The training hall beneath Elaris was nothing like Ariya expected. It wasn't lined with weapons or filled with soldiers. It was quiet—too quiet. Empty walls, soft glowing runes, and a large stone circle in the center.
"This is where you'll face the Trial," Vaela said, arms crossed. "The city won't accept you until you do."
Ariya frowned. "A trial of what? Combat?"
"Worse," Kiran said behind her. "Memory."
Ariya stepped into the circle. The runes flared. In an instant, the world blinked out.
---
She was back in her village.
The wind blew gently, the sky orange with the light of sunset. Children laughed, elders sat by the fire—and her mother stood by the river, humming an old tune.
"No," Ariya whispered. "This isn't real."
But it felt real. Her mother turned, smiling. "You've grown."
Ariya's breath caught in her throat. "Why did you leave?"
"I never did," her mother said softly. "I've always been with you."
"No," Ariya said again, backing away. "This is a lie. You're not her."
Her mother's smile didn't change, but her eyes did. They turned black. Void black.
"You are mine," the shadow-mother said. "You were born for the darkness."
Ariya stumbled as the vision fractured. Now the village was burning. Screams echoed around her. The shadows rose like waves, and her hands glowed with dark power.
"Control it," she told herself. "You're stronger than this."
The shadows lunged.
She didn't run.
She screamed—and pushed.
---
Light exploded from her core. The vision shattered.
Ariya collapsed in the training hall, gasping. Vaela knelt beside her, inspecting.
"She passed," Vaela said. "Barely."
Ariya looked up, eyes glowing faintly. "What… was that?"
"Your memory," Vaela said. "And your weakness."
Kiran stepped forward. "But also her strength. She fought back."
Vaela nodded. "You are now a Shadowbound. Not just a girl with power… but one who's chosen how to use it."
As Ariya stood, her body ached. But her spirit burned brighter than ever.
She was no longer running from her past.
She was chasing her future.
---