The wind howled through the cracked arches of the Temple of Echoing Flame. Ash fell like snow, carried by the storm that brewed around Mount Niraxis. Inside the temple, silence stretched—thick, brittle, expectant.
Azael hadn't moved since the Trial ended. His hands trembled slightly, the last remnants of silver flame flickering at his fingertips. Across from him, Lyka sat cross-legged on a broken pillar, sharpening her cursed blade.
Selene stood by the entrance, watching the storm churn outside. Her voice cut through the tension.
"How many more Trials are there?"
The Oracle's voice was faint now, worn thin by prophecy. "Three. The Trial of Truth is passed. Next comes the Trial of Descent."
Azael turned. "Descent into what?"
The Oracle's glowing eyes dimmed. "Into memory's grave. Into the wound that made you."
The floor beneath them pulsed once—then cracked open.
—
They fell again.
But this time, it was colder. Darker. No fire. No light.
Azael landed first, coughing on dust and the scent of old blood. He stood, feeling solid stone beneath his feet. They were in a massive underground cavern—lit only by the soft, ghostly glow of soul-lanterns embedded in the walls. Murals covered every surface: scenes of war, exile, betrayal.
Lyka and Selene landed beside him, silent.
Then came the whispers.
"Why did you leave us?"
"You were supposed to save us."
Azael flinched. The voices weren't coming from around him—they were inside him.
Selene's eyes scanned the darkness. "What is this place?"
Lyka looked grim. "This is the Hollow. Where lost memories go to rot."
From the shadows, figures began to emerge. Not monsters—people. Half-formed echoes of the past.
A woman with raven-black hair, holding a newborn. Liliane.
A man cloaked in shadow, falling to his knees, stabbed through the back. Azael's father.
And then—a child, hidden in snow, crying as soldiers torched the sky.
Azael couldn't breathe.
The Oracle's voice echoed faintly in the stone. "To pass the Trial of Descent… you must face what was taken. And what you chose to forget."
The shadows turned.
And attacked.
—
It wasn't a battle of blades. It was a battle of truth.
Each echo clawed at Azael's mind, dredging guilt, doubt, fear.
"You ran when they came."
"You let her die alone."
"You liked the power, didn't you?"
Azael screamed, sinking to his knees. Flames burst from his hands—but they flickered, weak, unstable.
Selene rushed to his side, slashing at the shades with her twin daggers. "Azael, look at me!"
He couldn't.
Until Lyka stepped forward.
She held her cursed blade at her side, but she wasn't fighting. She was remembering.
"I didn't survive the culling," she said softly. "Not really. They burned my village. Cut us down like animals. I saw mother once—just once. She told me to find you. That you'd remember when it mattered."
Azael lifted his gaze.
Lyka walked through the attacking phantoms. They clawed at her, but didn't touch her. Her voice cracked. "You aren't the only one who lost her, Azael. But you're the only one who still has her fire. Use it."
Azael's breath steadied.
He stood.
And called the flame.
Not just from rage—but from memory. From grief. From love.
The silver fire roared to life, wrapping around him and Selene. The shadows wailed, disintegrating in the light.
The cavern shook. The soul-lanterns shattered.
And the murals began to bleed.
Words carved themselves into the stone:
"Trial of Descent—Passed."
—
When the light faded, they stood once again in the Temple.
But something had changed.
Azael's eyes glowed faintly. Not just with silver fire—but with shadow too. His dual nature no longer at war.
The Oracle hovered close, her voice reverent. "The blood remembers. The flame listens. The Shadow bows."
Selene looked at him, hesitant. "Are you… alright?"
Azael nodded. "I saw everything. Not just what they wanted me to forget—but who I could become."
Lyka leaned her cursed blade against the wall. "Good. Because the third Trial… it's not about the past."
Selene frowned. "Then what is it?"
Lyka met Azael's eyes.
"It's about who you're willing to destroy… to claim your future."
Stay tuned..