Chapter 28: Eyes of the Kingdom
One month had passed since the duel with the prince.
But the city hadn't forgotten it.
Andrew stepped through the obsidian gates of Highvale Arena, his cloak brushing the marble floor, Ashren strapped to his back like a sleeping shadow. Around him, nobles whispered. Competitors parted. Some out of fear.
Others out of respect.
"That's him. The one who defeated Prince Thayen."
"They say his sword whispers to him."
"They say it devours the past…"
Andrew ignored them. But the weight of their stares clung to him.
- The Tournament: Phase Two -
The Royal Emissary stood atop a golden platform, voice booming through the arena.
"Competitors! The Second Trial begins now."
"You will be divided into trios—groups of three—to face the Towers of Trial, one by one."
"Each tower tests a different aspect of the Heroic Path: Strength. Unity. Will."
"Victory lies not in sheer might, but in how you carry others with you."
A rumble passed through the ground.
Six towers rose from the arena floor—each glowing with different elemental runes. Fire. Ice. Lightning. Wind. Void. And Time.
Andrew narrowed his eyes. The Tower of Void pulsed in sync with Ashren.
Of course.
- The Trio is Formed -
His team assignment came on a scroll, sealed with red wax.
Team 17:
Andrew Caelum
Kaelira Veylen
Selennia of the Ivory Chain
Mihai wasn't listed.
Andrew blinked. "That's not good."
Kaelira appeared behind him, reading her own scroll.
"Convenient. Or maybe… very deliberate."
Selennia's tone was sharp when she joined them.
"If this is some test of trust, it's a cruel one."
Andrew shrugged. "Then let's pass it."
- Inside the Tower of Void -
The door opened. Cold wind rushed out.
As they stepped inside, silence devoured all sound.
Even their thoughts seemed muted.
The walls were made of shifting shadowglass. The floor... vanished behind them as they walked.
They were being judged.
And in the center of the chamber…
A mirror.
A single, silver-edged mirror. Floating.
Andrew stepped forward—and the moment his eyes met the reflection, it shattered into darkness, sucking him into a vision.
- Within the Void -
He was alone.
Ashren pulsed in his grip. But this was no ordinary dream.
It was memory.
He stood once again as the Lord of Shadows, cloak whipping behind him, face emotionless, standing above a battlefield littered with the corpses of kings.
A voice echoed.
"Would you become this again? If it meant peace?"
Andrew's hand trembled.
"No."
"Not like that."
The shadowform stepped forward from the mirror—his old self. Smirking. Cold.
"Then you are weak."
"You will lose. You will let the world burn—again."
Ashren flared.
"Not if I change the ending."
Andrew awoke back in the tower.
Kaelira and Selennia stood nearby, breathing hard. They had their own battles in the mirror—Andrew could see it in their eyes.
"It's a test of self," Selennia whispered. "Not strength."
"Will," Kaelira added. "And identity."
"Then we pass by choosing who we are," Andrew said. "Not what we were."
The tower pulsed. Doors opened.
They passed.
- The Watching King -
Far above, in the crystal dome of the arena, King Vallan watched the trio exit the tower with narrowed eyes.
The royal mage beside him spoke softly.
"He faced his reflection... and did not break."
The king remained silent for a long moment.
"Then increase the stakes."
"Bring in the continent's elite."
"And make sure next time… he bleeds."