The Fifth Trial

Kieran barely had time to process his victory before the ground beneath him shifted again. The heat of the molten abyss faded, replaced by an eerie stillness. He blinked, and suddenly, he was no longer standing on solid ground.

Darkness stretched endlessly in all directions. A thick, oppressive silence settled over him, suffocating in its weight. His breath came shallow and uncertain. There was no path, no obstacle—just the void.

"Your fifth trial," the voice whispered, softer this time, almost... intimate. "The Trial of Will."

Kieran tensed. No fire, no blades, no collapsing platforms. That meant whatever was coming was worse.

"Endurance, strength, speed—all are meaningless if your mind is weak," the voice continued. "You will face yourself, initiate. Survive... or succumb."

The darkness stirred.

A figure materialized before him, stepping from the void like a shadow given form. Kieran's breath hitched. It was him. Every detail, down to the faint scars on his knuckles and the wary gleam in his eyes.

His doppelgänger grinned, but there was no warmth in it. "You look tired, Kieran."

Kieran clenched his fists. "And you look like trouble."

Shadow-Kieran laughed, a hollow, chilling sound. "Oh, I am. But I'm also honest. More than you can say for yourself."

Kieran scowled. "I don't have time for this." He took a step forward—but the void resisted him. His body felt sluggish, as if he were wading through tar. A whispering chorus rose in his ears, indistinct yet maddening.

"That's right," his double said, pacing around him. "You don't have time. You never do. Always running, always fighting. But you can't run here. And you can't fight me."

Kieran's hands twitched, the markings on his arms pulsing weakly. He tried to summon his power—nothing happened.

His double smirked. "Oh, don't look so surprised. This isn't about power. It's about you."

The whispers grew louder, writhing inside his skull. Doubt. Fear. Regret. They pressed against his mind, sinking in like claws.

"How long do you think you can keep going?" Shadow-Kieran asked, voice dripping with mock concern. "You barely survived the last trial. You should be dead. You know that, right?"

Kieran grit his teeth. "I survived because I fought."

"No," his double countered. "You survived because you were lucky. And luck runs out."

The whispers turned to voices, a storm of doubt crashing into him.

You should have died back there.

You're not strong enough.

You're not fast enough.

You don't belong here.

Kieran staggered, gripping his head. It felt like his own thoughts were turning against him, wrapping around his mind like chains. The void pressed closer, suffocating.

"Just let go," his shadow urged, stepping closer. "Stop fighting. Stop struggling. It would be so easy."

Kieran dropped to one knee, gasping. The weight of it all—the exhaustion, the pain, the endless cycle of trial after trial—crushed him. Maybe his shadow was right. Maybe he wasn't strong enough.

But then—

A memory flickered in his mind. A spark of light in the suffocating dark.

The first trial—the beasts, the way he had fought tooth and nail, refusing to be their prey.

The second trial—the parkour, his body screaming but his will driving him forward.

The third—the deadly mechanisms, the impossible leaps.

The fourth—the fire, the agony, the moment he had thought he would die, but he had refused.

Kieran gritted his teeth, forcing his head up. "No."

His double frowned. "What?"

"No," Kieran repeated, rising to his feet. The weight of the void clawed at him, but he locked his legs. "I don't care if I was lucky. I don't care if I should have died. I'm here. And I'm not stopping."

His shadow scowled. "Fool. You'll break before this is over."

"Maybe," Kieran admitted, taking a step forward, pushing through the resistance. "But not today."

The void trembled. The whispers screamed, but he drowned them out with his own voice.

"I am Kieran Vale." Another step. The chains around his mind cracked. "And I don't break."

The markings on his arms ignited, silver light surging through him. The darkness recoiled, his double stumbling back, eyes wide.

Kieran took one final step. The void shattered.

He gasped, staggering forward as light flooded his vision. When it cleared, he was standing on solid ground once more.

"Congratulations, initiate," the voice murmured, quieter than before. Almost... pleased. "You have passed the fifth trial."

Kieran exhaled shakily, his entire body trembling. This trial had nearly broken him. But he had won.

"Now, I have to tell you that you have finished all the initiate grade trial, do you wish to continue to the master grade trials or stop?"