The revelation about my grandfather shattered my confidence, but I couldn't let it show. "If my lineage is tainted, let my actions prove my worth," I challenged. The Judges agreed to a trial. I was cast into the 'Valley of Reflection,' a dark dimension where my own fears would take physical form. If I survived an hour, I could keep the djinns. If I failed, I would remain there forever as a shadow.
In the valley, the first thing I faced wasn't a monster, but a version of myself—a version that had succumbed to the power of the djinns and turned the world into a wasteland. "Look at what we can become, Emon," the dark-Emon laughed, summoning a black version of the Sword of Noor. "Why save people when you can rule them?" The battle was psychological. Every time I struck him, I felt the pain myself. The twist was that I couldn't defeat him with strength. I had to let go of the sword. The moment I dropped my weapon and embraced the shadow, acknowledging my own capacity for evil, the dark-Emon dissolved. I had mastered my internal darkness, a feat few humans ever achieve.