The gate rumbled again, its runes shifting like living veins of fire. Nyros stood silently as Kaelis and Selara approached.
"The first trial measured loyalty," Nyros said. "The second… will strip bare the truths you fear to speak. Be warned: the heart is more fragile than steel."
Kaelis and Selara exchanged a glance. The exhaustion of the first trial lingered in their bodies, but neither stepped back. Together, they crossed the threshold.
Darkness swallowed them.
When light returned, they stood in a meadow—sunlit, gentle, alive with the scent of wildflowers. Birds sang overhead, and the air was warm. For a moment, it felt like peace.
But Kaelis knew better.
Selara turned slowly, eyes wide. "This place… it feels like something I lost."
And then they appeared—phantoms of a life that could have been.
Selara's family, untainted by the curse, laughing together in a world untouched by shadows. Her father's strong hand on her shoulder. Her mother's gentle smile. A brother she had once spoken of, alive and whole.
Selara froze, tears spilling down her cheeks. "This isn't real."
A voice whispered through the meadow: It could be, if you let go. If you embrace what waits in the dark, you could restore them.
Kaelis stepped forward, but the world shifted again.
Now he stood in a hall of glory, a crown on his head, subjects bowing before him. Power radiated in his veins, command in his voice. And beside him—not Selara, but a faceless queen, perfect and obedient.
This is what you were meant for, the voice coiled. A throne, not a burden. Why chain yourself to a cursed girl?
Kaelis clenched his fists. The visions pressed harder, tugging at every hidden want, every unspoken ache.
Selara fell to her knees, hands trembling as her family reached for her. "I could have them back," she whispered, voice breaking. "If I just—if I just gave in…"
"Selara!" Kaelis's voice cut through, raw and desperate. He reached for her, but the meadow rippled, pushing him back. The crown on his head grew heavier, the faceless queen clutching his arm.
The voice pressed harder. You cannot save her. She will choose her family over you. And you—will abandon her for power.
Kaelis shouted, tearing the crown from his head. "No!" He pushed forward, breaking through the illusion's weight. His hand reached for Selara's, grasping her trembling fingers.
"Listen to me," he said, breath ragged. "They're shadows, nothing more. You don't need to bring them back—you are enough. We are enough."
Selara sobbed, torn between the warmth of her phantom family and the truth in his eyes. Her hand tightened around his, and with a cry, she turned away from the vision.
The meadow shattered.
The illusions dissolved into dust, and the world fell silent once more. The warmth was gone, replaced by the chill of the trial chamber.
A voice, deep and solemn, filled the air again:
"Second trial complete. The bond endures temptation."
Selara collapsed against Kaelis, her tears wetting his shoulder. He held her tightly, his own chest trembling with the weight of what they had both faced.
When they staggered back into the real ruins, Nyros was waiting, eyes sharp and searching.
"You resisted what most would embrace," Nyros murmured. "That makes you dangerous—to Maelor, and to yourselves."
Kaelis steadied Selara, his gaze unyielding. "Then let the final trial come."
Nyros's mouth curved into the faintest of smiles. "It will. And it will demand more than love or loyalty. It will demand sacrifice."