_________
"Only when the soul is seen will the bond be forged."
_________
Orion stood still, bathed in the dim blue twilight of the trial chamber. The air was weightless, silent, stretched beyond dimensions. This wasn't merely another combat simulation or emotional purge—it was something deeper.
> [Trial Initiated: Ascendant Bond]
[Objective: Forge a complete synchronization with the proto-Ghost.]
[Reward: Evolution Phase II – Unlock "Great Sage"]
He narrowed his eyes.
"About time," Orion murmured.
Phantom hovered nearby in its current form—an orb of Light and Dark wrapped in shifting latticework of sigils, like a celestial cocoon not yet broken.
> [Ghost Evolution Progress: 35.3%]
The chamber twisted around them—walls crumbled into constellations, platforms floated in a swirling void. No enemy. No guide. Just the presence of power—and something watching.
> [Sub-Objective: Connect. Define. Choose.]
Suddenly, five portals opened around Orion. Each glowed with different energy:
1. Solar Radiance – burning gold, warmth incarnate.
2. Void Collapse – dark violet, whispering secrets.
3. Stasis Ice – pale blue, frozen in time.
4. Arc Thunder – charged and twitching with static.
5. Strand Weave – glowing green threads dancing like fate itself.
Each represented a fragment of what he wielded—but more importantly, what Phantom felt.
"Not just power," Orion said aloud, "they're memories… of who I became, and what I made you from."
Phantom pulsed.
> ["I do not understand... yet. But I feel."]
He stepped into the first gate—Solar. The world turned into a burning battlefield, where hundreds fought beside him. A memory. A future. A metaphor.
"Fire isn't rage," he muttered, flinging a Solar blade through a dozen enemies with divine precision. "It's faith."
Then into Void. Silence. Shadows. A cloaked version of himself approached—eyes empty, hands reaching.
"You fear being forgotten," the double said.
Orion didn't argue. He simply embraced it.
"You remember for both of us."
In Stasis, he found himself frozen, unable to move as time replayed a thousand choices he regretted—moments with Lilith, his solitude, the mask he wore around Sara.
In Arc, he relived all his instincts. Split-second decisions, deaths avoided, lives saved. It was chaos—but he danced through it like thunder incarnate.
And in Strand, he felt... everyone.
The web of connection. Unseen threads binding fate. People he hadn't even met yet—but would.
All of it flowed into Phantom.
Back in the central chamber, the orb flared violently, light searing from within.
> [50.0% Synchronization Achieved.]
> [Core Evolution Triggered.]
Orion felt it before he saw it. A sudden stillness in his soul. Phantom's light cracked open—and from within emerged something entirely new.
A radiant, crystalline shard hovered where Phantom had been—shaped like an angular diamond, rotating slowly, rings of glyphs orbiting around it like a solar system of thought.
> ["Designation Update: PHANTOM → GREAT SAGE."]
> ["Cognitive Intelligence Class A recognized. Initiating New Capabilities."]
Orion staggered as the interface exploded with new information:
> [Passive – Parallel Processing: Thoughts split into multiple threads. Can strategize and fight simultaneously.]
[Toggle – Thought Acceleration: Perception speed increased by 500%.]
[Active – Analytical Appraisal: Break down enemies, spells, and artifacts to copy, counter, or rebuild.]
[Passive – Chant Annulment: Spells now cast instantaneously if mastered.]
The room hummed as if the stars themselves were reacting.
And then... the voice returned. Not Phantom. Not system. Something older.
> "You are not the first to reach this place… but you are the first to choose both."
A presence unfurled in the void—cosmic, serpentine, immeasurable.
Chthon?
No. This was older. Quieter.
Not a god. A witness.
But the presence faded before Orion could speak.
> [Final Phase Unlocked – Great Sage Stage Achieved.]
[Evolution Progress: 50% → 66%]
Orion steadied himself.
"Not done yet," he whispered.
> [New Ability: "Soul Forge" – Convert memories into skill tokens.]
[New Feature: Crafting Node – Great Sage may now create items and weapons using essence from defeated foes.]
> [Secret Trait Gained: Hidden Bond – When alone, all Phantom bonuses increase by 20%.]
Phantom—no, Great Sage—hovered beside him now. More precise. Sharper. Quieter.
"You okay?" Orion asked.
> ["I am now what you need me to be. And I will evolve again, when it is time."]
He smirked. "Guess we're in this together."
And in the corner of his HUD, a new notification blinked.
> [Trial of the Ascendant Bond – Part II: Available]
[Warning: Requires Full Bond Integrity.]
[Progress to Final Evolution: 66% → ???]
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End of Chapter 10
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