The << Stage 4 Complete >> notification hung in Drake's vision for a moment before fading. The impassive Resonance Constructs that had served as his unforgiving practice targets dissolved into the metallic floor of the Alvari training chamber, leaving an echoing silence. The profound mental and virtual exhaustion from the hours-long battle against his own off-hand coordination washed over him. He had forced his Left-Hand [Basic Attack Combo R/L] SCR to 82%, a monumental achievement that had cost him both his precious one-time use [Artisan's Focusing Charm] and the weekly cooldown on his [Medallion of Clarity]. He felt drained, yet a thread of grim satisfaction remained – he had overcome.
Before he could fully process the shift, Elder Jian's voice, calm and resonant, filled the chamber. "You have demonstrated the necessary foundation in the Unbroken Chain, the rhythm of two hands beginning to find their cadence. But the [Twin Soul Bladesworn] path is more than mere repetition of strikes. It is about resonance, about the echoes between wielder and weapon, and between the twin blades themselves."
Jian gestured slightly. "Take forth the [Broken Twin Blade Hilt] you carry. The time has come for you to feel its first true stirrings, to connect with the legacy it holds. This stage is not one of physical exertion, but of inner focus."
"The Hilt? Now? After that insane grind..." Despite his exhaustion, a spark of anticipation ignited within Drake. This artifact had been a silent enigma in his inventory for what felt like ages, ever since he'd found it in the forgotten watchtower ruins back in the Verdant Threshold.
He retrieved the dark, ornately carved metal hilt. It felt cool and strangely heavy in his hand, the break point clean and sharp. The faint, almost imperceptible thrumming energy he'd always sensed within it seemed to pulse a little stronger in the charged atmosphere of the trial chamber.
"Seat yourself, or stand if you prefer," Jian instructed. "Hold the Hilt. Close your eyes if it aids your concentration. Clear your mind of the recent struggle. Focus your will, your intent, solely upon the artifact. Seek its echo. Listen to its silence. Feel its history."
Drake found a spot on the cool metal floor and sat cross-legged, placing the [Trial Blades] neatly beside him. He held the [Broken Twin Blade Hilt] in both hands, its unfamiliar contours a contrast to the practice weapons. He closed his eyes, took several deep, steadying breaths as Master Kallan had once taught him, and tried to push away the lingering fatigue and the phantom stress of the Left-Hand Wall. He focused entirely on the Hilt.
"Focus... on the Hilt. Its energy. Its 'mirrored purpose'..." He tried to recall the faint sensation he'd felt when he first picked it up, the subtle thrum of ancient power. He projected his will towards it, not aggressively, but with a sense of open inquiry, a desire to understand.
For a long minute, nothing happened beyond the usual faint vibration. Then, slowly, the Hilt in his hands began to grow warmer. The low hum it emitted intensified, becoming a clearly audible, deep resonant tone that seemed to vibrate through his very bones. Faint lines of silver light, previously invisible, began to trace the swirling patterns etched into its dark metal surface, glowing with a soft internal luminescence. A strange sense of connection formed, a tenuous link between his own focus and the ancient artifact.
Suddenly, his mental landscape shifted. The darkness behind his closed eyelids was torn asunder by a cascade of fleeting, fragmented images, sounds, and sensations, too rapid to consciously analyze but perfectly recorded by his [Perfect Recall].
He saw glimpses: Two blades, identical yet subtly different – one radiating a cold, sharp light, the other a deeper, shadow-like energy – moving in perfect, impossible unison. They weren't wielded by him, but by towering, ethereal figures clad in ornate Alvari battle armor. A chaotic battlefield, alien sky burning with unnatural colors. Explosions of raw Mana. Strange, monstrous creatures, products of the Shattering, clashing against Alvari warriors. The twin blades, now wielded by a single, determined Alvari champion, carving through swathes of shadowy foes, each strike perfectly mirrored, creating a devastating vortex of offensive and defensive power. One blade would block a crushing blow while its twin simultaneously delivered a lethal counter. A moment of immense power being unleashed – the two blades brought together, pommel to pommel, creating a blinding flash of energy that vaporized everything around them. Then, a sharp crack of sound, an image of one of the twin blades shattering, its energy catastrophically discharged, the Hilt he now held flying through smoke and debris. The feeling of loss, of incompleteness, from that ancient moment was so profound it made Drake ache.
The vision, lasting perhaps only a few seconds in real time but an eternity in his perception, vanished as abruptly as it had begun. The Hilt in his hands cooled, its glow faded, the deep hum subsiding back to its usual faint thrum. Drake opened his eyes, gasping slightly, his mind reeling from the intensity of the experienced echoes.
"Two blades... Shadow's Kiss and my Echoing Blades? Wielded as one... or by two warriors in perfect sync? The power... it was incredible. And the break... that must be how this Hilt was created." He had more questions than answers, but the Hilt no longer felt like just a strange piece of metal. It felt like a direct link to a lost, epic past, a key to a forgotten power.
Unexpectedly, the profound mental weariness from the Stage 4 grind felt… lessened. The intense focus required for the attunement, followed by the rush of the vision, seemed to have cleared his mind, replacing the fatigue with a sharp, if somewhat bewildered, clarity. He felt mentally refreshed, his focus renewed.
Elder Jian, who had remained silent throughout, gave a single, cryptic nod, his eyes still closed. "The echo has been acknowledged. The Hilt remembers its purpose, and now, so too does a fragment of your understanding."
A soft chime sounded. << Trial Stage Complete! Hilt Attunement Achieved! >> << Mental Fatigue partially alleviated by Resonant Clarity! >> << Please await the Final Stage. >>
Drake looked at the [Broken Twin Blade Hilt] with newfound respect. This brief attunement, this interlude in the trial, had served as more than just a breather. It had reinforced the significance of his quest, hinted at the true nature of the power he was striving to unlock, and unexpectedly, prepared his mind for whatever demanding challenge lay ahead. The final stage of the Trial of Resonance awaited.