The air thinned with every upward step. Loose scree crunched beneath Caius' worn leather boots, a constant reminder of the precariousness of his ascent. He unslung his pack, hefting the weight of his climbing gear—rope, pitons, a small hammer—tools that could mean the difference between success and a fatal plunge. The wind howled around him, a mournful cry that seemed to echo the loneliness of his quest.
Each step forward was slow and deliberate. The mountain trail near the Forbidden Forest was treacherous, barely more than a suggestion of a path winding through jagged rocks and overgrown roots. But Caius knew exactly where he was going. His heart beat with anxious anticipation.
He wasn't just climbing a mountain—he was chasing a memory.
This wasn't just any hidden place. In the original novel, Heaven's Wrath, this was the site where Leon and his companions defeated one of the key members of the villain group, The Echo Chamber. That enemy had mentioned it himself that he had discovered an artifact hidden deep within the cave behind waterfall, nestled near the cliffs of this mountain. He had passed its mysterious trial and gained powerful skills—but that power wasn't enough to overcome Leon and his allies.
Caius, armed with the knowledge from the book, was here to reach the artifact before anyone else. If he could find it and pass the trial, it might give him a better chance at surviving what was to come.
His breath misted in the cold air as he crested a ridge. Then he froze.
The faint sound of rushing water reached his ears.
He followed the sound, heart pounding harder with each step until he stood at the edge of a clearing surrounded by tall, twisted trees. There it was—a small waterfall cascading down a sheer rock face, its crystal-clear water pooling into a serene basin below. Moss clung to the stones, and the air was damp and cool.
This was it.
The place from the novel.
Caius approached the waterfall, shoes sinking slightly into the wet soil. His fingers traced along the mossy stone until he found what he was looking for—a narrow crevice, just wide enough to slip through. He steeled himself and pushed past the curtain of falling water, stepping into the darkened space behind it.
And there it was.
The cave.
A hidden entrance, yawning before him like a secret waiting to be told. The air inside was damp and heavy, and the sound of the waterfall dulled to a distant murmur.
A thrill of triumph surged through Caius.
He had found it.
The cave's entrance loomed before Caius like the mouth of some ancient beast. Behind the cascading veil of water, the world had shifted. What once seemed like a quiet forest path now felt like a threshold to something far older and deeper. Caius hesitated only for a moment before stepping through the waterfall, letting the cold water soak him through. It was shocking, like a slap to the senses, but grounding in its own way. He knew what lay ahead—or at least, he thought he did.
The air inside the cave was damp and musty, the smell of wet stone thick in his nose. The dim light filtering through the waterfall barely penetrated the interior. Caius drew out a small, enchanted lantern he had packed. It glowed faintly, casting eerie shadows across the jagged walls as he began his cautious descent.
Almost immediately, he noticed a subtle shift in the stone beneath his boots. A slight depression, too regular to be natural. He stopped just in time to avoid stepping on it. A trap. His breath hitched. He peered closer, then saw the hairline seams of pressure plates embedded into the floor.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath. "It wouldn't be that easy."
He stepped back and began testing the ground ahead with the small metal rod he had packed. When it tapped something hollow or loose, he marked it with a bit of chalk. He zigzagged carefully, his heart pounding in his ears.
Deeper into the cave, the traps became more elaborate.
A concealed blade shot out from a wall as he triggered a wire—only his quick reflexes and the inherited agility of his new body saved him. He ducked, twisted, and rolled with a grace that hadn't been his in the real world. His breath came out in harsh gasps as he flattened himself against the stone.
"Thanks for the genetics, Caius," he muttered grimly.
Another chamber was filled with swinging pendulums—massive, rusted blades arcing rhythmically from the ceiling. Caius timed his movements, watching the pattern of the swinging steel. He counted the seconds between each swing, then bolted through the gaps with his heart in his throat.
Each near miss left him shaking. He could feel the wind from one blade brush the back of his neck.
Farther still, a pit yawned open, lined with jagged spikes below. A narrow, crumbling stone beam stretched across it. Caius steadied his breathing. Step by step, he crossed, arms outstretched for balance. Halfway across, the stone shifted.
"No, no—"
He lunged forward, falling hard onto the other side just as the last few stones crumbled behind him. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath.
Sweat dripped from his brow. His arms and legs trembled. He wasn't sure if it was the effort or the sheer terror. Maybe both.
He pushed forward.
A tunnel narrowed until he had to crawl on hands and knees. The silence was oppressive now—just the sound of his breath and the scrape of his gear against stone.
Then, suddenly, the cave widened into a small, circular chamber.
There it was.
At the far end of the room stood an ancient stone door, covered in intricate carvings—symbols he vaguely recognized from the novel, but had never fully understood. They pulsed faintly with a dull light, as though reacting to his presence.
He approached slowly, reverently.
"This is it," he whispered, his voice echoing faintly.
He raised a trembling hand and pressed it against the door. It was cold—deathly cold—and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a deep grinding noise, the symbols began to glow brighter. The door shuddered, and slowly, it began to open.
Light spilled out from the widening gap.
Caius stepped forward, heart hammering in his chest.
Then he heard cold emotionless voice
[Welcome to the Trial of Sin, where the boundaries of morality blur and the depths of your soul will be laid bare.]
[you have entered the abyss]
then everything around him became blur and darkness enveloped his vision .