The world around Kael pulsed, distorting like ripples in a lake. The shadowed figure loomed closer, its presence suffocating. The same hood, the same aura of malice—this was the moment that had haunted his every nightmare.
But this time, something was different.
The mark on his hand burned, reacting to the presence of his past. His mother's terrified gaze locked onto his, the desperate plea in her eyes still the same. "Kael, run!"
But he didn't move.
Not this time.
Instead, he stepped forward. His hands clenched into fists as the mark's energy surged through him. The figure reached for his mother, the way it always had, but Kael was faster. He threw out his hand, and a pulse of raw power exploded outward, sending the shadowed figure staggering back.
A whisper of a voice echoed in his mind.
"You cannot change what has already been written."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Watch me."
The shadow recovered, straightening, and for the first time, Kael saw something he hadn't before—its face. Or rather, the lack of one. Beneath the hood was nothing but shifting darkness, a void where a person should have been.
A cold dread settled over him.
Was this even the real enemy? Or something else?
The shadow lunged. Kael reacted without thinking, calling upon the mark's energy once more. His palm ignited with power, and he struck forward. Light clashed against darkness. The impact sent shockwaves through the illusionary village, shattering the false world around him.
The scene cracked like glass.
Kael stumbled, blinking as reality reasserted itself. The mist around him faded, and the trial chamber reappeared. The stone floor beneath him was solid again, and the suffocating presence of his past was gone.
He was breathing hard. His heart thundered in his chest.
Vasra's voice cut through the silence. "You broke free."
Kael looked up. Vasra stood near the entrance, arms crossed. Her gaze held something he rarely saw—approval.
Eldric stood beside her, nodding slowly. "You did more than break free. You changed the outcome."
Kael exhaled, his fists loosening. His mother's face still lingered in his mind, but for the first time, it wasn't just in terror.
It was in peace.
He had faced his past. And for the first time, it hadn't defeated him.
But something told him this was only the beginning.