Lyra stepped through the door and felt a strange chill sweep over her body. The door shut behind her with a heavy thud. She could barely see — the room was huge, dark, and filled with a soft, purple mist. Shadows moved on the walls as if alive.
Wyvern Shade followed her closely, wings folded, eyes scanning every corner.
Lyra rubbed her arms. "Great. I survived my first trial, and now it's freezing. Seriously, system, do you know how hard it is to think in the cold?"
The floor was smooth, like black glass, but when she stepped, she saw faint blue symbols light up under her feet. They blinked and vanished like whispers.
"Uh… magic floor?" she asked aloud. "Cool. I'm sure it won't try to crush me or shoot lasers at my feet. Totally safe."
A deep rumble echoed through the hall. Lyra's stomach flipped.
From the shadows ahead, a figure slowly emerged.
It was another shadow beast. Not as big as the Shadow King, but fast, lithe, and dark as midnight. It had sharp claws, glowing purple eyes, and a grin that made Lyra shiver.
"Oh… great," she muttered. "Another murder thingy. Perfect timing. Just after breakfast. Or… lunch… whatever that kebab was."
The beast lunged without warning.
Lyra barely had time to react. "SHADOW STEP!"
She vanished and reappeared behind a broken pillar. Her heart raced. Wyvern Shade growled and launched a black fireball at the monster.
The creature dodged easily. Lyra noticed it moved like it could predict her.
"Predict me? Oh come on. This isn't chess!" she yelled.
The monster's claws scraped the floor, leaving black scorch marks. It hissed and charged again.
Lyra clenched her fists. "Alright. You wanna play like that? Fine. Soul Reap!"
A black blade formed in her hand, dark smoke curling around her fingers. She leaped out from her hiding spot.
"Catch me if you can, buddy!"
The shadow beast lunged. Lyra twisted in the air, dodged its claws, and landed behind it. Shadow chains shot from her blade, wrapping around the creature's legs.
The monster roared and smashed one chain with its claws. Lyra rolled back and panted.
"This is exhausting. I really need a gym membership or something," she muttered.
Wyvern Shade flew overhead and fired another blast of shadow fire. The creature yelped as smoke erupted from its fur.
"HA! Take that!" Lyra shouted.
The monster growled and disappeared into the shadows, moving behind her. Lyra spun around and swung Soul Reap. The blade cut through… nothing.
"Oh. Sneaky," she said, eyes wide. "I see you. I see you! You can't hide from me!"
The shadow beast appeared again, this time coming straight for her chest. Lyra jumped. "SHADOW STEP!"
She landed on a platform that had suddenly risen from the floor. It floated in the mist like a small island. Wyvern Shade landed beside her.
Lyra wiped sweat from her forehead. "Okay, buddy. I admit it. This is stressful. I'm a little scared. But only a little. Mostly scared… mostly scared."
Wyvern Shade hissed, wings bristling. Lyra laughed nervously. "You know… I think you like me more than I like you. And that's okay. Mutual respect."
The timer in her head — yes, Lyra imagined a timer now — ticked like a drum. The system hadn't said anything, but she knew she had to keep moving.
Suddenly, the platform shook. The blue symbols under her feet flashed. A loud crack sounded. Lyra stumbled and fell.
A huge shadow hand shot out from the floor, aiming to crush her.
"NO! OW! MY HEAD!"
Lyra quickly got to her feet. "SHADOW STEP!"
She disappeared from the crushing hand, reappearing on the edge of the platform. Wyvern Shade flapped beside her.
The beast jumped again from the shadows. Lyra prepared her blade. "Okay… let's see what you got, spooky monster."
The creature lunged, claws extended. Lyra blocked its attack with Soul Reap. Sparks flew as her blade met the claws.
"Hey! Careful! That tickles!" she shouted, grinning despite the danger.
The shadow beast snarled and twisted in the air. Lyra ducked and rolled, dodging another claw strike.
The creature landed on the floor and started spinning rapidly, creating a whirlwind of shadow around it. Pieces of debris flew everywhere. Lyra clutched her blade.
"OH NO! I'M GONNA DIE! WYVERN SHADE — NOW!"
The wyvern lunged, flames shooting from its mouth. The shadows scattered, and the beast shrieked, revealing its glowing core beneath its skin.
Lyra's eyes went wide. "The core! That's probably the weak spot!"
She leaped forward, her blade glowing dark purple. Shadow energy surged through her.
"SOUL REAP — FINISHING MOVE!"
Lyra slammed her blade into the beast's core. Darkness exploded in a wave. She was thrown back but landed safely.
The beast let out one final roar and evaporated into black smoke.
Lyra panted, gripping her chest. "Phew… okay… not dead. Excellent. Definitely not dead. And that's a win."
Wyvern Shade landed next to her, nodding its head proudly. Lyra ruffled its smoky mane.
"You're the best. We make a good team. Too bad I can't eat right now… still thinking about that kebab," she muttered.
A system message appeared:
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[REWARD: SHADOW SKILL LV. 1]
[STATS INCREASED]
Lyra jumped up. "YES! Finally! I feel stronger already!"
The room shifted again. Shadows moved aside, revealing a long corridor stretching ahead. Purple mist swirled at the end, like smoke from a giant fire.
Lyra squinted. "Great. Another scary hallway. Love it. Totally fine. Not scary at all."
She walked carefully, Wyvern Shade hovering beside her.
The walls were lined with mirrors. Lyra stopped. Her reflection… moved differently than her.
It grinned at her. "Hello, Lyra."
Lyra froze. "Uhh… that's not me. That's… creepy."
The reflection raised a dark blade. Lyra instinctively raised hers.
The mirror-image lunged at her. Lyra dodged, spinning sideways. The reflection followed her moves exactly.
"Okay… this is freaky!" she shouted. "WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE COPY-ATTACKING ME?!"
The mirrored Lyra struck again. Lyra ducked and kicked a mirror shard. It shattered, but another mirror reappeared behind her.
Wyvern Shade roared, firing shadows at the new mirror. The reflection laughed and blocked it.
Lyra's brain spun. "Of course it blocks it! It's me! It knows everything I know!"
The reflection leapt from one mirror to another, attacking from all angles. Lyra ran, rolled, and jumped. She slashed at every mirror in sight.
Finally, she paused and took a deep breath. "Okay… okay… think… clever… Lyra, you've faced shadow monsters, you've faced nightmare dragons, you've faced death. You can beat a copy of yourself. Probably."
She jumped high, landed behind the main mirror, and whispered: "Shadow Step… Surprise!"
The reflection blinked, momentarily confused. Lyra swung Soul Reap in a wide arc. Black shadows surged from the blade and wrapped the mirrored Lyra.
The reflection screamed and shattered into smoke.
Lyra stumbled, exhausted. "Yes… I did it. I beat… myself… sorta."
Wyvern Shade hovered, circling her. Lyra patted it. "Okay, buddy. Next challenge. Let's go. We got this… hopefully."
The corridor ended at a massive hall. At the center floated a glowing orb, pulsing with deep purple energy. Shadows swirled around it like a storm.
Lyra whispered: "That… is probably the next boss. Definitely the next boss. Totally normal, everyday boss."
Suddenly, the system beeped.
[FINAL TRIAL ROOM REACHED]
[DANGER: VERY HIGH]
[ENEMY: SHADOW SENTINEL]
[REWARD: UNKNOWN]
Lyra raised Soul Reap, her eyes glowing blue. "Alright, Sentinel. Let's dance."
The Shadow Sentinel emerged from the orb, huge and humanoid. Its body was pure shadow, with long arms and jagged claws. Eyes glowed bright purple.
It roared, and the ground shook. Purple lightning shot from its hands.
Lyra jumped aside. "Okay… okay… big, angry, stabby… got it. Easy peasy. Not scary at all."
The Sentinel swung again. Lyra dodged, leaped onto a floating platform, and sent Shadow Chains at it.
The Sentinel grabbed the chains and snapped them like twigs. Lyra fell backward but rolled, landing safely.
"OW. Okay… that's strong. Definitely strong. Strong boss. Not too strong… maybe slightly too strong…"
The Sentinel charged, faster than Lyra expected. She used Shadow Step repeatedly, zig-zagging, dodging every blow.
"Ha! You can't touch me! HAHAHAHA!" she shouted, adrenaline rushing.
The Sentinel struck a pillar, shattering it. Debris flew everywhere. Lyra rolled again, flipping to her feet.
Wyvern Shade flew in, blasting the Sentinel with shadow fire. The Sentinel blocked, but the fire distracted it. Lyra saw her chance.
"SOUL REAP — FINISHING MOVE!"
She charged, swinging the black blade. Shadows surged forward, wrapping the Sentinel. It roared, struggling, but couldn't escape.
Lyra jumped onto its shoulder, and with one final strike, sliced through its chest.
The Sentinel exploded into black smoke, leaving the glowing orb floating in the center.
Lyra panted. "Yes! Yes! Done! Victory! We survived! I think!"
The system beeped:
[TRIAL COMPLETE]
[NEW SKILL: SHADOW STRIKE LV.1]
[NEW TITLE: THE FEARLESS ASCENDANT]
Lyra's chest heaved. Wyvern Shade landed beside her.
She laughed, despite the fear and exhaustion. "We did it, buddy! We're awesome. Epic. Legendary. And still alive! Now… maybe… kebab?"
A new door appeared ahead, glowing with a dark purple light. Lyra stepped toward it, ready for whatever came next.
"Alright. Next challenge. Bring it on!"
The door opened slowly. Darkness and shadow energy poured out.
Lyra grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be fun. Totally fun."
Wyvern Shade flapped its wings.
And the next trial began.
To be continued...
END OF CHAPTER THREE