Aeron's fingers closed around the glowing crystal, and the chamber around him shuddered. The air thickened, turning cold and oppressive, as if the unseen presence of the city was pressing down on him with its full weight. A deep, resonant hum filled the space, vibrating through his bones.
Then, the world fractured.
The chamber vanished in an instant, replaced by a swirling abyss of shadow and light. Aeron stumbled, disoriented, as the ground beneath him shifted like liquid stone. Shapes flickered at the edges of his vision—blurred, distorted figures whispering in voices he couldn't understand.
He clenched his fists, steadying himself. This was the trial. The city was testing him—not his strength, but his mind, his will.
A shape coalesced before him, towering and eerily familiar. A man—his features sharp, identical to Aeron's own. The same dark hair, the same piercing eyes.
But something was wrong.
This version of Aeron stood taller, exuding a presence of overwhelming authority. His expression was cold, almost hollow, yet his eyes burned with something ancient and knowing. He wore dark, rune-etched armor, pulsing with energy.
"You seek knowledge you are not yet worthy of," the doppelgänger intoned, his voice layered with countless echoes. "You carry doubt, hesitation. You are weak."
Aeron clenched his jaw. "If I were weak, I wouldn't be here."
His double tilted his head, an eerie smirk playing at his lips. "Is that what you believe? Then prove it."
Without warning, the doppelgänger raised a hand. Shadows exploded from his palm, spiraling toward Aeron like spears of living darkness. Instinct took over. Aeron dove to the side, rolling to his feet just as the shadow spears struck the ground where he had stood, leaving deep fissures in the unstable space around him.
He had no weapons, no magic except for the two runes he had mastered—Stabilize and Motion. He had to use them wisely.
The doppelgänger lunged, moving impossibly fast. A shadow-forged blade slashed toward Aeron.
Motion.
Aeron focused, shifting the trajectory of the strike just enough to send the blade glancing off his shoulder instead of cutting straight through him. Pain flared, but he didn't let it stop him. Instead, he pushed Motion further, accelerating his own step forward, aiming to slam his shoulder into his opponent.
But his double was just as fast. He twisted effortlessly, dodging the impact, and retaliated with a brutal kick that sent Aeron skidding back.
"Predictable," the shadow Aeron said. "You rely on the runes, but you do not understand them."
Aeron grimaced, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His double was right—he was reacting, not thinking ahead. He needed to change that. He took a breath, forcing his mind to slow despite the adrenaline screaming through him.
Think.
The battlefield was shifting, unstable. The ground trembled, parts of it breaking away into the abyss. The city was testing him through this fight—his understanding of his power, his ability to adapt.
Then it clicked.
The trial wasn't about brute force. It was about control.
He glanced at the unstable ground beneath them. The pieces floating away, breaking apart.
Control.
A plan formed in his mind. He had one shot.
The doppelgänger charged again, his shadow blade cutting through the air with lethal precision.
Aeron reached down, touching the fractured ground beneath him.
Stabilize.
The stone solidified instantly, locking into place. The moment his doppelgänger stepped forward, his foot met a suddenly unbreakable surface. Just as Aeron had predicted—he had expected it to collapse.
For a split second, his opponent was thrown off balance.
Aeron seized the moment.
He activated Motion, channeling the force into the fractured debris surrounding them. The floating shards of stone and energy trembled, then shot forward like a storm of projectiles.
His double's eyes widened, caught off guard. He raised a hand to counter, but it was too late.
The shards struck.
The force of the impact sent the shadow Aeron hurtling back, crashing against the shifting space. For a brief moment, the darkness flickered, destabilizing.
Aeron didn't hesitate. He surged forward, closing the gap. With every ounce of strength, he reached out, gripping the chestplate of his doppelgänger.
Stabilize.
The shadows flickered wildly, fighting against the sudden reinforcement of structure.
Aeron didn't let go.
"You are me," he said through gritted teeth. "But I am not you."
The doppelgänger's form cracked. The swirling shadows lost cohesion, the weight of Aeron's will anchoring them in place.
Then, with a final surge of resistance, the dark figure shattered into nothingness.
Silence fell.
The abyss faded.
Aeron stood once more in the chamber before the crystal, his breathing ragged. The weight of the trial pressed down on him, but he had won.
The voice returned, softer this time.
"You understand now," it said. "Control, not destruction. Knowledge, not power. You have taken your first step."
The crystal pulsed, then dimmed.
Aeron exhaled, his hands trembling.
The trial was over.
And the Unseen City had deemed him worthy.