🌌 Chapter 40
"When the enemy hides in your thoughts, the battlefield is no longer outside — it's inside you."
💤 Scene: Aeren's Dream — But Not His Own
Aeren slept. But the world around him felt too sharp, too real.
He wasn't in his dorm bed anymore.
He stood in a small village on fire.
People screamed.
Monsters rampaged.
And in the sky — a shadowy figure floated with no face, holding a staff dripping red liquid.
"This… isn't my memory."
Suddenly, a child ran toward Aeren, crying for help.
"Big brother! Please! They're coming — they're going to—"
The child exploded into petals of blood and glass.
Aeren woke up screaming.
🧠 Scene: Karnyx's Insect — Phase One Begins
From the edge of the dorm's ceiling, the tiny red bug — no larger than a fingernail — buried itself deeper into the wall.
A red glyph pulsed beneath the wood.
Target: Subject 078 – AerenMemory link: InitiatedObservation status: 12%
From a cave far away, Karnyx whispered:
"Let's see what secrets you're hiding, faceless child…"
🏫 Scene: Surprise Trial – Echo Field Activation
The next day, the Academy's courtyard filled with chaos.
"All first-year students report to Sector E immediately!"
Even instructors looked confused.
Headmaster Elroin's voice echoed through all comm-devices:
"Due to recent anomalies and threats, a Trial Echo Field has been activated. All students must enter. It will test their survival instincts and mental fortitude. This is non-negotiable."
Anshi grabbed Aeren's hand.
"Trial Echo? That's one of the most dangerous tests… it messes with your mind."
"What happens inside?" Aeren asked.
"You see what you fear… and if your mind breaks, your body follows."
Aeren didn't reply.Inside, a voice whispered:
"You already carry a broken mind…"
🚪 Scene: The Echo Field Opens
A giant circular device emerged in the middle of Sector E. It glowed like liquid moonlight.
Each student stepped through.
Aeren followed — just as Anshi turned to warn him again, but he was gone.
The field swallowed him whole.
🪞 Scene: Inside the Echo Field
The world bent.
Gravity vanished.
Sound became backwards whispers.
Aeren stood in a black-and-white forest, the trees swaying like breathing ribs.
Suddenly, three shadows stepped out — all looking exactly like him. Same face. Same voice.
But each had one word painted on their chest in blood:
Coward.
Useless.
Burden.
The first Aeren attacked.
The trial had begun.
⚠️ End of Chapter Tease:
At the same time, the bug inside his mind begins syncing with his fears — allowing Karnyx to learn everything about him.
And on the outside…
"Aeren's vitals are spiking," said one of the diamond-level teachers.
"We need to pull him out."
"We can't. Not until the Trial ends."
But inside the Echo Field...
Aeren was already bleeding.
🧩 Chapter 41 Preview:
"Three Mirrors, One Truth – Aeren vs Himself"The only way out is to defeat the three twisted versions of himself — each feeding off his past trauma and fears. But if he loses to even one… he'll never wake up again.