The transition was a violent surge of vertigo that left Helios retching on the cold stone floor of a different world. As he forced his eyes open, a rhythmic, pounding ache throbbed in his temples, syncopated with the flickering of strange yellow lights that drifted through the air like captive stars.
"My head… it hurts like hell," he groaned, pushing himself up.
The space around him was impossible. It was a vast, circular arena that stretched toward an endless, dark sky—a perfect obsidian mirror of a Roman Colosseum. He was alone in the center of the sands.
Back in the ritual chamber, Nova's voice broke the silence of the observers. "Did anyone actually tell the Leader he was being sent to the Veiled World?"
No one answered. The silence was an admission of guilt.
"So… he might just die there," Nova added, his playful tone replaced by a rare, grim sobriety.
Inside the arena, Helios squinted at the floating orbs. "Where am I? This looks like some twisted gladiatorial pit."
"Welcome, Seeker. Why have you come to my domain?"
The voice didn't just fill the air; it vibrated in Helios's bones. It was deep, resonant, and laced with an unmistakable irritation. Helios froze, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Where is that coming from? You sound… annoyed."
"You come seeking me, yet you stand there with the disrespect of a common beggar," the voice boomed, sharp and commanding.
In the ritual room, Sara rubbed her neck. "We really should have warned him. Summons aren't exactly friendly spirits. They tend to disembowel anyone they deem unworthy of their time."
Helios rubbed his temples, trying to find his footing. "Look… what do you want from me?"
"You use a ritual you do not understand to enter my sanctuary. You ask questions when I should be the one demanding answers," the voice roared, the air around Helios growing heavy with rising anger.
"Excuse me… but where am I exactly?" Helios asked, a sliver of hope entering his voice. "I… I was hoping the voice would be a bit nicer."
"Niceness is for the weak, human. I am the Crown that all seek. I am one of the Primordials—the Crown Beyond the Veil."
Helios's blood ran cold. The Crown Beyond the Veil… that's what the cultists were whispering about. This is my summon? "So… you're mine? I thought those idiots in the fox masks sent me to the wrong dimension."
"Useless human… what makes you think a speck like you is worthy of wearing me?" the Crown mocked.
This damn artifact… it's more arrogant than I am, Helios thought, his fear beginning to turn into a familiar, defensive spark of anger. "Fine. What do I have to do to prove I'm 'worthy'?"
"Since you're so eager to fail: first, you must survive the Night Walkers I shall summon. Then, you must scale the walls of this pit and place me upon your head."
"Night Walkers? Scale the wall?" Helios looked at the towering, sheer cliffs of the Colosseum. "How am I supposed to climb that?"
"I forgot to tell him about the Night Walkers," Sara sighed.
"He'll find out soon enough," Ray added, checking his watch.
Suddenly, the arena floor shuddered. Violent cracks splintered the stone, and from the darkness beneath the sands, shadowy creatures began to pull themselves into reality. They were lithe, obsidian-skinned horrors with razor-sharp claws and maws filled with jagged, translucent teeth.
Those bastards never told me I'd be fighting demons, Helios thought bitterly. I knew trusting them would make me the 'next' Helios.
"Well, human… how do you like my challenge? Exhilarating, isn't it?" the Crown's voice rang out.
"Exhilarating? There's nothing fun about this! If I die here, who's going to protect Luna?" Helios yelled, his voice trembling as the first creature hissed at him. "Can we… maybe lower the difficulty? Just a bit?"
"If you cannot defeat a few shadows, you are not fit to wear the Sovereign's weight," the Crown snapped.
A shimmering image appeared in the air above the arena—a ring-shaped crown with a massive blue gem at its center, flanked by two crimson jewels and cruel, obsidian spikes.
At least it looks cool, Helios muttered, clenching his fists. I'm fighting for that.
Back in the chamber, the observers began to speculate. "Remember your first Night Walkers?" Sara asked Ray.
"My summon made me fight two," Ray replied. "I nearly met my ancestors that day."
"I faced five," Nova said.
"Eight," Sara added grimly. "And they only die if you take the head."
"How many is the Leader fighting?" someone asked—the old man who had been quiet until now.
"The record is ten at once," Rio murmured. "I think the Leader is going to break that record."
In the arena, Helios was already in a desperate dance for his life. He reacted instinctively, a kick to the chest of one creature sending it tumbling back, followed by a sharp elbow to the face of another. But a third lunged from his blind spot, its claws tearing through his clothes and skin.
Twenty of these things? How am I supposed to fight this unarmed?
He ducked as two Night Walkers collided above him. He punched the one in front and kicked the one behind, but his knuckles felt like they were hitting solid oak. My strikes aren't doing anything!
A claw slashed across his cheek, drawing blood that felt hot in the cold air. He gritted his teeth, his eyes scanning the arena.
"Oh yeah… we should have told him that in the Veiled World, you can manifest weapons if you know how to ask," Rio muttered.
"Too late now," Riku added, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed. "Hope he figures it out before they start eating him."
Helios drove a knee into a creature's face. "Hey, Crown! You want to help me out, or am I just here for the entertainment?"
"This is your trial. Help yourself," the Crown replied, its voice now holding a hint of amusement. "Beg, and perhaps I shall grant you a blade."
Beg? I'd rather go to hell, Helios thought.
The circle was closing. Claw marks streaked his chest, and his breath was coming in ragged gasps. He kicked one creature back, but three more took its place.
"Tell you what," the Crown said casually. "I'll give you a sword… but I'll double the number of Night Walkers. Do we have a deal?"
Better to die with a sword in my hand than be torn apart like a dog, Helios thought.
"Deal!" he roared.
A heavy, black broadsword materialized in the air. Helios caught the hilt as it fell. Instantly, a Night Walker leapt at his throat—and Helios swung. The black blade hissed through the air, cleaving the creature's head from its shoulders in a single, fluid motion.
The real fight had finally begun.