Ryu gritted his teeth. Around him stood three Kong soldiers, their spears trained on him. They weren’t the most skilled, true, but he was left without a weapon. Whisper watched from the sidelines. For a man seemingly full of lessons, he seemed to be stuck on this one. Pain.

He sucked in a breath, trying to block out the pain of the training weapons slapping his skin. His internal senses focused on the writhing anger in his mind, and he focused on it as Whisper had taught him. The faces of the Kong’s around him morphed into snarling beasts. The Trial, it seemed, had left its marks on him in more ways than one. His Shard was the remains of the toxin that Willow’s kiss had infected him with, the one that drove him berserk and made him see monsters in every corner.

Ryu darted forward, halting his momentum to lunge to the right of the spear aimed at his stomach. Good. He was close now. His hand clamped down on the Kong’s wrist. His other hand balled into a fist, and it blasted into the side of the Kong’s skull, dropping him like a dirty rag. Cultivated strength. Easy to get, difficult to control. Another of Whisper’s lessons.

A lancing pain like fire pierced his back. “If that’d been a real spear, you’d be pretty close to dead, boy,” Whisper called. Ryu ignored him. He couldn’t lose focus.

His hand swept behind his back, snatching the spear in a vice grip. He pulled and spun around to meet his stumbling opponent. The spear, now in Ryu’s hands, clattered into the side of the Kong’s head, and Ryu completed his turn, levelling the spear at the final Kong who had been ready to strike.

“Control your Shard, boy!” Whisper shouted. “You’re letting it control you.”

Three new Kong stepped forward, but Whisper shook his head, holding up four fingers. Ryu almost cursed. The three defeated opponents were pulled away, replaced by four armored Kong. As much as this was training for Ryu, this was also training for the guard’s new recruits. It was the only reason they tolerated him. Well, that and Whisper. The robed Kong was something of a hero to the guards.

The four Kongs surrounded him. Ryu tried to fight the madness in his mind. The Kong were… They were monsters. He tried to fight the feeling, but it overwhelmed him. He lost himself in the fight.

Whisper’s steel grip pulled him out of it. “This is madness. Your dissonance will end up with someone dead. Control yourself. The Shard is just a piece of you.”

Ryu quite liked the madness. It chased away his fear and his hesitation. It made him strong. His cowardice disappeared under the anger it brought.

Whisper disagreed.

“I’ll do my best,” Ryu said through clenched teeth. He believed the results spoke for themselves. He fought better now than he ever had.

“It doesn’t look like it,” his teacher said. “Visualize it under control. Breathe. And think. Use that damn head of yours.”

“Okay.”

Ryu fought the four Kong trainees once more. Despite his best efforts to control himself, two never got up. Whisper did not allow him to train with anyone but himself again.

In the coming weeks, Whisper would reach him many things. Ryu learned to meditate and bring his Shard to the forefront of his mind. He learned to use it to suppress negative feelings and to rid himself of the nightmares that plagued his nights. Some days they sparred. Others they sat in silence, listening to the world around them. The one thing he did not learn, however, was control.

---

Two months later.

I was due back home months ago, Ryu thought. He did not feel sad. In fact, it was the opposite. He was free of responsibility. Hell, they probably thought him dead by now.

He wondered how Marshal was feeling. The man had made his play to rescue Keira from the Kong about a month ago, but he had failed. He now sat in the dungeon, too. Ryu needed to visit him. He was going to. Eventually. Ryu also wondered about Cynthia. The blonde healer hadn’t accompanied Marshal, and there was little sign of her in the forest. He feared that she had died. It was a shame. He had really liked her.

He would need to kill Willow soon, too. Oh, was he looking forward to that. He wasn’t sure if it was Whisper’s training or something else, but he wanted to fight. No, he needed to. The thoughts never left him alone these days.

He sighed. What a mess. Two months, and no more control over himself than when he started. He faked like he was in control, of course, but if the old Kong found out, he would stop teaching Ryu. He knew it. Only his Skill, [Shadow of One’s Self], kept the feeling away, so he kept it active all the time now. It was his only relief.

Or maybe it wasn't relief. His Shard was power. It was undaunted by atrocity, unmarred by horror, unbent by guilt. It was emotionless. It was madness. He needed it, but at the same time, he knew what it would bring him. Death.

If anything, the old Kong's training had only made it worse. Where before he was left with flashes of hallucinations and the urge to fight, meditating on his Shard brought visions of violence to his mind only. Everybody was a target, an enemy. The faces in his memories morphed into monsters and demons and faceless murderers. It twisted his reality, warping it and twisting it upon itself until he was left with only one option: to kill. And a part of him liked it.

He stood from his perch on the edge of the giant branch. No, his time as Whisper’s student was done. He had to leave. His days as Whisper’s student were numbered after the murder of the Kong guards, and that was fine. It had never been meant to be a permanent thing. He had to move past this Trial. It had already robbed him of too much. To let it continue to take his time was foolish. The pack that rested beside him was proof of his decision.

“So you’re leaving, then?” Whisper asked with a smile. Ryu clenched the hilt of his sword. He hadn’t heard the Kong come up behind him.

“I think it’s about time, don’t you?” Ryu said.

Whisper scratched at the fur on his chin. “Yes, I suppose so. There’s something I need to give you, though.”

A thrill of excitement ran through Ryu. Who didn’t love a gift? “What is it?” he asked.

“A dagger. See, you can’t just kill Willow. I want her gone. Permanently. With the Trial supporting her, it will be hard. So you’ll have to kill her with my dagger,” Whisper said with a sigh. “If only I could kill her, but the Trial only allows a human to use this thing to end a Boss with no chance of resurrection. Want it back after, too.”

Ryu’s excitement fell. “Alright.”

“I’ll also have someone take you to the dungeons,” Whisper said, turning to walk back into the house in the tree.

“I, uh… I planned on killing Willow alone actually.”

Whisper laughed. “You’re strong, but Willow is clever. You alone? Not a chance against a whole layer of Dryads. I know you made it through the first two layers alone, but that was luck. Maybe even Willow’s meddling. It definitely can’t be repeated. No, you’re going to have to convince your friends to help.”

Ryu sighed. He had raised his cultivation in secret with the Qi of the kongs he had killed so far, and he knew himself to be far, far stronger than Willow's average challenger. As for the others... That was going to be a hard conversation. Friends? No, he wasn’t sure what Marshal, Cynthia, and Keira were to him, but it probably wasn’t friends. Which was fine. After this Trial, they would be in the Second Ring. He would go back to the First. The odds of meeting them again were low. If only he didn’t need their help.

---

Marshal’s unshaved face stared up at Ryu with… pity? Odd, that. Ryu had prepared for hatred, disgust, or even wrath. But pity? It sent a small pain through his chest. That, too, was odd. It seemed he wasn’t as cold as he thought, but then again, that was always the case. The image a person projects is not truly who they are. This image is like a statue, in a way. It’s built with care, only to one day be torn down. Marshal tore Ryu’s statue down with that single look of pity, and once more, Ryu was the scared, conflicted boy in the Trial, finding out that fighting was not what he thought it was.

“I… I still want to save Tam,” Ryu said, his voice trembling. “And I need your help.”

“Then, you want to kill Leif then?” Marshal asked. He leaned forward in his cell. “Keira said you might be faking. That this was just a trap. Glad to see you didn’t betray us.”

Ryu flattened his expression. No, he wouldn’t lose control this easy. “No. I did betray you, Marshal, and I probably would again, if I’m honest. That doesn’t mean I want Tam to die, though. Or you, for that matter.”

“Then why betray us?” Marshal asked, gripping the bars of his cell.

“Power… No. Power was part of it, but I want to make my own way in this world, Marshal. I can’t do that following your group or doing only as my family commands. You have a goal, right? And you would do anything for that goal. Well, I guess I have one, too. Now, do you want to save Tam or not?” Ryu said, his tone hard. He let his Skill slip a bit, taking in a shaky breath. He needed this edge, whatever it was, to win. To accomplish his goals.

Marshal looked at him. Hard. This was no simple glance, the type you might give to a familiar face. No, this was a look that burrowed down to Ryu’s soul, testing the quality of his will. The thing in him, the iron exposed by the loss of his Samurai Class, met the gaze, and Marshal broke eye contact.

“I do,” the dark-skinned man said with a sigh. “I want… I need to leave this place. We all do. This Trial…”

“Hardened us,” Ryu finished. “Which is what it was supposed to do. They don’t send new blood here to twiddle their thumbs.”

Marshal shook his head. “This is what you want?”

“In a perfect world, no, but this isn’t a perfect world, is it? You have to be hard,” Ryu said. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Marshal or himself.

“Maybe,” Marshal said, defeated. “Let’s go get Keira, then.”

Ryu nodded. He unlocked the door to the cell. Hopefully, Marshal could convince the Witch to trust him, at least for now. They made their way to another cell down the long hall.

“Keira,” Marshal said, rapping his knuckles on the cell bar. As if she wouldn’t be able to see him through the bars. Ryu failed to hold back his sigh.

“Marshal? Marshal!” Keira said, hopping to her feet from the depths of the dark cell. She seemed to be in good condition. For a prisoner. Ryu was glad the Kong had taken care of her. She would be useless in the coming fight if she was weakened and malnourished.

“God, it’s good to see you again,” Marshal said, a real smile on his face.

“You too. Wait, who is that behind you? And why are you free?” Keira said.

Ryu stepped out of the shadows. “I believe I can answer both of those questions. Nice to see you again, Ke-”

“Traitor,” Keira snarled, her knuckles white over the bars of the cage. “What are you doing here?”

“Let him explain. Trust me,” Marshal said.

“You see Keira, we are going to save Tam, which if you remember, was part of the deal I made with the Kon. Are you in?” Ryu said. This was more expected. He was fine with being hated.

Keira bit her lip. “We? Why are you coming with us?”

“Is it unrealistic that I just want all of this to be done? That I might not want to see a man die for no reason?” Ryu said. He unlocked the door to her cell. “It’s your choice.”