Tokoyami charged forward once more, his steps echoing through the darkness as he entered the portal. He could not stop. He knew he needed to complete this task. The pain of losing those around him were too great to bear and he would not bare it. He would never accept it.
After traveling through the portal he landed directly on his feet and ready to push forward with the task at hand. This new location seemed to be made out of the remains of past struggles. Traps and devices littered the floor as the past trials mixed together in what seemed like an unescapable mess. This would prove to be a difficult challenge as a result of the multitude of elements it would be testing.
As he trudged forward the first trap began to close in.
It was a gauntlet of darkness where monsters loomed to push him back but he was ready. He had learned the skill of Shadowstrike and was ready to implement his knowledge.
He waited for the first creature to begin its approach before transporting right in front of it and plunging the Blade of Sacrifice right into its face. As it crumbled he could feel the power run through him and into the blade before exploding out and towards the next target.
He fought on, each kill growing the darkness inside him. But it did not matter as he pushed onward, only focused on getting past the gate in front of him. There would be nothing that stood in his path that would change what he needed to accomplish.
As he approached the path turned into a series of mirrors. These mirrors made him realize what he could be. They showed him everything he had already begun to lose. This made him almost turn back.
Each face showed him losing more and more of what made him… him.
"You will never be enough" One of the many whispers echoed through the cavern. "Give up or risk losing what makes you who you are. Become someone else entirely."
It knew the darkness within him and it was trying to use it. It was trying to turn him into someone he did not want to be. As he closed his eyes and walked past each specter he found a growing sense of purpose. The whispers did not matter and none of those faces meant anything. He would save Anya-Lyra. He would get his revenge.
He arrived at the end where a mirror was completely covered in darkness.
He reached his hand to the surface of the darkness and was transported to another place.
This was his old home. The place he had lived and died. The old memories flooded his mind. Everything was so different. He had been transported to a dream and he could feel the drain of the Blade of Sacrifice once again. It was trying to get him to succumb to a dream. One he would not wake up from.
He ventured through his house before running into his parents. They were so happy and jovial. He ran up and hugged them. Everything felt normal again. It was a cruel trick.
His father looked at him "Stay here with us. Why are you leaving?"
Tokoyami did not respond as his heart sank once again. This was not real. It was just a dream. He could not leave.
"Goodbye" Tokoyami said as he plunged the Blade of Sacrifice into both of their bodies. As he watched them crumble he was transported back to reality.
The mirror was gone. What stood in front of him was another path. As he walked onward his soul felt more and more empty.