Chapter Seven: Trial by Darkness

The first creature came at dawn.

Aria felt it before she saw it—a shift in the air, a prickling at the back of her neck. The world seemed to hush, as though the trees themselves held their breath. Then, from the mist, it emerged.

It was unlike any creature she had encountered before. Its body was long and serpentine, covered in jagged black scales that shimmered like oil. It had no eyes, yet Aria knew it could see her.

She clenched her fists, her breath steady.

This was the test.

She had trained for this.

For weeks, she had honed her abilities—learning how to channel her visions, how to bend them to her will rather than let them consume her. The nightmares had not stopped, but she had learned to fight within them, to use them as weapons rather than chains.

And now, the real battle had begun.

The creature lunged.

Aria leaped aside, her body moving before her mind could catch up. She barely avoided the jagged fangs that snapped where she had stood moments ago. The force of its lunge sent dust and leaves flying.

She didn't hesitate.

Summoning the energy she had been practicing with, she extended her hands. A deep, violet glow flickered at her fingertips, pulsing with raw power.

She pushed.

The energy shot forward like a wave, slamming into the creature's side. It shrieked, its form distorting as if it were made of liquid shadow.

But it did not fall.

Instead, it shifted.

One moment, it was serpentine. The next, it had legs—spindly, insect-like limbs that cracked against the ground as it steadied itself.

Aria cursed under her breath.

Of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

The creature was learning. Adapting.

So she would have to do the same.

She pivoted, recalling what her father had told her. You cannot defeat them through brute strength alone. You must understand them. Feel their movements. Anticipate.

The creature coiled again, preparing another attack. But this time, Aria was ready.

She didn't wait for it to strike.

She lunged first.

Her blade was small—barely more than a dagger—but it gleamed with the energy she had infused into it. As she swung, the creature recoiled, sensing the magic.

Too late.

Aria's blade sliced through its shifting form.

The creature let out an ear-piercing screech, its body writhing as it crumbled into nothing but mist.

Silence followed.

Aria exhaled sharply, her hands still trembling from the rush of power.

She had won.

For now.

The second creature arrived that night.

Aria had barely rested before she felt its presence.

This one was different.

It did not charge recklessly like the first. It stood at the edge of the clearing, watching her with burning yellow eyes. Its body was cloaked in tattered shadows, shifting like smoke.

It was waiting.

Testing her.

Aria took a deep breath, gripping the dagger at her side. "Come on," she muttered. "Let's see what you can do."

The creature didn't move.

Instead, it spoke.

Not in words, but in a whisper that slithered through her mind. You do not belong here.

Aria's blood ran cold.

This was new.

She had fought creatures before—beasts, horrors born from the darkness.

But none had spoken.

None had thought.

She steadied herself. "And yet, here I am," she said, keeping her voice even.

The creature's form rippled. You do not understand what you are. What you awaken.

Aria's grip tightened on her dagger. "Then show me."

The creature laughed.

A sound that was neither human nor beast.

And then, it struck.

It was fast.

Faster than anything she had fought before.

One moment it was standing at the edge of the clearing. The next, it was behind her.

She barely had time to throw herself forward before its claws raked through the air where her head had been.

Rolling to her feet, she spun, summoning the violet energy in her palm.

The creature moved again, its form flickering in and out of reality.

It was toying with her.

Aria clenched her jaw. She wouldn't let it.

This time, instead of attacking directly, she closed her eyes.

She reached inside herself, drawing on the visions that had always plagued her.

And then, she saw.

A flicker of movement. A shadow shifting before it even happened.

The moment before the creature struck, she was already moving.

Her blade met its form mid-attack.

A burst of light.

A screech of agony.

The creature staggered, its shadowy form flickering, unstable.

Aria pressed her advantage.

She lashed out again, pouring every ounce of power she had into the blade. The creature howled as it began to disintegrate, the shadows peeling away like smoke caught in the wind.

And then—

Silence.

The only sound was her own ragged breathing.

Aria lowered her dagger, her pulse still racing.

She had won again.

But as she looked down at the fading remnants of the creature, a single thought burned in her mind.

They were getting stronger.

And something told her—

This was only the beginning.

The ground where the creature had fallen was scorched black, the lingering traces of its essence dissolving into the cold night air. Aria stood motionless, her body tense, her mind racing.

They were getting stronger.

That much was clear.

The first had been mindless—a beast driven only by hunger. The second had been something else entirely. It had spoken. It had thought.

And it had warned her.

You do not understand what you are. What you awaken.

The words clung to her mind like a curse.

She exhaled slowly, gripping her dagger tighter. The fight had left her drained, but she had no time to rest.

Because the third creature was already coming.

She felt it before she saw it—an unnatural stillness, a shift in the air, a pressure against her chest that made it harder to breathe.

Then, the shadows moved.

And it stepped forward.

This one was different from the others.

It was tall, humanoid, with elongated limbs and hollow, glowing eyes. Its body flickered between solid and intangible, as if it existed in two worlds at once.

Aria's stomach twisted.

It knew her.

She didn't know how, but she could feel it.

Unlike the others, this one did not lunge.

It studied her.

You are not ready.

The voice didn't come from its mouth. It slithered into her mind, cold and invasive.

Aria stiffened. "Then make me ready."

The creature's lips curled into something resembling a smile. Very well.

And then, the world exploded.

Pain.

Aria hit the ground hard, her vision spinning. She had barely seen the creature move before she was flying, her back slamming into the rough bark of a tree.

She gasped, struggling to suck in air.

It was fast. Too fast.

She barely had time to register the pain before it was coming again.

She rolled, just narrowly avoiding the long, clawed fingers that tore into the tree where she had been.

Splinters flew. The tree groaned.

Aria didn't hesitate. She launched herself up, summoning the violet energy to her palm.

The creature vanished.

She froze, her heart hammering.

Then—

Cold.

A whisper at her ear. You rely on sight.

Pain exploded in her side as she was hit, thrown once more into the dirt.

She barely caught herself before her face met the ground.

It's playing with me.

The realization made her blood burn.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand.

"Fine," she spat, wiping blood from her lip. "Let's play, then."

She shut her eyes.

Forget sight.

She reached into the visions, the way she had before.

And she felt it.

A ripple in the air. A shift to her left.

She moved before the attack came.

Her dagger slashed through empty air.

And then—contact.

A hiss of surprise.

Aria opened her eyes just in time to see the creature staggering back, dark liquid dripping from where she had cut it.

She had hurt it.

The surprise was quickly replaced by something colder.

Something worse.

The creature grinned. Perhaps you are ready after all.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

Aria's breathing was heavy, her hands still gripping the dagger tightly.

Gone.

Just like that.

She stared at the empty space where it had stood, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

It could have killed her.

But it hadn't.

It had tested her.

And she had passed.

The next morning, Aria sat by the river, staring at her reflection.

The girl who looked back at her was not the same one who had arrived in these woods.

Her face was smudged with dirt, her clothes torn, her arms bruised. But her eyes…

Her eyes burned with something new.

Determination.

She had fought. She had survived.

And she had won.

But something told her this was far from over.

The creatures were changing. Evolving.

And she had a feeling that the next time they came—

They wouldn't be testing her.

They would be coming to end her.

She tightened her grip on her dagger.

Let them try.

She was ready.

Or at least, she would be.

Because she wasn't going to run.

She was going to fight.

And she was going to win.

No matter what it took.