Chapter 7: The Trial of Fire and Shadow

The ground shook beneath Arin's feet.

From the fissure in the earth, a blackened hand emerged—long fingers like twisted roots, veins pulsing with molten darkness.

The growl deepened into a low, guttural roar.

Agnivarna stepped forward, his robes rippling as if caught in an unseen storm. His face was impassive, but Arin could feel the shift in his presence—like a dormant volcano awakening.

"Stay behind me," the Rishi ordered.

But Arin couldn't move.

Not from fear—but from the sheer weight of what was rising before him.

The creature pulled itself free from the fissure—a hulking, half-formed entity of stone and shadow, its body shifting between solid rock and swirling black mist. Glowing embers pulsed within its chest, like a barely-contained wildfire.

It was neither demon nor beast.

It was something in between.

A remnant of an old curse, bound to this land long before mortals walked upon it.

And now, it had awoken.

Agnivarna exhaled.

His stance was calm, but his voice carried the weight of something ancient.

"You are bound by the rites of old," he intoned. "You have no quarrel with us. Return to your slumber."

The entity snarled. Its form shifted violently, black tendrils slithering across the ground like spilled ink.

A voice, deep and fractured, echoed from within the mist.

"Not bound. Not forgotten. I... am called forth."

Arin felt a sudden chill. Called forth?

By who?

Agnivarna's eyes darkened. He muttered something under his breath—words Arin did not understand.

And then, without another word, the Rishi moved.

With a flick of his wrist, the air ignited.

A golden glyph formed beneath him—intricate symbols of power spiraling outward. The fire surged toward the entity, wrapping around it like a serpent.

The beast howled.

The very air shuddered from the impact.

For a moment, it seemed that Agnivarna's fire had contained it.

But then—the flames bent.

Not extinguished. Consumed.

Arin's stomach dropped.

It was feeding on the fire.

Agnivarna's expression hardened. "This is no ordinary guardian..."

And then—the creature turned to Arin.

The shadow-mist lunged.

Arin barely had time to react before darkness enveloped him.

---

It was not like being swallowed by a beast.

It was like falling through time.

The world around him vanished.

There was no ground beneath him. No sky above.

Only endless black.

And then—a whisper.

Not in his ears.

In his mind.

"You are not whole."

Arin's breath hitched. The voice was his own.

The shadows around him shifted.

And suddenly—he was standing before himself.

A mirror image. Yet... not quite right.

The figure before him had his face, his eyes—but they burned with something unnatural.

Something inhuman.

"You hide," the reflection said. "You wear many masks, but none are real."

Arin tried to speak, but his voice would not come.

The reflection stepped forward.

"You think you control your path. That you can choose who you become. But tell me—if your disguise was stripped away, what would remain?"

The darkness rippled.

Images flashed before him.

A battlefield.

A throne.

A burning sky.

A face he did not recognize—yet somehow knew.

His heartbeat thundered.

The reflection leaned in. "You are afraid."

"No." Arin found his voice. "I am not afraid."

The reflection smirked.

"Then prove it."

---

From the outside, it had happened in a heartbeat.

One moment, Arin had been standing behind Agnivarna. The next, the shadows had consumed him.

Agnivarna's jaw clenched. "Foolish boy," he muttered.

Then, with a single step, he vanished.

Flames erupted from where he stood, spiraling toward the entity.

This time, they did not bend.

The fire turned blue-white, hotter than the surface of the sun. It pierced the creature's form—driving into the molten embers within its chest.

The entity screamed.

The mist thrashed violently, trying to escape—but the Rishi was relentless.

"You are a test misplaced," Agnivarna said, his voice low and unwavering. "Your time is done."

The glyph beneath him expanded.

And then—the fire consumed the entity.

The ground quaked as its form began to unravel, shadows scattering like dust.

With one final, agonized shriek—it collapsed inward.

The fissure sealed itself.

And silence returned.

Agnivarna exhaled.

He turned—just in time to catch Arin as he stumbled back into reality.

The boy gasped, his eyes wild. Sweat poured from his brow.

Agnivarna studied him for a moment.

"...You saw something," the Rishi said. It was not a question.

Arin swallowed hard.

He nodded.

Agnivarna's expression remained unreadable.

"Good."

Then, without another word, he turned and began walking.

Arin hesitated. "Where are you going?"

Agnivarna did not stop.

"Your first lesson is complete," he said. "Now, it is time for the second."

Arin took a breath—then followed.

The trial was only beginning.

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