Ash stood alone in the infinite expanse of white. There was no sense of direction, no horizon, just an endless void of light. The oppressive silence surrounding him only made the stillness more eerie, and a deep unease started to settle in his chest. He had no idea how he arrived here. One moment, he had stepped out of his cave, determined to embark on a journey to the forbidden lands—and the next, he found himself in this strange place.
"Uhh, Riya? Where am I?" Ash asked aloud, his voice breaking the unnatural silence. His words echoed, but no response came from the system. He tried again.
"System?"
Silence again. His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively reached for his system interface. He expected the familiar glowing interface to pop up before him. But—nothing. The screen remained blank, as though it had completely vanished.
"What the hell?" Ash muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as panic began to rise in his chest. He focused, trying to access his system again, but it was as if he was locked out.
Then, before he could even gather his thoughts, the white realm shifted.
The air around him seemed to ripple, and the entire scene changed as though the fabric of reality itself was tearing. Ash blinked, and in the next moment, he was standing in a vast open field.
The sky above was clear and endless, but the ground beneath his feet was solid grass swayed gently in the breeze, and the temperature seemed to be perfect, neither hot nor cold. It was serene. But something felt incredibly wrong.
{Welcome, Ash Neyru, to the Land of Eternity.}
The voice that spoke was deep, almost ancient, and resonated through the very air around him. It didn't come from any one direction—it felt as if it emanated from the world itself. Ash's body instinctively tensed.
{Here, you will face trials. They will begin at your current cultivation level. However, the deeper you go into this realm, the harder the trials will become.}
Ash frowned, his grip tightening on his sword.
"Trials? What kind of trials?"
But before he could ask more, the voice continued.
{Good luck.}
With that final word, a strange rumble vibrated through the ground beneath his feet. The air grew still, and for a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze. Ash's senses went on high alert as the atmosphere around him began to shift.
---
The ground beneath Ash's feet cracked open with a low groan, and the sky darkened.
Suddenly, the once tranquil field was swallowed by shadow. Ash felt a shift in the energy of the world around him, as if something primal had awoken. His senses flared as he instinctively reached for his sword—only to realize his body suddenly felt heavier. A strange force was pressing down on him, increasing his weight, dragging him down, as if the very air around him had thickened.
And then, from the distance, he heard it—a sound that made his blood run cold.
ROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!
The ground beneath his feet trembled as a massive, hulking creature emerged from the shadows. It was monstrous—a beast covered in dark, shadowy fur, with glowing red eyes that burned like embers. Its jaws were large enough to swallow a grown man whole, and its claws were like swords—sharp and curved. The creature's body pulsed with an eerie energy, a darkness that corrupted the very space around it.
Ash's heart pounded in his chest.
This wasn't any normal beast—it radiated a familiar aura—an energy that felt both unnatural and ancient. This was the first trial? A monster?
The beast lunged at him; its claws aimed straight for Ash's chest. Without hesitation, Ash leaped backward, his body moving instinctively. He landed on the ground with his sword drawn in front of him, but the creature was already charging again.
"Come on," Ash muttered to himself, a grin creeping onto his face despite the danger. "Let's see what this trial is really about."
He charged forward, meeting the beast head-on. His sword slashed through the air, but the beast's claws collided with his blade, sending sparks flying in every direction. The force of the collision threw Ash backward, his feet skidding against the ground, but he quickly regained his stance.
The beast roared again, this time charging directly at him, its jaws wide open, ready to crush him. Ash's mind raced. The creature was fast—too fast—but there had to be a way to beat it. He had recursion to help him, but that wouldn't be enough.
----
As Ash fought, he realized that each time the beast attacked, its movements shifted. There was something strange about it—almost as if it was learning from his own actions, adapting in real-time to his fighting style. The more Ash attacked, the more the creature seemed to anticipate his movements.
"You're just like me," Ash grinned as he realized the pattern. "You learn and adapt, huh?"
Ash quickly adjusted his strategy. He began using feints, baiting the creature into striking where he wasn't, exploiting the beast's tendency to learn from each encounter. The more they clashed, the faster Ash became, and his sword began to slip through the creature's defenses.
After a few more exchanges, Ash spotted an opening. The beast lunged, its mouth wide open to swallow him whole. Ash sidestepped at the last moment, his blade finding its mark deep into the creature's side. The beast let out an ear-piercing screech as blood—dark and viscous—spilled from its wound.
Shhk! The beast fell to the ground, roaring in pain, but Ash didn't relent.
He pressed forward, driving his sword into its chest with a single, final thrust.
"Gotcha," Ash whispered.
The beast let out one last gurgle before collapsing into a dark, shadowy mist, dissipating into the air.
Ash stood over it, panting heavily. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his body aching from the intense fight. It wasn't easy—certainly not as easy as he thought it would be. But it was done.
{You have passed the first trial.}
The voice returned, though this time it sounded more distant—like a whisper in the wind.
{You are now ready for the next trial. But be warned, it will be far harder.}
Ash took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He had won the first trial, but there was no telling what would come next.
The Echoing Beast was just the beginning.