Missing In Action

Though his mouth was open in a soundless, wrathful scream, Kieran felt no pain. The surrounding blood left him feeling strangely at peace as if he had found a home in its gruesome meaning. 

That comfortable feeling didn't last long, though.

With his presence of mind returned to his body, Kieran's connection to the Zenith Frequency also returned. It whispered messages directly into his ear and inside his mind.

[A deep analysis of your existence has been analyzed and compiled. With your current accumulations recorded in the Annals of the Zenith Athenaeum, your Advancing may commence.]

That message came as no surprise to Kieran. 

He had done everything he could inside the Trial to remain steadfast in the face of peril, despair, and lastly… power. His mental state may not be what it was when he entered the Trial, but he had no intentions of going over to the metaphorical "dark side."