Lena sat at the edge of a vast black-marble balcony, staring out into the swirling mist beyond the Devil's son's domain. Her mind was a storm of questions she had no answers to.
The Infernal Realm was real. The pact she had made was unbreakable—unless she was willing to trade something greater than her soul.
Her heart.
And she still didn't fully understand what that meant.
Behind her, she could feel his presence.
The Devil's son.
Lucian.
The name suited him—dangerous and elegant, like something that could cut if you got too close.
"You've been quiet," he murmured.
Lena turned to see him leaning against the stone railing, golden eyes watching her intently. His presence was always overwhelming, like the air around him vibrated with power.
She swallowed hard. "I'm trying to understand what I've gotten myself into."
His smirk was slow, almost amused. "And what have you figured out?"
She clenched her jaw. "That I'm bound to you. That my fate is no longer my own. That I either accept it or—"
"Or it destroys you," he finished for her.
Lena shivered.
Lucian stepped closer, tilting his head. "Do you want to survive this, Lena?"
Her heart pounded. "Of course I do."
"Then you need to prove you can handle the power of the pact."
Lena stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Lucian's gaze darkened. "The bond isn't just a contract, little mortal. It's a test. A challenge."
Lena's pulse quickened.
"You mean I have to pass something?"
He nodded. "You are bound to the Infernal Realm now, but you are still weak. If you cannot control the mark, it will consume you."
She swallowed hard. "And how do I do that?"
Lucian's smirk returned, but there was something more dangerous in it this time.
"You pass the first test of the pact."
Lena exhaled sharply. "And what exactly is that?"
Lucian stepped closer until the space between them was nearly nonexistent.
"You face what's inside you," he whispered.
A chill ran down her spine.
Before she could react, he reached out—and pressed his palm against her mark.
A shockwave of heat and darkness exploded through her.
The world shifted.
---
The Trial of Shadows
Lena landed hard on a cold stone floor.
The air was thick, suffocating. A faint, eerie glow illuminated the space, casting long shadows along the walls.
She pushed herself up, heart hammering.
"Lucian?" she called.
Silence.
She was alone.
No—not alone.
Something moved in the darkness.
A soft whisper slithered through the air, brushing against her skin.
"Do you know what you truly are, mortal?"
Lena's breath hitched. "Who's there?"
No answer.
The shadows shifted again, coiling along the edges of the room.
And then—a figure emerged.
Lena's blood ran cold.
It was her.
An exact replica of herself, standing just a few feet away.
But it wasn't just a reflection.
The other Lena's eyes glowed an unnatural red, and her lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"You don't belong here," the shadow version of her whispered.
Lena clenched her fists. "What the hell is this?"
The doppelgänger tilted her head. "This is your first test."
Lena swallowed hard. "And what am I supposed to do?"
The shadow's smirk widened. "Survive."
And then—it attacked.
---
Fighting the Darkness
Lena barely had time to react.
Her dark counterpart moved like lightning, lunging at her with an inhuman speed.
Lena dove to the side, rolling across the stone floor just as the shadow struck where she had been standing. A jagged crack formed in the stone, black smoke rising from the impact.
Lena's breath came fast and shallow.
This wasn't just some illusion.
It was real.
She scrambled to her feet just as the shadow turned, its red eyes glinting.
"You can't fight what's inside you," it whispered.
Lena clenched her jaw. "Watch me."
The shadow rushed at her again, but this time, Lena was ready.
She dodged left and threw her weight into a kick—only for her foot to pass through the shadow's form like smoke.
Her eyes widened.
The doppelgänger grinned. "You can't touch me, little mortal."
Panic surged in Lena's chest. How was she supposed to fight something that wasn't solid?
The shadow lunged again, faster this time.
Lena had no time to dodge.
The impact slammed her into the ground, knocking the air from her lungs.
Pain exploded through her body.
The shadow leaned in close, its voice like silk.
"You are weak," it murmured. "That's why you needed a deal to save your brother."
Lena's chest tightened.
"You're nothing without the pact," the shadow continued. "Just a scared little girl pretending to be strong."
A burning sensation spread through Lena's mark.
The whispers in the room grew louder.
"She's not ready."
"She will fail."
"She will break."
Lena clenched her fists.
No.
She wasn't weak.
She wasn't nothing.
She had made a choice.
A deal.
And she would survive it.
Heat exploded from her mark, sending a wave of power through her veins.
The shadow jerked back, its red eyes widening.
Lena rose to her feet.
"You're wrong," she whispered. "I made my choice. And I won't be broken by it."
Her mark burned brighter—and suddenly, the shadows stopped moving.
The whispers halted.
The doppelgänger's smirk faltered.
Lena reached forward.
This time, when her fingers touched the darkness, it cracked.
A shattering sound echoed through the space.
The shadow screamed.
And then—it was gone.
---
The Pact Strengthens
Lena gasped as reality snapped back into place.
She was no longer in the trial.
She was back in Lucian's domain, standing before him.
Her chest heaved, sweat slicking her skin.
Lucian watched her carefully. "You survived."
Lena clenched her fists. "You knew that would happen, didn't you?"
He smirked. "I did say it was a test."
She glared at him. "What the hell was that thing?"
Lucian's golden eyes gleamed.
"Your darkness," he murmured. "The part of you that fears what you've become."
Lena shuddered.
"Is it go
ne?" she asked.
Lucian's smirk widened.
"No," he said. "But now, it knows who's in control."
Lena swallowed hard, her mark still tingling.
She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
But one thing was certain—
This was only the beginning.