The air was dense, heavy, as if full of the import of a thousand unspoken words. Aeron stood at the center of the room, Riftbearer's maul heavy in his grasp, his heart pounding against his breast. The floor beneath him wasn't solid rock anymore—it was a heaving, thrashing sea of flames, cracks that ran with hot liquid beneath him. The walls, which had been immovable and sleek, were now afire with a burning glow, radiating with a warmth that appeared to seep into his bones.
Kaela stood beside him, face red and sweating from the hellish heat. "Aeron, this is madness!" she yelled, her voice carrying just above the fire's roar. "How can we possibly endure this?"
Aeron did not reply. His eyes were on the churning fires, the spitting embers that seemed to dance before him like spirits attempting to draw him into their arms. This was the test, the trial that the Rift had imposed upon him.
The voice of the lead guardian boomed from the walls, a low, resonating sound that shook through the heat.
"You face the Trial of Fire. This is not a test of strength alone, Riftbearer. This trial is a test of your determination, your willingness to survive. Live, or die. There is no middle ground."
Before Aeron could answer, the air around them grew thick and the ground beneath them split open. Fire shot up, and from the burning pit, three great fire-beasts came forth. They were composed of molten magma and fire, their eyes burning like hot coals. The first beast let out a growl, a low, rumbling noise that shook the chamber. Its molten claws scraped against the stone floor, leaving paths of fire behind.
Aeron took a step forward, his face setting in determination. This wasn't just a test—it was a fight for survival, a battle.
Kaela reached out and clamped his arm. "Aeron, we need to get out of here—there are too many of them!"
But Aeron refused to listen. His gaze was fixed on the fire-beasts, his mind centered. This was the time he had waited for—this was the test, to show him, to prove that he deserved the power that the Rift held.
The lead fire-beast charged at him with a scream, its molten form crashing into him. Aeron didn't even have time to move before he was sent tumbling to the ground, the flames from the beast searing through his armor. He clenched his teeth against the agony and sprang to his feet, holding the Riftbearer's hammer in both hands.
"Feel the power of fire!" he bellowed, swinging the hammer high over his head.
A burst of power coursed through him, and with a powerful hand, he brought the hammer down with a tremendous blow. The shock vibrated outward through the air, and a blast of raw magical energy burst forth from the tip of the hammerhead, sending the fire-beast flying backward into the flames.
The creature howled in pain, but the other two were already moving in on him. Aeron went to lift his hammer once more for another blow, but this time, the fire-beasts were more intelligent. They surrounded him, cutting off his means of escape.
One of the monsters lunged at him, its clawed talons glowing with heat that hashed at his chest. Aeron managed to dodge only barely, and the flames from the beast's strike seared the flesh from his skin. He clamped his teeth together, wincing at the agony that ran through him. Not yet. He couldn't die yet.
With a snarl, Aeron writhed through the air and swung the hammer again, this time at the beast's chest. The blow was crushing, sending the animal exploding into a blast of flame and ash, its body shattering in a burst of heat.
There was not time to rejoice, however.
The final fire-beast attacked, its burning eyes blazing with fury. Aeron didn't pause. He swung his hammer, summoning the magic within it again. This time, however, the energy that coursed through the hammer was changed—frozen, keener. The spirit of ice, taken from the Rift itself, coursed through him, its cold sucking heat from the room.
In a single motion, Aeron drove the hammer forward, casting a blast of frost at the fire-beast. The beast screamed as its burning form started to freeze, the inferno of its being unable to resist the raw cold of the assault. In a matter of moments, the beast broke into a thousand shards of frozen ice, its molten body no more.
The room remained still.
Aeron stood panting, the breath coming from him in shallow gasps. The air itself was still choked with smoke, but the fire had died a little. He glanced down at his hands, which were lightly shaking with the power he'd just released. It was his first time applying frost magic, and it had felt like it was something he'd always possessed, deep deep inside him, waiting to be opened.
Kaela took a step forward, her eyes wide with both awe and terror. "Aeron… you did it."
But Aeron didn't react. The guardian's voice came again, this time tinged with approval.
"You have passed the first test. But the Trial of Fire is not one of power. It is one of will—to survive the flames, to stand the heat, to master the power within you."
Aeron's mind was reeling. He had sensed the pure might of the Rift coursing through him, and it had been exhilarating. But that was not the real test, not yet.
The earth under them was moving, the heat rising once more as the air was charged with magic. Out of the heart of the fire stepped a huge creature. It was a phoenix, made entirely of fire and darkness, its wings wide as it swooped in toward them, its eyes burning with old wisdom.
It spoke, its words a blasting furnace.
"I am the test you can't pass with mere strength. I am the spirit of the flame, the substance of the fire that burns everyone who desires the power of the Rift. You will confront me, Riftbearer. You get to decide—destroy me, or become one with me?"
The phoenix's voice echoed within the chamber, its words like a summons to something deep within Aeron. It was not a creature. It was part of him, a manifestation of the fire that had scorched through his existence, of the flames that had engulfed his past.
Aeron stood tall, the hammer by his side. He sensed a strange bond with the phoenix, a sense of understanding that went beyond time and space. He was fire. He was the Phoenix, the burning flame that never ended.
"I don't want to kill you," Aeron said, his voice steady but firm. "I want to heal what the fire has devoured. I want to bring balance."
The phoenix stopped, the flames in its eyes constricting. It was a quiet moment, and for an instant, Aeron thought the phoenix would strike at him. Then, the phoenix nodded slowly, as if in comprehension.
"Then you are worthy, Riftbearer."
With a blaze of light, the phoenix shattered into the fire, leaving just a cloud of ash that dispersed into the air. The flames died down, and the chamber started to alter once more. The stifling air dissipated, and Aeron and Kaela were left in the middle of a room that somehow seemed peaceful.
But the guardian's words resounded one last time.
"You have survived the fire trial. But your path is not yet ended, Riftbearer. The greatest test is yet to come, and it will demand more from you than you have so far given."
Aeron gazed down at the Riftbearer's hammer, his hand continuing to shake. He was prepared, but the question remained in the back of his mind: How much more would he have to lose to mend the Rift?
And was he really prepared for what was to come?