Complete darkness.
The sound of the closing doors echoed behind Sam.
BOOM...
BOOM...
BOOM...
Silence returned.
Then...
Blue soul flames slowly ignited one after another.
The vast chamber came into view.
It was unlike anything Sam had expected.
The Royal Mausoleum wasn't a tomb.
It was an underground city.
Ancient stone roads stretched into the distance.
Massive statues of armored kings stood on both sides, each over thirty feet tall.
Thousands of blue flames floated peacefully through the air.
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke.
Commander...
Scanning...
No hostile targets detected.
Sam frowned.
"No enemies?"
Before Rex could answer...
A calm voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Few arrive here without fear."
Sam spun toward the sound.
An old man sat on a stone bench beside the road.
His silver hair reached his shoulders.
He wore simple black robes instead of armor.
Across his knees rested an old wooden staff.
He looked...
Alive.
The old man smiled.
"You must be Sam."
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"You know my name."
"I do."
"I have been watching since you entered the Necropolis."
Sam kept one hand near the hilt of his sword.
"Who are you?"
The old man slowly stood.
"My name has long been forgotten."
"But once..."
"I was the First Royal Advisor."
"I now serve as the First Guardian of the Mausoleum."
A golden screen appeared before Sam.
Trial One
The Guardian's Judgment
Objective: Earn the Guardian's Recognition.
Failure Conditions: Unknown.
Sam looked back at the old man.
"So..."
"We fight?"
The Guardian chuckled.
"No."
"You have spent your entire journey defeating enemies."
"Today..."
"I wish to see the man behind the sword."
He raised his staff.
The surrounding blue flames gathered together.
Images began to form.
Sam saw Base 101.
The fortress walls.
The people laughing in the streets.
Ben training new soldiers.
Zora teaching young mages.
George working tirelessly in the forge.
Then...
The vision changed.
The walls were burning.
Undead flooded through the gates.
Citizens screamed as monsters poured into the city.
Ben was surrounded.
Kael lay wounded on the ground.
Dennis fought desperately beside him.
Smoke filled the sky.
The Guardian's voice echoed through the illusion.
"You stand at a crossroads."
"You have the strength to save only one."
He waved his staff.
The vision split into two.
On the left...
Ben and the soldiers fought to protect the breach in the wall.
If they fell...
The monsters would enter the city.
On the right...
A group of frightened children and civilians were trapped beneath a collapsing building.
Without help...
They would die.
The Guardian looked directly into Sam's eyes.
"You cannot save both."
"Choose."
The illusion became more vivid.
The screams sounded real.
The fire felt real.
Inside his mind...
Rex remained silent.
He would not answer.
This decision...
Belonged to Sam alone.
Sam stared at both scenes.
His expression never changed.
Then...
He smiled.
"I refuse."
The Guardian raised an eyebrow.
"You refuse?"
Sam nodded.
"I've already learned this lesson."
"I'm a Commander."
"My job isn't choosing who deserves to live."
"It's finding a way to save everyone."
The Guardian watched him carefully.
"And if no such way exists?"
Sam's answer came without hesitation.
"Then I'll become strong enough to create one."
The illusion vanished.
The burning city disappeared.
The frightened children were gone.
Only the silent mausoleum remained.
For several long moments...
The Guardian said nothing.
Then...
A warm smile spread across his face.
"You have given the same answer..."
"...as the Eternal King."
A brilliant blue light filled the chamber.
The golden screen changed.
Trial One Complete
The Guardian's Recognition Obtained.
The old man stepped aside.
The stone road ahead began to glow.
"There are three more Guardians waiting."
"The next trial..."
He looked into the darkness ahead.
"...will test not your heart..."
"...but your power."