The stone door groaned as it fully opened, revealing a narrow corridor lined with glowing runes. Lillian was already a few steps ahead, her posture relaxed yet alert, her rapier resting against her hip. The dim blue light from the runes reflected in her emerald eyes, making her look even more ethereal than usual.
I needed to focus.
"This trial better not be some twisted puzzle," I muttered as I caught up to her.
Lillian turned to me, her lips curling in amusement. "And if it is?"
"Then I'm blaming you for my suffering," I grumbled.
She chuckled. "Oh, Sera, you wound me."
Before I could roll my eyes, the runes along the walls began to shift, their glow intensifying. The air in the corridor turned crisp, a strange mist curling at our feet. I instinctively reached for my magic, ice tingling at my fingertips, but Lillian's hand suddenly grabbed mine.
I blinked up at her. "Lillian?"
"Don't move." Her tone was softer, but her grip was firm. "Something's activating."
Sure enough, the mist began to swirl more violently, and then—figures emerged from it.
Humanoid, yet featureless, their forms made of shifting ice and smoke. Silent, they surrounded us, their movements fluid, eerie.
Lillian's grip on my hand tightened. "Looks like we triggered the next challenge."
Of course we did.
The figures didn't attack right away. They simply stood, their presence unnerving. A test of intellect, not just combat—meaning there had to be a trick to this.
I studied the runes. The symbols weren't just glowing randomly; they pulsed in a rhythm, some flickering more than others. A pattern.
"Look at the walls," I whispered. "Some runes are fading faster than others. I think we need to match their sequence."
Lillian's lips quirked in approval. "Observant."
"Think you can keep them busy while I figure it out?" I asked, already moving toward the runes.
Lillian released my hand, but not before brushing her fingers lightly over my knuckles. "Don't take too long, love."
My brain short-circuited for half a second.
Now was NOT the time.
Shaking off the distraction, I focused on the runes while Lillian stepped forward, smoothly drawing her rapier. She moved with effortless grace, her blade flashing in the dim light as she danced between the figures, parrying their sudden attacks. Every step she took was precise, calculated. It was almost mesmerizing—except for the fact that I needed to actually do my part.
I traced my fingers over the first rune, feeling a familiar pulse of magic. Ice. It resonated with my own affinity. Taking a breath, I channeled my magic into it, willing it to stabilize. The rune flared brightly.
One down.
Behind me, I heard the distinct sound of Lillian's blade clashing against ice, followed by her low, breathless chuckle. "They're quite persistent."
"Work with me here!" I called back, quickly moving to the next rune.
She hummed, amused. "I am."
I glanced back just in time to see her kick off the wall, flipping over one of the figures with an elegance that should not have been possible. As she landed, she turned her head slightly, her emerald gaze locking onto mine.
"Focus, Sera," she teased, breathless but entirely in control.
I scowled, heat rushing to my face. "I AM focusing!"
Ignoring her knowing smirk, I pressed my palm to the final rune, pouring the last of my ice magic into it. The runes flashed in sequence, and then—a deep rumble shook the corridor.
The figures froze.
Then, as if they had never been there to begin with, they shattered into mist.
Lillian sheathed her rapier, exhaling lightly. "Well done."
I let out a breath, stepping back as the stone floor beneath us began to shift, revealing a new pathway ahead.
"You know," Lillian murmured, stepping beside me. "I think I like this icy version of you."
I shot her a dry look. "Not this again."
She simply smiled, brushing an invisible speck of dust from my shoulder. "What? I find it rather charming."
My pulse skipped.
She was doing this on purpose.
"You—" I started, but she only winked before turning toward the path ahead.
"Come along, partner," she called over her shoulder, her voice laced with laughter. "We have more trials to pass."
I groaned, running a hand through my hair before following after her.
Lillian Aurora was going to be the death of me.
And yet, as I walked beside her into the unknown, I realized—
I didn't really mind.
As we stepped into the newly revealed passageway, the temperature shifted again. The air was no longer frigid but carried a strange, electric hum, the kind that sent tingles up my spine. Unlike the previous corridor, this one was lined with crystalline pillars, each one shimmering with faint light, reflecting distorted images of us as we walked past.
Lillian tapped the hilt of her rapier, surveying our surroundings with an unreadable expression. "This feels different."
"Obviously," I muttered, eyeing the reflections warily. "It's too quiet."
"Not a fan of silence, are we?" she teased, tilting her head slightly.
"It's not that," I murmured. "Silence in a place like this usually means a trap."
She hummed in agreement, her emerald eyes flicking between the pillars. "Then we should tread carefully."
That was the understatement of the century.
The moment we reached the center of the chamber, the ground beneath us lit up. Arcane symbols flared to life, encircling us in a ring of light.
I tensed. "Lillian—"
"Already noticed." She reached for my hand again, her fingers cool against mine as the magic flared.
The reflections in the pillars shimmered—then stepped forward.
I barely had time to process what was happening before I found myself face-to-face with a perfect replica of… me.
My heartbeat stuttered.
"Oh, wonderful," Lillian muttered, glancing at the figure now standing in front of her—an exact copy of herself, rapier drawn, eyes just as sharp. "This should be interesting."
"Mirror constructs," I breathed, mind racing. "They're mimicking us."
"How flattering," she mused.
"Flattering?" I shot her a look. "Lillian, we're about to fight ourselves."
"Yes, but at least we look good doing it."
I was going to lose my mind.
The copies moved first.
My own replica lunged at me, fire igniting in her palm in a mirror image of my own magic. I barely dodged the strike, rolling to the side and conjuring an ice barrier between us.
Lillian, meanwhile, met her reflection's blade head-on, steel clashing against steel in a sharp, ringing sound. She didn't falter, her movements as fluid and graceful as ever, countering each strike with precise footwork.
I grit my teeth, analyzing my opponent as she turned, her stance perfectly mirroring my own.
"If these things are exact copies," I said, dodging another attack, "then they should have our strengths and weaknesses, right?"
"That's what I was thinking," Lillian replied, knocking her double back with a well-placed parry. "Which means brute force won't work."
Great.
That was my entire strategy out the window.
I glanced at her. "You got a plan?"
She smirked. "Of course."
"Oh, good," I deadpanned. "Care to share?"
She sidestepped another attack, her gaze flickering toward the pillars surrounding us. "If they mimic us completely, then they're reliant on these reflections."
My brain caught up immediately. "So if we break the mirrors—"
"They lose their form," she finished smoothly.
I exhaled, summoning a blade of ice in my palm. "Then let's break them."
Together, we moved.
I feinted toward my double, making her react before spinning and launching my ice dagger at the nearest pillar. The mirror cracked upon impact, its glow flickering—and instantly, my opponent stumbled, her form flickering like a distorted image.
Lillian wasted no time. She twirled her rapier once before driving it into the base of another pillar, causing the cracks to spread further. Her double staggered, movements sluggish.
"Nice," I breathed.
Lillian smirked. "Shall we finish this, partner?"
I didn't even hesitate.
With a well-aimed blast of ice magic, I shattered the nearest pillar completely, and my replica let out a silent, soundless scream before dissolving into mist. Across from me, Lillian executed a perfect strike, shattering the remaining structure.
And just like that—the fight was over.
The light around us dimmed, the arcane symbols on the floor fading into nothingness. The corridor was still once more.
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. "That was… unsettling."
Lillian sheathed her rapier, adjusting her uniform with a composed expression. "And yet, strangely fascinating."
I shot her a dry look. "You really are something else."
She merely smiled, stepping closer, her fingers brushing against my wrist in a fleeting touch. "And you, Sera, are full of surprises."
My pulse skipped.
She was doing that thing again.
That thing where she got way too close, way too effortlessly, and made my brain short-circuit.
"I—I think we should keep moving," I muttered, turning on my heel before she could see how red my face was.
Behind me, I heard her chuckle.
And as we stepped further into the depths of the Trial, I couldn't help but think—
Lillian Aurora was way too dangerous.
And not just on the battlefield.
The corridor ahead stretched into darkness, but the tension from our last encounter lingered like static in the air. The reflections were gone, but the feeling of having fought against myself—against my own instincts, my own skills—still left an eerie sensation crawling down my spine.
Lillian, of course, looked as composed as ever, her emerald eyes gleaming with something unreadable as she walked beside me.
"What do you think the next trial will be?" I asked, mostly to distract myself from the way she had effortlessly thrown me off earlier.
She hummed thoughtfully, resting a hand on her hip. "We've had teamwork and self-awareness. That would suggest the next step would be something more… individual."
"Individual?" I frowned. "But we're still together."
"For now." Her voice was softer, thoughtful. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they tested how we function apart as well."
I hated that she had a point.
As if the universe wanted to confirm her words, the ground beneath us suddenly shifted. A sharp, glowing line appeared, splitting the path in two.
Before I could react, an invisible force yanked us apart.
"Lillian!" I reached for her, but my fingers slipped through nothing but air.
Her expression flickered—mild surprise, maybe a hint of something else—but she didn't panic. Instead, she simply smirked as she was pulled away into the shadows.
"Sera," she called, her voice teasing even as we were forced apart. "Don't miss me too much."
And then she was gone.
I cursed under my breath, steadying myself as the walls around me shifted. The stone rearranged itself like a puzzle, forming an entirely new corridor ahead of me.
Of course.
A trial of separation.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders before stepping forward.
"Fine," I muttered. "Let's see what you've got."
The corridor wasn't just dark—it was oppressive, the kind of silence that made my skin prickle. Unlike the previous areas, there were no glowing symbols, no obvious traps, just an endless stretch of shadowed path.
Too quiet.
Too easy.
I moved cautiously, magic tingling at my fingertips. If this was a test of my individual strength, then it was only a matter of time before—
A whisper.
I turned sharply, dagger forming in my grip.
Nothing.
The whisper came again, curling through the air like smoke.
"You are not real."
I froze.
Not because of what was said—but because I recognized the voice.
Mine.
I whipped around, but the corridor was empty.
A trap, then. A psychological trial? Mind games?
Perfect.
Just what I needed.
I kept walking, forcing myself to ignore the eerie echoes, but the whispers only grew louder.
"You are nothing but an imposter."
I clenched my fists.
"You are a thief. A shadow in someone else's life."
My breath hitched.
No.
No, I wasn't.
But the corridor twisted again, and suddenly—I wasn't alone.
Standing before me, bathed in the dim glow of flickering torches, was her.
Sera Vandren.
The original.
And she was smiling.
"Hello again, Chloe."
I stiffened, gripping my dagger tighter. "I don't have time for this."
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head, studying me like I was some fascinating puzzle. "Because it seems like you're starting to wonder if they're right."
I swallowed hard. "If what is right?"
Her smile widened, slow and knowing. "That you don't belong here."
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
I opened my mouth to argue, to deny, but—
Did I?
I wasn't her.
No matter how much I learned, how much I trained, this wasn't my world.
Would it ever be?
She took a step closer, eyes gleaming like a predator's. "Tell me, Chloe—when they look at you, do they see you? Or do they see the ghost of me?"
I inhaled sharply.
And she smirked. "I think you already know the answer."
I grit my teeth. "Shut up."
She laughed. "Make me."
I lunged.
But the moment my blade should have struck, she vanished into mist, her laughter lingering in the air.
The corridor shifted again, the whispers dying down.
I exhaled shakily, my pulse hammering.
That—
That was different.
Every time she appeared before, she had never been this real.
And the worst part?
She was right.
Would they ever see me as just Sera—or would I always be the villainess who should have fallen?
I shook my head, forcing my feet forward. This wasn't the time for doubt. I was here now. And I had people waiting for me.
Lillian.
I took a breath, steadied my grip on my dagger, and walked on.
Because I would not let this trial break me.