Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 24: Abel Bishop

The intensity of the flames was excruciating the closer the blue-eyed youth got to the peak.

Even the silver-haired girl was feeling the brunt of the fire despite not being touched by it, let alone him who was completely engulfed in it.

Yet, the youth continued to move forward. One step at a time.

The flames were so intense that he didn't even know to what degree his injuries had worsened. After a certain point, the feeling of pain turned to numbness.

He teetered between clarity and unconsciousness as he climbed the mountain. The only thing keeping him going was the fact that he would finally be able to reclaim his identity.

The hardest part of the trial—the fight with the nameless monster—was already over.

Now, all that remained was to tread through the flames and claim victory.

The sun gradually moved across the crimson sky, and the flames on the mountainous terrain intensified. This last stretch was the most agonizing for the blue-eyed youth.

At this point, he was mindlessly walking like a zombie, the only thing keeping him awake was the constant cries of the little girl sitting inside the basket on his head.

After what felt like forever, his feet finally touched the cold ground.

The blue-eyed youth emerged from the flames, his body completely charred. The burn marks were the most severe in his lower body.

"You did it! You did it!" The little girl screamed with tears in her eyes.

Her affirmation was all he needed. The youth's legs gave in and he fell to the cold, rocky ground.

"I just..." he weakly murmured, "need some... rest..."

The last thing he saw before passing out was the blurry figure of the little girl kneeling down beside him, her face riddled with panic and worry.

...

A cold gust of wind blew, causing the youth's eyelids to tremble. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry.

"Ugh..." he groaned in pain as he slowly got up. "Where... am I?"

When his vision cleared, he was left in stunned silence when he realized where he was.

An endless expanse of barren, gray ground stretching far and wide beneath a sky devoid of clouds, yet dotted with countless stars.

The ground beneath him was soft yet firm, covered in craters of all sizes.

A chill ran down his spine, as he slowly rose to his feet, looking around in disbelief. "Don't tell me! This... Is this..."

"Yes!" A chirpy voice sounded from beside him.

The blue-eyed youth turned to his side, his gaze landing on the silver-haired little girl who was looking at him with a beaming smile.

"This is the moon!"

"How... is this possible?" The blue-eyed youth was utterly shocked. "Weren't we in the mountain? Then how did we..."

"The moon has always rested on the peak of the mountain," the little girl answered cheerfully.

She then pointed her finger in a certain direction. "Look! We must go there!"

In the distance, stood a small temple. Its ivory-white walls shone brilliantly under the distant glow of the stars. A lone marble staircase led to its open entrance, where a faint otherwordly light pulsed from within.

The light glowed in a mysterious rhythm, as if the temple was alive, breathing, whispering secrets of the universe to anyone who stepped inside to listen.

"Let us go!" The girl urged, her tone laced with excitement.

The blue-eyed youth seemed to have missed it as he was lost in his own thoughts.

Finally... I will be able to complete the objective! I will be able to finish the first trial! I will be able to... reclaim my identity!

With a slight struggle, he rose to his feet. His body was now somehow miraculously free of burn marks. Much to his surprise, the little girl had grabbed her hand and was leading him to the temple.

She seemed to be much more eager to go to the temple than he did.

"Wait!" He suddenly said. "The treasure chest!"

He turned back around and grabbed the wooden chest. Then, he held the little girl's hand and together they made their way toward the temple.

The blue-eyed youth's heartbeat sped up at the thought of finally reclaiming his identity. This void feeling in his heart would soon be filled when he embraced his true self.

He was excited to become whole again!

"But..." His eyebrows creased a little as he gazed at the little girl practically hopping toward the temple. "What's gotten into you?"

She lowered her head and started to giggle. Then, she looked at the blue-eyed youth and smiled, "It's because I'm finally home!"

"Home?" The youth's eyebrows creased further.

Soon, the pair had arrived at the steps of the temple. The little girl then looked at him and asked with a knowing smile, "Are you ready to reclaim your identity?"

"Yes!" The blue-eyed youth excitedly said. But soon, he frowned. He turned to look at the girl and asked in confusion, "How do you know my identity lies within the temple?"

The girl covered her mouth and giggled, "I know everything. I also know about your trial."

"Who... are you?" The blue-eyed youth was at a loss for words.

The little girl shook her head, pointing her finger at him. "The question is, who are you?"

"Yes... Who am I?"

"Once you climb these stairs and enter the temple, you'll be given the chance to reclaim your identity," said the girl. "Whether you can or cannot, depends on you."

"Depends on me..." The blue-eyed youth repeated her words. He then looked at the wooden chest in his hand and couldn't help but ask, "What about this treasure then? Where do I... Whom do I give this to?"

"Open it," said the girl with a giggle.

"What?" The youth was taken aback. "Isn't this treasure for the moon? Wait... we're already on the moon. Don't I have to take this inside the temple then?"

The silver-haired girl shook her head, urging the youth, "Go on, open it!"

After hesitating for a few moments, the youth nodded. He placed the wooden chest on the gray ground. Then, with bated breaths, he opened the lid.

"...What?" He didn't know how to react. "It's... empty?"

The little girl simply smiled in response.

However, the blue-eyed youth's face started to darken. "I went through all that trouble... for an empty chest? Is this a sick joke?"

Then, realization dawned on him.

He turned to look at the little girl, who was looking back at him with a warm and gentle smile.

"...I see," he muttered in understanding after a very long time.

"Come." The little girl grabbed his hand, leading him up the stairs of the mountain.

In a silent daze, the youth climbed the stairs of the temple. Soon, he walked through the towering entrance. It felt like he had passed through a thin membrane.

The bright light assaulted his vision, causing him to momentarily close his eyes. When he opened them again, he had arrived at a mysterious void with only the faintest of light illuminating the two long mirrors in front of him.

"You must choose," said the little girl. She had accompanied him to this place, speaking words of encouragement.

The blue-eyed youth found himself involuntarily walking towards the two mirrors, his expression that of shock, realization, confusion, and understanding.

All these emotions assaulted him at once.

On the left mirror, he saw a reflection of a scrawny young man in his early twenties. He had black hair and brown eyes, and wore a t-shirt and sweatpants.

But the most striking thing about his appearance wasn't his emaciated body, it was the wheelchair he sat in.

He was Luke.

The right mirror displayed the reflection of a teenager. He had dark blond hair and blue eyes and wore a shirt, waistcoat, and trousers. His cheeks were slightly sunken in and he had a light stubble over his jaw.

He was Abel.

"Who am I?" The blue-eyed youth asked the question out loud.

He subconsciously lowered his head and looked at his appearance. It resembled the reflection in the right mirror. Yet, subconsciously he felt like it wasn't him.

Not yet.

The symbolism behind the First Trial of Ascension was to burn away the unnecessary to reveal the truth.

It was to break the self and strip away false identities.

It was to become self-aware!

Ever since his transmigration, the blue-eyed youth had inhabited the body of Abel, but he had never seen himself as Abel.

Memories of his past life surfaced in his mind, making him involuntarily tear up. He looked at the reflection in the right mirror and softly muttered, "How can I become you when I haven't accepted my true self..."

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He wiped the tears away from his eyes and looked at the reflection—his reflection—on the left mirror.

The blue-eyed youth walked toward the left mirror and pressed his hand against its surface. "It was only when I lost you that I realized your true value. Forgive me..."

The black-haired young man in the wheelchair smiled. He rolled himself forward, reaching out to the mirror. From the other side, his hand touched the blue-eyed youth's hand, his smile unwavering.

Suddenly, the figure of the young man in the wheelchair turned incorporeal and plunged inside the blue-eyed youth like a phantom apparition!

The blue-eyed youth felt whole once again. He then walked toward the mirror on the right, his stride filled with meaning.

He placed his hand on the mirror and faintly smiled, "Forgive me, it took me this long to accept who you are, and realize who I am."

The teenager in the reflection gazed at him and smiled back. Then, he walked forward and raised his hand, touching the blue-eyed youth's hand from the other side of the mirror.

The moment their hands touched, cracks appeared all across the surface of the mirror.

And then, the reflection on the other side of the mirror mysteriously vanished!

The youth closed his eyes, finally coming to terms with his true self. He felt the two Hallmarks deep inside the core of his being slowly settle down in harmony.

When he opened his eyes again, they gleamed with clarity and a newfound sense of identity.

He turned around and looked at the silver-haired little girl with a faint smile, "It was never about the treasure chest was it?"

The little girl gave him a knowing smile.

"It has always been you," said he, "the treasure most precious to the moon."

He paused for a moment before curiously asking, "Who are you?"

The little girl skipped toward him and gently held his hands. She revealed a brilliant smile and answered, "I'm a fragment of the moon!"

She then paused for a moment and asked him, "And you? Who are you?"

The blue-eyed youth smiled, his eyes flashing with conviction.

"I am Abel Bishop."