The moment Aeron's fingers touched the Veilstone Reliquary, a surge of energy rushed through his body like a shockwave. His vision blurred, the world tilting as if reality itself had been ripped apart.
Then—darkness.
Aeron felt himself falling, weightless in an endless void. Voices whispered around him, distant yet unsettlingly close.
"Lost one… bound by fate…"
"The cycle continues… will you break it?"
"You seek strength, yet the chains remain…"
He clenched his fists, trying to focus, but the whispers only grew stronger.
Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.
Aeron's vision snapped back into focus, and he found himself standing in an endless hall of stone pillars, each one etched with ancient symbols glowing faintly with blue light. The air was heavy with power.
A figure stood at the far end of the hall.
Tall. Cloaked in tattered black robes. A presence that felt both familiar and foreign.
Nyxus stirred within Aeron's mind, his voice tense. "Be careful. That… thing is not just a vision."
The figure slowly turned, revealing a mask of obsidian, smooth and featureless.
"Aeron."
The voice resonated in the chamber, deep, layered, almost inhuman.
Aeron took a step forward, his instincts flaring. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head. "One who has walked the path you now tread."
The moment the words left its mouth, Aeron felt something stir deep within him. A memory? A warning?
Nyxus's voice was firm now. "This thing is dangerous. It reeks of the old ways."
Aeron narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
The figure lifted a hand, and the pillars around them shifted, their symbols rearranging into something new.
"Your choice."
Suddenly, the entire hall trembled as the masked figure raised an arm.
From the shadows behind it, something massive began to emerge.
A beast—twisted, ancient, its form barely comprehensible. Multiple eyes blinked in the darkness, each one filled with malice.
A test.
A challenge.
A warning.
The figure's voice echoed one last time before fading.
"Survive… or be forgotten."
And then—the beast attacked.
Meanwhile…
Kael cursed as the dungeon around him began to collapse.
The battle with the Abyssal Sentinel had already left the chamber unstable, but now the entire structure was coming down.
"Aeron!" He turned, scanning the room. But Aeron was gone.
No trace. No sign.
Only the shattered altar… and a chilling silence.
Kael's grip on his sword tightened.
"Damn it."
Aeron didn't hesitate.
The beast lunged, a blur of shifting darkness and countless eyes, its form shifting between reality and the void. The moment it moved, Aeron's instincts screamed at him—dodge!
He rolled to the side just as a massive claw tore through the stone floor where he had been standing. The force of the impact cracked the ancient pillars, sending debris scattering through the hall.
"This is no ordinary creature," Nyxus murmured in his mind, voice sharp.
Aeron's eyes locked onto the shifting form of the beast. It was wrong. Unlike any monster he had encountered before, it didn't have a clear shape. It was fluid, ever-changing, like it existed in multiple forms at once.
"Analyze it," Aeron commanded.
A flicker of energy passed through his mind as the system activated.
[System Analysis: Incomplete]
Name: ???
Type: ?? (Unidentified Entity)
Threat Level: Catastrophic
Weakness: ??
Description: This entity exists beyond conventional classification. Caution is advised.
"Not helpful," Aeron muttered.
Nyxus's voice was firm. "This is a trial. It's not meant to be a normal fight—it's testing you."
The creature lurched forward again, faster than before. Aeron barely managed to react, raising his arm as black tendrils lashed out toward him.
SLASH!
His blade met resistance as he struck one of the tendrils, severing it—only for the severed limb to dissolve into mist and reform instantly.
Aeron's heartbeat quickened. Physical attacks weren't enough.
"Then I need something more," he thought grimly.
Closing his eyes for the briefest second, he reached deep within himself—toward Nyxus's power.
The war god's voice was amused. "Oh? Finally learning to rely on me?"
"Just shut up and lend me your strength."
Nyxus chuckled, and then—power surged through Aeron's veins.
—
Meanwhile…
Kael rushed through the collapsing dungeon, his blade drawn.
He didn't know what the hell had happened, but something felt wrong.
Aeron had vanished into thin air. One second he was there, the next—gone.
And the dungeon? It was unstable. The moment Aeron disappeared, the mana in the air had shifted. Something had been set in motion.
Kael grit his teeth. He had to find a way out.
—
Back in the Trial Hall…
Aeron felt the power ignite within him like a raging storm. His body moved faster, sharper, stronger.
This time, when the beast attacked, he was ready.
With a burst of speed, Aeron dodged beneath its massive claws, his blade glowing with Nyxus's infused energy.
"Try cutting deeper this time," Nyxus suggested.
Aeron smirked. "Way ahead of you."
And then, he struck.
Aeron moved like a shadow, his body infused with Nyxus's energy. His blade gleamed with an eerie black glow, absorbing the mana in the air as he struck.
CLANG!
The beast reacted, its shifting mass warping around his attack. It didn't just dodge—it consumed the energy of his strike, the impact vanishing as if it had never happened.
"Tch. It's adapting," Aeron realized.
Nyxus's voice hummed in his mind. "Of course it is. You think a mere sword swing would end this?"
The creature lunged again, its tendrils morphing into jagged spears of blackened energy, striking at Aeron from multiple directions.
He twisted midair, dodging two strikes, then redirected a third with his blade. But the fourth slammed into his side.
CRACK!
Pain exploded through his ribs as he was sent skidding across the stone floor. He gritted his teeth, rolling to a crouch. Blood dripped from his lips.
"Damn thing hits hard."
The creature's countless glowing eyes blinked in unison, as if studying him. Taunting him.
And then, the air trembled.
Aeron's instincts screamed.
It was charging something.
Dark tendrils pulled inward, coiling around its core. A mass of unstable energy crackled to life, growing larger, heavier. The sheer force of it distorted the space around them.
"It's going to unleash a full-force attack," Nyxus warned.
Aeron's mind raced. He didn't have time to dodge. If he tried to run, he'd be obliterated.
Which meant…
He had to counter it.
—
Outside the Trial Hall…
Kael sprinted through the collapsing dungeon, dodging falling debris as the walls trembled violently.
"This whole place is going to come down."
A piercing shockwave suddenly rippled through the dungeon, sending cracks splintering across the floor. Kael skidded to a halt.
His instincts roared in warning.
Something massive was happening deeper inside.
He clenched his fists. Aeron was still in there.
"Damn it."
Without hesitation, Kael turned and ran toward the danger.
---
Back in the Trial Hall…
Aeron exhaled sharply. The creature's attack was seconds away from being unleashed.
"Fine."
He tightened his grip on his blade.
Then, he reached out—pulling every ounce of Nyxus's power into his strike.
"Let's see whose power is stronger."
The air roared as his blade ignited with void energy. The moment the beast released its attack, Aeron struck forward, meeting it head-on.
A blinding explosion erupted—
The dungeon shook.
And then—
Everything went black.