Kael barely had time to recover from the first trial before Eldric led him deeper into the sanctuary. The air grew colder, thick with an unsettling energy. His legs felt heavy, his mind clouded from exhaustion, but he knew there was no turning back.
"The first trial tested your mind," Eldric said, his voice echoing in the narrow stone corridor. "But the second will test your body."
Kael clenched his fists. He had barely scraped through the last challenge. What more could they demand from him?
Vasra walked beside him, her expression unreadable. "This won't be like before," she warned. "The sanctuary's trials adapt to each person. They will push you to your limits. And if you fail…"
She didn't finish. She didn't have to. The weight of her silence was enough.
At last, they entered a vast underground chamber. Torches lined the walls, casting flickering shadows across the smooth stone floor. In the center of the room stood a raised platform, and above it, suspended in midair, was a blade.
Not just any blade. It pulsed with the same energy as Kael's mark, its edges glimmering like molten metal.
Eldric gestured toward it. "This is your trial. You must claim the blade."
Kael frowned. "That's it?"
Eldric's lips curled into a knowing smile. "You'll see soon enough."
Kael stepped forward cautiously. The moment his foot touched the platform, the air trembled. A deep, rumbling growl echoed through the chamber. The shadows flickered violently, and from the darkness, something began to emerge.
A figure stepped forward—tall, armored, and holding a blade of its own. But Kael's breath caught in his throat when he saw the figure's face.
It was him.
Or rather, a twisted, monstrous version of himself.
The shadow-Kael's eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the mark. It grinned, lifting its sword in a silent challenge.
Eldric's voice rang out behind him. "Your greatest enemy isn't the creatures outside, Kael. It's what lurks within you. Fight—or be consumed."
The shadow lunged.
Kael barely had time to raise his arms before the clash of metal on metal sent a shockwave through the chamber.
The trial had begun.