Ascension Beyond Mortality

The platform trembled beneath his feet.

Faint cracks spread like spiderwebs across the concrete. Lights flickered above, one by one, until only a deep red glow remained—casting the entire station in a blood-colored haze.

Elior instinctively took a step back.

"What the hell did I just step into?"

The hooded man raised a hand, palm glowing with runes. “Your trial begins now.”

The armored giant grinned. “Try not to die, little spark.”

Without warning, the ground split open behind them—an artificial quake tearing through the platform. Flames roared up from the cracks, swirling into the shape of a beast.

A massive hound of fire, glowing red eyes and molten claws. Easily the size of a car. It let out a growl that shook Elior’s chest.

“Is this thing real?!”

“No,” the woman said calmly. “It’s worse. It’s a construct—born from your fear. It reacts to your doubt. Feed it weakness, and it will devour you.”

The beast lunged.

Elior barely dodged, rolling across the cracked concrete. His body moved fast—but not fast enough. A fiery claw scraped his hoodie, burning through the fabric and slicing across his shoulder.

He winced, teeth gritting.

“This is insane. I’m not a fighter. I’ve never done anything like this before—”

But the moment the doubt hit him… the beast grew.

Its chest swelled, flames intensifying, claws stretching longer.

"No—stop thinking like that."

He forced himself to breathe. Steady. Focused.

"You caught that cup mid-air like it was nothing. You felt pain and survived it. Your body’s changing. You’re not weak anymore."

The beast circled him again, waiting.

Then Elior did something reckless.

He ran toward it.

The creature lunged—and at the last second, Elior slid beneath its body, grabbing a broken metal pole off the ground. As he passed under, he jabbed the pole upward—striking its core, the one part that wasn’t moving: a glowing sphere of white-hot energy near its chest.

The beast shrieked.

It collapsed into embers, exploding into floating sparks that disappeared into the air.

The tremor stopped. The red light vanished.

Silence.

Elior stood there, panting, arm bleeding, heart thrumming like a war drum. He dropped the scorched metal rod.

The hooded man stepped forward. “He passed.”

The armored man looked annoyed. “Barely.”

The woman walked to Elior and pressed a cool hand to his wound. “You fought not with strength, but instinct. That’s the first key. The next will not be so kind.”

“Next?” Elior said, wiping sweat from his face. “There’s more?”

The hooded man handed him something—another card. But this one was silver, and pulsing faster than before.

[SYSTEM LINK: 5% SYNCHRONIZED]

[ABILITY SEED: UNLOCKED]

“What… what’s this mean?”

“You’ve taken your first step,” the man replied. “Now, the system will start showing you pieces of your potential. You’ll dream of places you’ve never been. Feel things no human should feel. And if you survive

the next 30 days…” He leaned in closer.

“You won’t be human anymore.”