Elena awoke with a sharp inhale, her body rigid as if caught between worlds. The dim candlelight flickered erratically, shadows stretching across the stone walls of her chamber. A cold sweat clung to her skin. But it wasn't fear that made her heart pound. It was power.
The mark on her arm—once a faint, jagged scar—was now alive, glowing with a sickly red hue. The heat beneath her skin pulsed in sync with her racing heartbeat, and for a moment, she swore she felt something watching her from within.
"You are not meant to be caged," a voice whispered.
Elena's breath hitched. The voice slithered through her mind like oil, slick and dangerous. It wasn't her own thoughts. It was something else.
"Unleash what lies beneath."
Her fingers trembled as she reached for the mark, half expecting her skin to burn at the touch. But the moment her fingertips brushed against it, a surge of energy rushed through her veins. Images flooded her mind—fire and ruin, blood on stone, screams drowned in thunderous power.
She yanked her hand away. What was happening t
The following morning, the Arcane Athenaeum was in an uproar. The moment Elena stepped into the Grand Hall, whispers hissed through the air like wildfire.
"She's Bloodmarked."
"A danger to us all."
"She should be contained—before it's too late."
Elena clenched her jaw, forcing herself to keep walking, though every step felt heavier than the last.
At the front of the hall stood Master Veyra, her piercing gaze scanning the gathered students and faculty. The council—eight of the most powerful mages in Ithrenis—sat on their elevated seats, their expressions ranging from concern to outright hostility.
"Elena," Master Veyra's voice cut through the murmurs like a blade, "step forward."
She obeyed, standing tall despite the weight of their scrutiny.
The head councilor, a gaunt man named Aldric, folded his hands. "Do you understand what your mark means?"
Elena hesitated, her fingers twitching at her sides. "Not entirely."
A murmur rippled through the hall. Aldric's expression darkened.
"The Bloodmarked are not merely gifted, child," he said. "They are cursed. Chosen by something ancient and unforgiving. Those who bear the mark either fall to madness or... worse."
A student in the crowd scoffed. "She should be exiled before she turns on us."
A flicker of anger burned in Elena's chest, but before she could respond, another voice rang out.
"She should be tested," said Lira.
The entire room turned to face her. Lira—one of the academy's brightest sorcerers—stepped forward, arms crossed. Her eyes, sharp as daggers, locked onto Elena's.
"Let her prove she can control it," she continued. "If she fails, you'll have your answer."
Master Veyra met Elena's gaze. "What do you say?"
A trial. A chance to prove herself. Or a trap meant to break her.
Elena exhaled slowly, the mark still pulsing under her sleeve. "I accept."
The trial was held deep beneath the academy, in an ancient labyrinth designed to test one's mind, body, and soul.
The walls pulsed with runes that shifted unpredictably, creating paths that never stayed the same. Illusions, traps, creatures forged from nightmares. Many had entered these halls, but not all had emerged unscathed.
Elena stood at the entrance, her pulse steady despite the weight pressing down on her shoulders. She could feel the eyes of the council above, watching from the observation chamber.
"Let's get this over with."
The stone doors groaned open, and the air changed—thick with something ancient, something waiting.
Elena stepped inside.
The doors slammed shut behind her.
The first test was not physical—it was mental.
As Elena walked forward, the air shimmered, and suddenly—
She was not alone.
A shadow peeled itself from the darkness ahead, taking shape, shifting—until she was staring at herself.
Not just a reflection. Not just an illusion.
It was her, but twisted. Dark veins snaked up her arms. Her eyes glowed with the same sickly red light as the mark.
"Do you know what you really are?" the Other Elena whispered.
Elena's fists clenched. "You're an illusion."
Her doppelgänger tilted her head, lips curling into a smirk. "Then why am I the one who knows what we truly want?"
The mark burned hotter, and suddenly—
A flood of visions.
Power unlike anything she'd ever felt. The world at her feet. People bowing. Enemies crushed to dust beneath her will.
It was intoxicating.
"Let me in," the Other Elena whispered. "We could be unstoppable."
For a single, dangerous second—Elena considered it.
But then—
_"No."
She gritted her teeth, and with sheer force of will, tore herself free from the illusion. The Other Elena flickered, snarled—then shattered into a thousand pieces.
Elena staggered back, gasping for air. The whispers retreated, but the mark still pulsed.
The trial wasn't over yet.
At the heart of the labyrinth lay the final test: a massive chamber with one exit.
But between Elena and the exit stood a creature unlike any she had seen before.
A twisted, towering beast of bone and shadow, its eyes hollow, its movements unnatural. The embodiment of her greatest fear: losing control.
The moment it saw her, it attacked.
Elena barely dodged as claws ripped through the air, sending a shockwave that cracked the stone. She retaliated, hurling a blast of pure energy—but the creature absorbed it, growing stronger.
The mark burned. The whispers returned.
"Use me."
Elena's knees buckled. The temptation was unbearable.
"Just once."
If she gave in—just for a second—she could end this.
But at what cost?
She clenched her fists, forcing herself to think. Control. Not surrender.
Then, she saw it. The beast had a weak spot—a flickering core of magic in its chest.
Elena channeled her energy—not through the mark, but through herself. She focused everything into a single, controlled attack—
A spear of light.
She threw it.
The spear pierced the beast's core. A shriek of agony—then silence. The creature collapsed into dust.
Elena fell to her knees, exhausted but victorious
The doors to the labyrinth opened, and she stepped out—alive, changed, but still herself.
The council was silent.
Then, Master Veyra spoke. "She passed."
Some nodded, some scowled. But the decision was made.
But as Elena turned to leave, a figure stepped from the shadows—a hooded stranger.
"The Bloodmarked have awakened," they murmured. "And now, they will come for you."
Before Elena could speak, the figure vanished into the night.