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**Deepwood Path – Morning After the Altar's Breaking**
The group moved in relative silence, tension heavy in the cool morning air. A fine mist still clung to the ground like ghostly tendrils, as if the forest itself had yet to wake fully. Elira led the way, guided by a vague sensation tugging at her spirit—a whisper of energy born from the cracked altar's awakening.
Lumi walked beside her, unusually quiet, fingers tapping against the hilt of her blade in thought. Kael, however, was less subdued.
"So let me get this straight," he muttered as he pushed aside a curtain of moss. "We poke a creepy altar, wake a sleeping ghost-lady who speaks in riddles, and now we're going deeper into cursed territory because you *felt a tug*?"
Elira didn't look back. "Yes."
Kael threw his hands in the air. "Wonderful. I'm surrounded by mystics and madwomen."
Brann grunted. "You're free to turn back."
"I'm free to *complain while marching to my death*, thanks."
Lumi smirked slightly. "If you die, Kael, I'm claiming your boots."
"Joke's on you," he said, hopping over a fallen log. "They're cursed. Gave me trench foot twice."
"Fits your soul, then."
Kael gave her a mock-wounded look. "Elira! She's bullying me again!"
Elira ignored them, though a small smile twitched at the edge of her lips. Whatever came next, humor made the tension bearable.
---
**Elsewhere – Canopy Overwatch**
Yuki watched from above, his form cloaked in branches and spirit mist. His Astral Sense had been threading through the earth like veins of silver, following the energy released from the altar.
"What do you think?" he asked, more to himself than anyone.
Sylvaeria's voice drifted lazily into his mind. "I think those humans are about to find themselves in a trial far older than any city they know."
"They're responding better than I expected," Yuki admitted. "Even Lumi. That sword of hers resonates with the trial grove."
"You mean the sword you nearly incinerated when you first detected it?"
He rumbled a low sigh. "Details."
Sylvaeria chuckled. "Well, your 'actors' have stepped onto the stage. Want me to send in a few friendly spirits to make things... interesting?"
Yuki considered. "Nothing lethal. Yet. Let the forest judge first."
---
**Trial Grove – Noon**
They arrived at a hidden glade, circular and enclosed by colossal trees shaped like columns. The air was thick with a golden glow that filtered from between the canopy. Runes traced the roots, and in the center was a pool of still water, mirroring the sky above.
"This is it," Elira breathed. "The Trial Grove."
Kael looked around, unimpressed. "I've seen creepier hot springs."
Brann knelt and traced a rune along the moss-covered floor. "This place isn't just old—it's *alive*. Look."
As he spoke, the air shimmered. A circle of light bloomed around the pool. From it, three figures rose—wispy, semi-corporeal, their faces obscured by vine-like masks.
**Trial Spirits.**
Each one bore a different aspect—one wreathed in flame, one in stone and bark, and the third crackling with pale wind.
A chorus of voices echoed, not in sound, but straight into their minds.
**"Three trials for those who awakened the pact. Body, spirit, and bond."**
Elira stepped forward instinctively, but Lumi stopped her with a hand.
"No. Let me go first," she said. "I need to know what this thing is looking for."
Before anyone could argue, the wind spirit surged forward—lifting Lumi into the air as vines wrapped around her legs and arms, suspending her in the glowing circle.
Kael shouted. "Wait, that's the *bond* spirit, right? That's ironic, Lumi doesn't bond with anyone!"
Lumi, spinning slowly in the air, yelled down, "If I survive this, I'm bonding my fist with your jaw!"
The spirit pulsed once—and Lumi vanished.
---
**Beyond the Grove – Spirit Realm**
Lumi blinked, finding herself in a twilight field of flickering light. The ground shimmered like glass, reflecting her thoughts.
A voice called from the wind: **"What do you value most?"**
A dozen images appeared—Elira, Kael, the others, her sword, herself. Each flickered with equal weight.
Lumi whispered, "Survival."
The wind howled back: **"Then prove it. Without your blade."**
Her sword vanished from her hand.
"Dammit."
Suddenly, a figure stepped from the mist—it was her, but different. Confident, crueler. Eyes glowing like emeralds.
Her own voice spoke: "You'll never protect them. You don't even know why you stay."
Lumi clenched her fists. "I'm still figuring that out."
The figure rushed her.
---
**Back at the Grove**
The trial circle dimmed. Elira's hands trembled slightly.
"She'll be okay," Kael said, softer now. "She's more stubborn than a mountain."
Brann nodded. "Let's prepare. When her trial ends, one of us may be next."
Yuki watched from above, amused.
*So… survival, is it? Let's see how she chooses to live.*
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