NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: The Sanctuary of Forgetfulness
The golden door closed softly behind Kaito, and a deep silence filled the place. It was as if everything in the cave had been put on pause, waiting for his next move. The air was heavy, and the moisture seeping from the walls seemed to have a tangible substance, a sense of ancientness that bordered on the sacred.
The light emanating from the newly closed door slowly faded, leaving Kaito in total darkness. However, the resonance in the air remained, as if the sanctuary itself were alive, watching every step he took. There were no more signs than the runes engraved on the cave walls, whose forms were barely visible under the faint light of his chakra.
Kaito couldn't help but feel that something momentous was happening. He had passed the Guardian's trial, but he knew that victory had only been the beginning. Despite the apparent calm, something inside him told him that the real trial had not yet arrived. The cave was too ancient, its energies too dense, for all of this to be just a matter of simple challenges.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind. He needed to be cautious, but he also had to move forward. The stone he had found, still in his pocket, continued to vibrate lightly, as if responding to something within the cave. He decided to follow that direction, trusting his instinct and the strength of the stone that had guided him here.
He walked through stone corridors, his steps echoing in the emptiness. The cave seemed endless, its passages twisting into a labyrinth of darkness. Every turn and corner submerged him deeper into the unknown heart of the mountain. Yet, he did not feel lost; something within him indicated that he was heading in the right direction. The stone, no matter how small, had a palpable power that kept him grounded.
After what seemed like an eternity of winding paths, Kaito arrived at a large room. The ceiling was impressively high, and the walls were adorned with intricate reliefs depicting scenes of ancient battles, forgotten heroes, and mythical creatures. In the center of the room rested a stone altar, covered in dust and cobwebs, but what caught Kaito's attention most was the large sphere in the center of the room.
The sphere was made of a black material, similar to the stone he had found in the clearing, but much larger and polished. It emitted a soft purple light, as if it contained an inexhaustible source of energy within it. Kaito approached cautiously, feeling how the power radiated from it. He didn't know what it was exactly, but his intuition told him it had something to do with the sanctuary, with his purpose here.
As Kaito drew nearer, the stone in his pocket vibrated intensely. It was as though the sphere recognized him, as if the entire place was reacting to his presence. Suddenly, a deep, resonating sound filled the room, an echo that seemed to come from the very structure of the cave. The walls began to tremble slightly, and the runes on them glowed with a golden light.
An ethereal whisper filled the air, as if an ancient voice were speaking directly to his soul: "The one who has come this far... must be tested once more. Not by strength, but by the truth that resides in his heart."
Kaito stopped, an uncomfortable sensation running down his back. Something inside him knew this was not a physical challenge, but a much more difficult trial. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself, feeling the energy of the place invade him. He could not let fear overwhelm him. If he had made it this far, it was because he had something to prove.
The sphere before him began to rotate slowly, and the runes on the walls aligned with it, forming a complex pattern that seemed to tell a story. The images on the walls depicted figures in battle, warriors from different eras, but at the center of it all was a single figure: an enigmatic being that seemed to be connected to the fate of all the others.
Kaito understood that this figure was him. The connection between him and the story of the sanctuary became clearer as the images took shape in his mind. There was something within him that had brought him to this place, something that made him a part of something much larger than himself.
"What does this mean?" he murmured to himself, watching as the images unfolded before his eyes.
It was then that the sphere began to shine more brightly, and a voice resonated, clearer this time: "The truth of your soul is hidden in your past. You must face it to move forward."
Kaito felt a surge of emotions and memories invade him. Images from his past life, his family, his choices, began to emerge without warning. The pressure on his heart increased, and a sense of anxiety enveloped him. What was it that he had to face? What part of his past did he need to confront to continue his journey?
The images began to accelerate. He saw his childhood, his parents struggling to survive, his own feeling of helplessness. He saw his life as an engineer, always on the brink of exhaustion, up until his death. The sensation of being overwhelmed, the despair of not being enough. Each of those memories struck him with force, and Kaito felt like he was about to lose control.
But then, something changed. Amidst the chaos of his memories, a question arose forcefully: who was he now?
The pain didn't just come from his past, but also from accepting something he had denied to himself all this time. He had reincarnated. He was no longer the engineer from Earth he had known, but a ninja in an entirely different world. That was the truth he had to embrace.
Kaito felt a wave of denial wash over him, but then, the words of the ancestral voice pierced him: "Accept what you are. You are no longer the man you were. You are a ninja of the shinobi world. And that is your destiny."
The pain intensified, like a deep pressure on his soul, as if it were an unbearable weight. Fighting against his new identity was futile. His being, his essence, was no longer tied to the life he had known, to the memories of his Earth. He had been transported to this world for a reason, and it was time to let go of what he had been.
Kaito opened his eyes, and at that moment, he understood. The pain in his soul ceased. He had accepted that he was a ninja, that his place was here, among the shinobi, and not in his past life as an engineer. The emptiness he had felt inside disappeared, replaced by a renewed sense of purpose.
The sphere began to shine with a golden glow, and the runes on the walls lit up completely. "You have accepted your destiny," said the voice, now filled with deep calm. "The path is open for you."
Kaito bowed before the sphere, feeling immense gratitude for the revelation. He knew he had passed the most difficult trial: accepting who he was now, who he was meant to be. There was no turning back. The ninja born in this world had to embrace his destiny with all his strength.
And just when he thought it was all over, something else happened. A wave of energy coursed through his body, a torrent of power rising from the depths of his being. It felt as if his soul expanded, as if a mystical fusion occurred between the essence that had accompanied him in his past life as a human and the new ninja soul now inhabiting his body. The physical pain faded and was replaced by absolute clarity, a profound understanding of his being.
Kaito closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the power flow through him. The energy of the Earth, from his past life, fused with the shinobi chakra he had begun to master. The combination of both forces was unprecedented, a power that not only increased his ability to control his chakra but also connected him to something far greater than himself. His soul was no longer just that of a man from Earth, but of a ninja with the potential to change the course of this world.
He felt invincible, as if he could face any challenge that came his way. He had accepted his new destiny, and with that acceptance, he had gained the power necessary to face everything that would come.
With one last glance at the sanctuary, Kaito turned and left the room. His path was still unclear, but he knew he was now ready to follow it, armed with a strength he didn't fully understand. His soul had been forged in the crucible of sacrifice, acceptance, and transformation.
And nothing would stop him.
O