DISCLAIMER
This story is a work of fiction.
All names, characters, events, and places are either products of the author's imagination ( WHICH IS ME) or used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.
This story may contain scenes of fantasy violence, emotional tension, and themes suited for older teens. Reader discretion is advised.
All content, including worldbuilding, characters, and plotlines, is original and belongs to the author. Please do not copy, reproduce, or repost without permission.
A long time ago..
It began with a magical light drifting through the galaxy..
searching for something unique...
something to land upon...
something to...create life.
Then came fate.
The light descended upon a massive meteor rock and began to glow, brighter than the sun itself.
And with each passing second, its brilliance intensified, until finally-
It exploded.
From that blinding light, a world was born..a realm with two moons and three suns, a place teeming with possibility.
Creatures rose from the newly formed land: Vampires, werewolves, elves, and many others.
All born to thrive, all living in harmony.
Then, from the heart of the light,
she descended from the skies,
landing upon the sacred waters-
glowing brighter with each breath.
And from her radiant light,
the Khanimuns were born.
And thus, civilization began.
Temples were raised, homes were built,
and castles stood tall against the skies.
Magic flowed through the lands, discovered, studied, and revered.
From their knowledge and spirit,
warriors emerged, clad in shining armor, wielding blades forged in light and shadow.
The Khanimuns grew swiftly,
evolving with each generation,
becoming stronger... wiser...
more powerful than ever before.
And that's where our story begins...
"Narren!"
A voice echoed through the temple grounds.
Dyea ran up the stone path, her chest heaving, golden strands of hair dancing wildly behind her. Her eyes sparkled with urgency-and just a hint of annoyance.
Narren turned from the gates, squinting in the sunlight. His expression lit up when he saw her.
"Oh? Dyea! Took you long enough!" he said with a teasing grin.
"Ugh! Don't start!" she huffed, stopping just a few feet away. "Where are Maxul and Trixie?"
Narren shrugged, leaning lazily against the temple archway. "No clue. Maybe they're still stuffing their faces at the village market."
He chuckled. "Or maybe Maxul got them lost again."
Dyea crossed her arms, tapping her foot with mock frustration. "We were supposed to meet before the sun reached the third tier. If we miss the trial-"
"Relax," Narren said, his smile softening. "We won't miss it. I wouldn't let that happen... not today."
For a second, the tension in her shoulders eased.
Behind them, the temple bells began to chime-low, ancient, and ominous.
Dyea glanced toward the sky, the twin moons faint behind the suns. "I don't know why... but something feels different today."
Narren's smile faded just a little.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I feel it too."
The wind stirred around them, lifting petals from the temple trees as the low hum of the bells echoed across the land.
Dyea looked down the path, squinting into the distance.
"They better not be late. This isn't just another walk in the village, Narren. Today decides whether we're ready to become full warriors."
Narren let out a breath, ruffling his already-messy dark hair. "I know, I know. I've been waiting for this day since I was five. You really think I'd mess it up now?"
Before she could answer, a distant voice cut through the air-
"WAAAIT FOR US!!"
Down the hill, two figures sprinted toward them-one with long, flowing robes flapping behind him, the other holding a loaf of bread in her mouth like she was running late for class.
"MAXUL!" Dyea shouted, hands on her hips. "You're eating again?!"
"I haven't had breakfast!" Maxul cried, nearly tripping on a rock. "Trixie made me stop at the bakery!"
"Hey, you didn't have to eat three loaves," Trixie shot back, her red braid bouncing with every step. "And don't blame me-we wouldn't have been late if someone didn't bargain with the baker for ten minutes."
Narren laughed under his breath. "The gang's finally here."
Maxul and Trixie arrived breathless at the temple gates.
Dyea folded her arms. "We're supposed to enter together, remember? Like an actual team?"
Trixie grinned. "A chaotic team is still a team."
Maxul wiped his forehead, then looked up at the tall stone doors of the temple. His smile faded slightly. "We're really doing this, huh?"
Silence fell between the four of them. The weight of the moment pressed in.
The ancient doors began to rumble, slow, deep, and powerful.
A beam of golden light emerged from the crack, and the air shimmered like water.
A voice, neither male nor female, echoed from within:
"Only the worthy may step into the light. Only the chosen may awaken their fate."
Dyea's breath caught. Narren reached for his sword hilt.
Maxul and Trixie exchanged a nervous glance.
And without a word, the four stepped forward, into the light.
The moment the four stepped into the light, the world around them shifted.
Stone transformed into sky.
The air turned cold and thick, like fog soaked in magic.
A vast chamber revealed itself, pillars spiraling into nothingness, runes glowing beneath their feet.
Dyea took a step forward. "What is this place...?"
Then a shadow moved. Fast.
"DUCK!" Narren shouted.
A blur of white robes and steel dropped from above.
CLANG!
Dyea barely raised her arm in time to block a curved blade with her bracers.
She skidded back across the stone floor.
A tall figure stood in the center, his eyes narrow beneath a silver mask. His long black coat snapped in the magical wind.
"You call that reflexes?!" the man growled. "You're dead five times over!"
"Nargi?!" Maxul gasped, drawing a short dagger. "That's the trial?!"
"Welcome to your first lesson," Nargi said with a wicked grin. "Survive."
Without warning, he lunged-straight at Maxul.
"Waaah!" Maxul yelped, rolling aside just as Nargi's blade slashed the air.
Trixie reacted instantly, summoning a small fireball and launching it toward Nargi.
He blocked it with a flick of his sword, then teleported behind her.
"Too slow."
Before he could strike, Narren's blade clashed with his, sparks flying.
"You're not hurting them," Narren growled.
"Good instincts," Nargi admitted, pushing him back with raw force. "But not good enough!"
He swept his foot, knocking Narren off balance. Dyea appeared behind him in a blur, her dual short swords slashing upward.
Nargi grunted and leapt into the air, flipping backward before landing gracefully.
He pointed at them all with his sword.
"Rule one of surviving Dyniris: The enemy won't wait for you to catch your breath."
Maxul panted, barely standing. "So much... for a welcoming ceremony."
"Rule two-" Nargi's eyes narrowed.
"You never trust peace inside ancient walls."
With a stomp of his foot, the runes beneath them lit up.
The ground cracked, four stone guardians rose from the floor, eyes glowing, weapons drawn.
"Begin."
The stone guardians lunged-massive, fast, and merciless.
CRASH!
Trixie barely rolled aside as a massive blade slammed into the ground, dust and stone flying everywhere.
"Behind you!" Dyea cried out.
Too late.
A stone fist smashed into Trixie's side, hurling her into a pillar.
She groaned, trying to rise, blood trailing down her temple.
"Trixie!" Maxul shouted, eyes wide.
He ran to help-but a guardian stepped in his path.
Its axe came down.
Maxul raised his daggers just in time.
The impact rang through his arms, and threw him to the ground, wind knocked out of him.
Dyea dashed in, blades gleaming as she struck with precision.
She slashed across one guardian's chest, but it didn't even flinch.
Another stone brute surged forward, grabbing her by the arm, Before she could react, it hurled her into the wall like a ragdoll.
Her back hit the stone with a sickening thud. She collapsed, coughing, her swords clattering across the floor.
Narren stood frozen for a moment, his eyes darting between his fallen friends. His hands clenched into fists, trembling.
"Do you think this is fair?!" he shouted at Nargi, his voice cracking with fury. "We're students...not soldiers!"
Nargi stood calmly, arms crossed, watching without emotion. "Wrong," he said coldly. "You were never just students."
One of the guardians lunged at Narren, its blade gleaming in the light. This time, he didn't dodge. He raised his sword and caught the blow mid-swing, the impact shaking the ground beneath him.
A crack formed beneath his feet. His eyes, usually calm, flared with something deeper than rage. Something ancient.
"Then fine," he growled, pushing the blade back with a roar. "I'll show you what happens when you hurt them."
Narren moved like lightning, his sword a blur of steel and fury, He struck one guardian's leg, slicing through it cleanly.
Then he spun, He drove his blade into the guardian's chest, and it shattered into stone and dust.
Maxul stared in disbelief. "Wha... Narren?!"
But Narren didn't answer. He stood in front of the group, breath ragged, bruised, his eyes burning with fury.
"Come near them again," he said low and cold, his sword trembling in his grip, "and I'll forget you're our teacher."
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then Nargi... smiled.
"Now that... is the response I was waiting for," he said.
With a snap of his fingers, the remaining guardians froze, then crumbled into dust.
The room fell quiet, the echoes of battle fading into stillness.
Narren's sword lowered, but his hands still shook.
Dyea slowly pushed herself up, wincing. "You... idiot," she muttered, forcing a smile. "You really were about to fight a teacher."
Narren let out a shaky breath, then glanced at her with a faint smirk. "Someone had to."
Trixie groaned from the floor, holding her side. "Okay... next time, maybe we talk before unleashing rage mode?"
Maxul laughed weakly, still lying flat. "I thought we were dead. Like, actually dead. Can we not do that again?"
Nargi stepped forward, his tone serious now. "You all did terribly."
They stared at him, mouths half open.
"But... you survived. Barely. And that's a start."
He looked directly at Narren. "That anger... it wasn't ordinary."
"You're holding something back. Something old."
Narren's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Nargi turned away, his voice echoing through the chamber. "You'll need to control it before it controls you."
"Because next time..." he paused, glancing over his shoulder,
"what you face won't stop when you fall."
The ancient temple doors creaked open behind them, light spilling into the chamber once more.
Their trial was over
but something far greater had just begun.
Narren looked at his friends-bruised, battered, but alive.
He sheathed his sword slowly, a storm still stirring in his chest.
Deep down, he knew... this was only the beginning.
And somewhere far beyond the temple, beneath the twin moons of Dyniris, a shadow stirred. Watching. Waiting.
The true test had yet to come.
The doors creaked open as sunlight spilled across the stone floor.
The four stepped outside, the wind gently brushing against their bruised skin and aching limbs.
They found a quiet spot by the temple steps, still catching their breath from the battle inside.
"Narren... I didn't know you were that strong," Maxul said, his voice still a little shaky.
"Yeah," Trixie added, rubbing her side. "Those things were impossible to fight. And you just... snapped into another mode."
Narren looked down at his hands, clenching them slowly.
"I don't know what came over me... It felt like my rage took control."
He paused.
"My vision blurred, my eyes burned... like they flared with red madness. And I was scared. I'm still scared."
He looked up at the others.
"What if one day I lose control completely? What if I hurt one of you?"
Silence.
Maxul and Trixie looked at each other-unable to answer right away. They understood.
That kind of fear... was heavy.
Then, without warning, Dyea stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Narren.
The sudden hug made him freeze, caught off guard, awkward and unsure.
But then Maxul and Trixie joined in, throwing their arms around both of them.
"Don't worry, Narren," Dyea whispered, her voice warm and steady.
"I'm here. And so are Maxul and Trixie. If that day ever comes... we'll face it together. And we'll make sure no one gets hurt. Not even you."
Narren looked at her, then at the rest of them, and slowly...
he smiled.
A small, genuine smile. The kind that said thank you without words.
After the group hug, the silence stretched for a few seconds longer.
Then, Dyea pulled back just slightly.
Before Narren could react, she leaned in and gently kissed his cheek.
A soft, warm touch.
"That's for saving us," she said with a small smile.
Narren blinked, his face turning a faint shade of red.
Maxul let out a low whistle.
Trixie grinned and elbowed him. "Careful, lover boy..she might start charging for those."
Narren glanced at Dyea, stunned... but smiling again, this time, a little brighter.
In his thoughts:
"Dyea... you always surprise me. Even after everything we just went through... you still find a way to make me feel calm. Seen. Safe."
"But... what if one day I lose control for real? What if I hurt you?"
"No... I can't let that happen. I'll get stronger. For you. For all of us."
The wind blew gently through the temple steps as Dyea looked away, a faint blush on her cheeks.
And for the first time since the trial began,
Narren felt something other than fear.
He felt hope.
20 years later
???'s POV
As I walked toward the temple gates, the air felt... heavier.
Older.
Familiar.
Then I saw them-
a figure standing alone beneath the rising suns.
My steps slowed.
Something about them pulled at the back of my mind.
A flicker of memory. A name I almost remembered.
"Why... do I feel like I know this person?"
Their silhouette didn't move. But I could feel it-
they were waiting for me.
I stepped closer.
The wind picked up, sweeping across the old stones of the ruined temple.
Vines had reclaimed the walls... but something deeper lingered here.
Power. Memory.
I stopped just a few feet away.
The figure turned. Slowly.
And then-I froze.
Eyes.
Those eyes.
Burning red... but not with rage.
With sadness.
"You've grown," the figure said, their voice low and familiar. "But I would've known you anywhere."
My breath caught in my throat.
No... it couldn't be.
He was gone. He was-
"Narren...?" I whispered.
The man..older, scarred, and cloaked in worn silver armor,gave a faint smile.
"Hello, Dyea."
I stared at him
At the man who once stood beside me with fire in his eyes and a sword in his hand.
Now he looked... tired. Haunted. But still him. Still Narren.
"Narren... where-where have you been?" I whispered.
My voice shook. I could barely get the words out.
"What happened to Maxul? Trixie? To... us?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked away.
That look in his eyes-like he'd been carrying the weight of a world I never got to see.
Like he was afraid of me knowing.
"After the Siege of Arveil... everything fell apart," he finally said.
"Trixie... she... didn't make it."
My breath caught.
No. No, that couldn't be true.
"She bought us time," he said softly. "Held the southern gate until the barrier collapsed. Her flame burned until the very end."
He paused.
"Maxul disappeared shortly after. Some say he ran. Others say... he made a deal with something darker to protect what was left of the capital."
He looked at me again, but not directly.
"I've searched. I never found him."
My knees nearly gave out.
I stumbled back, heart racing, mind spinning.
"You-you left," I choked out.
"You left me. You just... vanished."
His voice cracked.
The first time I'd heard it do that in over twenty years.
"Because I had to," he said. "My power... it kept growing. I lost control after the war. I hurt people. I hurt myself."
"I couldn't let you be near me when I didn't even trust what I was becoming."
Tears blurred my vision.
My heart felt like it was splitting open in every direction.
"You should've trusted me, Narren!"
"We said we'd face it together!"
I could feel my voice breaking, rising, falling.
"We could've saved her. We could've stopped all of it-if you hadn't-if you just-"
I couldn't finish.
The tears finally broke free. I didn't try to stop them.
Narren stepped closer. Slowly.
But he didn't touch me.
He didn't dare.
"I never stopped thinking about you," he said, gently.
"I just... didn't think I had the right to come back."
I dropped to my knees.
The sword hit the ground beside me with a metallic ring I barely heard.
My hands trembled. My chest burned. My heart felt like it was being crushed.
And Narren... he just stood there.
Silent.
Stunned.
His lips parted, like he wanted to say something-but nothing came out.
He looked at me like he didn't recognize me anymore.
Like the girl who once smiled beside him under the twin suns was gone, and this broken version was all that remained.
I raised my head slowly, glaring at him through blurry eyes.
"Say something..." I choked.
"Anything."
But he didn't.
Not a word. Not a step forward.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I screamed.
"You were everything to me, Narren!"
I slammed my fists against the stone.
"I liked you! I trusted you!"
"I would've followed you anywhere,band you just left!"
My voice echoed into the empty courtyard, the only answer the distant wind.
"I waited for years... Years!"
I looked up at him one more time.
"And when I finally stopped waiting... I hated myself for it."
He flinched, but still, no words.
Just that haunted look in his eyes.
That silence... was louder than anything else.
But before he could respond-
Before a single word left his lips-
I felt it.
A shift in the air.
Heavy. Cold.
Unnatural.
I spun around, my breath catching.
From the shadows beyond the broken temple gates,
a figure emerged, tall, cloaked, and moving like smoke.
Their footsteps didn't echo.
Their presence did.
Narren stepped forward instinctively, placing himself between me and the stranger.
I wanted to scream again. I wanted to curse him for protecting me like old times-like nothing happened.
But I couldn't.
Because...
I recognized that energy.
That aura.
I rose slowly, my fingers brushing the hilt of my sword.
"Who's there?" I demanded, my voice trembling but sharp.
The figure stopped just at the edge of the light.
Their face hidden beneath a dark hood.
Then they spoke.
Low. Familiar.
"You speak of betrayal, Dyea... yet none of you ever came looking for me."
My blood ran cold.
That voice.
It couldn't be.
Narren's breath hitched beside me. His fists clenched.
"...Maxul?"
The figure stepped fully into the light.
Older. Hardened. Eyes glowing faintly with magic that didn't belong to this world.
"Yes," he said softly.
"But not the Maxul you remember."
"...Maxul?"
The name fell from Narren's lips like a ghost.
The figure stepped into the light.
His robes were black and tattered at the edges, silver chains coiled loosely around one arm. His once-boyish face was now sharper, colder... but it was his eyes that shattered me.
They glowed faintly-deep purple, with cracks of red lightning dancing in them.
Not like magic.
Not like ours.
Like something else was living inside him.
"Yes," he said. "It's me."
I took a step forward, unsure if I should scream or run.
"You're alive..." I whispered.
"I was," Maxul replied bitterly. "Until you stopped looking."
I felt the words cut deeper than any blade.
"I-We didn't know where you were. We thought you left. Or worse-"
"I did leave," he said sharply. "I had to. Because while you were mourning and running from the past, I was out there...
He looked straight at Narren.
"You abandoned her. And you let Trixie die."
Narren's jaw clenched. "You think I don't live with that every day?"
Maxul laughed softly, but there was no joy in it.
"I gave up everything to protect what was left of Dyniris," he said, lifting his hand.
A strange, red-black glow pulsed beneath the chains wrapped around his arm.
The sky above seemed to dim, just slightly.
"And in return... Dyniris gave me this."
Narren stepped forward. "Maxul, what did you do?"
"I did what none of you were willing to do," Maxul answered. "I accepted the truth."
He looked at me now. And his gaze softened for just a moment.
"You said you trusted Narren."
He paused.
"But once... you trusted me too."
Something in me twisted.
"Maxul, we never stopped caring," I said quietly. "We grieved. We broke. We fell apart."
"But you're here now. You're alive. We can fix this, together."
For a heartbeat, he looked like he might believe it.
Then his eyes darkened again.
"It's too late for that."
He raised his hand. The air cracked with magic.
"I didn't come to reunite."
"I came to warn you."
"The darkness that gave me power... is coming for all of Dyniris."
"And if you stand in its way..."
His voice dropped into a low, cold whisper.
"...I won't hesitate next time."
He vanished into a burst of shadow and wind, leaving only
silence and scorched stone behind.
"... Maxul.."