The twilight cloaked the Ashen Academy as night fell,
its ebony towers standing like silent guardians under a sky stained deep crimson,
as if the light itself was bleeding out on the horizon.
I found myself in a hidden underground chamber,
a circular room carved into dark stone,
its walls adorned with glowing glyphs that emitted a faint light,
the air heavy with the scent of sulfur and damp rock.
My body still bore the wounds from the previous duel:
a sharp pain in my ribs reminding me with every breath,
a throbbing cut on my thigh beneath the torn fabric of my outfit,
and the dark veins of Aether snaking beneath my skin like a poisonous river.
Lirien's amulet, cold as a frozen memory, hung from my neck,
a fragile link to a fading past.
Dren's relic, kept close in my clothes, pulsed with a violet glow
that resonated with the carved symbols,
a mystery urging me to explore further.
Nyra stood beside me,
her dagger resting tensely in her hand,
her eyes evasive after our last argument,
an invisible wall between us.
The Threshold whispered in my mind,
its voice a chilling echo slicing through my will:
"The Void tests you, Echo. Survive, or the throne will claim you."
Lysara rose at the center of the chamber,
her robe wrapped in white flames that floated like dancing spirits,
her figure radiating an authority that silenced the murmurs of the gathered apprentices.
"Today, you will face the Void's Trial," she announced,
her voice booming like distant thunder that made the runes vibrate.
"Vaelis and Nyra, together, you will enter a space of illusion
where your skills and bonds will be tested.
May the fire reveal your strength."
Her eyes, burning like eternal torches, fixed on us—
a command heavy as a chain.
Kaelith watched from a corner,
his crimson gaze filled with rivalry,
his presence a constant reminder of the lurking threat.
Nyra cast me a tense glance,
her voice low but firm.
"If we're doing this, let's work together," she said,
though the skepticism in her eyes was clear.
I nodded, gripping my weapon.
Lysara raised a hand.
The runes on the walls flared with intensity,
and a violet portal opened,
sucking us into a dark void where the ground seemed to dissolve beneath our feet.
We fell into a desolate landscape,
a wasteland of gray ash under a fractured sky,
the air buzzing with an unsettling hum.
Before we could orient ourselves,
a horde of Threshold servants emerged from the mist—
ethereal forms with red eyes and sharp claws,
a challenge that tested our instincts.
"Prepare yourself!" I shouted,
charging forward, my blade slicing the air
and piercing one through the torso,
its body collapsing into violet dust.
Nyra reacted, her dagger spinning in a whirlwind,
raising ash and halting two more,
her movements fluid as a raging river.
My aura flared—
a violet glow entwined with golden flames rising from my hands,
Aether held in fragile control.
The ground trembled beneath my presence,
ashes swirled,
and a moment of aura filled the void with my resolve—
a challenge to the darkness surrounding us.
Nyra responded,
her essence rising in a wind vortex
that cut through the air with imposing majesty,
a moment of aura that complemented mine,
strengthening our front.
The servants attacked in waves.
One lunged, claws raking my arm
and leaving a burning cut.
I rolled, dodging a second swipe,
and summoned a burst of fire Lysara had taught me,
the orange tongues incinerating the attacker.
Nyra unleashed a gale that knocked another down,
her dagger piercing its chest with lethal precision.
But the horde grew,
and a larger servant emerged,
its figure shrouded in thick fog,
its eyes glowing with malevolent light.
"Cover me!" I ordered,
rushing the giant.
My blade clashed against its claws
in a shower of sparks, the impact shaking me.
Nyra raised a whirlwind that unbalanced it,
and I climbed onto its back,
driving my weapon into its nape.
The beast roared, staggering,
and collapsed in a cloud of dust enveloping us.
Panting, I turned around,
but more servants appeared,
their movements coordinated like a tide.
The relic pulsed fiercely,
and a violet rift opened.
Envy emerged,
her form surrounded by a realm of mirrors,
her eyes reflecting my distorted face in a cruel game.
"Your bond weakens you, Echo," she whispered.
A mirror shattered,
sending sharp shards raining down like daggers.
I barely dodged,
a splinter slicing my cheek,
and responded with a fire burst
that collided with the fragments, dissipating them into smoke.
Nyra unleashed a gale that halted Envy,
but she laughed,
her mirror aura growing,
a moment of aura darkening the wasteland.
Kaelith appeared in the illusion,
his fiery sword drawn,
his flame aura wrapping him like a living cloak,
a moment of aura that challenged our unity.
"The relic is mine!" he roared, charging at me.
I blocked his strike,
the clash unleashing a shower of sparks,
and we struggled,
my strength wavering under his assault.
Nyra intervened,
her whirlwind pushing him back,
but Kaelith conjured a fire dragon,
its roar echoing in the void.
"Together!" Nyra shouted,
and we combined our powers—
my flames and her wind entwined in a fiery vortex
that collided with the dragon,
turning it to ashes.
Kaelith roared,
his weapon tracing a lethal arc,
and I barely dodged,
a burn grazing my shoulder.
Envy attacked,
her mirrors shattering again,
and Nyra raised a wind barrier
that cracked under the assault,
forcing us to roll away.
The Aether roared inside me,
a whirlwind of power threatening to overflow,
and I unleashed it for a moment,
my eyes glowing with a violet blaze illuminating the wasteland.
An explosion of purple energy swept the area,
throwing Kaelith and Envy against a rock,
the impact shaking the ground.
The remaining servants vanished,
and the rift snapped shut with a click.
I collapsed to my knees,
blood spilling from my mouth,
dark veins spreading like living roots.
Nyra caught me,
her face hardened.
"I saw you use the Aether again," she accused,
her voice cracked with disappointment.
Kaelith rose, panting, his aura weakened.
"This isn't over," he growled, disappearing into the mist.
Lysara emerged from the portal,
her white fire aura imposing with relentless serenity.
"Your bond faltered, but it endured," she said.
"Control your power, Vaelis, or it will consume you."
A vision struck me:
the obsidian throne,
soaked in blood dripping like tears,
Nyra motionless at its feet,
Lirien fading in a sigh.
Envy whispered from a mirror:
"Your bond breaks."
Other Sins rose:
the shadow king crowned in night,
the ice queen with a frozen scepter,
the chained monster dragging its weight,
the golden specter with radiant eyes,
the misty figure offering deceit,
the warrior with bleeding wings wielding a broken blade,
the crystal-eyed shadow watching,
and the ash-cloaked colossus roaring with contained fury.
"The Void approaches," thundered the Threshold.
"Choose, Echo, or become its slave."
Nyra helped me stand,
her trembling hand on my shoulder.
"If you don't trust me, this will break," she murmured,
her voice a whisper laden with anguish.
The chamber faded,
and we returned to the present,
the runes dimming like dying embers.
I knew this trial had forged something new,
but at a cost I still did not understand.