The air itself seemed to hold its breath as the last remnants of divine light faded from Jane and Mia's bodies. Their eyes shone with newfound understanding not just of the trial's secrets, but of their own hidden bloodlines. The revelation hung between them like unspoken lightning.
Kaal was the first to step forward, his bare feet crunching on the scattered debris of the shattered statues. His crimson gaze swept across the five towering gates that now dominated the clearing, each one thrumming with primordial energy.
"Truth. Courage. Wisdom. Strength. Destiny." He spoke the words like tasting unfamiliar wine. "Not trials. Not tests. Choices."
A cold wind whispered through the grove as the massive doors began to glow, each emitting a distinct hue that painted the assembled cultivators in eerie light:
Truth pulsed with unsettling silver
Courage burned battle-red
Wisdom shimmered scholar's blue
Strength radiated warrior's gold
Destiny thrummed with unstable violet
