Ethan now stood on a massive floating platform surrounded by swirling clouds of energy. Countless runes floated in the air, ancient and glowing. Far in the distance, broken fragments of temples, battlefields, and dragon bones floated through the mist.
He spun around, disoriented.
"Where…?"
"This," Kaelthor's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere, "is the Realm of the Eternal Trial."
Golden flames formed the dragon's silhouette in the sky, towering like a living constellation.
"If you wish to form the Dragon Core, you must survive my trial. You must conquer what lies within you… and beyond."
"What kind of trial?" Ethan asked.
"The kind that reveals who you truly are," the dragon answered. "The kind that breaks pretenders and awakens the worthy. You will not be tested with strength alone, but with clarity, instinct, and will."
The floating ground beneath Ethan pulsed.
"Am I going to die?"