Across Worlds: Legends Tale - Chapter 9: The Trial of Memory

Later That Night…

Kaida sat alone in his room, the moonlight pouring through the arched balcony window. He leaned on the edge of the bed, elbows on knees, staring blankly at the floor.

Lysara’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Whatever you decide…”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO6LrdJePV

“You deserve to make that choice.”

He gritted his teeth.

“But what choice do I even have?”

The silence of the room pressed against him like a weight. His thoughts spiraled. The Crystal Empire, the training, the team—none of it felt real yet. Not compared to the last thing that truly did.

His sister’s face. Olivia, smirking like always.

Kumuna’s obnoxious laugh. Tsubaki’s sarcastic eye rolls. Mishell’s soft voice when she was nervous.

Were they even alive?

Was he the only one pulled into this nightmare?

He clenched his fists.

“I didn’t ask for this.”

Then—

DING.

Kaida’s eyes snapped open.

A familiar glowing screen shimmered into existence in front of him. Same smooth blue tones, same floating glyphs. Only this time… he hadn’t summoned it.

The screen flickered.

Then pulsed red.

MANDATORY CHALLENGE INITIATED

Kaida stood up immediately, heart hammering in his chest.

CHALLENGE TYPE: SURVIVAL

OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE UNTIL CONDITIONS ARE MET

Then came the timer.

60 seconds.

“Wha—what the hell is this?!”

No answer.

Kaida stumbled backward, eyes locked on the screen.

55.

54.

53.

The air in the room changed. The warmth of the lantern dimmed. A pressure—like gravity itself—began to increase.

“This isn’t training,” Kaida whispered. “This is something else.”

40.

39.

38.

Another sound.

Like something moving.

But… inside the room.

He turned sharply.

No one was there.

24.

23.

22.

The room shimmered—glitched—like a cracked game file.

The bed distorted. The walls twisted. Shadows bled through the cracks of the floor.

Then came the voice.

A sound neither male nor female. Not young, not old.

A perfect blend of something in-between.

“Let us see what keeps your heart beating.”

10.

The screen burst into light.

SURVIVE.

Everything exploded into white.508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GWFMpA5bb

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He stood in a hallway.

Not the palace.

A school hallway.

His school hallway.

Desks lined the walls, lights flickering above, glass and blood and dust painting the floor.

Kaida’s breath caught in his throat.

“…No.”

The same hallway where the ceiling had fallen.

The same hallway where it all began.

“Kaida.”

He turned.

Mishell.

She stood there, short and trembling, her voice uncertain but hopeful. She wore her school uniform again, hands clasped tightly to her chest.

“You’re okay,” she whispered, eyes glassy. “You’re really here…”

Then—

“Yo, dumbass! Watch your surroundings!”

Kaida turned again.

Kumuna. Shirt ripped, face smudged with soot, holding a crooked wooden stick like a weapon. “The hell you standing there for? Move!”

And right next to him—

“This feels off.”

Tsubaki, calm but pale. Eyes scanning the ruined hall, her usual sharpness tinged with unease.

Kaida took a step back.

“No… this isn’t…”

“Kaida.”

That voice.

He turned one last time—and his breath left his lungs.

Olivia.

Same short height. Same strong build. Same messy ponytail she always tied last-minute before rushing to school.

She stepped forward, face soft.

“Why didn’t you protect us?”

The others turned toward him.

Mishell’s expression collapsed into sadness.

Kumuna’s grin faded.

Tsubaki’s eyes narrowed, almost accusing.

“Why weren’t you strong enough?”

Kaida stumbled back, eyes darting between them.

“No—this isn’t real. You’re not—”

“We’re only here because of you.”

“You’re weak.”

“You didn’t save us.”

Their voices overlapped. Echoed. Multiplied.

Kaida dropped to his knees, holding his head. “Stop! I didn’t… I didn’t want this! I couldn’t—!”

The world around him glitched again.

Then—

The forms of his friends melted.

Like wax figures dissolving into static and darkness.

And from the shadows, it emerged.

A twisted, crawling beast of smoke and bone, wearing their faces like masks.

Four heads. Four voices. Four illusions.

Kaida’s legs froze in place.

“You want to be a hero?”

“You couldn’t even save us.”

“You left us.”

“You forgot us.”

He screamed, fists shaking.

“I didn’t forget! I CAN’T forget!”

He staggered back, heart pounding.

Then—something clicked.

Their faces. Their words.

Each one of them—an echo of his guilt.

Of his fear.

This wasn’t an enemy he could strike with a sword.

This was a monster made of memory.

A mirror of all he couldn’t protect.

Kaida lowered his arms.

“I miss you.”

The creature twitched.

“I still hear your voices.”

Its body trembled.

“But I can’t stay frozen in the past. If I do—then I really will lose you.”

He stepped forward.

“I’m still alive. And I’ll keep living—for you.”

The creature shrieked in rage.

Its bodies surged forward in a final lunge—

And Kaida didn’t flinch.

A bright light burst around him.

White. Blinding. Cleansing.

Then silence.

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Kaida opened his eyes.

He was back in his room.

The screen floated quietly in the air.

MANDATORY CHALLENGE COMPLETE

MENTAL RESILIENCE +1

NEW TITLE UNLOCKED: “Survivor of Memory”

Kaida collapsed onto the floor, sweat-soaked, trembling.

His breath shuddered.

But for the first time…

He felt something clear.

A purpose.

A reason.

His hands curled into fists.

“I’ll keep going.”

“For them.”508Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTI7VIlxKES

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