Episode 4 : The Second Trial – The Illusory Mirage
After surviving the Abyss of Annihilation, he emerged into a vast desert with golden sand stretching beyond the horizon. The heat was intense, yet the air carried a strange, whispering energy.
Before him stood an ancient dragon statue, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light. The crimson-scaled woman from before appeared once more, her expression unreadable.
"You survived the abyss, but brute strength alone will not make you a true ruler. Now, you must face the Trial of the Illusory Mirage."
She tapped the dragon statue, and instantly, the world around him shattered like glass.
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The World of Illusions
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the desert. Instead, he stood at the entrance of his adoptive kingdom—the same place he had watched burn to the ground years ago.
His heart clenched as he saw familiar faces—his adoptive parents, the soldiers, the people who had raised him. They were alive. They smiled at him.
"Son, you've returned!" his adoptive father called, opening his arms.
For a moment, he hesitated. Was this real? Had everything before been a dream?
Then, in the distance, he saw a different figure—his true father, the Dragon Emperor, watching silently.
Doubt crept in.
The illusion tried to lure him back into the past, to drown him in a false reality. If he accepted it, he would be trapped forever.
He clenched his fists. "This is not real."
The moment he spoke those words, the world trembled. His adoptive parents' faces twisted into horrifying forms, and their bodies turned to ash.
Everything shattered once more, and he fell through darkness.
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Emerging from the Illusion
He gasped as he awoke back in the desert. The crimson-scaled woman nodded in approval.
"You passed. Many warriors fail this test, trapped in the illusion of what they desire most."
His eyes burned, but he said nothing.
"You are one step closer to proving your worth," she continued. "But the hardest trial is yet to come—the Trial of the Dragon King's Will."
His journey was far from over. But now, he was more determined than ever.
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