Veil of Sparks

Kael adjusted his badge, its faint glow catching the dim light inside the entrance to Trial Vault 3. The structure loomed before him, carved from dark stone and etched with runes that pulsed softly, like a heartbeat.

He stood in the line of recruits waiting to enter, their numbers called in groups of ten. The air was heavy with nervous energy, punctuated by the hum of nearby Thread conduits that seemed to amplify every sound.

Kael glanced around, studying the recruits near him. Some carried themselves with quiet confidence, their gear polished and their weapons gleaming. Others fidgeted nervously, shifting their weight from foot to foot or gripping their relics like lifelines.

Kael fell somewhere in between.

His Spark flickered faintly along his fingertips, responding to the residual Thread energy in the air. He could feel it buzzing in his chest, restless and eager, but he kept it in check. There was no room for mistakes here.

"Next group!" a sharp voice barked, pulling Kael from his thoughts.

He stepped forward with the others, his heart pounding as they were ushered into a narrow chamber lit by glowing runes.

The Resilience Trial was infamous, even among experienced players.

Kael had spent countless hours navigating its mechanics in Rise of Arclight, memorizing the hazards, patterns, and hidden opportunities. But this wasn't a game. The stakes were higher, the risks more real, and the pain from earlier trials still lingered in his muscles.

A stern-looking attendant stood at the center of the chamber, their gaze sweeping over the recruits.

"Listen carefully," the attendant said, their voice cutting through the low murmurs. "The Resilience Trial is not about defeating your opponents. It is about enduring the challenges set before you. The environment will shift. Hazards will intensify. Survive, and you pass. Fail, and you are eliminated."

Kael swallowed hard, his grip tightening on the hilt of his dagger.

"The trial will test your stamina, control, and ability to adapt under pressure," the attendant continued. "You may encounter enemies—constructs, traps, or other surprises. The goal is not to fight unless necessary. Survive. That is all."

They gestured to the glowing floor beneath their feet, the intricate runes beginning to shift and pulse. "When the trial begins, you will be transported to the arena. Prepare yourselves."

Kael's breath hitched. The other recruits around him straightened, some muttering quiet encouragements to themselves.

The attendant raised a hand, and the room was filled with a deep, resonant hum. The runes beneath Kael's feet lit up, their glow intensifying as the hum grew louder.

Kael's body tensed, the air around him crackling with energy.

And then the world shifted.

When the light faded, Kael found himself standing in a vast arena unlike anything he'd seen before.

Jagged cliffs towered above him, their surfaces lined with faintly glowing veins of Thread energy. The ground beneath his feet was uneven, a mix of cracked stone and shifting platforms. Pits of swirling light dotted the terrain, their depths glowing with a dangerous, otherworldly hue.

The arena hummed with energy, and Kael's Spark responded in kind, flickering faintly along his arms. He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he surveyed his surroundings.

A voice echoed through the arena, smooth and mechanical.

"Trial initializing. Sequence one: commence."

The ground rumbled beneath Kael's feet, and the air around him seemed to shift, growing heavier.

He moved cautiously, scanning the terrain as the other recruits fanned out around him. Some sprinted toward higher ground, while others huddled near the edges of the arena, their eyes darting nervously.

Kael didn't rush. He remembered the first sequence from the game—a series of environmental hazards designed to disorient and isolate players.

The key was to keep moving.

A loud crackling sound drew Kael's attention, and he turned to see a beam of energy shooting up from the ground a few feet away. It crackled violently before dissipating, leaving behind a faint scorch mark.

Right on cue, Kael thought, his pulse quickening.

The beams began to appear more frequently, their strikes seemingly random but following a pattern Kael recognized. He darted forward, keeping his movements deliberate as he avoided the beams, his mind racing to anticipate their next appearance.

A recruit to his left wasn't so lucky. The beam struck the ground near their feet, the force of the explosion sending them sprawling. Kael winced but kept moving, his focus narrowing.

By the five-minute mark, the arena had begun to shift again.

Platforms rose and fell without warning, some crumbling into pits of light while others shot upward, creating precarious ledges. Kael leapt onto one of the lower platforms, steadying himself as it wobbled beneath his weight.

The mechanical voice returned.

"Constructs deploying."

Kael's stomach twisted as he saw the first construct emerge from the far side of the arena. Its body was an amalgamation of metal and glowing energy, its limbs swinging with mechanical precision as it scanned the recruits.

It didn't hesitate.

The construct lunged toward the nearest recruit, its glowing arm slamming into the ground with enough force to send shockwaves rippling outward.

Kael dropped into a crouch, the force rattling the platform beneath him. His instincts screamed at him to stay low, to avoid drawing attention to himself.

But then he saw it.

A faint glow, pulsing beneath one of the crumbling platforms near the southern edge of the arena.

Kael's breath caught. The relic fragment.

It was exactly where he'd remembered it from the game, hidden in plain sight among the chaos.

Kael's fingers tightened on his dagger. Reaching it would be risky, especially with the construct rampaging nearby. But if he could get to it, the fragment's energy would give him a significant boost—not just for this trial, but for the ones ahead.

He made his decision in an instant.

Kael darted forward, weaving through the chaos as he kept his eyes locked on the glowing fragment. The construct roared somewhere behind him, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground as it moved.

The fragment was close now, its glow growing brighter as Kael dropped to his knees, his heart pounding.

He reached out, his fingers brushing the surface—