The air inside the court felt heavy, thick with magic and expectation. The moment I stepped forward, I realized this place had its own rules, and none of them were forgiving. My pulse raced, not only from the intensity of the realm but from the silent gazes of the three princes, each different, each impossible to read.
Raven stood tall, his posture rigid, eyes sharp and unyielding. Every movement carried authority, a subtle threat in the way he held himself. Draven, calm and distant, walked alongside me, his silver hair brushing against his shoulders, his aura unnervingly precise, almost surgical. And Malek… he loomed near, yet there was a heat to his presence, a taut energy that made my chest tighten.
"You will learn quickly," Raven said, his voice low, measured. "We have little patience for hesitation."
"I… I will try," I replied, voice trembling slightly. I tried to steady myself, but every glance from them made me feel exposed, weighed down by expectations I didn't yet understand.
Draven stopped and raised a hand. "We will test you. This is not just about power. It is about control, focus, and the strength to endure what is coming. Do you understand?"
I nodded. "I understand."
Malek stepped forward, a small smirk on his lips, but his eyes were piercing. "Do not think you can escape failure. We will push you to your limits. And you will not break, or…" His voice trailed, heavy with implication. "There will be consequences."
My heart hammered. I had trained in Ebonvale, yes, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Nothing could prepare anyone for being tethered to three beings whose very presence seemed to bend the air around them.
The first test began. Raven gestured to a large chamber, walls etched with runes that seemed to writhe in faint light. A single platform floated above a pit I could not see the bottom of. "Step forward," he commanded. "Control your fear, or it will control you."
I took a deep breath. My legs felt like lead, my stomach twisted, but I forced myself onto the platform. Immediately, the air shifted, responding to my hesitation. I felt a pull, a pressure, as if the realm itself was testing me, probing my weaknesses.
Draven's hand brushed near mine not touching, but close enough to send a jolt of warmth through me. "Breathe. Do not resist the current. Flow with it, or it will crush you."
Malek's gaze was fixed on me, unwavering, like a blade pressed against my spine. "Do not falter. I will not catch you if you fall," he said. The words were sharp, yet strangely intimate, and my pulse spiked in response.
I swallowed the fear rising in me and focused on my breathing. The platform shifted under my weight, threatening to tilt. The air grew colder, denser, and I could feel every nerve in my body straining. I reached out with a tentative thought, testing the energy of the room.
It answered. Slowly at first, then more strongly, bending to my will. I could feel the currents coiling around me, recognizing my intent, obeying despite my inexperience.
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Not bad. But we are not finished."
Draven circled, watching my every move with meticulous attention. "Concentrate on the center. The balance must be absolute, or the platform will reject you."
Malek stepped closer, the heat radiating off him making it impossible to think clearly. My skin tingled, and my heart raced. "Do not let me down," he muttered, and though his voice was barely audible, it resonated inside me.
I steadied my mind, letting the energy flow through me. Slowly, the platform stabilized. I felt a strange surge of power, sharp and intoxicating, as if the chamber itself was acknowledging my presence.
A long silence followed. The princes exchanged looks. For a brief moment, I thought I had done something remarkable, until Raven's sharp voice cut through the stillness.
"You have potential," he said, "but potential without control is dangerous. You must learn to command every part of yourself. Every fear, every instinct, every desire. Or you will break before the world tests you further."
Draven's expression softened fractionally. "We will continue these trials. Day after day. Until you are ready."
Malek's eyes lingered on mine. "Do not forget this. Failure is not an option. Not here. Not with us."
My chest tightened. I wanted to shrink back, to tell them I was not ready, that I had no place in this realm. But something inside me stirred a spark of defiance, of awareness that for the first time, I might be capable of more than I had ever imagined.
"I will endure it," I whispered.
Raven inclined his head, satisfied with my response. "Good. You may rest for now. But the next trial begins at dawn."
As they left the chamber, their presence receding, I felt both relief and an ache I could not explain. I was alone, yet not alone. Bound to them, tied to a destiny I barely understood, but somehow, impossibly, I felt alive.
I sank to the floor, letting the energy of the chamber wash over me. The bond pulsed faintly beneath my skin, insistent, aware, alive. And though I did not understand it fully, I knew this: I had taken my first step into a world that would consume me, shape me, and bind me to three men whose power, presence, and obsession were unlike anything I had ever known.
And I realized that no matter how much I wanted to fight it, I was already caught.