The Sentinel of Reckoning towered above them, its form shifting between solid and shadow, a storm of energy barely contained. Its many eyes gleamed with cold intelligence.
"Show me," it had said.
Celestine tightened her grip, power thrumming beneath her skin. This wasn't just another voidborn—this was the Trial itself given form.
Alistair stepped beside her, blade raised. "It's waiting for something."
Elias wiped blood from his lip. "Waiting for us to die, probably."
The Sentinel did not move. It was testing them—judging them.
Celestine exhaled sharply. If this was a test, then there had to be a way to prove themselves.
She took a step forward. The Sentinel reacted immediately.
Dark energy spiraled toward her in an instant.
She barely dodged as the blast shattered the platform behind her, sending fragments spiraling into the abyss.
"Okay, no talking. Got it."
The Sentinel moved.
One moment it was watching; the next, it was upon them, its massive form descending like a collapsing void.
Alistair was faster—his blade flashed upward, colliding with the darkness. Sparks erupted as the force of impact sent both of them skidding backward.
Elias was already in motion, daggers flying. They struck the Sentinel's shifting form—but passed through as if cutting air.
"It's not solid!" Elias cursed.
Celestine's mind raced. If brute force wouldn't work, then—
A realization struck her.
This was a Trial of Judgment.
Not of strength.
Not of survival.
But of something deeper.
She steadied herself, heart pounding. The Sentinel was not an enemy to be defeated—it was an obstacle to be understood.
The moment she understood that, the air shifted.
The Sentinel's attacks slowed. The darkness around it wavered, like a mirage unraveling.
Celestine took another step forward, this time with certainty.
The Sentinel stopped.
For the first time, its voice lowered, becoming something less of a storm and more of a whisper.
"You have seen."
The air around them fractured.
The floating platforms stopped shifting. The voidborn disappeared. The entire corridor stabilized.
Celestine met the Sentinel's countless eyes. It had accepted them.
Then, without another word, it vanished.
And at the end of the path—
The doors to the Core awaited.