[Edanian Journey] Aal

Chapter 7: Those Not Chosen Kuntur asked what had become of the brothers who had died in the earlier trials. Aal revealed that he had claimed the souls of those who failed to endure them. Then his army stepped forward. Their weapons and formations were unmistakably those of the Hashashin. Aal had turned the fallen into undying warriors, calling them the foundation upon which the world would be reforged. Zaidan lost all reason and charged at Aal, only to be struck down by the soldiers. Then, <b>Zaidan rose again as one of them.</b> When I said I would not let any more of the brothers be driven to their deaths, Aal told me to prove it. "Embrace your doom." I tried to move toward him, but the marks left by the trials flared to life and weighed down my body. As the remaining soldiers rushed in, Kuntur stood before me and fought them off, but he too was eventually struck down. With his last breath, Kuntur asked us to tell the other brothers the truth. Seeing him die, Ayawaka charged at Aal as well, only to be brought down by the same marks. Aal cast us out of the sanctum, saying, "Humanity still has a long road ahead." When I awoke somewhere unfamiliar, Ayawaka was lying nearby. He blamed himself for leading his brothers to their deaths. I examined the path ahead, but as I approached the blocked passage, the marks reacted and stopped me from going any farther. What we had taken as proof that we had passed the trials was in truth a seal of obedience, binding us to Aal's will. There were words here as well, foretelling another trial. But what they demanded of us was still unclear.