The sun dipped low in the sky, painting the town with hues of orange and pink as Caelum emerged from the forge. His hand rested on the new weapon at his side, the sleek pistol a reminder of his progress. His thoughts were still swirling with the concepts of light and shadow, the fusion of his powers with the precision of the weapon. He felt like a new chapter had opened, one where he would no longer just follow in his father's footsteps, but carve his own.
But as the last rays of light slipped through the streets, Caelum was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching. At first, he thought it was just the bustle of the town, but then his senses sharpened.
He turned and saw a group of figures approaching—shadow soldiers, moving as one, their forms flickering with dark energy. At the forefront of the group was Umbraxis, the towering figure of shadow and power who had once been an enigma to Caelum. Umbraxis' gaze met his, and with a single motion, the soldiers halted.
Caelum's hand instinctively went to his pistol, but the sight of Umbraxis' familiar presence put him at ease. He wasn't under attack. This was something different.
"Caelum Blackwell," Umbraxis' voice rang out, the shadows around him shifting in rhythm with his words. "Your father has summoned you. It is time for your trial."
Caelum narrowed his eyes, feeling a surge of anticipation and a flicker of unease. His heart beat faster, the weight of the moment settling over him. He had expected the trials to begin soon, but he hadn't anticipated it would be today. Five days. Five days he had spent in the woods, training, thinking, and fighting his own battles within. Had William known this entire time?
"He knew," Caelum muttered under his breath. His father always had a way of keeping track of everything, even when Caelum thought he was out of his reach. It wasn't just a coincidence that William had given him two extra days.
Umbraxis' expression softened, just for a moment. "Your father's foresight is not something to be underestimated. He has always known where you are, what you're doing. You're ready for this, Caelum. Now, come. The trial begins now."
Without a word, Caelum followed Umbraxis as he led the group of shadow soldiers through the winding streets. The air around them seemed to hum with anticipation as Caelum's thoughts raced. His father's trial—his trial—would be a test of everything he had learned, everything he had become.
The streets grew quieter as they approached the outskirts of town, the weight of silence hanging in the air. The Blackwell estate loomed ahead, the mansion standing stark against the night sky, its windows dark and watchful.
Caelum's breath caught as they neared the front gates. This was it. There would be no turning back now. His mind raced through every challenge he had faced, every weapon he had crafted, every power he had honed. But none of it had prepared him for what was to come.
Just as the gates creaked open, Caelum felt a surge of energy—shadow, light, and something else, something deeper—flowing through him, building up like the calm before a storm. The guards stood to attention as they crossed the threshold, the very air seeming to tremble with the tension.
Inside, at the heart of the estate, William waited.
Caelum stepped forward, his footsteps slow but resolute. He could feel his father's presence long before he entered the grand hall. William stood with his back to him, staring out a tall window that overlooked the estate grounds. The man exuded an aura of power and authority, yet there was something quiet, something almost tender in the way he held himself. A father's calm before the storm."Caelum," William said, not turning, his voice rich with command. "You've come far. I've watched you. Trained you in ways I never thought possible. But now… it's time for your trial."
Caelum stood tall, refusing to let the weight of his father's gaze intimidate him. This was it. The moment that would define who he was.
"I'm ready, Father," Caelum said, his voice steady, though there was a fire burning within him.
William finally turned, his silver eyes gleaming like twin moons in the darkened room. He regarded Caelum for a long moment before nodding.
"Then we begin."
And with those words, Caelum's trial began. What awaited him would test the very core of his being—his skill, his power, his resolve. The shadow soldiers around him remained still, their silent presence a reminder of the challenge that lay ahead.
As the trial unfolded, Caelum understood one thing: his father wasn't just testing his abilities—he was testing his heart. Only by embracing both the shadows and the light within him could Caelum rise above the man his father had hoped him to be, and become something greater.
As Caelum walked alongside Umbraxis and the shadow soldiers, the heavy atmosphere around him grew more oppressive. He could feel the tension in the air as they approached the arena, the same place where his father and Lucifer had once fought. The wide, open expanse was eerily quiet, the sand beneath their feet untouched and ready for chaos.
It was a place where only the strongest survived.
The gates to the arena loomed ahead, and Umbraxis turned to Caelum. "This is where your true test begins, young Blackwell. Your father has gathered beasts from the farthest corners of Elloria. This will be a test of your power, your control, and your resourcefulness."
Caelum nodded, his pulse quickening. The thought of facing beasts—creatures of monstrous size and untold power—made his heart race. But he couldn't show fear. He had come this far, and he was going to prove himself. To himself. To his father.
Inside the arena, Caelum's gaze immediately shifted to the beasts that had been assembled. Massive, terrifying creatures were bound and waiting, their snarling faces filled with bloodlust and fury. There were gargantuan wolves, huge armored manticores, and serpent-like beasts with scales sharp enough to cut through steel. They were chained but ready to strike the moment the gates opened.
At the far end of the arena, Caelum spotted his father standing tall in the shadows, his silhouette almost blending with the darkness. Beside him stood Lucifer, the tension between the two palpable.
"Caelum," William's voice echoed across the arena, his tone commanding, yet calm. "These creatures are as much a reflection of you as your own shadow. You will face them now, and you will decide how to win. But remember—every move, every choice you make, will come with a price. You are not just battling beasts today. You are battling yourself."
With a final nod, William gestured to the gates. The chains rattled, and the beasts began to stir.
Caelum's heart hammered in his chest. He drew his Scofield revolver, feeling the cold steel beneath his fingers, and set it at his side. His other hand gripped the new staff he had crafted from the light energy he had mastered—an elegant, gleaming weapon that hummed with potential. He took a deep breath, summoning his resolve.
"Four soldiers," he muttered to himself, knowing he could only summon four at a time—two shadows and two lights. They appeared in front of him, ethereal and solid, ready to serve as his eyes, ears, and hands in this battle. Caelum took a stance, his feet planted firmly in the sand.
The gates opened with a deafening roar, and the beasts surged forward.
The first to charge was a colossal, armored manticore. Its tail flicked like a whip, sharp as steel, while its claws scraped the earth. Caelum fired off a shot, sending the bullet crashing into the creature's side. The manticore roared in pain but did not fall. He had miscalculated—it was too tough for a single shot.
He quickly summoned a shadow soldier, using it to intercept the manticore's tail swipe. The soldier's body of pure darkness clashed with the beast, causing the manticore to hesitate for a moment. This was Caelum's opportunity.
He took a deep breath, focusing. With a burst of energy, Caelum summoned his light soldier, directing it to pierce the manticore's underside with a glowing, radiant blade. The light soldier slashed clean through the creature's defenses, causing the manticore to stagger.
"That's it," Caelum muttered. "Now I just need to finish it."
But before he could react, another beast, a giant wolf with blood-red eyes, pounced from behind. It was fast—too fast for Caelum to fully react. His shadow soldiers were already engaged with the manticore, and his light soldier was still recovering from its attack. The wolf's claws raked through the air, but Caelum instinctively spun, firing another shot from his revolver.
The shot landed. The wolf let out a shrill howl as it staggered back, but it wasn't enough to stop it.
He was running low on ammunition.
He took another breath and fired three more shots, each one striking the wolf in quick succession. But then, the revolver clicked empty.
Six shots.
Caelum's stomach dropped. He had forgotten. The revolver had no extra rounds.
A sense of dread crept over him as the beasts closed in, and his soldiers—already exhausted from the battle—weren't enough to keep them at bay. The manticore had regained its footing, the wolf was charging again, and a serpent-like creature was slithering toward him from the left.
Without hesitation, Caelum tossed the revolver aside and raised his staff, its light flaring as he focused on the battlefield. He needed a way to keep fighting, to survive.
The solution came to him in a flash of desperation.
He turned his focus inward, drawing on the shadows that surrounded him. His soldiers—his companions—were at risk of being overwhelmed. But what if he could fuel the gun again? What if he could use the shadows as fuel for the bullets?
With a snap of his fingers, Caelum focused, his shadow soldier crumbling into wisps of darkness and funneling into the revolver. His eyes glowed with the intensity of his will as he raised the weapon once more.
The revolver hummed with dark energy as he summoned the power of the shadows into it. The beasts, sensing the sudden shift in the arena, hesitated—but it was too late.
Caelum fired again, his aim true. The first bullet tore through the wolf, its body collapsing into a pile of dark energy as the shadow soldier he had consumed raised it from the dead. The wolf's form shimmered for a moment before it became a new soldier—a new ally under his command.
Caelum grinned, the light of battle flashing in his eyes. "This... this is how I fight."
Now, with the shadows fueling his weapon and his soldiers at his side, he could press on. But each time he called upon them, each time he used the shadows as fuel for his weapon or his soldiers, he knew he was sacrificing a part of himself. The balance between light and dark, life and death, had never been so precarious.
The beasts were not yet defeated, but Caelum now understood the cost of victory.
The battle raged on as Caelum stood, his heart pounding in his chest, the arena around him alive with chaos. His shadow soldiers had taken a beating, and the last of the beasts were closing in. The manticore, still alive but weakened, roared in defiance as the wolf pounced again, fangs bared. It seemed like the tide was shifting, but Caelum had a plan.
He reached deep inside himself, focusing on the raw energy of light, knowing that he had a unique power—he could reshape the fallen into beings of radiance. He had seen his father and others like him raise the dead, but Caelum had a different path. He wasn't going to make them into mindless creatures of shadow. He would make them something greater.
With a breath, he called upon the power of light, bending the energy around him like a sculptor shaping clay.
In a flash, the manticore's lifeless form was engulfed in brilliant light, and as the shadows receded, the body reformed. It was still the same massive creature, but now it gleamed with radiant energy. Its fur shimmered in golden and silver hues, the glow emanating from its body like an ethereal aura.
Caelum took a step back as the manticore, now a beast of light, slowly rose to its feet. The light emitted from its form pulsed, its once piercing eyes now glowing with a soft yet powerful illumination. The beast's once dark and jagged claws now glowed with light, almost as if they were made of pure energy.
"Rise," Caelum commanded. The manticore responded instantly, its golden eyes locked onto the nearest enemy.
The wolf that had fallen beside him was next. Caelum's hands trembled slightly as he reached out, his power flowing through the animal's body, reshaping it with light. It was a grueling process, but the moment the light touched the wolf, its body shimmered, and it too began to reform. The wolf was now a creature of light, with fur that seemed to radiate like starlight, and its eyes now glowing with a bright, almost celestial hue. Its teeth gleamed with ethereal power as it stood by Caelum's side.
With the two beasts now under his control, Caelum felt a wave of relief, but it was short-lived. His shadow soldiers were fading quickly, and the other beasts were still relentless. Caelum needed more power—he needed more light.
He turned his focus inward once more, searching for the will to continue. His father's words echoed in his mind: "Balance the darkness with the light, my son."
He raised his staff high, summoning the last of his power as the light from the beasts surged around him. From the light, the energy began to crystallize into more soldiers—light creatures, beings forged from pure energy, with no physical form but capable of harnessing their surroundings. They stood tall and proud, their silhouettes shifting and flickering like flames, yet solid and purposeful.
But it was clear—Caelum's power was not infinite. The toll it was taking on him was immense. Even as the creatures of light appeared before him, his energy was draining faster than he could replenish it. Every light creation took a piece of himself with it, the act of summoning and binding them depleting his reserves.
Still, Caelum wasn't finished. He still had his staff, the tool his father had gifted him, infused with power that could be drawn from the depths of both light and shadow. He could feel it pulsing with life.
The manticore—now a creature of pure light—charged at the remaining beasts, its claws glowing with radiant energy as it struck, each hit leaving trails of light in its wake. The wolf, its movements swift and precise, darted through the battle with grace, its glowing fangs tearing into the enemies around them.
Caelum's light soldiers moved in tandem, assisting in the fight. Each soldier was like an extension of himself, wielding light as their weapons and defenses, but still retaining the qualities of the beasts they were derived from. The manticore was a juggernaut, while the wolf was nimble and vicious, attacking from the shadows with its radiant form.
But Caelum knew the balance was fragile. With every wave of light, he felt the strain deep within himself, the battle pulling him closer to the edge. He couldn't summon more soldiers; he was reaching his limit.
"Enough," came his father's voice, echoing over the battlefield.
Caelum's heart raced as the glowing creatures fell into their final positions, the arena littered with the remnants of the defeated beasts. The creatures of light stood proudly by his side, their forms flickering but strong.
William stepped forward, his gaze meeting Caelum's. His son stood there, bloodied and weary, but resolute. The beasts of light around him shimmered, fading with the last vestiges of their energy, returning to nothingness.
"You've done well," William said, his voice low but filled with pride. "You have the potential, Caelum. But power alone won't carry you through the trials ahead."
Caelum stood tall, exhaustion weighing on him, but his resolve burning brighter than ever. "I'm ready," he said, his voice firm. "I'll do whatever it takes."
William nodded, his expression unreadable. "We'll see about that."