Morning came harsh and gray. The academy courtyard bustled with tension as dozens of students assembled in neat rows, uniforms crisp, eyes glittering with excitement or fear. Whispers ran through the crowd like sparks across dry grass—everyone knew this day had been coming.
"The Trial of Embers".
Kael stood at the edge, his shoulders stiff, his bandaged arm aching faintly beneath his sleeve. He felt like a shadow pressed among flames. Around him, students laughed, compared weapons, or summoned their elemental sparks to show off. Every burst of fire, ripple of water, or crackle of lightning seemed designed to remind him of what he lacked.
Lyra nudged him lightly with her elbow. "You look like you're about to get executed, not tested."
Kael managed a hollow smirk. "Isn't that the same thing?"
She rolled her eyes but grinned. "Not if you plan on making it out alive."
Before he could answer, the instructor's voice boomed across the courtyard. Master Arath, a stern man whose hair was more silver than black, stood at the front. His gaze swept over them, sharp as steel.
"Today, you step beyond the safety of these walls. The Trial of Embers is not a game. It is the measure of your worth—the first true step in this academy. Fail, and you will not advance."
A hush fell. Even the cockiest students shifted nervously.
"You will be placed in groups," Arath continued. "Together, you will enter the Ember Hollow—a pocket realm forged for this test. Within, you will face illusions, beasts, and the weight of your own limits. Your task is simple: survive until the Hollow closes at sunset. Those who fail will be cast out. Permanently."
The words dropped like stones in Kael's stomach.
Around him, students murmured eagerly, already calculating their possible alliances. Darius stood near the center of the line, his uniform immaculate, his chin raised. When Arath's eyes passed over him, Darius smirked as if victory were already guaranteed.
Kael forced himself to stand straighter, though his chest felt tight. Survive until sunset. That was all. He had survived worse—hadn't he?
"Forming groups now," Arath barked. Assistants stepped forward with lists, calling out names.
One by one, students split into clusters of three. When Kael's name was finally called, he almost missed it, his thoughts tangled with dread.
"Kael Ardyn, Lyra Evensong, Taren Korr."
Lyra gave him a quick grin as she stepped to his side. "Guess you're stuck with me again."
Kael blinked at the third name. Taren was a broad-shouldered boy with earth-path markings stitched into his uniform. His expression was unreadable, but he gave a curt nod in acknowledgment before standing a few paces away.
Darius, of course, had drawn strong teammates from his own clan. He made a show of clapping them on the shoulders, his laugh cutting sharp through the morning air. When his gaze flicked to Kael's small group, his smirk deepened.
"Some of us don't even need opponents to lose," he said loudly enough for nearby students to hear. Laughter followed like a loyal hound.
Kael bit down his anger. He wanted to answer, to throw something back—but the memory of yesterday's duel burned in his mind. He turned away.
Arath's voice silenced them all again. "Step forward."
At the far end of the courtyard, a circular stone gate pulsed with crimson light. The Ember Hollow. Runes flared along its rim, heat distorting the air.
One by one, the groups approached. Students vanished into the gate as it swallowed them in shimmering firelight.
When Kael's group was called, his legs felt heavy. Lyra walked easily beside him, humming as if they weren't about to risk their lives. Taren's jaw was set like stone.
As they neared the gate, Kael felt something else stir. Shadowfire, restless. It curled inside him like smoke searching for a crack. His chest tightened.
Not now. Please, not now.
But the closer they came to the gate, the stronger the pull grew, as though the Hollow itself were calling to the flame inside him.
They stepped into the circle. Heat slammed into Kael's skin, searing his lungs as the world twisted.
And then they were gone.
The Ember Hollow was alive with fire.
They stood in a vast canyon of black stone, rivers of molten lava glowing below jagged cliffs. The air shimmered with oppressive heat, every breath heavy with ash. Strange red crystals jutted from the rocks, pulsing faintly like the heartbeats of slumbering beasts.
Kael staggered, gripping his knees. His skin prickled as if Shadowfire were clawing to get out.
Lyra shaded her eyes with a hand, looking around. "Well. Cheerful place."
Taren scanned the cliffs, his voice low and practical. "We need to keep moving. The Hollow adapts to test us. Staying still makes us prey."
Kael forced himself upright, swallowing back the fire in his chest. "Prey for what?"
A low growl answered.
From the shadows of a nearby ridge, something crawled out. Its body was all jagged stone and fire, its eyes burning coals. The size of a wolf, but wrong—too sharp, too hungry.
Kael's heart lurched.
"Trial beasts," Taren muttered, drawing a blade that shimmered with earthen light. "They'll keep coming."
The creature snarled and lunged. Taren met it head-on, his blade sparking against stone hide. Lyra darted to the side, daggers flashing, movements quick and precise.
Kael froze. His fists clenched, but his mind screamed. He had no weapon. No element to summon. Nothing but the fire he couldn't unleash.
Shadowfire stirred again, licking at his veins, whispering for release.
He shook his head violently. Not here. Not yet.
"Kael!" Lyra shouted, barely ducking as the beast's claws scraped stone inches from her face. "Move!"
He snapped out of it, rushing forward. He grabbed a loose shard of rock from the ground, swinging clumsily. It bounced uselessly off the beast's flank.
The monster roared, turning on him. Heat blasted against his skin. For an instant, he saw his own reflection in its burning eyes—weak, cornered, nothing.
No.
He ducked beneath its strike, desperation driving him. His rock shard scraped across the glowing crystal embedded in its chest. The beast howled, stumbling.
Taren surged forward, his earth-forged blade driving deep into that same crystal. The creature shattered in a burst of fire and smoke, raining ash across the canyon floor.
Silence fell, broken only by Kael's ragged breathing.
Lyra wiped soot from her cheek, shooting him a look. "That was reckless. But not bad."
Kael dropped the broken rock, his hands trembling. He didn't feel like it was "not bad." He felt hollow, his chest still burning with restrained flame.
Taren cleaned his blade with steady precision. "If you can't contribute more than a distraction, you'll drag us down." His tone wasn't cruel—just blunt.
Kael said nothing. He didn't know how to answer.
But inside, Shadowfire pulsed harder than ever, as if laughing at his restlessness.
Hours passed as they pushed deeper into the Hollow. More beasts came—smaller, quicker, swarming in packs. Together, they fought through, Taren's strength holding the line, Lyra's speed cutting gaps, Kael scrambling to keep up.
Every strike, every dodge, every close call ate at him. He was slowing them down. He knew it.
And yet—Lyra never left his side. More than once, her dagger intercepted claws meant for him. More than once, her quick grin steadied him when his breath came short.
Finally, they paused at a rocky cliff, catching what little rest they could. The horizon glowed with endless fire, the air thick with smoke.
Kael sat apart, staring at his hands. His knuckles were raw, his palms blistered. He felt like a fraud.
"Don't," Lyra said softly, settling beside him. "Don't get stuck in your head. You're still here, aren't you?"
He let out a shaky laugh. "Barely."
"Barely is better than broken." She nudged his shoulder. "Besides… I saw that spark yesterday. I know you're holding back. Whatever it is—you don't have to tell me—but I believe it's not weakness."
Kael's throat tightened. He wanted to believe her. But the fire inside him whispered darker truths.
From the ridge above, a shadow stirred. A figure cloaked in flame-red watched silently. Darius.
His smirk gleamed as he turned and vanished back into the smoke.
He'd seen enough
Kael didn't know it yet, but the Hollow wasn't just testing him. It was watching him. Calling to him. And before sunset fell, he would either unleash the Shadowfire… or be consumed by it.