The darkness swallowed Sarah whole.
She couldn't see anything.
She couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet.
There was only the sensation of falling.
Down.
Further down.
Deeper into the endless darkness.
Sarah immediately understood.
Another Trial.
She had entered another Trial World.
Her body continued descending through the dark abyss at terrifying speed.
Sarah clenched her teeth.
"Not again..."
She had experienced something similar before.
Her previous Trial had already taught her how cruel these worlds could be.
That experience had been terrifying.
But it had also given her an enormous advantage.
This time...
She desperately hoped things would be different.
Sarah twisted her body in midair, trying to reduce the impact of the fall.
She didn't know how high she was.
She didn't know how deep the abyss was.
She could only prepare herself.
Then—
The darkness disappeared.
Her body suddenly felt lighter.
The sensation of falling stopped.
Sarah opened her eyes.
And froze.
She looked down at herself.
Small hands.
Small arms.
A tiny body.
Her clothes looked completely unfamiliar.
Sarah stared at herself for several seconds.
"...What?"
She touched her face.
Her cheeks were smaller.
Her body felt completely different.
She hurried toward a nearby reflective surface.
The reflection staring back at her was that of a twelve-year-old girl.
Sarah remained silent.
Then slowly sighed in relief.
"At least I'm not some ancient powerhouse again."
She examined her new body carefully.
Twelve years old.
Young.
Healthy.
Completely ordinary.
For the first time since entering a Trial...
Sarah felt strangely free.
She could walk.
Explore.
Learn.
And perhaps most importantly—
Nobody expected her to already be powerful.
Then a voice came from behind her.
"Have you seen?"
Sarah turned.
A young man stood nearby.
His expression was stern.
He wore simple dark clothing with a strange emblem across his chest.
He looked at Sarah as though she were someone who had already committed a serious mistake.
"You can never ascend the Dark Abysses."
Sarah frowned.
The man continued.
"We are servants of Night."
"We are servants of the Night God."
"And we shall always remain that way."
Sarah's expression became increasingly confused.
The man pointed toward a distant group of girls.
"Now go."
"Follow Lady Valor."
Sarah blinked.
"Lady Valor?"
"Yes."
"And the other girls."
His expression became serious.
"Lady Valor might not take it lightly if you keep wandering around."
Sarah looked toward the distant group.
Then back at the man.
She sighed.
"What the f**k..."
She quietly rubbed her forehead.
"Where the f**k am I?"
She had only been here for a few minutes.
Already she had learned three things.
There was a Night God.
There was something called the Dark Abysses.
And apparently...
She was expected to follow someone named Lady Valor.
Sarah slowly walked toward the group.
Her Trial had barely begun.
Yet somehow...
It already felt complicated.
---
Elsewhere...
Far away from the Dark Abysses...
Another Trial World had begun.
A woman stood in the middle of an enormous training ground.
Her expression was cold.
Her posture was straight.
Her eyes were sharp.
Before her stood dozens of young warriors.
They were training under her command.
"Again."
The young warriors immediately attacked.
The woman moved among them.
Correcting their stances.
Adjusting their movements.
Teaching them how to conserve strength.
How to strike.
How to defend.
How to survive.
The woman was Aviana.
But this wasn't the Aviana everyone knew.
At least...
Not physically.
She looked completely different.
Older.
More mature.
She had been placed inside the body of a middle-aged woman.
The people around her called her—
Princess of the Sky.
Aviana had spent hours trying to understand her new identity.
She had already discovered several things.
She was married.
She had a husband.
Together they had a son.
Their son was still a teenager.
And yet, despite the peaceful appearance of her life...
The world around her was anything but peaceful.
Her husband had explained the history of their people.
For generations...
The Sky God and Ocean God had been enemies.
Their followers had fought repeatedly.
Their domains had clashed.
Their powers had collided.
And nobody seemed to know exactly why the conflict had begun.
Then—
The gods disappeared.
Both of them.
Without explanation.
Without warning.
After their disappearance, Aviana had been sent down from the sky.
Her purpose was simple.
Protect the people.
Train the younger generation.
Guide them toward the path of becoming Initiates.
And prevent the ancient conflict from destroying another generation.
Aviana quietly watched the young warriors training before her.
She couldn't help sighing.
"This Trial..."
"...isn't going to be easy."
She already knew that.
During the hours she had spent inside this world, she had repeatedly encountered a powerful creature known as the Ocean King.
An Elite-class creature.
Every battle against it ended the same way.
Aviana fought.
The Ocean King overwhelmed her.
She returned injured.
Then she recovered.
Then she fought again.
It was becoming a cycle.
Yet Aviana couldn't stop.
Something about the conflict between the Sky God and Ocean God bothered her.
Why had they fought?
What had started it?
Why had both gods disappeared?
And why did their descendants still inherit the consequences of their ancient hatred?
Aviana slowly looked toward the sky.
"If I can understand what happened..."
"Maybe I can stop the war."
Maybe...
She could accomplish something the gods themselves had failed to accomplish.
Peace.
But another problem soon became obvious.
Her transformation.
Aviana had always been a bird.
Her true form was her bird form.
Her human appearance had been something she could adopt.
But this Trial had reversed that relationship.
Her body here was human.
Her God Body was connected to this human form.
She could no longer transform into her original bird form.
She tried several times.
Nothing happened.
Aviana eventually stopped trying.
"Fine."
"If this is the body the Trial gave me..."
"Then I'll use it."
She clenched her fist.
Her God Body was still powerful.
Her instincts were still hers.
Her experience was still hers.
The Trial hadn't taken everything.
It had simply forced her to approach the world differently.
She looked toward the young warriors again.
"Everyone."
"Prepare yourselves."
"Tomorrow..."
"We train harder."
The young warriors immediately responded.
Aviana watched them silently.
Perhaps this Trial wasn't about becoming stronger through battle.
Perhaps it was about understanding something.
Something hidden beneath the ancient conflict between two gods.
And if she could discover that truth...
Maybe she could change the ending.
---
Planet Diamond
Meanwhile...
Jade's new life at the academy had barely begun.
He had only just settled into his room when a knock came from the door.
Jade opened his eyes.
He had been resting on the bed.
The sound came again.
Knock.
Knock.
He stood.
When he opened the door, a man wearing an academy uniform stood outside.
The man's expression was professional.
"Jade?"
Jade nodded.
"Yes?"
"Instructor Rock would like to speak with you."
Jade immediately became alert.
"Instructor Rock?"
The man nodded.
"He's waiting for you."
Jade glanced back at his room.
His bag remained beside the bed.
He had barely even unpacked.
Apparently...
Resting would have to wait.
Jade sighed.
"All right."
He stepped outside.
The door closed behind him.
As he walked down the academy corridor, Jade couldn't help wondering why Instructor Rock wanted to see him.
He had only just arrived.
He hadn't even attended his first class.
Had the academy already discovered something unusual about him?
Perhaps his lineage evaluation?
Perhaps his SSS+ result?
Or maybe...
Something else entirely.
Jade continued walking.
Whatever Instructor Rock wanted...
He would soon find out.
And somewhere far away, two other Trial Worlds were already unfolding.
Sarah was standing inside the Dark Abysses.
Aviana was training the next generation beneath the sky.
And Jade...
Was about to meet the person who might determine the direction of his academy life.