The sky over Dawnspire Academy had shifted from dusky orange to velvet black, lit only by scattered stars and the dim glow of enchanted lanterns. The night felt unnaturally quiet, as though the entire academy held its breath—waiting for dawn, waiting for judgment, waiting for Elias to either rise or fall.
Inside the isolation chamber, Elias sat cross-legged on the cold floor. Lena sat beside him, her expression determined, a stack of practice scrolls in her lap. Elowen stood before them like a sentinel of moonlight, her silver hair glowing faintly in the candle-lit room.
"Elias," Elowen began softly, "the Council wants to see stability. Not brilliance. Not power. Stability. If you show even a flicker of uncontrolled influence tomorrow, they will declare you unsafe."
Elias swallowed. "And then?"
"Then they will impose confinement," Elowen said quietly. "Which means no training. No freedom. No contact with anyone beyond a handful of wardens."
Lena's fists tightened. "They can't just—"
"They can," Elowen cut in. "And they will, unless Elias proves his mind is his own."
Lena looked at Elias and exhaled shakily. "Then we don't let you lose yourself. Even for a heartbeat."
Elias managed a weak smile. "I'll try."
"No." Lena grabbed his hand. "You'll succeed."
Elowen nodded once. "Tonight, we focus on two things: refinement of your anchor, and suppression of external whispers."
Elias straightened. "I'm ready."
But he wasn't.
He knew he wasn't.
His hands were still shaking faintly from the afternoon's whispers. He was exhausted, mentally drained, half terrified. The Eye lurked behind his consciousness, watching him, amused by his struggle.
And tomorrow, he would face the Council.
He forced the fear down and met Elowen's eyes.
"Begin."
---
Elowen began with controlled sensory induction.
She waved her hand, and soft beads of light floated around Elias like drifting spirits. Each bead emitted a faint sound—a whisper, a chime, a note. None of them were invasive, but together they created a chaotic symphony.
Elias grimaced.
"The goal," Elowen said calmly, "is to distinguish your inner voice from the noise outside. Begin anchoring."
He closed his eyes.
The anchor light flickered into existence, weak but present.
The beads whispered around him.
Look left.
Fall asleep.
Fear the girl.
Fear yourself.
His breath hitched.
"That's not me," he whispered.
"Correct," Elowen said. "Push them away."
He drew the anchor tighter.
The beads whispered louder.
You are fragile.
You will fail tomorrow.
You will lose everyone.
He clenched his teeth. "Not mine. Not mine."
"And again," Elowen said.
He strengthened the anchor.
The whispers grew faint.
Again.
The whispers distorted, losing shape.
Again.
His breathing steadied.
Until—
Silence.
Elias opened his eyes.
Elowen nodded slowly. "Good. Very good."
Lena smiled, relief washing over her features.
"See?" she said. "You're doing it. You're actually doing it."
Elias nodded, chest rising and falling.
But then—
A faint pulse resonated in his skull.
Not from the beads.
Not from the anchor.
From deeper.
Older.
The Eye stirred.
You cannot silence me.
Elias flinched.
Elowen saw immediately. "It's back."
Elias nodded, clutching his head.
She raised her palm.
"Then we begin the second exercise."
---
The next part of the training took place in a small annex chamber—silent, lightless, carved entirely from mana-soaked stone. The walls glowed faintly with runes designed to neutralize illusions.
Lena stayed behind reluctantly, forced by Elowen to rest. That left Elias alone with the Head Magus.
"Elowen," he said quietly as they entered, "what is this room for?"
"Boundary reassertion," she replied. "Here, you will face the whispering directly. No illusions. No distractions. Just the talent and your mind."
"And if I fail?"
Elowen did not sugarcoat it.
"You will break."
Elias inhaled.
"Then I won't fail."
Elowen gestured him to the center of the room.
"Close your eyes."
He did.
Darkness.
Silence.
And then—
The whisper rose.
Soft at first.
A brush of cold air across his soul.
Little mortal… you struggle beautifully.
Elias gritted his teeth.
"No. Not listening."
You pretend you have a choice.
He summoned the anchor.
The whisper smiled inside his head.
Do you truly believe that light protects you? Do you think it is yours?
The anchor trembled.
Elias exhaled sharply. "Elowen—"
"Do not open your eyes," she warned. "This is between you and it. Anchor!"
He forced the light brighter.
The whisper twisted.
Let me show you truth.
Images flashed behind his closed eyelids—
Lena, dead on the floor.
Elowen, burned to ash.
Elias, screaming with a knife in his own hand.
The Council halls collapsing in black flame.
The world drowning in night.
Elias screamed silently.
"That's NOT REAL!"
Elowen moved closer but stayed just outside the protective circle.
"Do not react to the visions," she instructed. "Separate thought from manipulation!"
The whisper hissed.
You cling to a name that means nothing. Elias Verdan does not exist.
His heart stopped.
The anchor shook violently.
He staggered.
Elowen's voice sharpened like steel.
"Push. It. Out."
The whisper surged.
You are no one. You are a vessel. You are our door.
Elias's breath shattered.
Pain lanced through his head like lightning.
"Elowen—! I can't—!"
"You can," she said firmly. "Because the moment you believe its words, your identity collapses. Your mind is your fortress. Hold it!"
The whisper roared.
You belong to the Eye.
Elias fell to his knees.
The anchor dimmed.
He felt himself slipping—
sliding into a void—
losing grip on who he was—
becoming nothing but noise—
"Elowen…" he choked. "I'm fading…"
Elowen's voice trembled for the first time.
"Elias. Listen to me."
He tried.
He could barely hear her.
"You are Elias Verdan," she said fiercely. "Son of Aldric and Mira. Born in the village of Verdan Hollow. You studied at Dawnspire for six years. You came here to awaken your magic. You are here now because you are strong."
The whisper pushed harder.
His memories blurred.
"I— I—"
Elowen stepped closer, voice rising.
"You are not alone! You are not lost! Hold yourself! Anchor!"
The anchor flickered…
Then grew brighter.
Lena's voice echoed in his mind:
You're still you.
He saw Lena's smile.
Her fierce loyalty.
Her refusal to leave his side.
He saw his home.
His parents.
His childhood.
His failures.
His hopes.
He saw who he was.
The anchor blazed like a miniature star.
The whisper recoiled with a snarl.
Then—
Elias roared:
"I AM ELIAS VERDAN!"
A shockwave burst from the anchor—
A pulse of pure mental force—
The whisper shattered.
The shadows recoiled.
The room brightened.
Elias collapsed, panting, trembling, drenched in sweat.
Elowen rushed to his side.
"Elias! Answer me—!"
He coughed and lifted his head weakly. "I'm… I'm here."
Elowen let out a breath of profound relief.
"You did it."
He managed a shaky smile.
"For a moment… I thought I wasn't real anymore."
"You are real," Elowen said softly. "And you proved it tonight."
He closed his eyes.
The whisper was silent.
Deeply silent.
He felt a new clarity settle into his mind.
He had crossed a threshold.
He had pushed the whisper back.
He had asserted his identity.
He had strengthened his mind.
But at a terrible cost to his strength.
He lay there trembling, unable to move.
"Elowen…" he whispered. "Can I… can I face them tomorrow? After this?"
Elowen placed a hand over his heart.
"You faced something tonight that the Council cannot even comprehend. And you won. Tomorrow? You will only need to keep yourself steady. Compared to this…"
Her voice softened.
"Tomorrow is nothing."
---
Elias returned to the isolation chamber exhausted beyond measure. Lena practically tackled him with relief when he walked through the door.
"Elowen told me what happened! Are you insane!? You should be resting! Not doing nightmare training in a mind dungeon!"
He laughed weakly. "I'm alive."
Lena hugged him so tightly he coughed.
"Don't do that again!"
"Which part?"
"ANY of it!"
He smiled.
It felt warm.
Human.
Alive.
Elowen cleared her throat. "Both of you should rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."
She paused, turning toward Elias.
"One last thing."
Elias looked up.
"What is it?"
"You held your identity tonight because of your anchor. But you strengthened it because of something more."
He frowned. "What?"
Elowen gave a small smile.
"Connection. People. Bonds."
She looked at Lena.
"At first I worried she would distract you. But Lena anchors you as much as you anchor yourself."
Lena blushed furiously.
Elias blinked in surprise.
"And tomorrow," Elowen continued, "you must remember that. No matter what illusions or whispers arise, remember who stands by you."
Lena nodded firmly. "I'll be right behind him."
Elias exhaled slowly.
He was terrified.
But he had something he didn't have before:
A stronger anchor.
A clearer identity.
And someone who refused to let him fall.
He lay down on the cot, Lena sitting beside him, refusing to leave.
As his eyes drifted shut, he whispered:
"Thank you."
And just before he fell asleep—
The Eye flickered faintly.
Not threatening.
Not mocking.
Almost…
curious.
As if it were watching him grow.
As if it were waiting.
As if it wondered:
Would Elias Verdan become its enemy?
Or its equal?