CHAPTER 315: CHAPTER 314: MERO

He bursts through the smoke, slamming his shoulder against the half-burnt door. The wood splinters, and the room opens into chaos—fire crawling across the walls, furniture collapsing in sparks. Lira stumbles back, eyes wide.

"Big brother!"

"I’m here!" Alix shouts. His voice comes out rough, but steady. "I’m here now, Lira!"

He dashes forward, grabbing the fallen beam that pins her in. His hands burn on contact, skin searing, but he doesn’t stop. Mana flares around his body, faint and unstable—his power reacting even here, in this illusion. With a grunt, he shoves the beam aside.

Lira cries out, and he scoops her up immediately, cradling her against his chest. Her heartbeat is frantic.

"It’s okay," he murmurs, though his lungs are screaming from the smoke. "You’re safe now. I’ve got you."

"Big brother... it hurts..." she whimpers, clutching his shirt.

"I know." He presses her closer. "Close your eyes, alright? I’m gonna save you this time."

He kicks the door down completely and sprints through the burning corridor. Flames lick his arms, debris falls from above, but he pushes through—each step pounding with raw willpower.

Not again. Never again.

He bursts through the front entrance, stumbling out into the night air. The cold wind hits him, and for a moment, everything slows—the fire’s roar dulls, the smoke fades, and the sky above turns impossibly clear.

Lira opens her eyes, blinking up at him. The tears on her cheeks shimmer faintly, like starlight.

"Big brother..." she whispers. "You save me."

She smiles, the same bright, innocent smile from before. "I knew you would."

And then—her form begins to fade, dissolving into motes of golden light that swirl gently around his arms. He reaches out, his hand trembling as it passes through her fading silhouette.

"Lira—"

"Don’t be sad," her voice says softly, echoing in his mind. "You kept your promise."

The light fades completely, and the world stills. The fire is gone. The orphanage vanishes. All that remains is Alix, standing in a vast, quiet void.

Then, a deep, resonant voice speaks—not from around him, but from within.

[Trial of Resolve: Completed.]

[You have faced the weight of your past... and chosen differently.]

[Your heart no longer wavers.]

Alix exhales slowly, lowering his hand. The ache in his chest eases, replaced by a faint, steady warmth.

For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, under his breath, he murmurs,

"...Thank you, Lira."

The golden light fades completely, and Alix blinks—

finding himself once again in the same white stone chamber.

The waiting room.

The air is still, unnaturally so. The faint hum that always lingered in this place feels quieter now, like even the room itself is holding its breath.

Alix straightens slowly, his gaze sweeping the area. The benches, the archway, the dim blue sigils along the walls—all are exactly as before. But something’s different.

The members of the Iron Group are nowhere to be seen.

Then—something stirs above him.

A soft, wispy trail of smoke coils downward, forming a loose spiral in the air. It gathers, condenses, and shapes itself into a small, round creature—its body made entirely of swirling gray mist, its eyes glowing like faint embers.

It blinks up at him. "Oh. You’re back."

Alix raises a brow.

The creature tilts its little smoky head, its form rippling with a faint hum. "Mm. Took you long enough."

He crosses his arms. "So this is your original form?"

The smoke creature floats a little higher, its form pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. "You remember me, then." Its voice is light, almost playful, but the tone carries a strange weight—like an echo that doesn’t quite belong in this plane.

Alix studies it for a moment, his expression unreadable. "You were the one in the first trial."

The creature nods, a ripple of smoke passing through its body like a slow breath. "I was the one that guided you through the reflection’s gate, yes. That was only a fragment of me. This..." It gestures to itself with a curl of mist. "...is my true self. Or what’s left of it."

The creature floats lazily around Alix, its smoky form pulsing like it’s breathing. "You can call me Mero," it says, voice soft but clear. "And I have to say, you’re good. All your companions failed the second trial."

Alix narrows his eyes slightly. "Failed?"

Mero bobs its head, drifting in slow circles around him. "Mm-hm. Every single one of them. I don’t really know what you went through in there—it’s different for everyone—but I can say this much..." Its ember-like eyes blink once. "It’s not pleasant."

Alix gives a faint smile, though his tone stays calm. "Unpleasant... yeah." He glances at his hand, flexing his fingers as if testing their steadiness. "But it’s a good thing for me."

Mero tilts its head, amused. "Huh. That’s an interesting way to put it. Most come out shaking or screaming. You come out looking like you just had a decent workout."

Alix looks back at it. "So what happened to them?"

"Them?" Mero drifts a little closer, the mist of its form brushing faintly against Alix’s shoulder like a breeze. "They’re probably somewhere in the forest now. Everyone who fails the second trial gets teleported outside the cave. Random spots, of course."

Alix nods once, thoughtful. "I see." A short silence passes before he asks, "The item your master used in the second trial—is there a way to get it?"

Mero’s eyes flare slightly, the ember-glow flickering brighter. "Oh? You want it?"

"Of course," Alix replies evenly. "It’s not something I’ve seen before."

Mero lets out a light, smoky laugh, spinning once midair. "You’re definitely your own kind of strange."

"So?" Alix presses, calm but direct. "Is there a way?"

The creature’s mist coils tighter, almost like it’s smiling. "Maybe. Complete the last trial first. If you’re capable—really capable—you might have a chance to get it."

It pauses, eyes narrowing with a faint, teasing glint. "Assuming, of course, you survive."

Before Alix can reply, Mero starts to fade, its smoky form unraveling into thin wisps that drift upward like candle smoke.

"Good luck to you," it says, its voice echoing faintly as it vanishes. "The third trial begins now—the Trial of Strength."

The floor trembles under Alix’s feet. The white stone room around him fractures like glass, the pieces falling away into darkness. A wave of heat rolls over him as the ground reforms—massive stone pillars rising from a crimson abyss, molten rivers running between them.

The sound of chains echoes from the distance.

Alix straightens. "Trial of Strength, huh..."

---

The ground steadies beneath his feet—solid, scorched stone. The air is thick with heat and dust, the faint metallic scent of blood already drifting through the air.

Then—light floods the world.

Alix squints as the darkness shatters, revealing an arena. Vast and circular, its walls tower hundreds of meters high, made of dark stone laced with glowing crimson veins. Above, instead of a sky, there’s a swirling storm of molten clouds. Lava rivers flow through cracks in the ground, their glow casting long, wavering shadows.

Up high, in a raised platform where an announcer would normally stand, Mero floats—his tiny smoky form illuminated by a red halo of runes.

"Contestant!" Mero’s voice booms across the arena, magnified a hundredfold by magic. "Are you ready for the last trial?!"

Alix looks up at him with completely flat, lifeless eyes.

The silence stretches for a beat.

Mero coughs—or tries to. It comes out as a puff of smoke. "Uhm... okay. Tough crowd." He twirls a little in the air, pretending to hold a scroll. "Let’s see. Ah, yes! The final trial’s quite simple! You just need to survive all the waves of beasts, and—" he spins dramatically, "—you’ll earn my master’s inheritance!"

Alix cracks his neck. "That’s it?"

"Yep! Simple, right?" Mero chirps. "Of course, ’simple’ doesn’t mean ’easy,’ hehe..."

Before the last word fades, the ground trembles violently.

A massive iron gate rises from the arena wall, molten chains rattling as it opens. From within, a low, guttural growl rolls out—deep enough to vibrate the stone beneath Alix’s boots.

A tier 6 beast steps out.

A hulking creature covered in dark, obsidian scales. Its arms are thick as tree trunks, each breath snorting jets of steam. Red eyes burn with hunger as it fixes its gaze on Alix.

Mero’s voice rings again. "And here we have it! Wave one! A low-level tier six Lavabreaker Beast! Let’s see how our contestant handles—"

He stops mid-sentence.