CHAPTER 311: CHAPTER 310: OASIS OF REFLECTION

After he disappears, everyone feels the world twist and warp around them—light bending, air collapsing inward like a vacuum swallowing sound. For a heartbeat, there’s nothing but white—weightless and still. Then, Alix feels gravity slam back into him.

He lands lightly on his feet, boots sinking an inch into scorching sand. A wave of dry heat slams into him, and the air itself ripples beneath a relentless sun. Even with his resistance, the temperature presses against his skin like a furnace. He shields his eyes and takes in the sight.

The horizon stretches endlessly in every direction—a barren desert of gold and ash. No mountains, no ruins, no sound. Just wind and heat. The only sign of life is the faint shimmer of air distortion far, far away, like a mirage that refuses to stay still.

Alix exhales slowly, his voice calm despite the desolation.

"So, we got teleported separately."

He scans the area again, sensing for mana signatures. Nothing—no trace of Kyra, Bragg, Mave, or Verrin. No ambient energy, no beasts nearby. Just silence.

Brushing a line of sweat from his brow. He murmurs "Not exactly creative."

Suddenly, a faint transparent screen flickers into view before him.

[Trial One: Wisdom]

Objective: Seek the Oasis of Reflection. Only there shall truth be revealed.

Alix blinks at the glowing text before him, momentarily still. The faint hum of the screen vibrates in the air, a soft resonance that feels oddly... familiar.

"Oh," he mutters, a hint of surprise slipping through his calm tone. "The system’s active."

He stares at it for a few seconds, eyes narrowing slightly. The floating interface flickers faintly under the harsh sunlight, translucent and steady. Since coming to this new world, the system had been mostly dormant—silent, passive, like a sleeping dragon that no longer bothered to stir. It had offered no guidance, no reactions.

But now... it responds.

A small, thoughtful smile crosses his face. "So this trial might actually be worth something after all."

The desert wind answers him with a dry hiss, grains of sand brushing against his cloak like fine needles. Alix sighs and starts walking toward the distant shimmer on the horizon.

The heat presses down, relentless. The sun above burns white-gold, its glare so intense it bleaches the dunes to blinding brightness. The air wavers like liquid flame, and every breath feels thick and dry.

He mutters under his breath, voice almost amused. "Guess even power doesn’t make you immune to discomfort."

The wind shifts suddenly, carrying a faint whisper—too soft to be a voice, too distant to be mere air. He stops, glancing around.

The dunes look the same: endless, rolling, shifting with each gust. The shimmer on the horizon flickers again, as though teasing him.

Alix frowns. "Right... so this isn’t just a walk to an oasis."

He kneels briefly and presses his palm to the ground. The sand beneath his hand hums faintly with mana—thin, faint threads running in concentric circles beneath the surface. A formation, subtle but ancient.

Alix traces the lines of mana under the sand with his eyes, his expression calm but focused. The faint pulse moves like veins, connecting distant points across the desert.

"So this whole place is one giant formation," he murmurs.

He stands, brushing sand from his glove. "I can just destroy the entire thing," he says quietly, eyes narrowing. "But who knows what’ll happen if I do that."

The wind howls softly in answer, like an unseen warning.

He exhales, then smirks faintly. "Alright then. Let’s solve this as intended."

Straightening, he adjusts his cloak and starts walking again, each step sinking slightly into the shimmering dunes. The air vibrates subtly around him, the formation responding to his movement like a living thing—testing, watching.

"Let’s see what happens if I just keep going," he mutters, half to himself.

As he walks, the horizon seems to twist. What looked like empty desert now shifts—subtle, almost imperceptible changes. Dunes curve differently, shadows stretch too long, and every few minutes, he feels as though he’s walking in circles.

"Hmm." Alix stops, glancing over his shoulder. His footprints are gone—erased by the wind the moment he takes another step forward. "An illusion layer. Smart."

The heat grows heavier, pressing against his skin like molten weight. His mana vision activates with a faint golden shimmer in his eyes, revealing lines of power weaving through the air like threads of light. They form patterns that shift each time he looks too closely.

He smirks again. "So it reacts to attention. Trying to mislead me."

The next gust of wind carries another whisper—faint, almost tender.

Turn back.

Alix pauses, listening. The voice is neither male nor female, more like the desert itself speaking through the air.

He chuckles softly. "If I turned back every time someone told me to, I wouldn’t have made it this far."

As he continues, the mirage ahead ripples violently, shifting into shapes—mountains, ruins, even the faint illusion of people walking ahead of him. Kyra’s figure appears for a heartbeat, turning to glance at him before fading like smoke.

His smile fades slightly. "So it’s trying to test focus."

He keeps walking, ignoring the visions, his steps steady, his aura calm. The formation pulses beneath his feet, its rhythm quickening.

Then—click.

A faint tone resonates through the desert, and the air in front of him shatters like glass, revealing a faint pathway of solid light leading deeper into the dunes.

Alix tilts his head slightly, intrigued. "There we go. Progress."

He steps onto the glowing path, the formation’s hum deepening beneath him. Each step forward feels heavier, the air thickening with ancient intent. The horizon ahead no longer wavers—it bends upward, revealing a faint glimmer of blue far in the distance.

"The Oasis of Reflection," he murmurs, eyes narrowing in thought. "Let’s see what kind of wisdom you think I’m missing."

Alix follows the glowing path, the desert heat warping around him like molten glass. The air hums with quiet tension, each step echoing faintly through the sand as if the land itself listens.

The blue glimmer ahead slowly grows larger, the dunes flattening into smoother ground. The oppressive heat begins to fade, replaced by a cool, steady breeze that smells faintly of water and stone.

Finally, the endless desert parts to reveal it—a vast oasis ringed by pale stone pillars, their surfaces carved with ancient runes that shimmer faintly in the sunlight. At the center lies a still, mirror-like pool of clear water, untouched by wind. The reflection is so perfect that the sky above and the sand around seem to blend into it seamlessly.

But what catches Alix’s attention is the structure standing in the middle of that pool—a lone pavilion made of white stone, small yet intricate, supported by four curved pillars that rise from the water itself. It looks timeless, serene... and heavy with power.

Alix stops at the edge of the oasis, eyes narrowing slightly. "Finally."

He watches the calm water for a few seconds before speaking again, his voice low and thoughtful. "So this is the heart of the formation."

The reflection in the pool shimmers faintly, and for a heartbeat, his own reflection moves a split-second out of sync. He raises a brow. "A test of wisdom... or perception?"

The system screen flickers again before him.

[You have reached the Oasis of Reflection.]

[Proceed forward to continue the trial.]

Alix exhales slowly, stepping closer to the water’s edge. "I just hope that after all this trouble, the rewards are actually worth it."

He steps onto the surface—and the water holds. Ripples spread out beneath his boots, glowing faintly like liquid light. The entire oasis hums in response, gentle but vast, as though recognizing his presence.

He walks across the water, his reflection following perfectly until halfway—then it lags again, almost imperceptibly. Alix notices immediately.

"You’re not me," he says softly, his tone neither accusing nor surprised. "You’re the test."

The reflection smiles faintly—an expression Alix himself doesn’t make. Its voice echoes softly through the oasis, calm and knowing.

"Then show me... what you’ve learned."

The still water ripples violently as the reflection rises, solidifying into a perfect copy of Alix—same face, same stance, same cold composure—but its eyes glow faintly with silver light.

Alix straightens, his own aura quietly flaring to meet it. "A reflection that thinks it’s real."

The other Alix smirks faintly. "Maybe I am. Maybe you’re the imitation."

Alix chuckles under his breath. "If that’s how this trial’s going to be, then let’s see which one of us walks out of here."

The reflection’s smirk softens into something almost serene. The silver glow in its eyes fades, and it lowers its stance—not in surrender, but in quiet invitation.

"Haha," it laughs softly, its tone calm and eerily familiar, like Alix hearing his own voice echo from a dream. "If you wish to finish this trial... then come and find me—inside."