Chapter Title: The Second Trial
The chamber did not settle after the first entity fell.
It tightened.
Not physically.
But in presence.
Azrael felt it immediately, like the entire Origin Layer had narrowed its focus onto him alone. The glowing pillars pulsed faster now, their symbols shifting in more complex patterns, no longer simply reacting but calculating.
Watching.
Learning.
The sphere at the center brightened slightly.
“Phase two initializing.”
Azrael exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders as he steadied his stance. His body still ached from the previous battles, but something had changed within him. The void energy was no longer wild or unpredictable.
It obeyed.
It flowed through him like a second bloodstream.
Controlled.
Sharp.
Alive.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s se
