The awakened

And once again he was standing a step away from the rift, but this time it was different—he wasn't scared.

"Here we go," he said while jumping headfirst into the rift.

The world went back to nothingness. It was all black—no smell and no feeling—but there was a sound.

"Hey, it's me again," the voice said.

Fin tried to answer, but he still couldn't talk.

"Congratulations on your trial, young one. There was a bit of interference, but you still deserve your success." The voice paused. "You have transcended human limitations. You are now an awakened—spirit essence will now follow your will and your cores will answer your call."

"Every time anyone says something to me, I get even more confused," Fin thought to himself.

"You'll have to look inward to find out your new abilities."

Fin didn't wait a second and looked instantly, and what he saw startled him. There were letters written right in front of him. He tried to concentrate on them to decipher what they meant, but he couldn't.

"Don't tell me you can't read. Oh, this is hilarious," the voice burst out laughing. "Let's fix this."

The sound of finger snapping suddenly resounded in the void, and suddenly he could read.

He focused on the letters again, now able to read them clearly. They shimmered faintly, as if made of glass and starlight.

Primary Essence: LUX—Wielder of Light's Reflection

You now have limited control over how light behaves around you and on objects of your choosing. With training, light can be bent, redirected, masked, or revealed. You are not light itself—but it now listens when you speak.

Secondary Essence: UMBRA—Harbinger of Nightmare

You may now summon and bind the nightmares of those you touch. Up to three may be stored at a time. A nightmare may manifest as a creature or a concept tied to an object. Nightmares are unpredictable, volatile, and powerful. Use them wisely.

Nightmares stored [0/3]

Fin blinked.

"What the hell…?" he thought. "Light's reflection? Nightmares?"

It didn't feel real. But nothing had for a while.

"See? Not so hard once you can actually read," the voice said, still amused. "Quite the pair you've got there. Light and shadow. Classic."

He didn't answer. He was still locked on the words floating in front of him.

He tried to imagine it—light bending around his hand, or a nightmare rising out of an enemy's mind like a ghost with teeth.

"Wait, wait," he thought. "If I can summon a nightmare… does that mean I'll have to see them too?"

The idea didn't sit right. He'd seen his own nightmares before. He wasn't in a rush to see anyone else's.

The voice came again, this time quieter, almost like it was fading.

"You've stepped into something larger now, Fin. These powers will grow with you… or consume you. That's not a metaphor. Be careful with the Umbra mark—it feeds off chaos. It gets hungry."

Then, silence.

A low hum filled the void. Not a threatening one—just a reminder that something deep was still moving beneath the surface of this place.

Fin exhaled slowly. He wasn't sure if he felt stronger or just... heavier.

He looked down at his body—both brands were glowing softly now. One eye lit like the sun. The other, a swirling pit of shadow. He didn't know how to control any of it yet. But it was his.

For the first time in a long time, Fin didn't feel like something was chasing him.

He felt like something had just woken up.

"So anyway, off you go—oust."

And with these last words, the world came back. Fin was expelled from the world of the rift. It took him a few seconds to adapt to reality. He became aware of his surroundings and realized that the trial was truly over.

"Finally," he said, his mind exhausted by the last few weeks.

He tried to use his new abilities. He looked at the white matted floor and commanded it to change the light it absorbed, thus changing its colour to red, and then changed it back to normal.

"This… this is so cool," he said excitedly.

But then two powerful thunderclaps resounded right next to him—two rifts opened next to him. He was surrounded.

"What is it this time?" he said, preparing to fight.

But to his surprise, two people came out of them. They were Deryn and Ephi.

"Hey! Guys!" Fin shouted and waved at them.

They both seemed a bit lost in space—understandably so, actually. In order to make them snap out of it, Fin decided to do something.

"Let's try this. Focus."

Fin focused on his core and then made part of the light in the room concentrate into a sphere the size of a globe—and released it the next moment. He couldn't maintain it for long. He felt his essence draining like there was a hole in his core, and he wanted it to startle them, so the faster the better.

When the light released, a blinding flash came with it, snapping them both out of their trance.

"Good to see you again, guys," Fin said, without waving this time, feeling tired.

Deryn blinked rapidly, shielding her eyes.

"What the hell was that?" she muttered, then squinted at him. "Fin?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said, letting out a breath. "Welcome back to reality."

Ephi was still recovering, rubbing his temples.

"Ugh… that was worse than getting kicked in the head by a spirit goat. Twice."

Fin gave him a tired smile.

"You're oddly specific."

"I was kicked by one once. At least that made more sense than whatever that was," Ephi replied, then looked at Fin properly.

"Wait... something's different about you."

Fin nodded slowly.

"I guess I changed a little."

"We all did," Deryn whispered.

"So anyway, are you guys alright?" Ephi asked, truly worried for his friends.

"Yeah, I just had hallucinations of you and had to kill myself during my trial—but other than that, it's all good," Fin said calmly.

Ephi coughed at that.

"I just had to kill a dragon," Deryn stated just as serenely.

Ephi choked on his own saliva.

"What about you?" Fin asked.

"I was just a farmer," Ephi replied. "Had to take care of some sort of weird cattle. I think I'm gonna go to bed." He said shaking his head and face palming

This time, Fin and Deryn both coughed—surprised by the normality of what he just said.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's talk again in the morning," Fin and Deryn said in unison.

And just like that, the day ended—and the story that would change the world had only just begun.