MIREYA POV
We were all gathered on the wide stone stairs.
Dozens of challengers stood in rows. Some whispered nervously to each other. Others stood stiff and silent, trying to look brave, like none of this scared them.
But I could feel it.
Fear hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.
At the bottom of the stairs stood six people. Each of them wore a different crest on their shoulder…sharp symbols stitched into dark uniforms. The crests gleamed in the sunlight, marking them as leaders. Important ones.
Power clung to them.
And he was there.
Standing among them like he owned the ground beneath his feet.
His hazel eyes locked onto me from across the courtyard.
It felt like being stabbed.
I quickly looked away, my stomach twisting into tight knots.
"Challengers."
His voice cut through the courtyard, loud and commanding. Every whisper died instantly.
"I welcome you all to Brasshall."
My chest tightened.
His voice was steady and powerful, the kind of voice people listened to without thinking. The kind that expected obedience.
"Many of you may know me," he continued, his gaze sweeping slowly across the crowd, "and many of you may not."
"I wonder who doesn't know him," Kaela whispered beside me, leaning closer. "His reputation speaks well enough for him… but I never knew he was this handsome."
I frowned and leaned toward her.
"Do you know him?" I whispered.
She slowly turned to me, her eyes wide with shock.
"You don't know who he is?" she whispered.
I shook my head.
"No."
Kaela stared at me as I had just said the sky was green.
"Where have you been living?" she whispered harshly. "That's the Enforcer."
My body went completely still.
The Enforcer.
The man Faye Duskbane… the girl I was pretending to be….was supposed to marry.
Slowly, my head lifted.
Our eyes met again across the courtyard.
His gaze was colder this time. Hard. Sharp.
Like he had already judged me.
Then he spoke again.
"I'm Jax Calder," he announced, his voice carrying easily across the entire yard.
"The Enforcer."
A chill slid down my spine.
He stood there for a moment, looking at all of us like we were already measured and weighed.
Then his voice grew darker.
"The Trial of Iron Spire begins in two months."
A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd before quickly dying again.
"Before that day comes," Jax continued, "you will be tested. You will be trained. And the best of you… Only the best… will be chosen to serve the Kingdom of Verlis."
His eyes hardened.
"Weakness is not tolerated here."
The words felt like stones dropping into my stomach.
"You will either leave this place alive… or dead."
I swallowed hard.
The courtyard had gone silent. Completely silent.
"Only a few of you will make it out of here alive," he said calmly.
My fingers curled tightly at my sides.
"I advise you not to make friends."
A small, cruel smile touched his lips.
"It's useless."
My chest tightened.
I glanced around me.
Some faces were pale with fear. Others looked determined, jaws set like they were ready to fight the world.
And some…
Some looked like they were ready to die.
"Take a moment," Jax said slowly, "and look at the person standing next to you."
People shifted uneasily.
"Because this might be the last time you see them."
A cold knot formed in my stomach.
Then his voice rang out again, sharp as steel.
"Now, challengers… let's get down to business."
He pointed toward the far side of the courtyard.
That was when I saw it.
A long, jagged crack in the earth split the training grounds in two. Inside it was nothing but darkness….endless, swallowing darkness.
Thin stone paths stretched across it like fragile bones.
"You must all cross the Riftwalk," Jax said.
My heart began to pound.
"If you lose your balance…"
He paused.
"You die."
A cold wave of panic moved through me.
But Jax only watched us with calm, merciless eyes.
"Let the strongest survive."
Then he turned away.
"I'll see you on the other side."
For a moment, no one moved.
The rift stretched across the courtyard like a wound in the earth. Dark. Endless. Waiting.
Then someone stepped forward.
One by one, we began to move.
Boots scraped against stone as the first girl climbed onto the narrow bridge. The moment her weight settled on it, the stone beneath her feet shifted slightly, floating just above the black abyss below.
My chest tightened.
The bridge wasn't really a bridge.
It was a chain of floating stones, each one spaced apart just enough that you had to step carefully to reach the next.
And they moved.
Some tilted. Some slid slowly to the side. Others vanished completely before reappearing again.
A sharp gust of wind tore through the rift.
A girl gasped, arms flailing as the stone beneath her foot tipped.
She slipped.
Her scream echoed through the courtyard as she disappeared into the darkness.
Gone.
A heavy silence followed.
No one spoke.
No one even breathed.
Then another challenger stepped forward.
And another.
And another.
Some crossed quickly, trying to outrun the shifting stones. Others moved slowly, carefully testing each step.
It didn't matter.
A boy three stones out lost his balance when a violent wind slammed into him.
He fell backward, his hands clawing at empty air before he vanished into the rift.
Someone else froze halfway across.
The moment they looked down, their face twisted with horror.
"Get up!" someone shouted.
But it was too late.
They staggered, shaking their head like they were seeing something terrible below them.
Then they stepped off the stone.
Like they had been called.
My stomach turned.
The rift was playing with their minds.
"Don't look down," Kaela whispered beside me.
Her voice shook, but her eyes were fierce.
I nodded quickly.
"I won't."
More challengers moved forward.
More screams followed.
Some stones suddenly vanished beneath people's feet.
Others tilted so sharply that many slid straight off them.
The wind kept rising, shrieking through the chasm like it was alive.
Soon the line grew shorter.
Deadly shorter.
My heart hammered harder with every scream that echoed into the darkness.
Then suddenly…
"Next."
My breath caught.
It was my turn.
My legs felt weak as I stepped forward, but I forced them to move.
The edge of the rift loomed in front of me.
Cold wind blasted up from below, whipping my hair across my face.
I swallowed hard.
Don't look down.
Don't look down.
Don't look down.
I stepped onto the first floating stone.
The moment my weight touched it, the stone dipped slightly.
My breath hitched.
The stone swayed gently in the air like it was floating on water.
Behind me, Kaela stepped onto the bridge too.
"Just keep moving," she whispered.
I nodded, even though I wasn't sure she could see it.
Second stone.
I stretched my foot forward carefully.
The gap between the stones felt wider than it looked.
My boot landed.
The stone jerked sharply to the side.
My arms shot out for balance as panic surged through me.
Fragile.
Too fragile for this.
That word echoed in my mind.
My heart pounded wildly in my chest.
A violent gust of magical wind slammed into us.
The force nearly knocked me sideways.
My body swayed dangerously close to the edge.
I gasped and dropped low, gripping the stone with my hands until the wind passed.
"Don't stop!" Kaela called behind me.
I forced myself up again.
Third stone.
Fourth.
Each step felt like a gamble.
Some stones tilted so sharply I had to crouch to keep from sliding off.
Others shifted the moment my foot touched them.
Halfway across, something strange happened.
A sudden heat rushed through my chest.
My power.
It flared without warning.
The air around me rippled with magic.
The stone beneath my feet cracked slightly.
"No…no.." I whispered, panic rising.
The rift reacted to power.
I forced myself to breathe.
Calm down.
Calm down.
If I lost control now…
I slowly stepped to the next stone.
Then the next.
Another challenger screamed somewhere behind us.
I didn't look back.
I didn't look down.
Just forward.
Then the worst thing happened.
A stone disappeared right as I stepped toward it.
My foot landed on nothing.
For one terrifying second, my body dropped forward into empty air.
My heart stopped.
But my fingers shot out instinctively, grabbing the edge of the next stone.
Pain shot through my arms as my body slammed against the rock.
Below me, the darkness shifted.
And for a split second…
I saw something.
Shapes.
Moving.
Whispering.
Voices crawled into my ears.
Jump.
You'll never make it.
You're too weak.
My grip slipped.
"No," I whispered through clenched teeth.
I dragged myself up onto the stone, my whole body shaking.
Just a little more.
Just a little more.
The far side of the rift was close now.
Only four stones left.
The wind howled again, stronger this time.
I moved quickly now.
One stone.
Two.
The third tilted violently but I jumped to the last one before it could throw me off.
Then…
Solid ground.
My boots hit the stone floor on the other side.
My knees gave out instantly.
I collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
I made it.
A moment later, Kaela stumbled across the last stone and dropped beside me, laughing breathlessly.
"We're alive," she said excitedly.
I looked back toward the rift.
More challengers were still crossing.
But many had already fallen.
Their screams still echoed faintly in the darkness.
My chest tightened.
This was only the first trial.
And already… so many were dead.