Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

[Twenty-Seventh Trial: The Hall of Reflections.]

Kyle frowned and gripped his katana tighter instinctively, though he doubted that combat would be the main challenge here.

His reflection stared back at him from every angle, but something about the mirrored images unsettled him — they didn't move as he did.

'I'm guessing this won't be as simple as walking through,' he thought.

The voice boomed through the chamber once again:

[Face yourself. Only truth will light your path.]

With those words, the chamber began to shift. Kyle's reflections stepped out from the walls, becoming solid copies of him. Each held a weapon, though their eyes glowed an unnatural silver.

'Fighting against my clones... That would be interesting.'

Kyle raised his katana and lunged at the nearest copy, but his blade passed straight through it, meeting no resistance.

Kyle straightened and lowered his weapon. It didn't seem like this was a combat trial.

"Who are you?"

The reflections said in surprise, shocking Kyle.

He took the [Veil of Silence] off so that he could communicatez and responded:

"I'm Kyle, obviously."

"Not your name. Who are you?"

"You abandoned them."

The first reflection's voice was calm, yet cutting. It showed him a vision of his Yurigur when the beasts revolved, the lives that were lost. The people he had fought to protect.

"You lived while they died. You chose this new life and left them behind."

Kyle felt bad but he didn't allow it to show on him, he clenched his fist and replied.

"That wasn't my choice. I didn't ask to be brought here... And besides, how do you know that they died. We were winning, they must have won."

The reflections ignored his protest.

"And yet, you've grown comfortable here, haven't you?" Another spoke, its tone laced with contempt.

"A peaceful life, new friends. Do you even think about them anymore? Or have you decided they're just ghosts of a past you can ignore?"

Kyle's realized some truth in what they were saying. He didn't have any family or friends back in Yurigur and that had made him not to feel much about them.

"You spared the thief," another reflection cut through his thoughts. Kyle was no longer in the chamber but back in the forest. The thief knelt before him, sobbing and begging for his life.

"You could've ended it there. He wouldn't have hurt anyone else. But you hesitated," the reflection hissed. The thief's voice echoed around Kyle, replaying his desperate pleas.

"Why did you let him go? Was it pity? Weakness? Or something else?"

Kyle felt a lump in his throat. He had asked himself the same question that night. Was sparing the thief the right decision, or had he made a mistake?

The reflections pressed on.

"You let him live, and you felt like you'd lost something in doing so. What was it, Kyle? Was it your resolve? Your sense of justice? Or maybe... you're afraid of what killing him says about you."

Kyle exhaled and said after some thought. "I don't know if it was the right choice, but it felt... human."

The reflections paused, then another spoke, colder than the rest.

"Human. Is that what you are? You've killed before, countless beasts, even the goblins you killed in the tower were sentient. You hesitate one moment, and the next, you're cutting down another without a second thought. What does that make you, Kyle? A hero? A hypocrite?"

Their words echoed in Kyle's mind, bringing up every doubt he had buried.

The reflections closed in and their voices merged.

"Who are you?"

Kyle shut his eyes, breathing deeply to calm his racing thoughts. The weight of their accusations threatened to crush him, but he refused to break.

"I'm..." he began, his voice uncertain at first but growing stronger.

"I'm someone who doesn't have all the answers yet. I don't know if every choice I've made is right. But I'm trying. I'm trying to figure out what kind of person I want to be."

The reflections stopped coming closer and their silver eyes flickered. Kyle opened his own eyes and met their gaze too.

"I don't know if sparing the thief was weakness or strength. I don't know if leaving my old world behind was selfish. But I do know one thing: I won't let those questions stop me. I'll keep moving forward, no matter how heavy the past is."

[Trial Complete. Floor 27 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 30,000 Gold Coins, Truthseer Band.]

[Truthseer Band: Enhances mental clarity and provides resistance to illusion-based effects.]

Kyle smiled widely at the ring's description and immediately slipped it onto his finger, feeling its subtle calming effect.

"They weren't wrong... But they weren't right either."

His mind trailed off to the earlier questioning before he activated the Ascension Orb.

***

Kyle appeared in a circular room with no visible exits. At its center was a large hourglass, its golden sand trickling steadily into the lower chamber.

Around the hourglass were twelve pedestals, each bearing an ornate key with a unique design.

[Twenty-Eight Trial: Unlock the door within 60 seconds. Choose Wisely]

Kyle's eyes darted to the walls, where twelve identical doors stood. Each door bore a symbol matching one of the keys.

"Sixty seconds?" he was able to mutter since he hadn't worn back his mask. He began analyzing the symbols. The designs were intricate, ranging from abstract patterns to depictions of animals and celestial bodies.

He approached the pedestals, examining the keys closely. Something felt off, some of the symbols didn't match the level of detail on the doors.

'They're decoys,' he realized.

The sand in the hourglass continued to fall. Kyle's mind raced as he eliminated the less-detailed symbols. That left him with three potential keys, each corresponding to a door.

'Which one?' he thought, glancing at the hourglass. There was something strange about the way the sand was falling, it wasn't constant. It sped up, then slowed down erratically.

"Wait a minute..." Kyle said, stepping back. He noticed the faint glow around one of the keys flickered in perfect sync with the sand's movement.

"That's it," he said, grabbing the flickering key.

The moment he inserted it into the matching door, the hourglass froze, and the room shifted. The other doors and keys dissolved, leaving only the one he had chosen.

[Trial Complete. Floor 28 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 40,000 Gold Coins.]

Kyle exhaled in relief that his observation had been positive, because it could have gone both ways. He activated the Ascension Orb once more for the 29th floor.

***

[Twenty-Ninth Trial: Only one chain may be broken, which would you break]

The chains were inscribed in runic language:

1. Ambition

2. Loyalty

3. Fear

4. Hope

5. Regret

Kyle frowned, stepping closer to examine the inscriptions. "Only one can be broken... but which one?"

He ran his fingers along the chain labeled Fear. "Breaking fear could mean freedom, but it might also make me reckless," he muttered.

The chain labeled Hope seemed counterintuitive. "Why would anyone break hope? That doesn't make sense."
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He considered Regret, but something about it felt wrong. "Regret can be heavy, but it also reminds you of your lessons."

Kyle's gaze settled on Ambition. "Breaking ambition might make someone stagnant... or content. But it doesn't feel right either."

Finally, he looked at Loyalty and hesitated. "Loyalty... is that a strength or a chain holding me back?"

The voice returned.

"Decide. The truth will guide you."

Kyle closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fear," he said finally. "I choose to break the chain of fear."

As he spoke, the chain labeled Fear shattered, and the other four dissolved into light. The orb pulsed brightly, and a hidden door slid open.

[Trial Complete. Floor 29 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 50,000 Gold Coins.]

'I wonder if it's possible to fail these kind of trials,' Kyle thought, knowing fully well that different people could have different opinions in these scenarios.

Kyle didn't dwell on it and used the Ascension Orb.

***

[Thirtieth Trial: The Weight of Choice]

In the center of a chamber stood a raised stone dais. Upon the dais rested two pedestals, each holding a distinct item:

On the left, a vial of golden liquid, glowing faintly and radiating warmth that seemed to promise life and hope.

On the right, an ornate dagger, its blade gleaming with a cold, sharp brilliance that seemed to hum with latent power.

Kyle's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, his boots echoing softly against the stone floor.

"Another choice trial," he muttered under his breath. "Can't we go back to the combat trials already."

The voice of the tower interrupted his thoughts: