Lucas's heart was pounding rapidly and violently, as if the whole world had plunged into an endless abyss. He closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and tried to keep himself calm. The scene in front of him instantly became blurred, and an oppressive feeling filled the surrounding void. It seemed that every corner was hiding unknown horrors. The voice of the Judge of the Abyss, as if carrying infinite darkness, echoed in his ears, making it impossible for him to escape.
"Do you think you can escape?" The voice rang out again, deep and penetrating, as if coming from the deepest part of the abyss. "Everyone must face their deepest fears. Only by passing the trial of the inner demons can you obtain the key to the future."
Lucas's double blades trembled slightly in his hands. He understood that this was not just a simple battle but a profound challenge to the soul. He slowly opened his eyes, and the surrounding scene was still in chaos. Just as he turned his head, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him - it was his father, Herman Deland.
"Father?" Lucas's voice was low and trembling, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart instantly.
"Do you still remember me, Lucas?" Herman Deland's voice was gentle and kind, but there was a trace of undeniable coldness in it. "What on earth have you done? Whom have you betrayed?"
Lucas's mind was in chaos. His father's face became blurred and distorted, and the pictures in his memory alternated instantly. He saw himself standing in front of that ancient temple, holding a sword in his hand, his eyes full of determination. However, his father suddenly fell not far away, blood spurting from his wound, and Lucas was actually holding a blood - stained dagger in his hand.
"No... This isn't real!" Lucas shook his head violently, his eyes filled with pain and guilt. He had never imagined that he would hurt his father with his own hands. All this pain and remorse seemed to make him unable to breathe.
"You can't escape, Lucas," Herman Deland's voice turned cold. "You don't deserve to be a hero. You're destined to be a betrayer. All your efforts are just to cover up the darkness in your heart."
Lucas's mind went blank, and his hands began to tremble violently. The dagger seemed to become extremely heavy. The moment he lifted it, his heart seemed to be torn apart. At this moment, he couldn't escape the pain deeply buried in his heart - he had betrayed his father, his beliefs, and the ideals he had once firmly believed in.
"No! You're my father! You..." Lucas managed to squeeze out the words with difficulty, but the voice was like coming from the abyss, weak and powerless.
"You can't change the mistakes you've made," Herman Deland's voice became colder and colder, as if a cold wind was passing through Lucas's chest. "The tragedy of your life is precisely because you've never faced the sins in your heart. Now, come on, face all this. Only in this way can you truly be liberated." Lucas froze, his body seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move. In front of his eyes was his father's figure, but every second, that figure was becoming blurred and distorted, as if everything was collapsing in front of him. The pain in his heart became more and more intense. He began to question everything he had done, and began to doubt whether he was really worthy of being a warrior and whether he could really live up to his father's expectations.
"You'll keep struggling in pain until you truly face yourself," Herman Deland's words stabbed into
Lucas's heart like a sharp blade. "You can never escape the darkness in your heart."
Suddenly, a strong determination surged in Lucas's heart. He gripped his double blades tightly, and his eyes sparkled with a firm light. "No! I won't yield!"
He suddenly swung his double blades, cutting everything in front of him into pieces. His father's figure instantly collapsed and turned into countless black mists, dissipating in the air. Lucas's heart rate gradually calmed down, and the pain and guilt in his heart gradually dissipated. He finally realized that only by facing his mistakes could he truly overcome the inner demons and liberate himself.
However, just as Lucas's heart regained a glimmer of peace, the void in front of him changed again. This time, what appeared was not his father's figure but another existence that made him even more painful - Alyce.
She was still so gentle, with a bright smile, like a warm beam of sunlight shining on Lucas's heart. But in her eyes, there was a faint trace of pain, an emotion that Lucas had always been unable to ignore.
"Lucas, how could you do this?" Alyce's voice was low, tinged with a hint of sadness. "You promised me that you would protect me and never let me get hurt. But what about you? Did you really do it?"
Lucas's heart skipped a beat. Memories of his time with Alyce flashed through his mind. The former oaths, promises... All these seemed to be echoing at this moment.
"I..." Lucas lowered his head, his eyes filled with guilt and helplessness. "I didn't do it."
"You didn't!" Alyce's voice gradually rose, with an unrefutable anger. "You were so strong and brave before. Why did you finally let me get hurt? Why couldn't you protect me? Why..."
"I..."
"You can never turn back, Lucas," Alyce's words became cold, like a sharp blade stabbing into Lucas's heart. "You've never truly understood me, and you've never even truly understood yourself."
Lucas's heart felt as if it was being cut by a thousand knives. His vision gradually became blurred. Alyce's figure became unreachable, as if she had never really existed. Every memory, every emotion was like a sharp blade, stabbing Lucas's heart full of holes.
"You can't change the mistakes of the past," Alyce's figure gradually disappeared. "You can never make up for the harm you've caused. The darkness in your heart will always exist."
A flash of determination passed through Lucas's eyes. He gripped his double blades tightly, and his fighting spirit ignited again in his heart. "No! I won't let you control me anymore!"
He suddenly swung his sword at the void, and Alyce's figure was instantly cut into pieces and dissipated with the wind. The pain and guilt in his heart disappeared again, but Lucas knew that his inner demons had not completely disappeared, and the real test had just begun.
"The trial of the inner demons has just begun," Alton's voice came from a distance. His gaze fell on Lucas. "Everyone must go through this test. Only by bravely facing the darkness in the heart can one obtain true liberation."
Lucas took a deep breath. He knew that his inner demons had not completely disappeared, but at least he had taken the first step. The road ahead was still full of dangers, but he was already ready to face the next challenge.
"I'm ready," Lucas's voice was low and firm.
The team members nodded one after another. They knew that this trial was not only a test of strength but also a challenge to the soul. Everyone must face their own fears, unlock the shackles in their hearts, and only then could they move forward.
So, the team once again set foot on the forward path, deep into the deepest part of the Abyss Gate.