The land shifted.
The moment they stepped beyond the burning wastelands of Sharvagni, the world bent around them. Trees twisted into spirals, clouds moved backward, and time ticked in reverse. The Goddess Vidyarani's voice was distant, almost like a memory herself.
"You now enter the Valley of Samsmriti—the cradle of all memories."
Before them stood a smooth obsidian arch glowing faintly blue, carved with scenes from all across the ages: creation, destruction, rebirth… and at the center of it all—Ash.
Monish touched the arch's surface. "So this trial… shows us his memories?"
"No," Vidyarani replied gravely. "It shows you yours—but from his eyes."
The moment they stepped through, the world dissolved into light.
---
Anuj stood in his old classroom. He watched himself and his friends joking around, unaware of the weight that would soon fall on them.
But then—Ash entered the scene.
He was in the background. Always watching. Quiet. Calm. Observing everything, yet never truly included.
Anuj's heart ached.
He watched as Ash laughed faintly at a joke, only when others did. Smiled only to avoid questions. Helped others, but was never asked how he felt.
"I never saw it," Anuj whispered.
---
Shivam stood in a memory of the school sports ground.
Ash stood beside him, smiling faintly after they won the match.
But Shivam now heard what Ash had thought:
> "They cheer for him. That's good. He needs that. I… don't need praise. I just want to keep them safe."
Shivam clenched his fists. "You always thought of us… and we never asked if you were okay."
---
Akarshan's trial was different.
He stood inside a vast black room—Ash's inner mind. Hundreds of Ash's selves circled him—each from a different age, a different world. Some wore crowns, others armor, others robes drenched in blood.
And each of them whispered:
> "He is the only one who ever looked through me, not at me."
Akarshan stood firm. "Then tell me how to reach the real Ash."
From the darkness, a single fragment—Ash as a young boy—stepped forward.
"Don't try to reach me," the boy said, eyes filled with pain. "Stay with me. No one ever stayed."
---
Sarina's trial came last.
She stood in a field of stars.
One memory unfolded after another—her and Ash in countless lifetimes: lovers, warriors, strangers, even enemies.
In one, she died to protect him. In another, she killed him when he turned to madness. And in one life… they sat in silence under a cherry blossom tree, smiling as the world ended around them.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'll stay, no matter what," she whispered to the stars.
---
They emerged together.
But not as they had entered.
Now, they understood.
They didn't just want to stop Ash from destroying the world.
They wanted to save him.
Even if it meant facing their own guilt.
Vidyarani stood waiting. "You carry the weight of his past. Now, only one trial remains."
She pointed toward the sky—where a tower of white crystal pierced the heavens.
"The Trial of Soul."
And high above, inside his palace, Ash trembled.
"…Someone saw me."
---