Chapter 5 Trial of Shadows

The forest twisted into a living maze, its trees shifting position whenever Kael blinked. Branches groaned and roots crept across the ground like slow-moving serpents. The shadows whispered his deepest fears-failure, loss, regret-each word curling into his thoughts like poison. Faces formed in the mist: friends he had lost, companions he had failed to protect, moments he had abandoned when courage had deserted him. Each illusion reached for his heart, trying to drag him back into sorrow and doubt.

A spectral wolf emerged from the fog, its form glowing faintly blue, its eyes reflecting distant starlight. It studied Kael for a moment before darting away, silent as drifting snow. Instinct drove him forward. He chased it through tangled roots and collapsing paths, leaping fallen logs and weaving between twisted trunks. His lungs burned, and sweat soaked his clothes, yet he refused to stop. The wolf was not merely a creature-it was a guide, leading him toward something he could not yet see.

At the forest's heart lay a glowing pool. Its surface shimmered like liquid moonlight. When Kael gazed into it, he saw not his reflection, but fragments of his life-past mistakes, present struggles, and a vision of a shadow rising over Eldoria Castle. The image sent a chill through him.

A whisper brushed his mind. One final trial remained.

Kael closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He had faced monsters, memories, and fear itself. He would face this too.