CHAPTER 10 STEELHEART

Legacy of Shadows – Chapter 10: Steelheart

The Summit of Silence lay still, but Kael's blood surged with momentum. With three trials conquered—Shadow, Ice, and Fire—he felt transformed. The shadows no longer consumed him. The flame within had been kindled. Now, it was time to temper that flame.

He turned toward the fourth portal.

It churned with silver-gray winds, metallic shards spinning like a maelstrom of blades. Thunder echoed from within, and the scent of iron hung thick in the air.

"The Trial of Steel," Kael whispered.

Cynthia, arms crossed, gave him a long look. "This one's different. Cold, unyielding. Its bearer is no ghost or titan. She's a machine in every way but name. She was once called The Iron Maiden."

Kael smirked. "Then I guess I'd better not bend."

Without hesitation, he stepped through the portal.

Trial of Steel – The Forgeworld of Aegiron

Kael emerged into a world of machinery and metal.

A massive clockwork city rose before him—gears the size of houses turning slowly in a sky filled with smoke and sparks. The air clanged with the sound of hammers and pistons. Buildings weren't made—they were forged. Endless conveyor belts moved raw ore through towering furnaces and onto assembly lines manned by mechanical Pokémon.

Kael stepped onto a platform, which began to rise automatically.

Gengar hovered beside him, visibly uneasy. The landscape was alien—soulless.

At the top of the platform stood a tower made of interlocking steel plates. A massive, sealed door hissed open, revealing a perfectly square room lined with glowing wires and steel tiles.

A woman stood at its center.

She was tall, pale, and wore a bodysuit of black metal and silver fibers. Her hair was platinum, her eyes glowing red. A crown of rotating gears hovered above her head.

"I am Seraya, the Iron Maiden. Commander of Aegiron. This is the Trial of Steel."

Kael stepped forward. "I'm ready."

"Emotion clouds judgment," she said flatly. "Fear weakens instinct. Passion disrupts order. Steel endures because it sheds all weakness."

Her hand twitched. "Show me what remains of you once all else is stripped away."

Battle: Kael vs. Seraya, the Iron Maiden

Seraya raised her hand. A platform descended from the ceiling with a clang, revealing her partner:

Magnezone.

It hovered silently, electricity crackling at its magnetic poles.

Kael chose Haxorus.

The clash began in an instant.

Magnezone fired Flash Cannon, but Haxorus charged through it, fangs glowing. "Crunch, now!" Kael shouted.

Haxorus bit down hard, disrupting Magnezone's magnetic field. Sparks flew.

Seraya didn't react. "Recalibrating. Respond: Thunder Wave."

Magnezone pulsed with electricity—Haxorus stiffened, paralyzed.

Kael grit his teeth. "Push through it. Break through with Earthquake!"

Haxorus roared, slammed the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked Magnezone back—but not down.

Seraya's eyes narrowed. "Plan Omega."

The entire room began shifting—tiles flipped, walls rotated, and magnetic currents surged. It became a labyrinth of mechanical hazards.

Kael realized it wasn't just a battle of strength.

It was a test of adaptability.

"Change of plan," Kael muttered. "Gengar, switch in!"

He recalled Haxorus just in time. Gengar slipped through the maze with ease, avoiding the hazards, phasing through barriers.

"Magnezone, Trap Lock!" Seraya shouted.

Metal walls slammed around Gengar, but Kael grinned.

"Shadow Slip. Into the core."

Gengar vanished, reappeared inside the metal ring around Magnezone—and launched a Dark Pulse at point-blank range.

Boom.

Magnezone fell.

Post-Battle – The Code Within

Seraya stood motionless. Then, slowly, she raised her hand and tapped a node on her neck.

The machinery around them stopped.

"You adapted. Improvised. Rejected rigidity."

She stepped closer. "You're not just passing these trials. You're rewriting their purpose."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Seraya replied. "It's progress."

She extended a glowing cube of silver light.

"The Core of Endurance. Your fire may burn bright, but now… it is tempered. Use it well."

Kael took it—and the machinery dissolved around him.

Return to the Summit

Back in the Summit, Kael stepped out of the portal, cube in hand. Cynthia was waiting, arms folded.

"You survived Aegiron."

"Barely," Kael said, shaking his head. "Seraya isn't human anymore. But she still felt something."

Cynthia looked away. "She used to be the brightest mind of Kalos Tech Institute. She built her own mind… and in doing so, lost her heart."

Kael tightened his grip on the cube. "I don't want to become like that. I want both. Heart and mind."

The Arbiter spoke again. "You walk a path few survive, Shadowbearer. Two trials remain: Light… and Time."

Kael looked up at the swirling portals.

The one of golden brilliance.

And the one… that bent reality itself.

He took a breath.

"Let's finish what we started."

End of Chapter 10

(Next: Chapter 11 – Radiant Lies)