The sky stretches off into the distance, past every horizon. No longer is the sky a crimson red; its azure blue has ascended past the world's limits, beyond even the reach of the world's strongest.

Under this newfound freedom, Astraoth awakens, staring into the boundless sky overhead. He finds the world around him changed; the sand drifting about has become vibrant green leaves and grass. The air is fresh and cool, and the north is painted in the soft colours of spring.

"The skeleton's death must've caused the desert to change; now it's a normal forest. Or perhaps it is the death of all the guardians that has caused this? Either way, I've almost finished my first trial. I'm a quarter way there already, in half the time I was allotted. Now, I've just got to find the final totem."

Astraoth stands up, surveying the land he once feared as its new monarch. Though the terrain is entirely different, and the skeleton's bones have disappeared, Astraoth is able to find the totem in seconds. The earth slopes down into a crevice, two meters wide, and the totem lies in that crevice. When still hidden by the desert's vast sands, it would have been impossible to find, but it became effortless once the sand vanished.

Astraoth goes west, the fourth obelisk in hand. The newly forested north is beautiful and green and peaceful, undisturbed by war's violent grasp. Astraoth manages to relax as he slowly walks back to his shelter, knowing that this respite, this safety, is fleeting.

Astraoth arrives at his cave. The west is as lively and exotic as ever, and Astraoth's cave is untouched. Heading in, Astraoth sees his home for the last time, vowing to remember the trials he underwent here; the struggles and the defeats, the triumphs and the failures alike.

In his back room, Astraoth finds a pair of pants sewn from leaves and grass and cotton. It is a soft purple, and the last clean clothes Astraoth has. He slips it on and walks outside holding the four obelisks. Astraoth places the totems on the forest floor, each obelisk facing the direction it came from.

A darkness gathers in the air, above Astraoth's head, congealing into a large black orb suspended in the air. It explodes downward and slams into Astraoth, swallowing him whole.

Astraoth wakes up on a dark purple platform hanging in the air, surrounded by a bleak fog. He stares into the void, dazed and confused at his sudden teleportation. This haze only breaks when he hears Dracul Mephilius speak once more:

"You Who Strive To Inherit All I Have, The First Trial Has Concluded. You Are The One-Hundred And Second To Come To The Second Trial. To Proceed To The Third Trial, You Must Conquer Yourself. Only Then May You Move Forward Once More. You Have One Day To Accomplish This Task. Now, Begin..."

Astraoth looks forward, seeing the fog in front of him shift ever so slightly, warping and congealing together into a hazy black figure across from him. Instinctively, Astraoth knew this figure would be the greatest test he had yet faced; Astraoth knew that this time, the one he would be fighting was equal to him in all aspects.

This time, Astraoth would need to defeat himself.