The Oracle led Bjorn to a circular chamber carved into the heart of the floating isle. Its floor was a mosaic of interlocking runes, glowing faintly in the pale morning light.
“Your next lesson,” the Oracle said, “is not in steel, nor in raw force. Today, you face the mind.”
Before Bjorn could respond, the runes flared. Shadows lifted from the floor, twisting into humanoid forms. They were familiar visions of people he had lost in his old life, demons he had slain, and even allies he had yet to meet in this world. Each figure spoke, their voices overlapping in a cacophony that clawed at his soul.
“You will be tested,” the Oracle continued. “A warrior who cannot master the mind will be broken before he masters the body.”
The first shadow lunged. Bjorn swung Mjolnir’s Bane, but it passed through harmlessly.
“It is a trial of insight,” the Oracle said. “See through the illusions. Know the truth within your heart. Your weapon cannot save you here only your understanding can.”
The shadows morphed, twisting into his deepest fears: failure, weakness, betrayal, the endless solitude of death. Each attempted to convince him to give up, to succumb to rage and lash out blindly.
Bjorn clenched his teeth. He remembered her lessons the history of the realms, the nature of magic, the meaning of power.
He inhaled, centering himself. The weapon is not the master. The mind is the guide. Control is strength.
His vision cleared. He saw the threads that connected each shadow the lies, the manipulations, the falsehoods of his own fear. With a single step, he reached forward. The shadows recoiled, then shattered like glass against the force of his resolve.
The chamber stilled. Only the Oracle remained, smiling faintly.
“You have passed this trial,” she said. “A warrior of controlled wrath is not only unbreakable in body, but in mind. Remember this, Bjorn Tyrfingr your strength is meaningless without wisdom to guide it.”
Bjorn lowered his axe, feeling an unfamiliar weight not in his arms, but in his chest. Not dread, nor fear but clarity.
The Oracle’s gaze softened. “Soon, the world will test you not with illusions, but with reality. And only those who can master both will survive.”
Bjorn nodded, determination hardening in his golden eyes. The next stage of his rebirth had begun.
YOU ARE READING
Game Over, Reborn: The Final Save File
AdventureOrion was once a legend at least online. In his twenties, he was a pro gamer with a devoted fanbase, crushing tournaments and streaming to thousands. But that was a lifetime ago. Now at forty, he's single, broke, working a soul-crushing fast-food jo...
