Valeria's POV
The door creaked open, and I immediately felt the shift in the air—thick, charged with something ancient and foreign. I wasn't sure how, but I knew. There was something, or someone, new in the room with us.
Adrian's body tensed beside me, his hand reaching for something at his side—a gesture I'd become all too familiar with. His presence behind me was solid, grounding, but it wasn't enough to ease the unease crawling up my spine.
"Who's there?" I asked, my voice steady, though my heart drummed in my chest.
A shadow passed the threshold, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees, my breath becoming visible in the cool air. The figure that stepped into the dimly lit space was tall, unnaturally so, with skin the color of polished obsidian. Its eyes—if you could call them eyes—were orbs of pure silver, glowing faintly in the dim light. There was no human warmth in those eyes, no depth—just an endless, chilling void.
I stiffened, my instincts screaming that this was no ordinary creature. It wasn't a vampire, a witch, or anything I'd encountered before. It was something older, something that had slithered in from the forgotten crevices of the world, the ones even the supernatural world feared to acknowledge.
"Valeria," the creature rasped, its voice a haunting whisper that seemed to come from the depths of the earth itself. "You are the one they speak of."
I took a step back, feeling Adrian's body shift slightly to stand in front of me, a protective gesture. "Who are you?" I asked, my voice a little less steady now.
The creature tilted its head, its long, sharp fingers twitching slightly, as though savoring the very act of speaking. "You do not know me," it said, its tone now one of amusement. "But I know you, Celestial." It spoke the word with a reverence that sent a shiver down my spine. "You are a disruption. A beacon in the darkness."
I straightened, my hand unconsciously finding the hidden weapon I kept on me at all times—just in case. But this creature… It wasn't something I could handle with brute force. "What do you want?" I demanded, my voice cold, authoritative. I wasn't going to let it intimidate me, not now, not after everything I'd been through.
The creature's lips twisted into something that might have been a smile, but it was far from comforting. It was more like the grin of a predator, one who knew exactly how to toy with its prey before delivering the final blow.
"I have not come to take you, Celestial. Not yet." The words were both a promise and a warning. "But you are marked, whether you know it or not. The moment you embraced your power, you set things into motion that cannot be undone. You are not the first to be chosen. And you will not be the last."
My heart skipped a beat. "Marked? Chosen for what?"
The creature's eyes narrowed, its gaze piercing through me. "For the Trial. The Trial of the Celestials. It has been waiting for you—waiting for the moment the balance would shift. And now, the time has come."
Adrian's voice was low, full of a restrained anger I'd never heard from him before. "What kind of trial? What are you talking about?"
The creature's gaze flickered to Adrian for a moment, its lips curling with something that resembled disdain. "You are not part of this, mortal," it said, its voice dark and filled with venom. "This is not your fight."
I stepped forward, my power flaring instinctively. "Don't speak to him like that," I warned, the words dripping with authority. The creature didn't flinch.
"Valeria," it continued, ignoring my words as if I were nothing more than a breeze. "The Trial is not something you can outrun, not something you can hide from. The Celestial powers that reside within you are not yours to control entirely. There are rules, laws. Ancient forces at play. You've broken them. And for that, you will be judged."
I felt a cold sweat trickle down my spine. I wasn't just facing enemies who wanted to use me. I was facing something far worse. Something that wanted to eradicate me, to extinguish the very essence of who I was.
"What happens if I don't take this Trial?" I asked, my voice steady but laced with an edge of defiance.
The creature's smile widened, as though I'd just given it the most precious gift. "Then the Trial will come to you," it said, each word a whisper that sounded like a death knell. "And it will come with a cost. There will be no escape."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I wasn't afraid. Not yet. But I knew one thing for sure—this creature wasn't here to bargain. It was here to deliver a message.
"How do I face this Trial?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing. I wasn't going to let this thing dictate my fate. Not after everything I'd fought for.
The creature's lips parted, but before it could respond, there was a sound—a deep, low rumble, like thunder shaking the very bones of the earth. My eyes darted to Adrian, and I could see the same realization dawning in his eyes. This wasn't just an encounter with some rogue creature. This was something bigger, something ancient, and it was only the beginning.
The creature stepped back, its form blurring for a moment before it seemed to dissolve into the shadows, leaving nothing but a lingering chill in the air.
I stood there, frozen, heart racing. Whatever this Trial was, it was coming for me—and the supernatural world was only the beginning.
"We're not done here," I whispered to myself, the weight of the creature's words settling over me like a shroud.
Adrian reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder, his touch grounding me, even as a sense of dread gripped my chest. "What now?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
I looked at him, the coldness from the creature's visit still lingering in my bones. "Now… we prepare," I said, my voice filled with quiet resolve. "For the Trial. For whatever's coming next.
___
The creature's words echoed in my mind long after it vanished into the shadows, leaving nothing but the quiet hum of the penthouse and the distant city sounds. The Trial of the Celestials. The mark. My power. The weight of it all pressed against me, a suffocating force that seemed to stretch out across the room, thickening the air. Adrian stood beside me, a silent presence, his gaze heavy with concern.
I could feel the coolness of the marble beneath my feet, the distant thrum of the city below, but none of it seemed real anymore. Nothing felt solid or certain. The creature's cryptic warning had stirred something within me—something ancient and primal, just beneath the surface of my thoughts. The Celestial power that had been dormant for so long inside me was waking up, and I wasn't sure I could stop it. I wasn't sure I even wanted to.
Adrian's voice broke the silence, low and guarded. "Valeria…" He reached out as if to touch me but hesitated, his hand hanging in the air between us, uncertain.
I didn't know how to answer him, how to explain the storm churning inside me. The power that had been held back for so long. The power that had been mine from the beginning. But now… now it felt like a threat, like something I couldn't control.
"I'm fine," I said, my voice steady even as the chaos raged within me. "I just need a moment."
He didn't press me further, though I could feel his worry weighing on him, a palpable thing between us. He was right to be worried. This wasn't something we could fight together—not if I didn't understand it myself.
The sound of the door opening again startled me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Adrian immediately tensed, his body going rigid beside me. I turned, my gaze flickering toward the doorway, expecting another unexpected visitor. But this time, the air felt different. The tension hung heavy, crackling like static. Something was coming, something worse than the creature that had just left.
The figure that stepped into the room was unlike any I'd ever seen. Tall and ethereal, its form seemed to shift with the shadows, as if it were made of the very darkness itself. Its skin was the color of midnight, and its eyes glowed with a silver-blue hue that pierced the dim light of the penthouse like twin moons. It had no wings, but the air around it seemed to bend and ripple, as if it defied the very laws of nature.
I took a step back instinctively, my heart hammering in my chest. "Who are you?"
It didn't speak at first. It only watched me with those piercing eyes, the silence thick and unnerving. Then, slowly, it spoke, its voice a low hum that vibrated in my chest, reverberating like a haunting melody.
"The Trial is upon you, Celestial," it said, its voice sending a cold shiver down my spine. "You are marked, and your time has come. Do not think you can avoid it. No one can."
Adrian stepped in front of me instinctively, his body a shield between me and the creature. "Stay back," he warned even though it lacked conviction.
The creature didn't flinch. In fact, it seemed almost amused by Adrian's attempt to shield me. "Your mortal strength will not protect her, human," it said with a disdainful tilt of its head. "She is beyond your reach now."
Adrian's jaw tightened, but he didn't move, standing firm between the creature and me. "What do you want?"
The creature tilted its head to the side, as though contemplating his question. "I am not here to offer answers, mortal. I am here to deliver a message. The Trial is not something that can be bargained with or avoided. Your Celestial will face it, whether she is ready or not."
"Enough of the riddles," I snapped, my voice laced with the edge of frustration that had been building ever since the creature's first words. "What is this Trial, and why are you here?"
The creature's eyes glimmered with a faint amusement. "The Trial of the Celestials is an ancient rite," it explained, its voice as cold as ice. "A test of power, will, and destiny. To survive it, you must prove you are worthy of the power you wield. To fail means destruction—not just for you, but for those who are foolish enough to stand with you."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Destruction?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What does that mean? What does it want from me?"
The creature's gaze never wavered. "It is not what it wants from you, Celestial. It is what you must prove. You are not the first to be marked. Nor will you be the last. But you are the most powerful to be chosen in centuries. The power within you calls to the world, and those who seek to control it will come."
I clenched my fists at my sides, feeling the surge of power stir within me once again, as if it were waking in response to the creature's words. I had always known that my power was more than just a weapon. It was a part of me, a part of something ancient, something beyond even my understanding.
"What happens if I fail?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. My mind raced with the possibilities—none of them good. I couldn't let myself fail. I couldn't afford to.
The creature's lips twisted into a smile that sent chills down my spine. "If you fail, the world will fall into chaos. The balance will shatter, and nothing will remain."
Adrian's voice was low but insistent. "What does that mean for her? For us?"
The creature turned its gaze toward him, studying him with a dispassionate glance. "It means that you, too, will be swept into the tide of destruction. You cannot protect her from this, mortal. The Trial is not something anyone can escape."
I could feel Adrian's resolve hardening beside me, his protective instincts flaring. "We'll face it together," he said firmly.
The creature's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Together?" it mused. "You are bound by love, yes. But love will not protect her from what is coming. You are not prepared for what awaits. Neither of you are."
I felt a surge of anger at its words, the old familiar fire rising within me. "I'll face it," I said, my voice hard, my gaze unwavering. "And I'll survive it. No matter the cost."
The creature's expression shifted, its eyes narrowing as though it were sizing me up. "The Trial will come for you soon enough. You will not escape it. And when it arrives, it will not be the power you need to fear. It will be the truth that will break you."
With that final cryptic warning, the creature turned and melted into the shadows, disappearing from view with a swiftness that left no trace of its presence. The room fell silent again, the weight of its words hanging heavy in the air.
Adrian and I stood there for a long moment, neither of us speaking, both of us absorbing the magnitude of what had just transpired. The silence between us was thick, the words of the creature still echoing in my mind. The Trial of the Celestials. The destruction of the world. My power—and the truth that would break me.
I wasn't ready for what was coming, but I knew that I had no choice. The Trial was inevitable. And if I wanted to survive, I had to face it. There was no running anymore.
Adrian finally broke the silence, his voice soft but resolute. "We'll figure this out," he said, his gaze unwavering. "Together."
I met his eyes, the weight of the creature's warning still heavy in my chest. The Trial was coming, and the world itself hung in the balance. But I wasn't ready to fall. Not yet.
"We will," I said, my voice steelier than before. "Whatever it takes, we'll face it head-on."
The Trial would come for me, but I'd be ready. I had to be.