Chapter 37: Whispers of the Garden - Awakening of Bonds
The Garden whispered around him.
Soft voices drifted through the ancient trees, carrying words he couldn't quite understand — echoes of those who had walked these paths long before him.
Riku stood still for a moment, catching his breath.
The trial had rattled him deeper than he wanted to admit.
Facing the fear of failure... of abandoning the ones he loved...
It wasn't a battle of fists or magic.
It was a battle of the heart.
And somehow, that had been harder.
He reached for the pendant around his neck — the last connection to his missing brother — and squeezed it tightly.
A faint pulse of warmth responded, like a heartbeat against his palm.
"I'm not alone," Riku murmured to himself.
And with that reminder, he started forward.
---
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Garden…
Airi stumbled through her own nightmare.
She was back in her family's greenhouse, the walls lined with blooming flowers — but every flower wilted at her touch, turning black and rotting away.
"No, no, no—" she cried, trying desperately to save them.
Her parents' voices echoed in the air:
"You're not good enough, Airi."
"Always a disappointment."
"A Bloom bearer? You? Pathetic."
Tears blurred her vision.
"I am good enough!" she shouted.
Petals swirled violently around her — but not to attack.
They gathered, glowed, and wrapped around her like a shield.
From the ruins, a new flower blossomed — crimson and brilliant.
Airi fell to her knees, sobbing.
But when she looked up, the Garden smiled upon her.
She had faced her deepest wound.
And she had bloomed.
---
Elsewhere, Kaoru's trial…
He faced a mirror.
But the reflection wasn't him.
It was a boy who had failed to protect his little sister.
The memory clawed at him — the day she had been taken, the day he had been too weak to save her.
"You're a coward," the mirror sneered.
"You'll lose them too. Just like before."
Kaoru bared his teeth, gripping his spear until his knuckles turned white.
"I made a vow," he growled.
"I'll never run again."
The mirror shattered with a sound like breaking chains.
Kaoru stood among the shards, breathing hard — but victorious.
---
And Toma…
Toma faced not fear — but temptation.
A world where he had power.
Fame.
All the recognition he'd secretly longed for.
In the illusion, everyone adored him.
No one ignored him anymore.
No one left him behind.
It would be so easy to stay.
But then he saw Riku — alone, struggling — in the corner of the perfect world.
Forgotten.
Toma's heart clenched.
"I'd rather be invisible," he whispered, tears burning his eyes, "than leave my friends behind."
The false world crumbled, leaving him standing alone — but proud.
---
Back with Riku…
The trails merged once again into a single path, wide and sun-dappled.
One by one, the others appeared — stepping from the trees, changed in ways words couldn't fully explain.
Airi's eyes glowed a soft rose gold.
Kaoru's aura burned with steady, molten strength.
Toma's presence felt lighter — like a blade finally unburdened.
Riku smiled as they gathered around him, exhaustion and pride shining in all their faces.
They didn't need to speak.
They understood.
They had survived the Garden's judgment.
Together.
---
Sera waited for them at the next gate — an archway carved with even older, deeper runes.
Her lips curved upward slightly as she studied them.
"You've passed the first trial," she said.
"But the journey is far from over."
Behind her, the next section of the Garden loomed.
It was darker, wilder — almost alive with power.
"In the next trial," Sera continued, "you will not walk alone."
She placed her hand on the stone.
The gate shimmered — and from it emerged four figures, each wrapped in shimmering cloaks.
As the cloaks fell away, Riku gasped.
Standing before him was a boy — tall, dark-haired, and familiar.
The Hollowed boy.
But not hollowed anymore.
His eyes were bright now — confused, but full of life.
And beside him —
A girl with eyes like twin moons.
A warrior with a scar down his cheek.
A healer who seemed to glow with gentle light.
Sera spoke, her voice solemn.
"Each of you will be paired with a partner.
Someone who will walk this path beside you.
Someone whose fate now intertwines with yours."
She smiled faintly.
"In the wars to come, you will need more than strength.
You will need trust."
---
Riku locked eyes with the Hollowed boy — the boy he had saved without even knowing his name.
The boy smiled shyly.
"My name is Haru," he said.
"And... thank you."
Riku's chest tightened.
He smiled back.
"No need," he said.
"We'll walk together from now on."
Sera stepped aside, the new pairs forming naturally — bonds already beginning to spark.
"Welcome," she said.
"To the Second Trial."
"And remember — the real battle… is yet to begin."
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