Tim and Rei stood on opposite sides of a massive stone wall, their connection severed by an unyielding barrier.
A sudden shift in the air signaled the start of their trials, the training arena humming to life with ancient Solar and Lunar energy.
Level 1: The Crucible of Will
Tim gripped his Solar Saber tightly. The floor beneath him cracked, glowing with a fiery orange hue, as a wide circular chamber revealed itself. The heat was suffocating - the air rippling with intense Solar flames that lashed out at random, forcing Tim to dodge and weave.
Suddenly, five blazing constructs - humanoid figures made of pure Solar energy - materialized before him. Their bodies flickered like living infernos, and their movements were erratic yet swift.
A voice echoed in his mind, calm yet firm.
"Level 1: The Crucible of Will - Survive the flames. Overcome yourself."
Tim charged forward, slashing at the closest construct. His Solar Saber clashed against its burning form, but the creature didn't fall - it absorbed his Solar energy and retaliated with a scorching punch to his ribs.
"Gah!" Tim grunted, stumbling back.
His skin burned from the contact. The constructs weren't just opponents - they were feeding off his energy.
"So that's how it is..." Tim muttered.
He realized the more he attacked with raw Solar energy, the stronger they became.
His mind raced - this wasn't just about fighting back - it was about restraint. He had to control his power, not blindly unleash it.
Taking a steadying breath, he adjusted his stance, letting his energy simmer just beneath the surface.
When the next construct lunged, Tim dodged smoothly, using precise slashes. Each movement became a calculated dance - striking with minimal energy but maximum precision.
Minutes felt like hours, but slowly, the constructs began to fade - their flames weakening without the fuel of his recklessness.
As the last one dissolved into embers, the voice echoed again:
"Your will is your strength. Proceed to the next level."
The wall in front of Tim shifted, opening a glowing doorway.
On the other side of the wall, Rei stood in a shimmering lunar chamber bathed in soft bluish light. The air was frigid, and a thin layer of frost coated the ground.
In front of her, six mirrored versions of herself emerged, each wielding a replica of her Lunar Crescent Hatchets. Their eyes were lifeless, but their movements were fluid - like shadows given form.
A cold voice resonated through the chamber:
"Level 1: Reflection of the Soul - Defeat yourself."
Rei's heart pounded.
The first mirror clone lunged, hatchets swinging. Rei parried, only to find another clone attacking from behind - forcing her into a chaotic flurry of movement.
Every strike she made was countered perfectly. Every defense she set up was bypassed with ease.
She wasn't just fighting enemies - she was fighting her own skills, her own instincts.
The realization struck her hard - the clones were reflecting her strengths, but also her flaws.
When she hesitated for a moment, a clone capitalized instantly, slashing her arm. Blood trickled down her sleeve.
"If I keep fighting like this... I'll lose."
She needed a new approach - not fighting like herself, but unpredictable, wild, unrefined.
Taking a shaky breath, Rei suddenly switched her style - throwing a hatchet off-target, deliberately missing a clone's head. The clone dodged... but faltered.
"Got you."
She lunged low, slamming her other hatchet into the clone's legs, shattering it like glass.
With every move after that, Rei broke free from her usual patterns - attacking with awkward angles, using feints, and defying her own fighting instincts.
It wasn't clean. It wasn't smooth.
But it worked.
One by one, the clones shattered until only Rei remained, breathing heavily.
The cold voice echoed:
"To defeat yourself is to conquer your limits. Proceed to the next level."
A glowing path opened before her.
Both Tim and Rei, separated but connected by their shared struggle, stepped forward into Level 2 - the first battle behind them, but four more trials looming ahead.
Half a day passed as a result of 1st level...
Level 2: The Trial of Endurance
Almost half a day had passed, but to Tim and Rei, it felt like a lifetime. The first level had drained them - not just physically but mentally - yet there was no time to rest. The glowing doorways ahead beckoned them deeper into the unforgiving Celestic training.
Tim's Trial
Tim entered the next chamber, and instantly, an intense heat washed over him. The floor was a molten expanse of shifting lava, with only a series of narrow, crumbling platforms scattered across the burning lake.
A booming voice echoed through the chamber:
"Level 2: The Trial of Endurance - Cross the Inferno Gauntlet without falling."
Suddenly, the platforms began to sink and shift - some dissolving into the lava altogether. At the same time, fiery projectiles launched from the walls, targeting Tim with relentless precision.
"Seriously?!" Tim muttered, leaping to the closest platform just before the ground beneath him melted away.
Each time he landed, another platform would tilt or crumble, forcing him to move without pause. His Solar Saber blazed as he sliced through the incoming fireballs, but for every one he destroyed, two more would come.
His body was already aching from the first trial - his arms sore, his legs burning - but this trial didn't care.
The voice thundered again:
"Endurance is not strength - it is lasting when strength has failed."
Tim gritted his teeth.
"Then I guess I just have to keep going..."
He forced himself forward, his breathing ragged but controlled. He couldn't rely on brute force - he needed to pace himself, moving with precision and conserving every ounce of energy.
Minutes turned into what felt like hours, but finally, after a desperate leap onto the last platform, the lava cooled into solid stone.
The voice spoke once more:
"You endured. Proceed."
Tim collapsed to one knee, his clothes singed, but a small smirk played on his lips.
"Two down... three to go."
Rei's Trial
On the other side of the wall, Rei faced her own torment. Her chamber was a blizzard - a violent, howling storm of Lunar energy. Freezing winds cut at her skin like knives, and blinding flashes of light burst around her every few seconds.
The voice spoke softly but sternly:
"Level 2: The Trial of Endurance - Withstand the storm until the moon's light fades."
The moment the words echoed, the blizzard intensified.
Rei instinctively raised her arms to shield herself, but the storm's force nearly knocked her off her feet. Each gust of wind threatened to freeze her solid, the cold biting deeper with every passing second.
Her Lunar Crescent Hatchets glowed faintly, but the storm seemed to drain their light the longer she held them out.
"This... this is worse than I thought," Rei muttered, shivering uncontrollably.
She planted her feet firmly on the icy ground, using her hatchets to anchor herself - but the storm wasn't just physical. It was pressing into her mind too.
Whispers.
They echoed through the blizzard - doubts, fears, and regrets swirling in her head:
You're not strong enough.
Tim will die, and you can't stop it.
You're just a shadow following him.
He's the Sun. You'll always be the Moon who has to depend on him.
Rei clenched her jaw, the voices gnawing at her resolve.
"I'm more than a shadow..." she whispered, her voice shaky but fierce.
Her Lunar Crescent Hatchets suddenly flared, glowing brighter against the storm's pull.
Rei knew the storm was trying to wear her down - physically and emotionally - but if she lost focus now, she'd never make it to the next trial.
Digging deep into her willpower, she closed her eyes and planted herself firmly - ignoring the whispers, the cold, and the pain.
All that mattered was standing her ground.
Minutes blurred into an eternity, but finally - after what felt like endless suffering - the howling wind slowed. The blizzard began to fade.
The voice spoke again:
"You endured. Proceed."
Rei fell to her knees, her fingers frozen and her face pale, but her heart still burning with determination.
"I... won't break."
Both Tim and Rei emerged from their respective chambers, separated by the wall but united in their suffering.
Two trials down.
Three to go.
The path ahead only promised more pain.
_ _ _
Tim and Rei, both battered but unbroken, pressed through the unforgiving training.
Days blurred into a haze of pain, sweat, and sheer willpower - yet here they were, standing at the entrance of the fourth trial.
The chamber doors loomed ahead, glowing with a pulsing, ominous light.
Tim's Fourth Trial
Tim entered a blinding room where the very air felt heavier.
A massive, glowing orb - a miniature sun - hovered above him, radiating an unbearable heat. Suddenly, golden chains lashed out from the walls, wrapping around Tim's wrists and ankles.
The voice echoed:
"Level 4: The Trial of Pressure - Carry the weight of your own power. The more you resist, the heavier it becomes."
The sun's energy flowed into the chains, and Tim immediately felt the immense gravity pulling him down. His knees buckled.
"Damn it-" he growled, his muscles burning.
The chains weren't just heavy - they were feeding off his Solar energy, growing stronger the more he struggled. It wasn't a test of strength - it was a test of control.
If he poured too much power into breaking free, the weight would crush him.
Sweat drenched his body as the sun's heat bore down on him. The more he fought it, the heavier the chains became.
"Think... think, Tim..."
His Solar Saber pulsed weakly at his side. The answer wasn't to fight the weight - it was to balance it.
Taking a deep breath, Tim focused not on breaking the chains - but on steadying his Solar energy, keeping it calm and balanced.
Slowly, the chains lightened.
The miniature sun dimmed.
Tim took a step forward.
Another.
The chains still pulled at him, but now they weren't crushing him - they were following his rhythm.
With one final push of balanced energy, the chains shattered.
The voice rumbled:
"You endured. Proceed."
Tim staggered forward, his whole body aching but his mind sharper than ever.
Rei's Fourth Trial
Rei found herself in a dark void. The only light came from a massive crescent moon floating high above her.
Suddenly, a powerful force dragged her toward the moon.
The voice whispered:
"Level 4: The Trial of Control - Resist the pull of your own darkness."
The moon's gravity pulled at her Lunar energy, making it harder to move with every step.
But that wasn't all.
Figures emerged from the shadows - twisted, mirrored versions of herself. Each one whispering cruel thoughts.
Tim doesn't need you.
You will always be second.
You are weak.
The closer she got to the moon, the stronger the pull - and the louder the whispers.
Rei's Lunar Crescent Hatchets glowed faintly, but they felt heavier in her hands.
Her heart pounded.
"I am not... a shadow..." she growled, forcing one foot forward.
But the more she pushed, the stronger the dark gravity became - as though her own self-doubt was fighting back.
Then she remembered Tim's words.
"With you by my side, I know I'll win."
It wasn't about rejecting her darkness. It was about controlling it.
She closed her eyes, embracing both the light and dark within her. The pull weakened.
Step by step, she moved closer to the crescent moon - and with a final swing of her hatchets, she slashed through the dark gravity itself.
The voice whispered:
"You endured. Proceed."
Rei collapsed for a moment, staring up at the now-gentle moonlight.