The night air hung like a cold whisper, inexplicable yet piercing. Atop a moss-covered stone hill, a place rarely climbed by the Sh'valaar, Kenji stood bare-chested, accompanied only by the wind and ancient symbols etched into the earth. In the center of the rune circle, a blue fire burned—without wood, without oil. It was not physical flame, but the blaze of the soul.
From a distance, Varis watched, his lone eye twitching with unease. "This ritual," he murmured, "wasn't designed to succeed. It was only made to reveal... whether you deserve to remain whole."
Kenji gave no answer. He was already prepared. Not just in body—but more than that: his soul had waited for this moment across two lifetimes.
Sannr, now a belt of glowing light, vibrated and unraveled, hovering in the air and encircling him like a guardian. The voice of the ancient artifact returned to his consciousness:
"Soul Trial Ritual initiated.Two aspects shall be separated.One truth shall be chosen."
Light exploded from the symbols on the ground.
The world collapsed.
The Endless Space
Kenji stood in emptiness—no sky, no earth, only a black ocean dotted with motionless stars. Before him stood two figures... both were himself.
The first: Human Kenji.
Sharp features, neatly combed black hair, narrow eyes full of calculation. In his hand he held a pen—its tip dripping blood, not ink.
The second: Orc Kenji.
Massive frame, tense muscles, dark green skin and a single broken horn. His eyes glowed red, his right hand gripping a battle axe wet with the tears of fallen foes.
They stared at each other.
"I don't need you," said Human Kenji flatly. "I can think. I can plan. I can dominate."
"And I don't need you!" roared Orc Kenji. "I fight. I live! I matter!"
"But you also die without strategy.""And you lose everything because you fear getting dirty."
"You lie to everyone.""You kill without touching.""You betray your values.""You betray your blood."
The air thickened.
"Why must we live together?" asked Human Kenji.
"Because you are not my enemy," Orc Kenji replied slowly. "We are... victims."
Silence.
The Soul Battle
Without warning, the battle began.
Orc Kenji lunged first, his axe slicing the air, emanating waves of fury. Human Kenji sidestepped, forming a wall of illusion—the axe passed through, hitting nothing but void.
Human Kenji trapped the Orc in a labyrinth of light, full of mirrors and false silhouettes. But the Orc summoned the power of his voice, shattering all of it with a roar filled with truth.
Human Kenji struck with his pen—a slim yet sharp weapon, slicing through memories.
Orc Kenji retaliated with a crushing blow—not just physical, but a strike against doubt.
Blood was spilled.But not from the body.From the soul.
Understanding
After who knows how many blows, they both collapsed, exhausted. Their souls torn, but not destroyed. Their breaths were heavy. Yet their eyes... began to see.
"You... are clever. But lonely," said Orc Kenji, spitting blood."You are strong. But broken in silence," replied Human Kenji.
"You want to survive.""You want to live.""You want to be valued.""You want to be free."
They looked at each other—not with hatred anymore, but with acknowledgment.
"Can we make peace?" Human Kenji asked.
Orc Kenji paused. Then smiled—a smile full of scars.
"I don't want peace."
"I want to become one."
Spiritual Fire
They stepped into the center, grasping each other's hands.
Their souls ignited.
Not with rage.
But with acceptance.
The spiritual realm exploded in a blaze of blue and red, radiating from their chests and spreading across the dimensional space. The fire did not destroy—it remade. It forged a new form:
One Kenji.Whole Kenji.Kenji free from inner conflict.
His body formed from both light and shadow, from strategy and strength, from truth and manipulation.
His left eye glowed blue—a symbol of thought and past.His right eye glowed red—a symbol of instinct and the present.
Sannr returned to his hand, no longer glowing, but breathing.
"Ritual complete," said the artifact."One soul. Two powers. Full awareness.Welcome... the True Kenji."
Awakening
Kenji opened his eyes in the physical world.
His body hadn't changed drastically, but everything felt different. The sound of the earth, the pulse of stone, the footsteps of the wind—they all entered his awareness. He wasn't just alive... he understood.
Varis approached slowly. "Your eyes... blue and red?"
Kenji nodded. "Because I now see two worlds. And I can bridge them both."
A hum rang in his mind:
[Skill Unlocked: Dual Soul Synchronization]→ Use physical strength and cunning simultaneously without penalty.
[Skill Unlocked: Sannr Sight]→ See lies in speech, magical illusions, even false realities implanted by the gods.
The World Trembles
The distant sky turned dark. Clouds didn't gather—they receded. A void approached from the north—from the mountain once shrouded in mist.
Varis froze. "That…"
Kenji nodded.
"The Herald of Devourer… has awakened."
But now, Kenji felt no fear. No confusion. No half-conscious dread like before.
Now, he knew who he was.
And when the spiritual world failed to imprison him...
...then the real world would become the stage of his final liberation.