The infernal flames of the Tribunal behind them, Auron and his harem advanced through a crystalline corridor that shifted between planes. Each step forward distorted reality, as if walking through memories forgotten by time itself. The air was thick with ancient magic, the kind that made mortals kneel and gods hesitate.
A rune-inscribed gate loomed at the path's end. Not of stone or flame—but shadowed starlight, shaped like a maw. It slowly opened to a grand cavern bathed in silver twilight, where monolithic statues stood—each one representing kings long erased from history. Their faces were shattered, their names scrubbed by fate. This was the Vault of the Forgotten Kings.
Before Auron's party could advance, a whisper echoed from every direction.
"All who enter must surrender memory... or prove worth beyond it."
Auron scoffed. "I do not forget. I conquer remembrance itself."
The statues rumbled, awakening. Their stone eyes burned blue as life returned. With a thunderous shudder, the cavern shifted into a trial-ground — rings of stone encircling the party, and above them, illusions of the kings' greatest sins played out like a cruel theater.
Trial of Forgotten Honor
A king wielding a sword forged of regret charged Auron first. His armor was stitched from the souls of those he betrayed — lovers, warriors, children. With every swing, memories twisted into painful illusions.
But Auron faced him not with blade — but with his mind. He reached out with the system, his eyes flaring with authority.
Skill Used: Memory Domination – Tier Omega
He invaded the illusion, reversing the flow. He consumed the king's memories, fed on his shame, and forced the shade to remember Auron instead — to worship him as the only truth.
The king screamed, knees buckling, until he shattered into dust.
Memory Assimilated: +12% System Synchronization
Seraphine stepped beside him, eyes sharp. "This isn't a battlefield. It's a graveyard of truths."
He grinned. "Then let's rob the graves."
A Harem Tested
Not all trials were for Auron.
Isilyn was drawn into a mirrored chamber where her past self — weak, naive — taunted her. "You were once just a girl who cried when magic failed you."
She screamed in fury, shattering the mirror with a nova of frost so intense it froze reality for five heartbeats.
Azhara was forced to face an illusory twin who had never met Auron. A version of herself that remained chained, unbroken. "You think you're free because he owns you?"
She broke the illusion's neck with a snarl. "I chose him. That makes me more free than you'll ever be."
Each woman faced a test. Each emerged more faithful, more obsessed, more tightly bound to Auron's dominance.
The King That Remains
Only one statue remained. It cracked open like an egg of stone, and from it stepped a being of immense power — not forgotten, but forsaken. Clad in gold cracked with entropy, eyes dim with eternity, he spoke in a voice like thunder mourning itself.
"I remember the beginning. I remember before fate. Before gods. Before you."
Auron smirked. "Then you'll remember what defeat tastes like."
They clashed. Magic against anti-magic. Power that bent space versus power that shattered time. The entire vault trembled. The other kings' remnants wailed in reverence.
The final blow was not a sword. It was Auron's hand, pressed against the ancient king's heart.
System Command: ERASE NAME
The king blinked. "No... not again..."
And then, silence.
The vault dimmed. The statues collapsed. And a new pedestal rose — bearing Auron's sigil.
System Update:
"Trial 4: Vault of the Forgotten Kings — Complete"
"Divine Favor: 77%"
"Trial 5: Garden of Chains — Pending"
Auron turned to his harem, sweat-drenched and gleaming in silver radiance. They knelt without command. Seraphine crawled forward, licking blood from his fingers.
"We remember you now, my king," she whispered. "Forever."
Auron looked skyward, and the stars themselves dimmed in awe.