The broken roots of the dome trembled.
The vines at the top began to glow faintly, flickering with a reddish light.
The ground beneath his body seemed to fade away, replaced by an endless dark field.
All of this felt like a hallucination. This was because it was indeed a hallucination.
He knew what was coming.
The second trial—Dejection Demon. Also known as the Heart Demon trial.
This time, it wouldn't test his body. It would test his mind. His thoughts. His memories. His will.
The Verdant Elder braced himself. He had beaten pain. Now, he would face his past.
The darkness around the Verdant Elder thickened. It wasn't just dark anymore. It was heavy. Cold. Quiet in a way that felt unnatural, like the world had forgotten how to make sound. Then, the silence broke—not with noise, but with feeling.
A breeze brushed past him. With it came a scent he hadn't smelled in centuries. Rather, it was a feeling he hadn't felt in centuries.
