The air shattered first.
Not with soundbut with pressure.
The marble floor of the chamber trembled, veins of silver light crawling across it like cracks in reality. A spiral of black-and-chrome energy tore open above the arena, pulling shadows inward as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then—wings unfolded.
They were not feathers.They were not metal.They were living shadow, edged in silver fire.
Nyvrix descended slowly, boots never touching the ground, his wings stretching until they scraped the vaulted ceiling. His eyes glowed molten white, emotionless, ancient, and amused.
"So," his voice echoed, layered and calm, like thunder behind glass,"the fledglings stand together."
Elaris reacted on instinct.
Her illusion veil dissolved in a pulse of light as her wings burst free—hybrid feathers of gold and violet, mechanical veins humming beneath fairy glow. The chamber reflected her light in fractured rainbows.
Kael stepped forward, blade sliding into existence with a low metallic growl. Black steel. Crimson core. His stance was relaxed—but lethal.
Beside them, Xyren's pupils flickered as holographic grids bloomed around his vision, scanning energy signatures, spatial distortions, probability curves.
Nyvrix's lips curved faintly.
"Good," he said."Let's see whose wings survive the storm."
The floor vanished.
Stone dissolved into floating platforms suspended in void, drifting at uneven heights. Mirrors rose from nothing, circling them—each one reflecting Nyvrix.
Ten.Twenty.Too many.
"Clones," Kael muttered.
"No," Xyren corrected sharply. "Refractions. Real body's still moving."
Shadow beasts poured from the mirrors—twisted, winged shapes that screamed without sound.
Kael moved first.
His blade cut through the nearest construct, sparks exploding as shadow met steel. He pivoted cleanly, strike after strike, never wasting motion.
Elaris launched upward, wings flaring. Each beat sent arcs of hybrid energy through the air, tearing through illusions—but the real Nyvrix was always gone a heartbeat before impact.
Too fast.
Too precise.
Platforms collapsed without warning.
Xyren slammed commands through the arena's core—forcing light bridges to form, redirecting gravity pulses just long enough for Kael to land beside Elaris.
Their shoulders brushed.
Too close.
For a split second, Kael's blade passed inches from her wing. She adjusted instantly, trusting him without thinking.
Their eyes met.
No words.Just alignment.
Another shadow lunged.
Elaris spun, feathers hardening into razor arcs as she cut it down mid-air. Her breath came sharp, controlled—but fear whispered underneath.
I cannot fail. Not now.
The chamber shifted again.
Walls twisted like liquid silver. Gravity flipped, then snapped back. The mirrors darkened—no longer reflecting Nyvrix.
They reflected them.
Elaris froze.
Her reflection stared back—wings torn, circuits exposed, eyes empty of warmth.
"You are a machine pretending to feel," it whispered.
Her chest tightened.
Kael staggered as another mirror showed him chained, wearing his father's crest, blade raised not by choice—but command.
Xyren's reflection smiled as it lifted a dagger toward Elaris's back.
"Focus!" Xyren shouted, voice tight. "They're feeding on doubt!"
Elaris clenched her fists. Light surged through her wings.
"I am machine," she said, voice shaking—but steadying,"and fairy. Both."
Her mirror cracked.
Nyvrix finally stepped forward.
No clones.No refractions.
Just him—shadow wings igniting in silver flame.
"Better," he said softly."But storms don't end so easily."
The platforms began to fall.
One by one.
Into nothing.
Elaris leapt, Kael catching her wrist mid-air and pulling her onto the last stable platform. Xyren landed hard beside them, systems overheating.
Nyvrix hovered above, untouched.
"This," he said, wings spreading wider,"is only the beginning."
He dissolved into shadow.
Silence crashed down.
The arena stabilized—barely.
The trio stood breathless, wings trembling, blades lowered but not relaxed.
Somewhere deep in the chamber, something awoke.
And the storm had chosen them.
"The trials have started. And Nyvrix is no longer watching—he's testing."