The spirit's words echoed through the chamber like thunder, rolling through the dust-covered ruins and shaking the fragile silence that had briefly followed the sword's awakening.
Kaelin stood her ground. Her fingers trembled slightly against the hilt of the glowing sword, but her feet didn't move. She wasn't backing down.
"You say the war she died to end may begin again," Kaelin said, steadying her voice. "Then tell me—what war?"
The flames crackled louder, and the spectral warrior stepped forward. Each motion stirred glowing embers in his wake. His face, though shrouded in a ghostly helm, betrayed sorrow more than fury now.
"She gave her life to seal away the Aether Rift," he said. "To bind what should never have touched this world."
Kaelin blinked. "The Aether Rift? That's… myth."
"It was myth—until the seals started to crack."
Eli, wide-eyed, turned to the others. "I read about the Aether Rift once. Just once. A realm outside our own where time, thought, and energy blur together. If even a sliver of that leaked into our world…"
"It would warp everything," Mira whispered. "Corrupt. Change."
The spirit nodded grimly.
"And this sword," Kaelin asked, lifting it, "was used to stop it?"
"It is the last key and the last lock," the guardian replied. "Forged not to destroy, but to hold back the tide."
"But the seal was already breaking," Jericho said. "We found this blade buried under runes meant to contain it, not protect it."
The guardian's eyes glowed with a sorrowful fire. "Because long ago, one of your bloodline tried to use it… to control the Rift."
Everyone turned to Kaelin.
"My bloodline?"
The ghost nodded. "You carry Araya's blood. The sword answered you because it remembers. Because it hopes."
Kaelin swallowed hard. A thousand thoughts ran through her head, but only one question made it out.
"What do I have to do?"
---
The Trial Begins
The spirit raised his ghostly blade, wreathed in blue flame. "Prove your will can bear the burden. Or be consumed like the last."
Before anyone could protest, the circle of fire surged inward. The others were pushed back by an invisible force, helpless to intervene. Kaelin stood alone in the center of the room, sword clutched tightly as the spirit lunged.
Steel met spectral flame in a crash of light and sound. The ancient blade in Kaelin's hand vibrated, not from impact—but from recognition. The duel had begun, and only one could leave the circle.
The spirit's strikes were precise and relentless. He was not testing her strength. He was testing her purpose.
"You wield Araya's sword—but do you understand her sacrifice?"
Kaelin ducked beneath a horizontal slash, her own blade reacting faster than her thoughts. "I don't need to understand everything to protect what matters!"
"You speak of protection," the spirit growled, "yet you know nothing of cost!"
Another clash sent Kaelin stumbling backward. Her knees threatened to buckle.
Images surged through her mind—Araya on a battlefield, bloodied, weary, driving the sword into a rift spewing swirling purple energy. She screamed as the rift closed around her, the blade anchoring it shut.
Kaelin gasped, pain lancing her chest. The sword was sharing its memories now—testing her, judging her.
"I saw her," Kaelin breathed. "She didn't run. Even when it meant dying."
The spirit's next strike came slower.
"And will you do the same, when your moment comes?"
Kaelin raised the blade. It felt lighter now, warmer. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop this. I'm not her. But I won't waste what she gave up."
The fire roared one final time—and then went still.
The spirit lowered his blade. "Then you are worthy."
---
After the Flame
The circle vanished. The flames faded to smoke, and Kaelin fell to one knee, breath ragged. Mira and Jericho rushed to her side.
"You okay?" Jericho asked, helping her up.
Kaelin nodded slowly. "I passed."
Lysa frowned. "But what happens now? You've been chosen. That means something. And something out there knows it."
The ruins began to rumble. The spectral guardian, fading into motes of light, raised a hand.
"My time is done. But others will come. Some will want the sword. Some will want the Rift. And some… will want you dead before either comes to pass."
Kaelin tried to speak, but the chamber exploded in light—and then silence.
---
Beyond the Temple
When they emerged from the ruins, the sky had darkened. Clouds churned like something ancient had stirred in the heavens. Even the wind felt different, charged.
Eli scanned the horizon. "I don't think we're alone anymore."
High above, circling like vultures, several shadowed figures on winged beasts watched from the clouds—watchers sent by the Obsidian Pact.
Back in the capital, news of the sword's awakening had already reached ears eager for war.