Chapter 6 - Trial of the Archive
The moment the runes beneath Kael's feet blazed, the world shattered.
Stone, shelves, and torchlight ripped apart like paper in a storm, scattering into sparks that swirled around him. Ember barked and lunged, but the wolf too was swept into the maelstrom. Lightning coiled around Kael's body, searing and freezing at once, pulling him into a void where time had no meaning.
He tried to scream, but the sound was stolen by the storm.
Then - silence.
Kael opened his eyes. He was standing on a wide, cracked plain of glassy stone that stretched endlessly in all directions. Above him, the sky was torn in half - one side burning red like fire, the other a storm of endless thunderclouds. The two halves clashed violently at the horizon, as if the world itself were at war.
Ember stood at his side, hackles raised, golden eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. Sparks licked his fur, reflecting Kael's own unstable aura. The wolf whined once, uneasily.
Kael swallowed, scanning the landscape. "Where are we?" His voice came out rough, swallowed by the endless expanse.
A whisper answered - not from Ember, not from the world, but from everywhere at once.
This is the Trial of the Archive. The crucible of truth. Few enter. Fewer leave.
The voice echoed like a thousand overlapping tones, male and female, young and old, as though the Library itself spoke.
Kael's chest tightened. "Why me?"
Because you touched what was forbidden. Because you are Thunderheart. Because your truth is not yet chosen.
The word Thunderheart sent a ripple through the world. Lightning flared in the sky above, striking the horizon. The glass beneath Kael's boots trembled, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Ember barked sharply, as if to anchor him. The wolf's tail brushed Kael's leg, warm and steady.
Kael clenched his fists. "If this is some test, then show me!"
The voice whispered again. Very well.
The ground split open with a thunderclap. Shards of stone fell away into an abyss that had no bottom. From the rift rose towering shapes - shadows sculpted into figures Kael recognized with a jolt of dread.
The first was his village, Greyhaven, aflame. Screams echoed, distorted, as he saw himself as a child, powerless, clutching Ember's smaller form while lightning tore the sky apart.
The second was a figure cloaked in fire - Joren. Only this time, the rival's face was twisted, monstrous, his hawk's eyes glowing blood-red.
And beyond them, a third shadow loomed - faceless, but massive, its eyes like burning suns, wings of bone spreading across the sky. The air grew heavy, crushing, and Kael stumbled under its weight.
Ember snarled, teeth bared at the illusions, but Kael's knees buckled. His storm flickered dangerously in his veins, drawn to the images.
The voice whispered, closer now. Here lies the truth of you, Thunderheart. The past that defines you. The rivals that will hunt you. The fate that waits. Will you face them... or break?
Kael's breaths came ragged, lightning crackling along his skin. He tried to step forward, but the shadows pressed closer, their voices layering over each other - taunts, screams, accusations.
"You killed us."
"You'll burn us all."
"You are nothing but a weapon."
The words burrowed under his skin. His storm surged, wild and uncontrolled. The sky cracked again, thunder shaking the ground.
Kael fell to one knee. Ember leapt in front of him, growling, golden eyes locking onto his. The wolf barked once, sharp and commanding - reminding Kael of who he was, who they were together.
Kael met Ember's gaze. The voices dulled slightly, enough for him to breathe. His fists steadied.
"I'll face it," he whispered, voice hoarse but certain. "I won't break."
The shadows froze.
Then the voice of the Archive echoed again, thunderous this time. Then your trial begins.
The illusions solidified, stepping forward as though real - Greyhaven burning, Joren's twisted smirk, the faceless winged titan blotting the sky.
Kael stood, storm flickering, Ember by his side. His trial had only just begun.
The shadows advanced, their shapes gaining terrible clarity. Greyhaven's burning homes flickered like torches. The cries of villagers rang out, distorted and yet all too familiar. Kael felt his stomach knot as he saw faces in the flames - neighbors, friends - each turning toward him with hollow, accusing eyes.
"You brought the storm."
"You let us die."
"Monster."
Kael stumbled back, chest tight. His mind screamed to deny it, but guilt churned in his gut like acid. I didn't mean to... I couldn't control it.
Beside him, Ember snarled at the flames, his fur sparking, but the wolf couldn't burn illusions away. They closed in regardless, licking heat against Kael's skin.
The ground cracked again, reshaping. Greyhaven's fiery wreckage collapsed inward, twisting into a long, endless hallway of mirrors. The firelight died, replaced by a cold silver glow.
Kael blinked, disoriented. The mirrors stretched on both sides, floor to ceiling, reflecting countless versions of himself. Some looked like the boy he was - frightened, desperate. Others, older, with eyes like storms and scars across their faces. One version's hands dripped with lightning that scorched everything it touched. Another wore chains, broken but still clinging to him.
Every reflection whispered as Kael passed.
"You will destroy them."
"You cannot save anyone."
"You will choose power over love."
Kael clenched his jaw, trying to shut them out, but the whispers clawed at his mind. His reflection shifted suddenly, showing Ember - not the wolf at his side, but a twisted, shadowed version. Ember's golden eyes burned red, his fur blackened, and in this reflection he lunged at Kael with bared fangs.
"No!" Kael slammed his fist against the glass, cracks webbing across the mirror. The twisted Ember dissolved into smoke, but the damage was done. His hands shook. They'll turn even him against me.
The hallway narrowed, mirrors pressing closer, their whispers rising in a chorus. "Thunderheart. Thunderheart. Thunderheart." The word echoed like a curse.
Kael stumbled forward, nearly tripping. His storm flared erratically, sparks jumping across the mirrors, warping the reflections further. Ember pressed against his leg, growling low, guiding him through the endless corridor.
Then - silence.
Kael stopped. The mirrors ahead had shifted into a single towering pane. Unlike the rest, it was clear, perfect, its reflection sharp as reality.
He saw himself - no distortions, no whispers. Just Kael, a boy with storm-filled veins and haunted eyes.
But then the reflection smiled.
Kael's breath froze. He hadn't moved. Ember growled, hackles rising, his fur sparking.
The reflection stepped out of the mirror.
It looked exactly like him - same dark hair, same storm-glow in the eyes - but different in one crucial way: there was no fear. Its storm crackled with complete control, power shaped into a weapon. Confidence radiated from every movement.
"Who - what are you?" Kael asked, voice shaking.
The double smirked. "I'm you. The version you're too weak to become."
It raised its hand. Lightning danced, clean and sharp, not wild and ragged like Kael's. "You waste your gift, clinging to weakness. To wolves. To bonds." The double glanced at Ember with disdain. "The storm doesn't need anchors. It needs only obedience. Submission."
Kael's chest tightened. He felt the storm inside him stir, drawn to the double's control, its precision. Is this what I could be?
The double stepped closer, storm flaring brighter. "You will never save anyone until you cut away the chains. Your storm is meant to rule, not serve. I can show you - if you let me in."
The air thickened, pressure building, as though the Trial itself waited for Kael's answer. Ember barked sharply, standing between Kael and his reflection, fur bristling, golden eyes locked on the double.
The double sneered. "Still hiding behind your pet?" Lightning flared from its hands, striking the ground in arcs that made Kael stumble.
Kael's storm surged wildly, torn between fear and temptation. The Hall of Illusions vibrated, mirrors shattering, raining shards of glass that hung suspended in the air, reflecting a thousand versions of the scene.
Kael's choice loomed before him: embrace the double's path of raw control - or trust Ember's bond, fragile but real.
The Trial whispered all around him: Choose.
The silence shattered as Kael's double raised its hand. Lightning snapped from its palm, cutting across the mirrored hall with surgical precision. The blast struck inches from Ember, who darted aside with a snarl, his fur bristling with sparks.
Kael staggered back. The air was heavy with ozone, every breath searing his lungs. The double advanced slowly, casually, storm crackling like it was part of him, not a burden.
"You see the difference?" the reflection said, voice smooth, confident. "I command the storm. I bend it to my will. You? You let it consume you. You cling to scraps of control through a wolf's loyalty. Pathetic."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Ember isn't scraps. He's my partner."
The double tilted its head, almost pitying. "Then let's test that."
With a snap of its fingers, the storm warped. The shards of broken mirrors hanging in the air glowed, fusing into jagged spears of lightning. They shot toward Ember like a volley of arrows.
"Ember!" Kael shouted.
The wolf leapt, weaving between the deadly storm-bolts, his movements fluid and desperate. Sparks tore fur and skin, but Ember kept running, circling back to Kael's side with a low growl.
Rage flared in Kael's chest. "Stop using him as your target!"
The double only smiled. "If you're too weak to defend him, maybe he doesn't deserve to live."
Kael's storm burst outward uncontrollably, arcs shooting in every direction. The glass floor cracked beneath his boots. He hurled lightning at his reflection, but the double raised a hand and split the strike effortlessly, sending it harmlessly into the walls.
"Wild. Clumsy. Wasteful," the double mocked. "No wonder they call you cursed."
Kael's stomach twisted. The words dug deep, echoing Joren's jeers, the whispers of classmates, even the cloaked figures in the Archive. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus. No... no, I can't lose to this.
But the double pressed harder, faster. Each strike was clean, deliberate, its storm honed like a blade. Kael fought to match it, but his lightning surged and faltered, wild bursts that left him gasping. Ember lunged, snapping at the reflection, but even his fangs passed through it like smoke.
Kael's double laughed, eyes glowing brighter. "Face it. I am what you could be. A weapon sharp enough to carve the world. And I will be the one they choose - over you."
The words hit like a blow. Kael's knees buckled, his storm sputtering. Fear clawed at his chest. What if he's right? What if I'll never have control?
Then Ember shoved against him, pressing his warm body into Kael's leg, golden eyes burning with loyalty. Despite his wounds, despite the storm that seared his fur, Ember refused to leave. His low growl was steady, unyielding.
Kael met his companion's gaze. In Ember's eyes, he saw not fear or judgment - only trust. Trust in him.
Something shifted in Kael's chest.
"No," Kael whispered, standing taller, storm crackling steadier. "You're wrong. Power without bonds is nothing. You're nothing but an echo."
The double's smirk vanished, replaced by a snarl. "Then you'll die as one."
It unleashed a torrent of lightning, a storm so vast it split the mirrored hall into blinding shards of white.
Kael didn't flinch. He closed his eyes, reached for Ember's steady presence, and let their bond guide him. His storm flared - not wild, not broken, but resonant. Sparks and flame fused together, Kael and Ember moving as one.
Lightning burst from Kael's hands, Ember's roar joining the strike. Their combined storm met the double's torrent head-on. The clash detonated, shaking the hall like an earthquake, light swallowing everything.
For a heartbeat, Kael thought he'd been obliterated.
But when the light faded, his double staggered, cracks spreading across its form like shattered glass.
Kael, chest heaving, raised his hand again. Ember stood at his side, fur glowing with storm-fire. Together, they struck.
The double screamed as it split apart, fragments scattering into the void.
The Hall of Illusions dissolved, mirrors collapsing into dust.
Kael fell to one knee, exhausted but alive. Ember pressed close, his breathing ragged, but his tail thumped weakly against Kael's side.
They had faced the shadow - and survived.
But Kael knew this wasn't the end of the Trial. The Archive had more to test.
Kael's breaths came in ragged bursts, each inhale pulling fire into his lungs. His reflection had shattered, the Hall of Illusions collapsing into fragments of broken light, and yet the Trial wasn't over.
The Archive wasn't done with him.
The dust of the mirrors swirled upward, coalescing into a spiral that formed a door of storm and flame. Ember stiffened, his hackles rising, but he pressed close to Kael, unyielding.
Together, they stepped through.
On the other side stretched a vast chasm, a void without end. A single bridge of cracked stone extended into darkness, vanishing toward a storm that raged at its heart. Lightning writhed in the tempest, jagged streaks that illuminated colossal shapes moving within it - vast, half-seen wings, claws, eyes that blinked like suns.
The voice of the Archive whispered, everywhere and nowhere:
"Every wielder of the Storm must choose. Will you bind it, or let it bind you?"
Kael swallowed hard. The storm at the heart of the void pulsed, a living thing, both promise and threat. His fists trembled. He remembered every moment the storm had betrayed him - sparks lashing out in Greyhaven, fire and thunder scaring villagers, his classmates recoiling. He had always feared that the storm would devour him, and maybe it would.
The bridge trembled. From the void rose two figures - massive, elemental constructs, one of fire, the other of storm. They barred his path, twin guardians with molten eyes.
Ember growled low, pressing forward, but Kael raised a hand. "This isn't just a fight," he whispered.
The guardians attacked. Fire swept across the bridge, storm surging like a tidal wave. Kael dodged, barely, his boots scraping on the crumbling stone. Ember leapt with him, flames licking his fur. Together they struck back, their lightning and fire twining, but the guardians absorbed it like a river swallowing rain.
The Archive's voice thundered again:
"Your power is chaos. If you seek mastery, destroy the bond. Sever weakness. Choose the storm."
The fire guardian lunged, claws grazing Kael's chest. Pain exploded through him, the smell of burnt fabric and skin filling his nose. Ember attacked savagely, biting deep into its molten arm, but the guardian barely flinched.
Kael gasped, falling to his knees. The storm inside him begged to be unleashed fully, without restraint. It whispered: Abandon the wolf. Cut all ties. Become the weapon.
He glanced at Ember - wounded, bleeding, yet still fighting. The wolf's golden eyes met his, steady even through agony. Trust. Unwavering.
Kael's choice crystallized.
"No," he growled, voice raw but fierce. "I won't sever him. I won't sever anyone. The storm isn't meant to chain me - it's meant to be shared."
He stood, drawing Ember close. Their bond pulsed, light blooming between them. Kael raised his arms, not forcing the storm, not caging it, but opening himself to it. Ember's flame twined with his lightning, not as separate forces, but as one.
The guardians paused, sensing the change.
Kael shouted, unleashing everything. Storm-fire roared from them, white and gold, a torrent born of trust and unity. It didn't clash against the guardians - it flowed through them, unraveling their forms like sand in a tide.
The bridge shuddered but held. The storm at the heart of the void roared back, no longer oppressive but resonant. It surged toward Kael, searing him with light.
For an instant, he felt wings of storm unfurl from his back, his veins lit with fire. Ember stood beside him, cloaked in the same light.
Then it was gone.
The void collapsed, and Kael and Ember crashed onto the Archive's marble floor.
The Councilors stared down from their high seats, unreadable. The cloaked figure in the shadows tilted its head slightly, lips curling in the faintest smile.
Kael's skin still glowed faintly with storm-markings - lines like lightning scars across his arms and chest. Ember's fur shimmered faint gold, his wounds already knitting.
The Trial was over.
Kael had chosen - not domination, not surrender, but unity.
But as the storm settled in his bones, he knew this was only the beginning. Somewhere in the Academy's depths, forces moved. The cloaked figure leaned into the ear of another, whispering words Kael couldn't hear.
The Archive had tested him. Others would try to break him.
And the storm would not rest.