"Hold your breath."
Erik obeyed.
The world around him shimmered — and suddenly, there was nothing.
No air.No floor.No sky.
Just a white void.
Then it cracked like ice — and reality returned.
Erik stood in a grand chamber filled with mirrors. Each mirror was twelve feet tall, carved in stone frames, glowing faintly with inner light.
"Welcome," Velkhar said, his voice echoing unnaturally. "To the Hall of Truths."
🪞 Trial Mirrors
Seris stood nearby, arms folded. "Each initiate must face a Trial Mirror before advancing. It's not a battle. Not a puzzle. It's… reflection."
Velkhar added, "You don't fight others in this room. You fight what you might become."
Erik frowned. "Future versions?"
Seris shook her head. "Possibilities. The person you could be… if your soul goes unchecked."
A pedestal rose in the center. Upon it, a small flame flickered — Soulfire.
"Place your palm above it," Seris instructed.
Erik stepped forward. The flame pulsed as his hand neared. His Soulflare mark began to glow in response.
"Careful,"the soul inside him warned."These trials don't just test you — they tempt you."
🌫️ The Trial Begins
As Erik's mark touched the flame, the mirror in front of him rippled.
From it stepped a version of himself.
Older. Taller. Dressed in flowing black armor made of shadow and light.
His eyes glowed gold.His presence bent the air.
Erik stared.
"…That's me?"
The reflection smirked. "One of you. The version that takes everything. No hesitation. No restraint."
The Mirror-Erik stepped closer.
"I don't wait for answers," he said coldly. "I become the answer."
Erik felt his knees shake.
This version of him wasn't evil.
He was free. Ruthless. Unapologetic.
And in his heart — part of Erik wanted that.
To never fear again.To never be unsure.To have total control.
"He is the path of power,"the soul whispered."But not purpose."
The Mirror-Erik raised a hand. "Choose me."
"I won't hesitate," he said. "I'll protect those you love — by destroying anything that threatens them."
A flicker of Lia's face crossed Erik's mind.
"Even if it costs your humanity?"
Mirror-Erik didn't blink. "Humanity is a weakness."
Erik clenched his fists.
"No. It's my anchor."
He stepped forward.
"I'll grow. I'll fight. But not by becoming you."
The mirror shattered.
Erik fell to one knee.
Sweat poured down his face. His soul mark pulsed wildly.
Velkhar stepped forward, looking slightly impressed. "Most fail their first trial. You… resisted yourself."
Seris offered a rare smile. "Well done."
🔥 Training: Phase Two Begins
The next few days became a blur.
Velkhar personally trained Erik in soul-pressure control — pushing energy through his limbs without bursting veins.
Seris taught him to manifest Soul Threads — fine strands of internal energy used to cut or bind enemies at a distance.
Each session left Erik dizzy, sore, and burning with power he could barely hold back.
But day by day — he was changing.
Not just stronger.
Sharper. Calmer. More aware.
🖤 Arenya's Secret
One evening, after training, Arenya sat beside Erik on the tower balcony.
"You held your own," she said. "Even in the Mirror."
He nodded. "Thanks. You've done yours?"
A long pause.
Then she whispered, "I shattered five mirrors… and I'm still not sure which one was real."
Erik turned. Her eyes glowed faintly red — deeper than before.
"Your soul…"
She nodded. "My mother was a bloodseer. I inherited a cursed fragment. It whispers futures that may never happen. Some days, I forget what's mine and what's not."
Erik was quiet.
Then he said, "We're both haunted, I guess."
She smiled sadly. "And yet somehow still… alive."
They sat in silence, watching twin moons rise.
🕵️ The Traitor Moves
Far below the Spire, in a locked chamber where guards never patrolled, a hooded figure moved silently.
He held an orb — filled with red mist.
Inside it… a memory stolen from Erik's trial.
A copy of the dark Erik.
"He chose restraint," the figure muttered.
"But next time… let's see what happens when he's forced to choose darkness."
He poured the memory into a stone basin.
The basin pulsed.
And something inside it woke up.
🌌 Final Scene: The Soul's Warning
That night, Erik dreamed.
He stood on a mountain surrounded by broken thrones.
A single sword floated in the air — black and gold.
He reached for it.
"Don't,"the soul said firmly."That blade remembers me."
Erik hesitated.
The moment his fingers brushed the sword's hilt — the sky cracked.
And he awoke.
Heart racing. Breathing hard.
"Your true trial has not begun,"the soul whispered."But soon… it will."