The hallway was too quiet.
Rika walked slowly, arms crossed, black dress brushing against her boots as she stepped through another ruined archway. The red gem on her chest pulsed gently with warmth—but gave her no direction, no guidance.
Just a lot of heat and bad memories.
"Okay, Temple. You've given Sayos a trapdoor, Mizu probably a trauma flashback, and Honkai... honestly, he probably punched a wall and made friends with it. So, what do I get?"
She turned the corner—and stopped.
In the center of the room, floating in mid-air, was a glowing red crystal. Her crystal. Surrounded by flickering embers and rising warmth. The heat curled against her skin like an invitation.
Too easy.And Rika hated easy.
"That's not suspicious at all," she muttered and stepped forward anyway.
The second she crossed the threshold—everything turned black.
Gone was the hallway. Gone was the ruin.
Now she stood in the middle of a burning village.
Flames licked at the wooden roofs. Screams echoed in the distance.
"No…" she whispered.
She knew this place.Her village. Her past.And then—she saw them.
Two figures stood near a crumbling doorway—her parents. Intact. Smiling. Alive.
For a second, her knees almost gave out.
"Mom? Dad?"
They turned.
But their smiles faded into something else—disappointment.
"You left us," said her father, his voice cold and hollow.
"You survived while we burned," added her mother, her face melting into flame.
Rika stared at them, eyes wide. "No. No, I didn't leave. You died. I—"
"You ran," said the voice. "And you never looked back."
The flames surged toward her, forming a circle. She was trapped in a ring of fire.
Her breath caught in her throat. But then—
Her eyes narrowed.
"Okay. Enough of this emotional manipulation crap."
She clenched her fists.
"I miss you every damn day. But I'm not going to let fake versions of you guilt-trip me into thinking I was the one who lit the match!"
The fire roared around her.
Her red gem blazed like a second sun.
"I didn't survive because I was weak. I survived because someone had to carry the flame forward."
She screamed, and from her hands erupted a torrent of fire—not destructive, but cleansing. The illusion cracked. The village burned away like ash in the wind.
The real room returned—and the red crystal floated gently before her.
Rika wiped sweat from her forehead, trembling.
"Cool test. Real subtle. What's next? A guilt-powered obstacle course?"
She reached out, grabbing the crystal.
It didn't resist.
A pulse ran through her veins—fire dancing beneath her skin. The room warmed as if the walls themselves acknowledged her power.
Rika exhaled.
"Right. One trial down."
As she turned to leave, a new door opened where there had been none.
And in the hallway beyond—she thought she heard footsteps.
"Please let that be Mizu. Or Sayos. Or someone not trying to ruin my day."
She stepped through the doorway, fire still trailing from her fingertips.