Kaelen continued walking along the transparent road that stretched endlessly through the universe. Stars drifted silently beneath his feet while galaxies revolved in the immeasurable distance. Every step echoed through the boundless expanse, yet there was no destination in sight—only an endless path disappearing into eternity.
The pressure bearing down upon him had grown so immense that even breathing required effort.
He took another step. Then another.
When he reached his two hundredth step, his knees suddenly buckled beneath the unbearable weight. The invisible force pressing against his body felt as though the universe itself had been placed upon his shoulders.
Kaelen inhaled sharply.
"I can't even use my powers to resist."
His Dragon Bearer abilities, the Eye of Time, gravity, even every ounce of circuit energy he possessed… none of it answered him.
Only his own body remained.
He forced himself onward. Each movement became slower than the last. By the time he reached the two hundred and fiftieth step, blood surged into his throat.
He coughed violently. Dark crimson drops splattered across the transparent road.
The pressure finally overwhelmed him.
His body slammed against the path, unable to move even a finger.
His vision blurred. Darkness slowly crept into the edges of his sight.
His eyelids began to close. Then…A memory surfaced.
A little girl smiled brightly as she looked up at him.
"Thank you for protecting our city."
Another memory followed. Thousands of voices echoed through his mind.
Citizens. Families. Children. All cheering his name after he defeated the Grand Archmage Lich.
Those voices refused to disappear.
Kaelen's fingers slowly curled against the transparent road. His dimming eyes opened once more.
"No…I won't let them down."
With every ounce of strength left inside him, he pushed himself upward.
His entire body trembled violently. Muscles screamed. Bones groaned beneath the pressure.
Yet…He stood. One step. Then another.
He continued walking along the endless path.
By the time he reached his five hundredth step, blood seeped from every pore in his body.
His clothes had become stained crimson.
Each footprint he left behind was marked by blood dripping onto the transparent road.
Kaelen continued forward. His voice had become little more than a whisper.
"I can't feel my legs…or my body."
The light within his eyes gradually dimmed.
Even so…He never stopped walking. Time no longer held meaning. Hours…Perhaps days…Perhaps centuries… Within this strange realm, Kaelen could no longer tell.
He simply dragged himself forward. One broken step after another.
His breathing became ragged. His hands scraped against the transparent road as he pulled himself onward.
"I don't care what I have to do. As long as I can be their shield…and protect them. I will walk any path…Even that of purgatory."
Then…He reached his one thousandth step. Crack. The entire realm fractured. The endless road shattered like glass.
Kaelen suddenly found himself standing upon another transparent path.
Beside him floated an enormous black hole unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
Its gravity distorted space itself, bending light and reality into an endless spiral.
To his surprise…Every wound covering his body had vanished. His breathing returned to normal. His strength had completely recovered. Ahead of him stood a single door.
Only ten steps separated him from it. Kaelen took the first step.
Immediately…The gravity of the black hole intensified.
His body lurched sideways as though existence itself wished to drag him into its endless abyss. He slammed his foot against the road.
The transparent path cracked beneath him…Yet he refused to move.
Realization dawned across his face.
"I get it now…The path was never infinite to begin with. It only felt long because I wouldn't reach the end without my heart and will aligning to my circuit mark. So that was a time hole…Where I could continue infinitely until my objective became real."
He looked toward the colossal black hole.
"And the black hole…It represents my gravity."
He stepped again. The gravitational pull doubled.
Then tripled. Each step became more difficult than the last.
Still…He continued.
"My will…is indomitable."
The tenth and final step. His one thousand and tenth step overall. Kaelen reached the door. He slowly pushed it open.
"This must be…Alyth's Heart."
A blinding flash erupted. Light consumed everything. Then…Darkness.
Kaelen slowly opened his eyes. A freezing wind brushed against his face.
He found himself lying beside the roots of an enormous tree whose trunk pierced the heavens themselves. Snow covered the endless landscape. The frozen world was immediately familiar.
Kaelen slowly sat up.
"…It's my Dragon Domain."
A gentle voice echoed from above.
"It seems you've figured it out."
Kaelen looked upward. The massive tree trembled. Descending gracefully from its towering branches came an immense white dragon. Its scales shone like fresh snow. Blue slit eyes regarded him peacefully.
Two elegant white horns curved backward from its head, while an immense white tail swayed gently behind it, marked by a single crimson stripe at its tip.
Kaelen stared in amazement.
"Alyth?"
The dragon nodded.
"Yes. This is my true form."
Kaelen smiled softly.
"So that's how it is."
He looked toward the dragon.
"So what do we do now?"
Alyth folded her wings before sitting gracefully beneath the colossal tree.
Her gaze became gentle.
"It's time for you to make a choice, Kaelen."
She remained silent for a moment before continuing.
"The path you walk is dangerous but it possesses great providence, When it is finally over…The loss will be small compared to the gain."
Kaelen's expression became serious.
"Are you implying that I'll lose people dear to me?"
Alyth slowly shook her head.
"No. It might happen….Who knows? But it also might not. It doesn't have to be someone dear to you. It may simply be a part of yourself It isn't a sacrifice. You'll have to discover its meaning on your own. I cannot tell you too much."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"So make your choice. Will you continue walking the path of a Savior?"
Kaelen fell silent.
Thoughts of his family passed through his mind.
His friends. His master.
Every companion he had journeyed alongside.
Then…The countless civilians who had placed their trust in him.
The children who had cheered for him. The people who believed a hero could protect them.
A smile slowly appeared across his face.
"You already know my answer, Alyth."
The primordial dragon smiled.
"Then…I wish you luck on your journey…Savior."
Her body gradually dissolved into countless streams of radiant energy.
Those streams gathered together. Forming a brilliant, beating heart. The Heart of Alyth. As the light floated toward him, Alyth's voice echoed one final time.
"From now on…I will always be with you within your subconsciousness. Though I died…A mysterious being resurrected my spirit and I awakened. Now…You shall receive all the power and knowledge contained within my heart."
Kaelen reached forward. His hand touched the glowing heart. It entered his body. A second heartbeat echoed inside him.
A new heart formed beside his own. His Dragon Heart. Immediately afterward, the miniature black hole floating nearby drifted toward him. The Eye of Time followed. Both entered his body simultaneously. The powers merged as one.
Knowledge flooded Kaelen's mind. Ancient memories. Forgotten techniques. The accumulated wisdom of the Primordial Dragon herself.
Then…A vision appeared. An endless battlefield stretched across the horizon. Towering monsters unlike anything that currently existed on Kael'Ar filled the world before them floated a lone man. He possessed tall white hair, blue eyes, and a slim athletic build.
Without fear…He raised his right hand.
"Temporal Black Hole."
The heavens distorted.
Countless black holes formed across the sky. Entire armies of monsters were swallowed whole.
Then…the man slowly turned. He looked directly at Kaelen through the vision. He smiled. Kaelen's eyes widened.
The vision vanished. He opened his eyes. Slowly sitting upright, he whispered,
"Is that…me?"
A voice echoed throughout the Dragon Domain.
"You have proven that you are worthy to walk the Path of the Savior."
Elsewhere within another subconscious realm…
Denma stood alone atop an enormous mountain of monster corpses.
Ancient dragons. Titans. Beasts beyond counting.
Every one of them lay defeated. The barren battlefield stretched endlessly beneath the golden sunlight.
Denma's hands were drenched in blood.
His breathing remained heavy Yet a satisfied smile spread across his face.
A voice echoed across the wasteland.
"You are worthy to walk the Path of Strength."
Denma turned toward the unseen voice. He simply smiled.
Thus…The six heroes completed their respective trials.
Each of them had been recognized by their own Circuit Mark.
Completing the trial of a Circuit Mark meant one thing above all else.
They were now capable of wielding its true power in its entirety…Rather than merely a fraction of it.
Beneath the shade of the enormous tree, the six heroes slowly opened their eyes.
The grass swayed gently around them as reality welcomed them back. Seated before them upon a wooden chair was Arata. He had been waiting quietly all along.
Closing the book resting in his lap, he smiled.
"Congratulations. You are now real Stage Seven Circuit Masters."
The six heroes immediately stood. Together, they bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your teaching, Lord Arata."
Arata rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Hey…I'm just a restaurant owner."
The heroes couldn't help smiling.
Even so…
"Thank you."
Their voices carried genuine gratitude, and beneath the shade of the giant tree, Arata simply smiled back, saying nothing more.