Kael must undergo the Trial of Glass, a rite passed by every Aurorium student. It is more than an exam—it's a mirror of one's soul, fears, and untapped power. But Kael's trial is anything but ordinary.
Morning bells rang across the academy as students were summoned to the Crystalwell Atrium, a cathedral-like chamber carved into a mountain of quartz. There, standing upon a platform of floating crystal shards, was Dean Sereth Varn, draped in ceremonial black and gold.
"Today, you face not each other, but yourselves."
He raised a wand made from obsidian bone.
"The Trial of Glass begins. Pass, and you rise. Fail, and you are forgotten."
Whispers ran through the crowd. No one ever talked about what happened to those who failed the Glass Trial. They simply… disappeared from the dorms. From records. From memory.
Kael shivered as he stepped forward.
Each student entered alone, their body standing frozen as their soul stepped into the Glass Domain—a constructed mirror realm bound to their deepest truths.
The trial is personal.
It shows you yourself—past, future, distorted.
You must conquer your fear.
But some fears fight back.
Lia went first.
Then Riven.
Kael was called next.
He stood before the Glass Gate—an arch of mirrorsteel laced with soul-etched runes. As he passed through, the world shattered like water.
Kael opened his eyes.
He was back in his childhood home.
Or… something that looked like it.
The sky was blood-red. The sun was black. And shadows twisted like vines around the edges of the room.
He saw himself—ten years old—standing at the door.
"You let them die."
The child stared at him with empty eyes.
Another voice spoke behind him—his own voice, older, crueler.
"You'll betray them too. You'll burn your friends for power. Just like he did."
Kael turned.
Standing before him was a future version of himself—taller, stronger, cloaked in silver flame. But his eyes were cold, dead, and his left hand was stained black.
"You think you're a hero, Kael? Look what you become."
The trial had begun.
Kael's double attacked with a copy of the Epochbrand—but corrupted, the runes bleeding shadow.
Every strike was precise, premeditated, devastating.
Kael fought back—but his attacks were reactive, uncertain.
His reflection mocked him.
"You're still holding back. Still scared of what you really are."
Kael was thrown against a mirrored wall.
It cracked.
Through it, he saw flashes—memories he couldn't remember:
A golden city burning in the sky.
A child crowned in starlight.
A man with Kael's eyes standing atop a mountain of gods, laughing.
"Who am I?" Kael whispered.
The mirror answered in a whispering chorus:
"You are Vaelorian."
Just before Kael's double could strike the final blow, time froze.
A voice called from the mirror:
"Awaken, heir of the Cycle."
The mirror shattered, revealing a hidden chamber of light and time.
Floating in the center: a silver orb. An Echo Seed—a magical memory left by a person long dead.
Kael touched it.
It opened.
A man appeared—shimmering, regal, surrounded by twelve kneeling gods.
"If you're seeing this… then I have failed. My name is Aureon Vaelorian, King of the Last Flame, Guardian of the Epoch Gate. You are my blood, Kael. You are my legacy."
"And they will come for you. The gods. The devils. The Ashen Ones. You must remember what they buried in you. You must reclaim it."
"Or the world dies. Again."
Time resumed.
Kael stood alone again—but something had changed.
His aura flared. Silver fire poured from his veins.
The Epochbrand sang in his hand.
The shadow version of himself roared and lunged.
Kael didn't block.
He stepped inside the strike—and impaled the shadow on his own blade.
"I don't fear you," Kael said. "You're part of me. But I decide who I become."
The reflection shattered.
The mirror realm collapsed.
Kael gasped awake in the atrium.
Students surrounded him.
Dean Varn stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "You were in there for over an hour."
Most students spent minutes.
The floor beneath Kael still shimmered faintly with his fire.
Lia rushed to him. "What happened?"
Kael stood slowly. "I saw… who I was."
Riven tilted his head. "And who is that?"
Kael looked toward the rising dawn.
"Someone the gods are afraid of."
High above, in the tower of the Sable Eye, a council watched Kael's trial through their scrying flames.
The Council of Ashes stirred.
A faceless figure in the shadows whispered:
"He has awakened."
Another answered:
"Then the hunt begins."