Night shrouded the world, and the mountains loomed like sleeping beasts, their breaths rising and fading in the mist.Aiden climbed the long flight of stone steps, each footfall echoing back at him as though the mountain itself were answering. The path was steep and slick with frost, its stones carved with faded runes that gave off a faint, ghostly glow.
The wind brushed through his hair — sharp, cold, carrying the taste of salt and the faint scent of blood. It was the wind from the world's deepest places, the same wind that had once howled through forgotten wars and fallen kingdoms.
"Every soul who sets foot upon Shadow Mountain," said Master Kaelus, walking ahead of him, "has been summoned by destiny." His voice was calm, almost gentle, yet it carried the weight of an old truth. "But remember this — destiny never gives freely. What it takes is always far more than you expect."
Aiden looked up. The sky was buried beneath a ceiling of dark clouds, and only one star fought to shine through — a faint, flickering star he knew too well. The Black Star.The one that had fallen last night and split the heavens apart.
"Master," he asked quietly, "that star… what does it have to do with me?"
Kaelus did not answer right away. After a long silence, he said only, "It resonates with something that sleeps within your blood. Whether that is coincidence or calling… only time will tell."
They climbed higher until, through the fog, a colossal gate emerged — hewn from a single slab of black stone. Carved across its surface were winged beasts with eyes of pale blue crystal, glowing faintly as if watching the newcomers.
Kaelus raised a hand, his fingertips tracing a sign of light. The runes upon the gate ignited, humming low like the breath of an ancient being. Then, with a rumble that made the mountain tremble, the gate began to open.
A blast of cold air struck Aiden as he crossed the threshold.An unseen pressure pressed against his skin, heavy and unyielding. It felt as though the very mountain were studying him — weighing every heartbeat, every breath.
"Don't be afraid," came Kaelus's voice from behind him. "The mountain is measuring you. It remembers every shadow that walks within it."
Beyond the gate stretched a vast hall. Its ceiling soared into darkness; its walls shimmered with veins of pale light. At the center floated a grand Celestial Map, a sphere of shifting stars that turned slowly in the air. Hundreds of points of light traced paths across the void like threads of fate —except for one.
One star burned black.Utterly, impossibly black.
"That is the Silent Star," Kaelus said softly, his tone almost reverent. "Whenever it stirs, the world changes. No one knows where it came from — only that its breath is bound to the lives of all things."
Aiden's fingers trembled.The black star seemed alive, pulsing faintly — watching him. Or perhaps it was his own reflection staring back through it.
"Perhaps," Kaelus murmured, turning to meet his gaze, "it has already chosen you."
Then came the tolling of the morning bell — deep and slow, echoing from somewhere within the mountain's heart. Dawn had not yet broken, but the Academy of the Shadow Mountains was awakening.
Aiden found himself in a wide courtyard surrounded by stone platforms.Ten or more young initiates stood in formation, each from a different land or bloodline, yet all sharing a single title now — Chosen of the Stars.
A robed instructor stepped forward, unrolling a scroll. His voice rang across the space, ancient and solemn:
"Only those who dare to face the darkness withincan wield the true light of the stars."
At the center of the platform, a gate of swirling black mist began to form. It wavered like water, rippling as if alive.
"This is the Trial of Shadows," the instructor announced coldly. "Every chosen one must pass through and confront what lies deepest in their own soul. Only by defeating it can you be recognized by the Academy."
When Aiden's turn came, his throat tightened, but his feet did not falter.As he approached, the gate shivered — as if it recognized him.
He drew a breath and stepped through.
The world went silent.
He stood in ruins.The sky was dark red, the earth split open, ash drifting through the air.Far ahead, a lone figure sat upon a fallen gate — and the sight froze his blood.
It was himself.
"You finally came," the other Aiden said, lifting his head. His eyes were pure black — no whites, no light.
Aiden's breath caught in his throat.
"You think you're choosing destiny?" the voice continued, calm and cold. "No. Destiny chose you. You are nothing but a vessel — a light borrowed by darkness. And light… is nothing more than darkness turned inside out."
Aiden tried to speak but found no words.The other raised his hand — and in his palm, the Black Star burned faintly.
Pain lanced through Aiden's chest as the same mark flared to life upon his heart.The world convulsed. The storm swallowed everything.And then—nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the floor of the Star Hall.The instructors surrounded him, their faces shadowed with unease.
"He manifested resonance," whispered a silver-haired woman. "The mark of the Black Star."
"The Black Star… should not exist again," muttered another.
Kaelus stood among them, silent, eyes fixed on Aiden.Then, in a low voice that cut through the murmurs, he said:
"Let him stay."
Several heads turned in disbelief.
Kaelus went on, "Shadow Mountain has waited long enough. Perhaps this time, the Black Star brings more than ruin."
He bent close to Aiden, his voice soft but heavy as prophecy:
"Remember this, child —When the Black Star falls again, the world shall see a second dawn.And you will be the one to ignite it… or to end it."
The wind coiled through the hall, scattering light and dust like drifting stardust.Aiden lifted his gaze to the Silent Star, and for the first time, a thought — sharp, terrifyingly clear — formed in his mind:
Perhaps the light that fell upon him was never a blessing at all.