The forest clearing buzzed with unease. Mist clung to the earth, wrapping itself around the boots of every student. Their eyes darted nervously, each one haunted by the bloodshed of the trial before.
At the center stood Vir, his robe unmoving in the faint breeze. His gaze swept across them—cold, sharp, merciless.
"Yesterday you learned fear," he began, voice carrying like steel across the clearing. "But fear is nothing if you cannot turn it into strength. Today, you will face something greater. Not a beast… not me… but yourselves."
He raised his hand. Mana pulsed through the ground.
The earth cracked—and from it rose a titan. A serpent, vast as a tower, coiling around the trees, scales black as night, eyes burning gold. Its hiss shook the air, rattling bones.
Several students stumbled back, some clutching their hearts.
"This," Vir said, his voice calm amidst the chaos, "is my spirit. It is not my ally. It is me. A spirit is the truest reflection of your soul. It will either guide you… or consume you."
The serpent lowered its head, fangs dripping with venom that sizzled against the soil.
Whispers broke out. Spirits? Here? Now?
Vir's eyes hardened. "Sit. Meditate. Open your mana veins. If there is something within you—it will answer. If not… pray it doesn't kill you."
---
Failures First
The first boy sat down, trembling. He drew mana into his core, forcing it outward. A flicker of light… then nothing. Suddenly, his veins screamed. He cried out before collapsing, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Failure," Vir said flatly. "Next."
The girl who followed glimpsed something—wings, claws?—but the vision shattered like broken glass. She clutched her chest, gasping in pain.
One after another, most failed. Some fainted, others screamed, others left hollow-eyed.
Whispers spread. Is this even possible? Do only prodigies survive?
---
Mira's Turn
Mira stepped forward. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails bit into her palms. I won't fail. Ravi's out there waiting. I'll carve my way through hell itself if I must.
She closed her eyes.
The world around her melted away.
In its place—an ocean. Endless, frozen, glittering. Beneath the surface, something stirred. Shadows twisted, scales glimmering faintly. Then—a vast shape unfurled. Serpentine, but crowned with crystalline wings of frost.
Her breath caught. Just as quickly, the vision dissolved. She opened her eyes, frost trailing down her lashes.
Gasps rang out.
Vir's eyes lingered. "A serpent. Icy. Cruel. It will test you more than death itself. But…" He nodded slightly. "Not bad."
Mira's lips curved into a thin, determined smile. Ravi… wait for me.
---
Arjun's Glimpse
Arjun strode forward, jaw clenched. He sat cross-legged, fists resting on his knees. If I can't protect them, what good am I?
Darkness spread around him, heavy, suffocating. He heard trumpets, distant but thunderous, and the ground trembled.
Then—boom. A paw stepped into view, grey, massive. Just one paw. The weight of it crushed the void itself, radiating strength unshakable.
Arjun gasped, snapping out, sweat pouring down his back. His knees ached as if something had pressed on them.
Vir's eyes flickered with interest. "Elephant. Heavy. Relentless. Once it chooses to walk… nothing stops it."
Arjun's lips twitched into a rare grin. Mira smirked at him, fire in her eyes.
---
Aarav's Awakening
Then, Aarav.
He hesitated. His stomach churned. He could feel everyone's eyes boring into him. Can I…?
He closed his eyes.
At once, the void swallowed him whole. No sound. No warmth. Nothing.
Then—a flicker. A light. Small at first, but unyielding.
It grew, brighter, stronger, until it split the darkness apart.
Eyes opened within the light. Ancient. Endless. They looked straight into him.
"You… are mine."
Aarav's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with silver. For a heartbeat, the clearing itself shifted—a towering silhouette loomed behind him, wings of light unfurled. Students shielded their eyes.
Then it was gone. Aarav staggered, clutching his chest, panting.
Whispers broke like wildfire.
"Impossible…"
"He has a spirit already?"
"No… more than that. Did you see it?"
Vir, however, watched him longer than anyone. Two elements. Twice the mana. Twice the burden. If he doesn't master control, he'll burn out.
Vir dismissed his serpent with a wave. "Enough. Those of you who glimpsed something… remember this. You are not recognized yet. You've only been warned."
His eyes cut into Aarav. "Your fight begins now. Survive your own soul, or you'll never survive the world."
Half the students were carried away by healers. Only a handful had glimpsed anything.
Whispers surrounded Mira, Arjun, and Aarav. "Prodigies." "Dangerous." "Untouchable."
But none of them cared. Their thoughts burned with the same name. Ravi.
---
The Empty Bed
That night, Aarav rushed into the infirmary, Mira and Arjun close behind.
The room was dark. Silent. The sheets were messy, streaked faintly with blood. But the bed was empty.
"No…" Aarav whispered, his knees buckling.
Mira grabbed the sheets, trembling. "He was here. He was here!"
Arjun's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles bled. "Rahul."
The door slammed open—Vir stormed in, face dark as thunderclouds. One look at the empty bed, and his jaw tightened. He punched the wall, cracks splintering through the stone.
"Damn it!"
---
Mage Association
By midnight, the Mage Association chamber burned with lamplight. Vir stood before three officials, his voice cold but unrelenting.
"Student kidnapped. Dark forces involved. If we don't act now—"
"Silence," snapped one elder, his silver beard gleaming. "We cannot confirm it was the cult. To accuse without proof—"
Vir's eyes narrowed. "Who else can infiltrate this deep?"
Another official sighed. "If we act openly, it could spark a war. For now, we classify this as restricted-level threat. Quiet investigation only."
"Quietly?" Aarav's voice cut like a blade. He stormed in, Mira and Arjun at his side. "Ravi is dying out there, and you want to bury it under paperwork?"
Mira's voice shook, but it was steel. "If you won't do anything… then we will."
Arjun's glare was steady, sharp. "He's our brother. We don't leave family behind."
The officials exchanged tense glances. Vir finally stepped forward, his hand firm on Aarav's shoulder.
"You'll get your chance," he said quietly. "But not now. You have seven days. Learn to command your spirits. Without control, you'll die before you reach him."
His gaze sharpened on Aarav. "And you… double mana, double weakness. If you fail, you'll be the first to fall."
---
Resolve
Later, under the moonlight, the three stood alone.
Aarav's fists shook, faint light flickering between his palms. "Ravi… we'll bring you back. I swear it."
Mira lifted her chin, frost glimmering across her lashes. "I'll make the serpent bow, even if it kills me. And when it does—I'll freeze anyone in my way."
Arjun exhaled, jaw set like stone. "That paw I saw… it'll walk with me. And I'll use it to shield us all. That's my promise."
The three looked at each other, fire reflected in their eyes.
For the first time, their determination aligned perfectly.
Far away, deep in blood-red caverns, a roar echoed from a chained beast. Rahul stood before it, lips curling in a faint smile.
The storm had only begun.