The moon hung high over the Universität der Ewigen Flamme, but within its inner sanctum, time moved by different laws. Beneath the Flame Gate's massive shadow, a corridor of burnished blackstone unfolded, one that had never appeared on any student map.
Maximilian Kriegswald moved with purpose, robes trailing behind like spilled ink. His shadow—usually silent—twitched unnaturally with each step, as if eager to escape his body. At his side, the old Starforger's words still burned in his mind.
"The true Trial is not of strength… but of self."
Earlier that day, Chancellor Ignatia Vulkrand had summoned the top ten cadets of the Flamebound Path into the Hall of Reflection, a chamber sealed since the Third Cataclysm.
There, an obsidian-framed gate had unveiled itself—runes etched in three layers: Old Imperium, Celestial Tongue, and something older still. Maximilian, Lirael, Alwin, and even Maelis had been called to witness it.
Now, hours later, he was the first to walk through.
The Mirror Trial Begins
The world beyond the gate was… wrong.
Not in any visible way—there was still a sky, a forest, and distant flame-lit ruins. But the air bent around Maximilian's aura as if recoiling from his presence. And the trees whispered things in languages he'd never spoken.
System Alert: You have entered the Realm of Echoes. Initiating Trial: Spiegelprobe – Trial of the Self. Objective: Defeat the You That Should Have Been.
Maximilian looked up—straight into the eyes of a mirrored reflection.
But it wasn't a simple double.
This "other" Maximilian wore no mask. His aura pulsed openly with SSS+ resonance, woven into a robe of star-warped flame. His eyes glowed with a knowledge Maximilian hadn't earned yet.
"So this is what I could have been," Maximilian murmured.
The echo smiled. "No. I am what you fear becoming."
Clash of Fates
The battle began without fanfare.
The mirrored Maximilian conjured a blade made of collapsed time—[Stellarloop Dagger: Echoform Variant]—and hurled it into a starlight blinkstrike.
Maximilian parried with Zeitbrecher, but each clash unraveled seconds from the world. Time folded, twisted, snapped like broken strings on a harp.
Their duel painted constellations into the sky.
Skill Activated: Astral Echo Displacement – Advanced Tier Unlocked. Passive Triggered: Chrono Pulse Reversal.
With a flick of thought, Maximilian reversed a wound three seconds into the past—only to be struck by a curse he hadn't seen coming.
"You wear a mask, even here," the Mirror spat. "When will you face the truth of what you are?"
Maximilian's aura surged.
"Not today. But soon."
He struck forward with a move not even he had used before.
Skill: [Starforged Implosion Fang] – Prototype – Incomplete
The impact split the battlefield into mirrored shards. The realm cracked.
And the Echo of the Star Soul shattered.
Trial Cleared
Trial Complete. Unique Reward Unlocked: Sigil of the Mirrorforged Flame Class Synchronization: 57% Warning: Psychological Resonance Unstable. Recommend Meditation or Soulbinding Ritual.
Maximilian collapsed to one knee, sweat pouring, soul aching.
"No turning back now," he whispered.
Item Profile: Sigil of the Mirrorforged Flame
Type: Soul-Linked Relic
Rarity: Unique (1 of 1)
Effect: Reveals the user's hidden class potential in brief bursts, allowing overclocked aura projection at the cost of emotional stability.
Side Effect: May trigger latent class evolution pathways or awaken suppressed memories.
Note: Only functions for bearers of the Star Soul lineage.
Lore Drop: The Trial Realms
The Trial Realms—known as the Sieben Schattenpfade—are relics of the ancient divine war, existing beyond conventional space-time. Each realm was created by one of the Seven Lost Deities to forge champions for the war to come.
Realm I: Crucible of FlameRealm II: Vault of ChainsRealm III: Mirror of Echoes (Spiegelprobe)Realm IV: The Library That DreamsRealm V: The Wound Between StarsRealm VI: Tower of Silent BellsRealm VII: Garden of the Final God
Only five have been rediscovered. Only one has been conquered fully—until now.
Interlude: The Bonds Beneath Flame
Hours later, Maximilian awoke within the Gluthallen Dormitory.
A presence sat near his bed.
"You're not him."
Lirael Veinsturm stared down at him, her silvery-gold braid slightly undone, her alchemist's uniform singed.
"What?"
"The you who walked through that gate… He didn't come back the same."
Maximilian was too tired to argue.
Lirael poured him soul-mended tea from a flask made of phoenixglass. "I don't trust you, Kriegswald. But I understand you."
Her eyes softened. "That scares me more."
Before he could respond, Alwin entered, dragging behind him a shard of the Mirror Realm—still humming with distorted echoes. "I… salvaged this. I think it's part of your Trial."
Maximilian reached out. His aura ignited around it—
And in the depths of the shard, an eye opened.
Elsewhere: Parliament of Cinders
Deep in the Flamebound Parliament, political chaos had erupted.
"You allowed him into the Trial of Echoes?!"
"He passed."
"That trial hasn't been cleared in a thousand years!"
"Now it has."
Haus Solenschatten demanded his allegiance. Haus Emberwrought called for his censure. Haus Sturmfeuer proposed placing him under observation.
But then Maelis spoke.
Draped in robes of black-flame and silence, she simply said:
"He bears the Star Sigil. Let him walk his path."
And for once, the Parliament fell into uneasy silence.
End of Chapter 23: Spiegelprobe – The Mirror Trial