The air grew colder as Elias ascended the final step of the floor. The Tower no longer hummed with its usual faint energy. Instead, it was silent, as though holding its breath.
Before him stretched a vast chamber, its walls lined with fractured mirrors. The ground was uneven, littered with shards of glass that crunched underfoot. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, upon which rested a broken crown.
The Crown.
Its once-glorious gold was tarnished, split into jagged pieces barely held together by thin threads of light.
"This is the Trial," the Tower's voice boomed, resonating from the shattered mirrors. "Take the crown, and you will bear its burden. Succeed, and ascend. Fail…" The voice trailed off, but the meaning was clear.
Elias narrowed his eyes. He felt the weight of the Tower's gaze, an unseen pressure that pushed down on his shoulders. He stepped forward cautiously, his boots crunching against the glass.
The first step was always the hardest.
---
As he moved closer to the crown, the fractured mirrors began to shift. His reflection stared back at him, but it wasn't him.
The image smirked, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light.
"Do you really think you're worthy, Elias?" the reflection sneered. "You're just a pretender. A thief reaching for power you'll never control."
Elias ignored it and kept walking. But the closer he got, the louder the voices became.
"You abandoned them."
"You failed when it mattered most."
"What makes you think this time will be any different?"
He clenched his fists, but the reflections wouldn't stop. They shifted into familiar faces — his brother, his mentor, even the people he had sworn to protect. All of them staring, accusing.
---
When Elias was within a few feet of the pedestal, the air shimmered. A figure stepped out from one of the mirrors — a humanoid form made entirely of sharp, glittering shards. Its movements were jerky, like broken glass piecing itself together with every step.
"Prove yourself," it said, its voice a cacophony of breaking glass.
Without warning, the Guardian lunged. Elias barely had time to react, rolling to the side as its arm slashed through the air, leaving a razor-thin cut on the ground where he had stood.
Elias drew his blade, its steel glinting faintly in the dim light. He steadied his breathing, focusing on the Guardian's movements. It was fast, but it wasn't invincible.
The Guardian lunged again, its arms morphing into jagged blades. Elias ducked and countered, his blade striking its torso. The impact sent shards flying, but the creature reassembled instantly, the shards snapping back into place.
"You can't destroy it," the Tower's voice echoed. "Only overcome it."
Elias gritted his teeth. If he couldn't destroy it, he needed another way. His eyes darted to the pedestal and the crown. Was that the key?
---
As the Guardian charged again, Elias made his move. He sprinted toward the pedestal, dodging the creature's attacks. Shards of glass grazed his arms, drawing thin lines of blood, but he didn't stop.
The crown glowed brighter as he reached for it, its fractured light pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
"Are you willing to bear the weight?" the Tower's voice rumbled.
Elias hesitated for a fraction of a second. The voices from the mirrors screamed louder now, their accusations cutting deeper than any blade.
"You're a failure!"
"You don't deserve this!"
He clenched his jaw and reached out, his fingers brushing the jagged edges of the crown. Pain shot through his hand, but he didn't let go.
"I'll bear it," he whispered. "Because I must."
The moment his hand closed around the crown, the room erupted in light. The Guardian shattered into countless pieces, its fragments dissolving into the air. The mirrors cracked further, their surfaces rippling like water before fading entirely.
Elias dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. The crown in his hand was no longer broken. Its gold was pristine, its light steady and strong.
---
The Tower's voice returned, softer now, almost… approving.
"You have passed the Trial of the Shattered Crown. Ascend, Warden."
A staircase appeared before him, spiraling upward into the unknown. Elias stood, the crown heavy in his hand. He placed it on his head, feeling its weight settle on his shoulders.
But he didn't falter. He took the first step, and then the next, leaving the shattered chamber behind.
The climb continued.