Chapter 37: Baptism in Shadow
The training ground Mihai chose wasn't part of the Academy.
It was a ruin beneath it.
Down forgotten stone stairs and through ancient iron gates, they descended into the underbelly of Velmora's capital—a catacomb abandoned centuries ago. This place, Mihai explained, had once been used to test early wielders of forbidden relics.
The walls whispered now.
Some in Andrew's voice.
Some… in Noir's.
- Descent -
"Close your eyes," Mihai said, stepping into the central chamber—a circular room lit only by the pulse of Ashren in Andrew's hand.
"This isn't about fighting others," Mihai continued. "It's about surviving yourself. You've touched something ancient. Now, you must learn to exist with it without letting it consume you."
Andrew nodded.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
- Trial One: The Echo -
In the vision, Andrew stood atop a battlefield.
Ashes fell from the sky. Cities burned in the distance. Bodies littered the ground—some familiar, others strangers, but all lifeless.
At the center stood Noir Caelum.
"You always return here," Noir said. "The aftermath of your power. The cost of your ambition."
Andrew tightened his grip on Ashren.
"This is just a memory," he said.
"No," Noir answered, voice like thunder through hollow halls. "This is a mirror. And mirrors don't lie."
A sword materialized in Noir's hand—identical to Ashren, but bathed in a darker glow.
"You can't defeat me until you accept me," he said.
Then the echo charged.
- Trial Two: The Doubt -
After the clash faded, Andrew found himself alone again—this time in the home of his childhood. The capital slums. Cold floors. Cracked windows. His younger self sat in the corner, bruised and afraid.
"You were weak once," the boy said. "And you still are."
Andrew fell to his knees, overcome by a surge of guilt and shame.
The vision warped. Now he stood in the arena, the crowd booing him. The prince alive. The sword broken.
"You'll fail them. You always do."
Ashren flickered, and the vision faded—but left doubt buried deep in Andrew's chest.
- Awakening the Shadow Light -
When Andrew finally opened his eyes, drenched in sweat and shadow, Mihai stood above him, holding a relic fragment in hand.
"You lasted longer than I did on my first time," he said with a faint smile. "That sword of yours—it's not just shadow anymore. You're changing it."
Andrew looked at Ashren. The aura around it had dimmed—but now glowed with faint streaks of silver. The darkness was still there… but less wild.
More controlled.
"It's not shadow or light," Andrew whispered. "It's both."
Mihai nodded. "Good. Because what's coming will test all of you."
- Ripples Across the World -
In the halls of the Divine Concord, a council of gods stirred. Statues cracked. Light dimmed.
A robed figure whispered:
"The reborn King of Shadows… walks the line."
Another replied:
"Then we must decide. Will he be our sword—or our executioner?"