Having said he would kneel in front of the fake Deveralna, Orion approached the lamia Queen sitting on her throne.


    He stopped a few meters away from her, and bent his right knee to the floor, his eyes locked on hers.


    "Good. A leader such as myself requires the due respect it deserves. It isn''t the mark of weak and overbearing leaders, but the natural orders of society."


    Without moving a muscle, she continued.


    "A ruler possesses the virtue, the patience, the dignity, and the nobility it is born with. How it uses it is purely dependent on their upbringing, as just a small step outside the righteous path can lead to terrible consequences."


    "For the people, but also for the ruler itself."


    What she said made sense. The preceding lamia Queens all displayed those qualities, creating a fair and respected society for all lamias living on the continent.


    "No one under the rule of a fair King will cry unfairness. No one will despair, and no one will attempt to revolt against them."


    (You are right.)


    The fake Deveralna frowned at his words, thinking that he had interrupted them. Yet, something in her mind forced her to ask a question instead.


    "From the looks of it, you have experienced the fall of a ruler already. What have you learned from it?"


    Orion looked down at the floor, and remembered a specific memory of his travel around Triazils.


    (I had a goal. To kill the men who manipulated others through various heinous acts.)


    (One of them was a ruler, of far worse status than you. That man seemed to have pushed his followers to their limits in terms of physical and mental suffering, leading to a revolt with consequences impossible to forget.)


    With the pictures of a pile of lacerated and dismembered corpses of civilians, and a burning wooden pole with the charred remains of a man attached to it, he winced.


    The smell of burning flesh and the smell of blood were still etched in his brain, as a clear reminder of the event.


    (I came to kill him, yet, when we arrived, the followers had already brought the man down, at the cost of their lives.)


    "..."


    (If he had made different choices, if he had cared for his people, if he hadn''t been corrupted by his greed for power, then maybe nothing of such would have happened.)


    (But all of these are only locked paths that are closed now. ''If'' is only pure speculation at this point, and it will do no good to think about these unavailable futures.)


    He looked in her eyes, and with conviction, spoke.


    (I have great respect for those who work toward protecting the people under them. Many ignore the arduous path a ruler has to take, the sacrifices they have gone through to protect others, yet, without them, chaos would ensue inevitably.)


    "Correct."


    The lamia Queen removed her arm holding her head and straightened on her throne. She entwined her fingers, her elbows placed on both armrests of the throne. Her face dropped, as she lost her threatening aura.


    "As you seem to understand the inner workings of the royalty, I acknowledge the man in front of me as an equal."


    "I can feel it from your aura. The blood carried through your veins isn''t as pure as mine, yet, it is powerful nonetheless. It is..."


    She hesitated, searching for the right word to describe it. Her eyes opened wider, removing any traces of her overbearing attitude from before.


    "Yes, I would describe it as magnificent. Like me, you possess a virtue. The many people you protect show respect for you, and recognize you as their righteous sovereign."


    Her eyes lost their focus, and like a puppet, she slowly lost her strength while she continued to explain.


    "Be it humans, who caused terrible scars to other factions, or the many factions that have been rescued from utter destruction, your noble heart accepts them all."


    "Under his wings, the Abyssal Sovereign will rewrite the wrongs of this world. I, the proud and respectful lamia Queen..."


    The voice turned monotone, and lost the tone the real Deveralna used completely.


    "Will acknowledge your status as an equal. The path you will take from now on, is up to you."


    Like a puppet who found its strings cut, the fake Deveralna slid on her throne, breaking the illusion. Her body turned to dust, and vanished in front of him.


    (Thank you.)


    Orion placed a hand on his chest, and dropped his face in respect. From the vanishing body, a black droplet of magic rippled through the air, and traveled toward him.


    It entered moved toward his chest, before entering it without making any sounds.


    <This platform will be erased in one minute and fifty seconds.>


    Hearing the sudden warning, Orion stood up, and turned around. He glanced at the throne behind him, before taking the straight path leading to the center platform.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Hurriedly, he ran back, and right before the path crumbled into nothing, he stepped on the central platform.


    ''That was closer than I was expecting. Two minutes to make it back is way too short.''


    Looking back, as if nothing had happened at all, Orion remembered the first part of this trial.


    ''Am I going to have to kneel in front of them too?''


    He looked toward his left, where a blond man was standing, motionless, before looking in front of him.


    A glaring Amelia stared at him from the distance, sat on a throne larger than herself. Still, Orion ignored her and looked again to the left.


    (Elliott...)


    The man Orion fought with everything he had. He only remembered shards of their fight, yet, the memories of him strangling Amelia''s throat and punching Karteira in the stomach were as vivid as they could possibly be.


    ''I hate myself for laying my hands on them. I am lucky enough that they still chose to stay by my side, even after all I made them endure.''


    Forgiving himself was out of the question. The choices he made after leaving Auro concerning these two were still fresh wounds for him.


    ''If I had taken the time to really think about them, then the path would''ve been pretty different.''


    Letting his feet move him toward the next platform, Orion fell into deep thoughts.


    He imagined what life could have been if his choices were different. If he had given more thoughts to his and Amelia''s relationship.


    The world around him turned dark, until Orion disappeared completely.


    ...


    "Wake up."


    "Nnh?"


    Orion opened his eyes. Above his face, a blonde woman smiled at him.


    "Good morning, sleepyhead. Here, your kiss."


    She kissed his right cheek and giggled.


    Confused, he touched the place her lips touched, before he sat in his bed.


    "Where am I?"


    He scanned the room, and noticed that he was inside a log cabin.


    "Have you hit your head in your sleep? We''re home."


    "Home?"


    "Yes, home. Orion, is something the matter? You seem a little out of it."


    Ignoring her question, he dragged his feet out of the double bed, and stood up.


    ''Something''s not right. I can''t remember anything...''


    He seemed to have completely forgotten about everything prior to this day. He clearly remembered the woman sitting in the bed, but he couldn''t remember how they had met, or how they came here.


    "Amelia, where are we exactly?"


    Glancing at her, he asked with a genuine confusion.


    "Hmm? We''re on Atrophos. Why do you ask so suddenly?"


    ''Atrophos?''


    He racked his brain, until memories returned to him.


    Atrophos was the name of the continent west of Triazils. It was a continent where many marvelous heroes lived, protecting their lands from invaders.


    Remembering the path he took to come here, he nodded.


    ''Right. We''ve left Triazils after learning Elliott would return.''


    With a smile, he looked at Amelia.


    "That''s right. Sorry, I seem to have been half-awake for a moment."


    Amelia breathed a sigh of relief and smiled dryly.


    "I was afraid for a moment you had lost your memories. What would I have done if you developed amnesia all of a sudden?"


    "My bad. Really, I am fine."


    Still, Orion couldn''t shake the feeling that something was not quite the way it should be.


    ''Forget about it, Orion. It''s probably nothing.''


    He walked to the cupboard, and looked into the mirror attached to one of its doors.


    His body was younger than he realized, and blinked furiously before scratching his head.


    ''This is weird...''


    Once again, he ignored that strange feeling, and dressed himself.


    "What have we planned for today again?"


    While buttoning his shirt, he asked.


    "We have to do some shopping, and help the elders deal with some pests ravaging the fields."


    "Pests? Like rats?"


    "Yeah."


    ''Yeah?''


    Orion was once again confused, he had never heard this lack of proper wording coming from Amelia before, or so he seemed not to remember.


    "Alright. Let''s go then."


    "Sure."


    Amelia stood up, and walked to the door. She was ready to go out when she woke him up.


    This little incongruity stuck to him like glue, as he questioned his sanity.


    ''What is happening to me today?''


    ...


    After leaving the house, the two walked around the large village. It was definitely bigger than Auro, but not at the right size to be called a city yet.


    They walked into various stores, greeted people with familiar faces, and bought the necessaries for their daily life.


    All the while, Orion kept pondering about his current life.


    Not long after returning home after buying their groceries, they left for the fields. Orion grabbed his trusty wooden crossbow, and hunted every pest he could find.


    The villagers thanked him for his work, giving him a few coins for his outstanding aim and precision.


    Before the sun had completely set past the horizon, they were back home, snuggling in bed.


    Life continued like this for a week, with no signs of change.


    Until something strange happened.


    ...


    "Amelia, why did we leave Auro?"


    He couldn''t remember anything about that decision.


    "Why you ask? Isn''t it because of the orphanage fire?"


    "The... orphanage?"


    A weird feeling invaded his mind.


    "Yes? After you''ve rescued me from that fire, you strangely insisted on leaving our hometown. You haven''t told me anything about the reason, so I can''t help you with that. In fact, shouldn''t you be the one to tell me why we left?"


    She crossed her arms, seemingly dissatisfied.


    "I... can''t recall."


    Orion looked at his hands. Inside the palms of his hands, a light flashed, invading the deepest parts of his mind.


    His entire life played back in front of him, before the world before him cracks like glass. The world shattered, and Orion opened his eyes.


    (What a shitty joke.)


    Anger filled his heart.


    In front of him, a fake Elliott stood with a smile on his face.


    "Tell me, where you happy?"


    His voice carried a tone that hid multiple meanings.


    (Happy?)


    Clenching his fists, he repressed his need to punch the man.


    "This could have been the life you were supposed to live. A life away from constant suffering, liberated from the vengeance you sought to accomplish."


    The memories of a quiet and relaxed life with Amelia returned to him. For him, those weren''t fabricated memories, they were as real as he believed them to be.


    Opening his hands, he contemplated his past. Even more than ever, he felt awful for what he did.


    Yet, Orion clenched his teeth...


    And punched himself with his full strength.


    The fake Elliott frowned in front of that brutal scene. Blood dripped from Orion''s mouth, slowly staining the white floor.


    (Sure, I regret not having treated her better during our travels.)


    (But showing me a life that is unreachable is unacceptable! Disrespecting my choices is one thing, but disregarding the many sacrifices Amelia made to stay by my side is even more unacceptable!)


    He approached the fake Elliott, and frustratingly glared at him from up close.


    (I respect her choices, and always will. Never underestimate my love for her, or anyone else I treasure.)


    "Even if it means trampling your own happiness? Would you sacrifice everything to make her... them, happy."


    The two glared at each other for a minute, before Orion nodded.


    (I will. The only thing I will never forfeit is my life, and theirs.)


    Following a long pause, the fake Elliott nodded.


    "So be it. Your loyalty to your friends is something praiseworthy. Not only did you refuse to accept a perfect dream created to lure you away, but you also convinced me that your feelings are genuinely turned toward the ones close to you."


    "The path of the Abyssal Sovereign is a path that cannot be taken alone. Never forget the ones who pushed you forward, and true power will follow suit."


    Like the fake Deveralna, the fake Elliott crumbled into dust, leaving behind a dark droplet of magic that entered his body.


    Orion calmed his raging heart, and arranged his thoughts. Though, he couldn''t do that for long, as a robotic voice pressed him to return.


    <This platform will be erased in one minute and twenty seconds.>


    Shocked, he hurriedly turned around and began to run.


    ''This trial. It''s pissing me off.''


    With less time to return to the central platform than before, he ran.