Stable | Temperature Resistance: +2 (Passive)]
[Soul Core: Shadow-Touched – Monitoring suppressed presence…]
The system floated beside his sight — quiet unless prompted. Rael liked it that way.
The only sound was wind rustling through dead tree husks, and the occasional cry of unseen carrion beasts.
Then he saw it.
A scar in the earth — wide as a river, filled with twisted black roots that pulsed faintly like veins.
The Tomb of the Red Tree.
He descended.
---
Trial Gate – Root Maw
At the bottom of the ravine, a single massive root rose like a throne.
Carved into it was an archway — made from bone.
Dozens of swords were embedded in the wood around it — rusted relics of previous attempts.
Rael stepped forward.
As he approached, the arch began to pulse.
A voice — dry and ancient — spoke from the wood.
> "O He Who Walks Without Clan.
He Who Bears Fire in Silence.
Do you enter the Root?"
Rael didn't hesitate. "Yes."
> "Then bleed."
A sharp thorn shot from the arch and pierced his palm.
He flinched. Blood dripped onto the root. It hissed — absorbing it instantly.
> [Trial Accepted: Fractured Root]
[Restrictions: No external Qi recovery | Soul pressure active]
[Warning: Exit impossible until Trial completes]
The arch yawned open, revealing a spiral descent of red-tinted bark and shadows.
Rael stepped inside.
---
First Chamber – Test of Memory
The hallway twisted until it emptied into a circular room lit by hanging spores. The ground was soft, springy — not soil, but living root.
A massive statue stood in the center — an ancient man with one eye, holding a scroll in one hand and a whip in the other.
Then the world shifted.
Suddenly—
He was in the village.
Before the fire.
His wife's laugh echoed from the kitchen.
His daughter ran around the table, squealing in delight.
His hands were clean. His clothes worn, but whole.
Rael froze.
> [Memory Trial Initiated – Identify the Lie]
He scanned everything.
The warmth. The smells. The voices.
It was perfect.
Too perfect.
Then he looked at the window.
The sun… never moved.
He drew the iron dagger at his side and cut his palm.
The pain was real.
Still trapped.
Then he reached into the fire and pulled out a coal with his bare hand.
> Burn.
He pressed it into his chest.
The illusion shattered.
> [Trial Passed: 1/3]
---
Second Chamber – Beast Root
The next room stank of wet fur and copper.
The ceiling was low, the floor uneven.
Growls echoed.
He was not alone.
Three figures crawled out from the shadows — twisted humanoid beasts made of tangled root and animal bone. They screeched and charged as one.
Rael didn't waste time.
> [Qi Surge: Initiated – Heartline Burst (10 seconds)]
[Temporary Trait Manifested: Beastbane (+15% damage to non-human entities)]
He moved like a shadow — ducked under the first claw swipe, drove his bow into its jaw, shattered it.
He rolled, grabbed a bone spear from the ground, and spun.
Two dead.
The third one leapt.
Rael caught it midair and slammed it into the wall — then stabbed the broken shaft through its eye socket.
Blood sprayed — green, foul.
The root ceiling opened.
> [Trial Passed: 2/3]
[Remaining Qi: 43]
He exhaled and pressed on.
---
Final Chamber – The Tree's Eye
The last room was vast.
At its center was a pit of black water.
Above it hung a massive red crystal — pulsing in time with a heartbeat.
Below it, tied to the roots, was… himself.
An illusion. A clone. A shadow with his face — but twisted.
It looked up and grinned.
"I'm what you become," it said.
Rael stepped forward, bow ready.
"No. You're what I burned."
The clone raised its hand — a scythe of bone and blood forming in its grip.
> [Final Trial Initiated: Mirror Soul]
[Victory unlocks Trait Selection + Soul Layer Advancement]
[Warning: Full Soul Damage Possible]
They moved at once.
---
Fight with the Shadow
The clone was faster. Stronger.
It moved like him, but without restraint. No hesitation. No fear.
Its strikes were brutal — designed to maim, not wound.
Rael dodged the first three, parried the fourth, then took a slash across the ribs.
He staggered, bleeding.
The clone laughed.
"You hesitate because you still remember love."
Rael spit blood.
"I remember why I fight."
He dropped his bow, kicked it mid-spin — it collided with the clone's face, throwing it off balance.
Rael tackled it into the black pit.
They sank.
Time twisted.
Within the water, he reached into his soul.
And bit down.
> Pain.
Fire.
Chains.
He grabbed the thing's throat.
"I'm not you."
And crushed it.
---
Trial Concluded
Rael gasped as he emerged, lying on a bed of breathing roots.
The crystal above had dimmed.
> [Final Trial Complete]
[Trait Options Unlocked: Choose 1 of 3]
1. Blood Rooted – Heal minor wounds by absorbing nearby enemy blood.
2. Silent Bloom – 25% increased stealth while not moving.
3. Hollow Pulse – Infuse arrows with soul echo, dealing minor soul disruption.
He didn't hesitate.
> Selected: Hollow Pulse
> [Trait Active – Duration: 3 Uses Per Day | Permanent: No – Expires in 3 Days]
[Soul Layer Strengthened – Integration 11%]
A path opened above.
Rael stood.
Wounded. Tired.
But smiling.
---
Outside – Dusk over the Wastes
The sun dipped low behind the hills.
Rael emerged from the root mouth, covered in grime and dried blood.
Yue Qingshi was waiting.
She didn't speak — only handed him water.
He drank in silence.
Then she said, "You're changing."
"I have to."
"And the scythe?"
He paused.
"…soon."