Kael stepped beyond the scorched remains of the Fireborn trial, his breath still unsteady. The heat still clung to his skin, but the mark on his hand was calm—for now. Vasra led the way, her expression unreadable, while Eldric remained behind, watching as Kael crossed into the next chamber.
The walls of this place were different. Unlike the rough stone of the sanctuary, these corridors pulsed with an eerie, shifting darkness, as if the very air had weight. Kael shivered.
"What now?" he asked, glancing at Vasra.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stopped before a massive door carved with swirling runes. "This is the next trial," she finally said. "It's different from the last. This time, you won't be fighting a creature."
Kael frowned. "Then what am I facing?"
Eldric's voice carried from behind him. "Your past."
A chill ran down Kael's spine.
Before he could ask what that meant, the runes on the door pulsed, and the stone groaned as it slowly slid open. A heavy mist seeped out, curling around his ankles like grasping fingers.
Vasra gave him a hard look. "Once you step through, you'll be on your own. Whatever you see in there—it isn't real. But it will feel real."
Kael swallowed hard. He had faced monstrous creatures, endured searing flames, but something about this trial felt more dangerous.
Still, he had no choice.
With a steadying breath, he stepped into the mist.
—
The world shifted.
Kael blinked, and suddenly, he wasn't in the sanctuary anymore. He stood in a familiar place—too familiar. The ruined village. The smell of smoke and blood filled the air. His home.
"No…" He whispered. "This isn't real."
But it looked real. Felt real.
A scream rang out. His heart lurched.
He turned, and there she was—his mother, standing in the flames, eyes wide with fear. The same way she had looked that night. The night everything had been taken from him.
Kael froze. His body refused to move. He had lived this moment before, had felt the helplessness, the rage.
A shadow loomed behind her.
The hooded figure. The one who had destroyed everything.
His mother turned to him, eyes pleading. "Kael, run!"
The world around him blurred. His hands trembled. He had run before. But this time…
He clenched his fists.
Not again.
The mark on his hand flared to life.
This time, he wouldn't run.