Chapter Three: Pain and the Trial
"Did you find anything?!"
shouted one of the prison guards, advancing through the shadows, panting.
"No... I didn't. Maybe he escaped through a crack or something. Let's keep searching!"
replied the other soldier without pausing his run.
They were close… too close.
But what they didn't know was that Leander hadn't gone far.
In fact, he was right beneath their feet, standing before a gate unlike anything he'd ever seen in his life.
He had found something…
Something he found first—before they could find him.
---
The gate was colossal, towering as if it stretched from the depths of the earth to the reaches of the sky.
Etched into its surface were ancient carvings, interwoven like a story written in the language of the stars.
It was more than a door. It was a cosmic canvas, pulsing with ancient wisdom and eternal awe.
Leander stood entranced—not just by its size, but by the words carved into it.
He felt as if the letters were whispering to his soul, telling him something he somehow knew, even without understanding.
And at its center, one word was engraved: "Trial."
Below it, a message written in masterful script read:
> "Success is not winning, nor is failure losing.
True victory... lies in taking the trial.
To walk the path, to fall, to rise, to try—and then to understand.
Only the trial holds the key to truth.
Your judgments may be sound,
But nothing is truer than living it yourself.
Words are spoken, beliefs are taught,
But what is not lived… remains incomplete."
Leander stared at the words, his heartbeat shifting rhythm.
"How many things have I judged without experiencing them... How many of my opinions were just echoes, not truths?"
It was the most honest thing he'd ever read.
He thought:
*"Take the rich man who says money doesn't buy happiness—he may be telling the truth.
But the poor man who doesn't believe it is also right... because he hasn't tried.
If he gains wealth one day, maybe he'll be wrong, maybe right—
but at least then… he'll know.
So don't judge life from afar.
Step closer. Live it.
Endure its pain. Taste its sweetness.
For knowledge without experience… is the shadow of truth, not its light."*
But that wasn't all.
To the right of the gate was a strange cavity, shaped like a human arm.
Next to it, another message:
> "If you wish to learn,
pain is the truest trial.
Place your hand."
He hesitated. Who wouldn't fear the unknown?
But then he thought:
"Run now from the guards… or run forever from life?"
Slowly… he extended his hand.
Suddenly—
Slash!
A horrifying scream tore through the silence.
Pain surged through him like a river of fire, and blood gushed.
His arm—was cut off!
He staggered back, grabbed his shirt, and tore it to bind the remains of his arm.
And then…
Crrrk… crrrk…
The gate began to open.
It was as if the rocks groaned and the mountains shifted.
The gate was thick, like a wall of time itself, dividing past from present… or reality from trial.
Leander stepped through.
---
The place resembled a sacred cave.
Its walls were covered in blue and gold crystal, the air dense with an indescribable energy.
Statues of unidentifiable beings stood silent, as if guarding secrets.
At the center of the chamber stood a second gate, made of stone and gold, radiating a warm light.
The path to it was paved with red diamonds, gleaming under Leander's feet as if soaked in blood.
He moved forward…
Closer…
Until he stood before the second gate.
And the moment he stepped through it, he heard a voice—
one that was not human:
"Trial initiated."
"First trial: Duration: 40 years. Objective: Extreme wealth."
"Where… am I?"
He opened his eyes to find himself in a place he'd never seen before.
He was sitting in a modern classroom, surrounded by students his age—but no one was speaking.
A man stood at the front, speaking a strange language…
And yet, Leander understood every word.
"Class is over. Study well."
A school...?
But how?!
Before he could think further, a voice beside him said,
"Lin, aren't you going home?"
He looked up.
A boy with black hair and narrow eyes, wearing the same uniform, was speaking to him.
He pointed to himself, confused. "Me...?"
Then he heard the voice again—this time from within:
"Transferring trial data..."
In a moment, his mind filled with information:
He was now in a world called Earth, in a city called Tokyo, in a country known as China.
His new name was Lin, age 16, a student.
The boy beside him was named Mo—his friend.
The shock still gripped him, but his battle-hardened nature quickly helped him regain control.
"Lin, are you okay?"
Mo gently tapped his shoulder.
Leander answered, determined to adapt:
"Yes… let's go."
---
The two left the school.
Leander looked around in awe, like a child seeing the world for the first time.
Skyscrapers… machines racing faster than horses… screens, lights, people speaking through glowing devices.
Even though the knowledge had been transferred to him, his heart still marveled.
---
They arrived at a poor neighborhood.
Mo smiled and waved: "See you soon, Lin."
From the body's memories, Leander recalled the address and walked toward it.
The place was modest—barely a house at all.
He knocked.
Knock… knock… knock…
A middle-aged woman opened the door, her eyes warm:
"Welcome home, dear. Go change—we're having dinner."
Leander entered the room and sat down, thoughts consuming him:
"Why am I here? Who designed this trial? And what is its true purpose?"
He remembered the voice:
"Duration: 40 years."
"Objective: Extreme wealth."
He said to himself, with a resolve that knew no surrender:
"This is a test? Then I'll pass it.
I'll find who brought me here… and why.
And I'll reach the top—even in this strange world."
---
Suddenly, the door opened.
A small girl entered, short and very similar to his "mother."
"Aren't you going to eat? Mom's calling us!"
For the first time since entering this new world, Leander smiled.
"Alright, I'll change and come."
He stepped out and sat with them.
A low table, simple food, a mother and daughter… and a boy with the mind of a warrior.
They began to eat.
The mother spoke, the sister laughed.
And Leander…
He felt something he had never known before.
Warmth… tenderness… a moment of genuine happiness.
Not from money or power—but from a single, fleeting moment.
His sister looked at him, puzzled. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
He replied with a calm smile:
"No reason."
---
And thus… his trial began.
A trial of pain—and transformation.
One that could either forge him into something greater… or shatter him completely.
But one thing was certain:
Leander… would never retreat.