Chapter 38: Trial by Fire

Chapter 38: Trial by Fire

Silvia's POV

The moment Silvia stepped through the portal, the world shifted around her. The chamber vanished, replaced by a vast crimson wasteland, the sky overhead swirling in shades of deep orange and gold. The heat was suffocating, pressing against her skin like a living thing.

She looked around. Dragon and Tarren were gone.

Silvia turned in a slow circle, scanning the unfamiliar landscape. Was this an illusion? A memory? The ground beneath her feet was cracked, rivers of molten fire weaving through the earth. In the distance, jagged black spires pierced the sky, remnants of a world long forgotten.

"You have come to reclaim what was lost. But are you worthy?"

The voice wasn't loud, yet it reverberated in her bones, deep and knowing. Silvia turned sharply, and there, standing on the edge of the molten field, was a figure wreathed in flame.

It was her. Her past self.

Or rather, a spectral echo of the woman she had once been. Dressed in ancient battle armor, the spectral Silvia radiated raw power and authority, her gaze sharp, assessing.

Silvia's throat went dry. "What is this?"

"The trial," the spectral warrior answered. "If you wish to reclaim the past, you must prove you have the strength to carry it."

Before Silvia could react, the warrior raised her hand, and fire erupted from the ground.

The First Test: Strength

The heat slammed into Silvia like a tidal wave, forcing her to leap backward. Flames spiraled in all directions, forming a battlefield of fire.

The warrior attacked. Fast. Relentless. Unforgiving.

Silvia barely had time to react before the first strike came—a burst of pure fire magic, aimed directly at her chest. She threw up a shield of flames in instinct, the collision sending shockwaves through the air.

The warrior smirked. "You still rely on instinct. That will not be enough."

Silvia gritted her teeth. She was done being tested. If this was a battle, then she would fight.

She surged forward, calling fire to her hands, meeting the warrior head-on. Their magic clashed, a violent eruption of energy scorching the air.

"You do not understand what you were!" The warrior's voice echoed around them. "What you sacrificed!"

Silvia dodged another attack, sweat dripping down her face. "Then tell me!"

The warrior didn't stop, didn't relent. Instead, she vanished, reappearing behind Silvia in an instant. A blade of pure energy slashed toward her.

Silvia barely managed to block it, her flames hardening into a shield. But the force behind the strike sent her flying, landing hard against the molten ground.

Pain lanced through her body, but she forced herself to stand. She would not fall here.

The Second Test: Endurance

The ground rumbled beneath her feet. The battlefield shifted, the molten cracks widening. Silvia's past self had not finished with her.

"You bound us in chains of fire," the warrior said, stepping forward. "Now you must walk through it."

Flames exploded from the earth, forming a path of fire that stretched into the distance. Beyond it, Silvia could barely see a shimmering golden door, pulsing with energy. The exit.

She exhaled. "That's it, then? You want me to walk through this?"

The warrior's expression was unreadable. "You sealed us in fire. Now prove that you can survive it."

Silvia hesitated, then took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The flames licked at her skin, burning, but not destroying. Every step felt like walking through memories of war, of pain, of loss. Visions flashed in the fire—battles she had fought, lives she had taken, choices she had made. The weight of history bore down on her, demanding she break under it.

But Silvia pressed forward.

She would not be undone by the past.

The further she walked, the hotter the flames burned, testing her resolve. They whispered to her, voices of the fallen, of those she had sealed away centuries ago. They did not speak in anger, but in sorrow, in the pain of betrayal.

"We trusted you. We followed you. And you abandoned us."

Silvia clenched her fists, pushing forward despite the sting of their words. "I know. And that's why I'm here. I won't fail you again."

The Final Test: Acceptance

She reached the door. The flames roared around her, but she no longer feared them.

The warrior appeared once more, standing between Silvia and the door. "You have walked through the fire, but one trial remains."

Silvia set her jaw. "What now?"

The warrior's gaze softened, just slightly. "You must make peace with what you were. The war is in your blood, but it does not have to define you. Choose now, Silvia Earthstar—are you the warrior who sealed us away, or are you the leader who will set us free?"

Silvia inhaled sharply. The choice had always been hers.

She stepped forward, looking her past self in the eyes. "I am both."

The warrior smiled. "Then go forth, and forge the future."

The flames vanished, and the door swung open. Silvia took one last glance behind her before stepping through, leaving the past behind—but carrying its lessons with her.

Back in Reality

Silvia stumbled forward as the vision faded, collapsing to her knees in the chamber.

Dragon was beside her in an instant, grabbing her shoulders. "Silvia! Are you okay? What happened?"

She exhaled, shaking, but stronger than before. She met Dragon's gaze and nodded. "I passed."

The elder Terran, watching from the shadows, gave a slow nod. "Then you are ready."

A murmur of voices rose behind him. More Terrans had gathered, their glowing blue eyes watching her with a mixture of fear and reverence. Silvia realized this was not just her test—it had been theirs as well. To see if she could truly lead.

One of the younger Terrans stepped forward hesitantly. "If she has passed, then... is she truly the one?"

The elder regarded Silvia for a long moment, then nodded. "She is the bridge between what was lost and what must be restored."

Silvia felt the weight of those words settle over her. She was no longer just a warrior, or a soldier, or an outsider.

She was their hope.

Silvia stood, a new resolve burning inside her. The past had tested her, but it did not own her.

It was time to change the future.