Adriel slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself seated in a lotus position, enveloped by silence and surrounded by glowing etchings that formed a strange pattern beneath him.
His thoughts were sluggish, like molasses drifting through fog.
'How did I get here?' he wondered groggily.
The aftershocks of the illusion—or whatever that experience had been—had yet to fully fade.
---
*DING*
[ Congratulations on completing the First Trial of the Primordial Void Ascendant. ]
[ Do You Wish To View Your Rewards? ]
---
"Huh?"
Adriel blinked in confusion. "First trial?"
He racked his mind, but there were no memories of entering any trial. No warnings. No gateways. Just—nothing.
---
*DING*
[ Recovery of memories will commence shortly. ]
---
'What do you mea—'
Before he could finish the thought, a sharp dizziness seized him. His vision twisted, and then—
His memories came flooding back.
---
—Flashback—
"System," he called quietly, eyes scanning the desolate path ahead.
---
*DING*
[ 8 days, 6 hours, 39 minutes and 40 seconds until completion... ]
---
He pressed forward, boots crunching softly on uneven terrain.
He kept a moderate pace, wary of every sound and shadow.
The air was heavy, foreign.
After a while—he had no idea how long—he finally spotted a silhouette in the distance.
A structure. Towering. Perched atop the jagged peak of a lonely mountain.
"System, is that the energy source?"
---
[ Affirmative. ]
---
"So... you actually expect me to climb that mountain?"
---
[ Host can choose to climb the mountain or remain in position for 4 days. ]
---
Adriel snorted. "Right. I'll wait here then."
He stared at the distant peak for a few silent seconds.
Eventually, curiosity won.
---
The climb, surprisingly, wasn't as difficult as he'd expected.
After what felt like an hour of climbing, he stood at the summit, greeted by a sight that defied reason.
A temple.
If it could be called that.
The temple could be described in one word—Grand.
It was colossal. The pillars alone towered over 500 meters high, their sheer scale dwarfing him.
Adriel circled the structure, counting nine pillars in total—seven gleaming white and two pitch-black.
Strange, intricate inscriptions adorned each one, their meaning unknown, yet their design mesmerizing.
The temple had no walls—only the pillars supporting an enormous roof overhead.
At its center stood a dark altar, smooth and unnaturally black.
A straight pitch-black path led to the altar.
Between the two black pillars—which resembled imposing gates more than supports—hung a pure white rectangular signboard.
Adriel observed it closely, trying to guess what material it was made of but failed to do so.
There was a string of symbols inscribed on the signboard, but he couldn't make sense of what they meant.
"There are weird inscriptions on everything in this place..." Adriel noticed.
They were on the pillars, ground, and on the altar.
"Are these formation inscriptions?" he asked himself.
The markings closely resembled the ones he had seen on the teleportation formation.
Although their shape didn't match, they gave off the feeling that they were closely related.
There was another puzzling thing—when he touched the pillars, he couldn't tell what materials they were made of.
It wasn't wood, metal, crystal, or anything he knew.
"System," he whispered. "What is this place?"
---
*DING*
[ Analyzing Host's Environment... ]
[ Analysis Incomplete... ]
[ Detected That Host Is In The Presence Of A Formation ]
[ System Cannot Identify The Formation Unless It Has Been Awakened ]
[ The Black Altar Has The Highest Amount Of Aether ]
[ System Recommends Host To Get Closer To The Black Altar ]
---
Adriel sighed, rising to his feet.
"Guess I still have to do everything myself..."
With cautious steps, he walked through the black pillars and onto the onyx path.
The altar loomed ahead. A perfect black cube—simple, yet imposing.
Two feet high, two feet wide.
Adriel stood before it for a moment, unsure why, but feeling as though he was being judged.
Then, with quiet resolve, he climbed atop the cube and seated himself cross-legged.
---
*DING*
[ Energy Source Detected ]
[ Calculating Time Remaining... ]
[ 2 Hours, 49 Minutes AND 28 Seconds Until Completion... ]
---
"That explains it..." Adriel muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Relief swept through him like a cool breeze on a scorching day.
After days of wandering, climbing, and enduring uncertainty, all he had to do now was sit on this mysterious black altar for less than three hours—and the system would finally complete its awakening.
Just as he settled into the calm of the moment, another prompt appeared.
---
*DING*
[ Conditions Have Been Met ]
[ Host Has Been Invited to a Trial ]
[ Do You Accept? ]
[ Yes / No ]
---
Adriel blinked in confusion, staring at the glowing panel before his eyes.
'A trial? What conditions?' he pondered, narrowing his eyes.
'When did that happen?'
He wasn't even aware there was a trial to begin with.
No warnings, no explanations—just a sudden invitation.
The air around him remained silent and still, as if waiting for his choice.
He scratched his head, running a mental check through recent memories.
Nothing stood out—no anomalies, no warnings, no strange encounters... unless the altar itself was the trigger.
"There's no information on what the trial even is," he murmured in frustration. "And why now?"
Taking a deep breath, he called out mentally, 'System, what is the source of this trial?'
---
*DING*
[ Unknown ]
---
He frowned. That wasn't helpful.
"Would there be any benefits if I accept the trial?" he asked, already suspecting the answer.
---
*DING*
[ Affirmative ]
---
"Hmph... that figures."
Although the vagueness irritated him, he reminded himself that the system was still in the process of awakening.
Perhaps that was why it couldn't provide full details yet.
Still, the idea of a trial—especially one linked to this strange, ancient place—piqued his curiosity.
He gazed up at the vast roof held aloft by titanic pillars, feeling the pull of something greater—older, and much more powerful than anything he had encountered so far.
"Alright... let's see what this hype is about."
Adriel took a breath, his heart steady, and mentally selected 'Yes'.
---
*DING*
[ Host Has Accepted the Invitation ]
[ New Quest ]
Complete the First Trial of the Primordial Void Ascendant
— Details: Escape the Mirage of Eternal Stride
— Trial Type: Illusion
— Rewards: ???
[ Hidden Quest ]
— Details: ???
— Rewards: ???
---
"Heh... It's just an illusion," Adriel muttered, forcing a chuckle as his eyes scanned the eerie surroundings.
"But why the fuck would you show me a hidden quest without telling me what it even is?" he asked aloud, his voice laced with irritation.
---
[ It Is A Hidden Quest. ]
The system's cold, impassive voice echoed in his mind.
---
"I know that, you dumb as fu— Oh."
A pause. He squinted, realization dawning slowly.
'I swear this damn system just called me stupid…'
Suspicion brewed behind narrowed eyes.
He looked up at the ceiling—still the same maze of incomprehensible glyphs and sigils, or whatever they could be called.
'System, I have some questions.'
---
[ Host may proceed with his inquiries. ]
---
'Who is the Primordial Void Ascendant?'
That question had been clawing at his mind for a while now.
He had assumed it referred to some ancient powerhouse—an ascendant lost to time or myth.
But he didn't know. His predecessor had barely read anything useful, ignoring everything from history to politics, even the basic laws of magic. Not that Adriel was any better—on Earth, he had done the same.
Now it was biting him back.
---
*DING*
[ "Before Death, there was Life. Before Life, there was Light. Before Light, there was Darkness. Before Darkness, the Void..." ]
---
He stared blankly at the translucent system panel, his vague understanding leading to more questions than answers.
'The system didn't answer the question. It gave me a quote. One that sounds like it came from a twelve-year-old trying to be poetic.'
'And only the 'void' aspect was identified, it didn't even mention the 'primordial' part. That explains nothing.'
He clenched his jaw and asked again.
'System, is the Primordial Void Ascendant… a person?'
---
[ Yes… and No... ]
[ The Primordial Void Ascendant is— ]
[ Error… ]
[ Question has touched upon a forbidden subject... ]
[ Host is advised to limit inquiries until the System is fully awakened. ]
[ Host should please Awaken the System. ]
---
Adriel groaned. "Then why the fuck did you say I could ask questions at all?"
His frustration simmered as he crossed his arms. After a moment of mental regrouping, he moved on to more pressing concerns.
---
"How long will the trial last?" he asked, scanning the darkened temple hall.
This place… it didn't seem ordinary. It felt cut off from the outside world, but he wasn't naïve. The danger was real. He was just a Mid Tier-1 Ascendant in a place meant for monsters that could flatten cities.
---
[ The duration of the trial depends on how long it takes the Host to complete it. ]
---
"That's not a time range," he muttered. Still, it was better than nothing.
"And during the trial, would my safety be assured?"
---
[ The likelihood of the Host dying during the trial is greater than the likelihood of dying outside of it. ]
---
'...That's not very reassuring.'
His next question came out slower. "Then what are my chances of surviving?"
---
[ Difficulty: Impossible ]
---
It felt like someone had slammed a sledgehammer into his confidence. His lips twitched as disbelief filled his eyes.
"Impossible? …Then why the hell am I doing this?"
'Forget this. I'll back out. I'll just awaken the system and move on.'
He nodded mentally, already congratulating himself on his brilliant decision.
---
*DING*
[ Host has already accepted the invitation. ]
[ Host cannot withdraw from the trial. ]
[ The System recommends that the Host complete the trial. ]
[ This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ]
[ Host will regret rejecting this offer. ]
---
"...So I have no choice, huh?"
It was obvious now. The system had guided him here intentionally. Every step, every decision—maybe even every thought—was nudged toward this trial.
He inhaled slowly, then asked the final question: 'When does it begin?'
---
*DING*
[ Commence Trial ]
[ Yes / No ]
---
His mind wavered for a moment. Then…
"Yes."
---
*DING*
[ Trial Commences in 1 Minute ]
[ 0:59 seconds remaining ]
---
[ TIPS: ]
– The System will be unavailable during the trial.
– The Host must remember that the trial is not real.
– The goal is to escape the illusion; the method of escape is irrelevant.
– Everything the Host feels in the illusion will be felt in reality—including pain.
---
Adriel's lips parted slightly as he read the final line.
"Why do I feel like I just walked into a death trap?" he muttered, eyes scanning the now-brightening room.
---
[ 0:43 seconds remaining ]
---
He glanced around, captivated by the surreal transformation unfolding before his eyes.
The strange inscriptions—etched into every surface of the temple—began to glow, transforming before his eyes.
Starting from the outskirts, the symbols shimmered and slowly turned to gold, as if awakened from a deep slumber.
The golden light coursed through the ancient carvings like a river finding a new path, fluid and purposeful, breathing life into stone.
---
[ 0:11 seconds remaining ]
---
The altar ahead surged with light, flooding with the golden current.
As the glowing stream reached the base of the platform where he sat, a sudden realization dawned on him—
This was aether.
Not just any aether, but intensely concentrated and pure aether.
He took a slow breath, absorbing the surreal beauty of the moment.
The interplay of black stone and glowing gold was hypnotic—an elegant chaos that gripped the soul.
Then, instinctively, his gaze drifted upward—and froze.
Where once there was a ceiling, now there was nothing.
A vast, pitch-black void had consumed it, stretching endlessly in every direction.
But it wasn't mere darkness. No—it was deeper than that.
It was an emptiness that swallowed light, devoured meaning, and unraveled thought.
A silence so profound, it screamed in the soul.
It felt like everything that ever was—every star, world, and breath—had been crushed into nonexistence by this abyss.
And yet, paradoxically, it felt like everything had originated from it.
It had no form, no edge, no stars. No up, no down. Just the raw, formless pressure of eternity.
Looking into it was like trying to grasp infinity with bare hands—pointless and maddening.
And yet, it called to him.
There was something ancient about it.
Not just old—but primeval, as if it had existed before the first gods, before the first laws, before even time dared to take its first step.
A cosmic presence that neither lived nor died—only was.
And as he stared into it—
Something inside him shifted.
A deep, silent transformation stirred at his core.
A seed of change buried within the soul, its nature still veiled in mystery.
---
[ 0:00 seconds remaining ]
[ The Trial Has Commenced ]
---
A blinding flash of golden-white light swallowed his vision.
His thoughts shattered—his consciousness fading into nothingness.
—End Of Flashback—