Fallen Heaven: Rise of Faizi Tian
Episode 42 – Trial of the Demon Seal
The cavern lay in heavy silence after the blinding light faded.
Faizi Tian still knelt at the center of the sealing formation, his breath ragged and his skin slick with cold sweat. In his palm, the Demon Seal pulsed faintly, as though it were a living heart. Each beat sent a shiver through his body, vibrating in his bones.
Elder Ren stood a few paces away, his gaze locked on Faizi with an unreadable expression. There was no congratulation in his eyes, only a quiet intensity that made Faizi uneasy.
"You took it," Elder Ren said at last, his voice low. "The binding has begun."
Faizi forced himself to stand, ignoring the way his legs trembled. "Good. The sooner I master it, the sooner the demons fall."
But Elder Ren's lips curled into something between a grimace and a smile. "Master it? You think claiming the Seal is mastery? No, Faizi… this is where your trial begins."
Before Faizi could speak, the world around him shifted. The cavern dissolved into darkness — not the absence of light, but a void so deep it felt like falling into endless night. The ground beneath him turned cold and unsteady, like the surface of a frozen lake.
A voice thundered through the void, deep and ancient.
*"Mortal. You dare grasp my power?"*
Faizi steadied himself. "I will not kneel to you. You will serve my will."
Laughter, sharp and cruel, echoed all around him.
*"Your will? You cannot even comprehend the weight of mine."*
From the shadows emerged a colossal figure — horned, armored in jagged obsidian, eyes burning with abyssal flame. Its presence was suffocating, each breath Faizi took feeling like he inhaled molten iron.
"This is the Demon Seal's true form…" Faizi realized aloud.
The demon's massive hand pointed toward him. *"Prove yourself, or be consumed. This Seal has had many wielders. None remained whole."*
Without warning, the void shifted again. A battlefield spread out before Faizi — a wasteland of shattered earth and rivers of molten rock. Demonic beasts, each towering and grotesque, emerged from the horizon in droves. The air was thick with their killing intent.
Faizi's weapon appeared in his hand — but it felt heavier, slower, as if the void itself wanted to crush him.
"So this is your trial," he muttered. "Then I'll carve my way through it."
The first beast lunged — a hulking wolf-like demon with serrated fangs and a mane of fire. Faizi sidestepped its pounce, his blade cutting through its flank. Black ichor hissed as it touched the scorched ground. But before the creature fell, two more replaced it, then four, then ten. The trial was relentless.
Each kill sent a ripple of dark energy into his body, burning and tempting him to let go — to surrender and become part of the Seal's will. The temptation was insidious, promising limitless strength in exchange for obedience.
Faizi gritted his teeth. "Strength without freedom is nothing."
The demons grew stronger. Their claws could split stone, their roars shook the battlefield. Blood ran down Faizi's arms, but he refused to falter. Every strike was fueled by the image of his ancestors' sacrifices, of villages burned by demonic raids, of the faces he had sworn to protect.
Then, amidst the chaos, a figure appeared — a human silhouette. Familiar.
"Elder Ren?" Faizi blinked.
The figure stepped forward, but its features were twisted, its eyes glowing with demonic red. The voice was Elder Ren's, yet layered with something far older. "Why do you fight, boy? Why resist? With the Seal, we could *rule* the demons, not destroy them."
"This is an illusion," Faizi growled.
"Is it?" the voice pressed, circling him. "Or is it the truth you refuse to face? Elder Ren has touched the Seal's power before. His path… is not so different from mine."
Faizi's grip tightened. "Maybe. But my path will never be his."
The false Ren smiled — and then attacked. The clash was unlike the beasts before; this opponent fought like a human, with precision, skill, and the cunning of experience. Each strike tested Faizi's resolve as much as his body.
In the void beyond, the colossal demon watched silently, its burning gaze assessing every move.
After what felt like hours, Faizi's blade finally found its mark, cutting through the false Ren's chest. The figure dissolved into black mist, carried away by the howling wind of the void.
The battlefield crumbled, the demons fading like smoke. Faizi stood alone again in the endless dark.
The colossal demon's voice returned.
*"You resist… admirable. Few survive the first trial. But this is only the beginning."*
"I'm not here to survive," Faizi said, breathing hard but steady. "I'm here to win."
A pause. Then, a slow, resonant chuckle.
*"We shall see, mortal. For now… you may leave."*
The darkness shattered. Faizi's eyes snapped open to find himself back in the cavern, the Demon Seal still in his palm. Elder Ren stood where he had before, his gaze sharp.
"You were gone for hours," the old man said.
"To me, it felt like days," Faizi replied. His eyes searched Elder Ren's face, looking for answers, but found only the same guarded calm.
Elder Ren's gaze flicked to the Seal. "It hasn't killed you. That's… promising."
"It won't kill me," Faizi said firmly. "But it might kill my enemies."
For the first time, something like concern crossed Elder Ren's eyes. "Be careful what you call 'enemies,' Faizi. The Seal has its own mind. It will blur the line between friend and foe if you let it."
"I decide my own path," Faizi replied.
Elder Ren didn't argue, but the silence between them was heavier than the cavern air.
As they began to leave, Faizi glanced once more at the Demon Seal. Its faint heartbeat echoed in his palm, a constant reminder — the trial was far from over, and the Seal was watching him.
In its depths, a voice whispered — so faint he almost thought he imagined it.
*"We are not done yet."*