The golden light faded from the desert, replaced by an all-consuming darkness. Orin, Nyron, and Kai found themselves standing in an oppressive void, the air thick with a suffocating stillness. There was no sky, no ground just endless blackness stretching in all directions.
Orin's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't like the illusion of the desert. There was something real, something ancient about this place.
"The Trial of Shadows," Aurelius' voice echoed in the darkness. "In this place, you will face not what you fear the most, but what you cannot escape. The shadows within yourselves."
Kai tensed, his eyes narrowing as the blackness seemed to thicken around them. "What does that mean?"
"You'll see soon enough," Aurelius' voice faded, leaving them alone in the oppressive darkness.
Orin tightened his grip on his sword, his senses alert. He had no idea what to expect, but the chill in the air hinted that this trial would be unlike anything they had faced before. The shadows seemed to whisper around him, pulling at his thoughts, his memories.
Then, a figure emerged from the darkness.
It was Nyron.
Orin's heart skipped a beat as he saw his friend, but something was off. Nyron's face was pale, his eyes hollow with an unnatural emptiness. His usual confident demeanor was gone replaced by something darker.
"Nyron?" Orin called out, his voice wavering. "What's happening?"
The shadowed Nyron didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand, and the darkness around them seemed to ripple as if it were alive, bending and warping under his control.
"You shouldn't have come here, Orin," the shadow of Nyron spoke, his voice cold and mocking. "You think you're ready? You think you can save the worlds? You can barely save yourself."
Orin stepped back, his mind reeling. This wasn't his friend it couldn't be. But the words cut deeper than any physical wound. They dug into his soul, into the doubts he had buried long ago.
"Shut up," Orin muttered, though his voice trembled.
Nyron's shadow smirked, his lips curling into a cruel grin. "You abandoned me, just like you abandoned everything else. You think you can lead these people? You think you can stop the Primordials? You couldn't even save me when it mattered."
Orin's chest tightened. The guilt was suffocating, more than he could bear. The memory of the last time he saw Nyron the day he left to fight alone, leaving his best friend behind to handle his own demons came crashing back.
But this was a test. He had to focus. He couldn't let the darkness consume him.
"I didn't abandon you," Orin growled, his voice growing more firm with each word. "I was trying to protect you, trying to keep you safe from the truth. But you're not dead. You're not gone. This is just an illusion."
The shadow of Nyron let out a laugh, harsh and mocking. "Is that what you tell yourself? That you're doing everything for them? For me? You're just running away from your own weaknesses."
Orin's heart pounded in his chest, his hands tightening around the hilt of his sword. He wasn't sure if it was the words, the fear, or the overwhelming sense of loss that was threatening to break him, but he couldn't let himself fall into despair.
He had to fight not for them, but for himself.
The ground beneath Orin's feet began to shift, the shadows pressing in on him. The darkness wrapped around his limbs, pulling him down, suffocating him. But Orin was no stranger to darkness.
With a defiant roar, Orin swung his sword through the air, cutting through the oppressive shadow. The moment his blade connected, the shadow of Nyron vanished, disintegrating into nothingness. The darkness around them receded, and the black void began to lighten.
Orin dropped to his knees, breathing heavily, the weight of the trial settling in his chest. He had passed the first part, but the lingering sensation of loss gnawed at him. He hadn't just faced Nyron's shadow he had faced his own.
"Orin…" Kai's voice called out, pulling him from his thoughts.
He looked up to see Kai standing beside him, his eyes filled with concern. "You okay?"
Orin wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, though the weariness still lingered in his eyes. "Yeah. Just… had to face some things."
Kai didn't push him further, but he could see the shadows of the trial still lingering in Orin's gaze.
Then, from the darkness, Aurelius' voice once again broke the silence. "The Trial of Shadows is complete. But the trials will only grow harder from here. The next will test your resolve your ability to lead."
Orin stood slowly, brushing the dust from his clothes. "I'm ready."