Trial of Resolve

“I will be your opponent, Veltrerxx.”

Veltrerxx’s eyes snapped to Estheria, his expression twisting in shock and fury. “Are you really challenging me?”

His voice dropped, low and dangerous. “You lowly elf… Don’t get cocky just because you deflected some weak attack.”

Estheria glanced back over her shoulder at Strixx, her tone steady. “Strixx, stay back.”

Strixx hesitated, her eyes locked on Estheria, uncertain. Estheria gave her a small, calm smile. “Don’t worry.”

She rolled her shoulders slowly, stretching her arms as she settled into position.

Veltrerxx bared his teeth, slamming the tip of his wand into the ground. Dark energy sparked around it. “Alright, I accept your challenge… You’re going to regret this.”

His wand began to glow, power building fast— but before the spell could form, Estheria shot forward like a fast arrow.

In a blink, she closed the gap and drove her foot hard into Veltrerxx’s chest.

The impact exploded outward. Veltrerxx’s body flew back, crashing violently into the stone wall near the Sacred Tower. Cracks split through the stone on impact.

The elite mages, bound and helpless, stared wide-eyed at Estheria—utterly stunned by what they’d just witnessed.

The Grand Mage, still bound in chains, smiled faintly at the sight. A glimmer of pride flickered in his eyes.

Estheria turned calmly to Strixx. “Strixx… lend me your ears.”

She leaned in and whispered something quickly.

Strixx’s brows knit together. “Estheria… you sure handle it  alone here?”

Estheria smiled gently, unwavering. “Don’t worry. I’m not giving up that easily. I’ll give everything I have in this fight.”

Across the field, Veltrerxx groaned and slowly rose from the rubble. “No one told me they had a crazy-strong elf here… even without any magic.”

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, 

 “Alright… enough playing around.”

He thrust his hand into the air. A circle of glowing runes erupted beneath his feet, crackling with dark energy. From the swirling depths, two towering figures rose--hulking shapes clad in jagged, ancient armor.

Veltrerxx spread his arms wide, voice echoing with pride. “Behold--the Ancient Armor Golems of the fallen Aries Nation.”

The armored giants stood motionless, metal plates gleaming under the dark sky. Each radiated raw, immovable power.

 “Let’s see you break this, elf girl.”
The Grand Mage, still bound, stared wide-eyed at the towering armored figures. His breath caught.

“That’s… the unbreakable Ancient Armor Golems of the Aries Nation…” he muttered. “An legendary artifact, only nation in history that never lost a single war…”

Estheria glanced back sharply and raised her voice. “Strixx! I’m counting on you!”

Strixx nodded without hesitation and spun on her heel, sprinting away.

Moments later, she came running toward me. “Luca! We have to go--now.”

I caught her urgency and narrowed my eyes. “Estheria told you something right?… What is it?”

Strixx took a quick breath, Strixx will explain… Then glancing around cautiously, then she called out— “Aeliff! We need help!”

Aeliff jogged toward us, “Tch. Don’t start barking orders at me… but fine. We don’t have a choice. What is it?”

Strixx focused on both of us,  “We three--we’re going to stop the corruption of the Sacred Tower in the forest.”

Aeliff blinked hard, disbelief flashing in his eyes. “And how exactly are we supposed to do that? I can’t use magic, you know.”

“Don’t worry,” Strixx answered without pause. “I’ll fight if demons get in our way.”

She turned to him squarely. “Estheria said… Aeliff should be able to figure out how to stop the corruption once we reach the place.”

Aeliff shot a glance across the field at Estheria, his jaw clenching. “Tch… That girl. Acting like she knows me so damn well.”

He exhaled sharply. “…But it’s better than standing around doing nothing. Fine. I’m in. You better be grateful.”

I nodded to both of them, steady. “Let’s move. We don’t have time to waste.”

Without another word, the three of us sprinted away from the battleground.

From behind, Veltrerxx’s eyes caught our retreat. His cruel laughter echoed across the field. “Running away? What do you think weaklings like you can possibly accomplish? You’ll be dead long before you reach the tower.”

 “I’m not the only demon involved in this, you know…”

Estheria’s gaze snapped to Veltrerxx, calm and unwavering. “I believe in them.”

Her tone was sharp, cutting clean through the air. “And don’t underestimate my friends. They’re more reliable than anyone I know.”
 They are stronger than anyone I know. She tightened her stance, eyes locked on the hulking golems before her. 

“I’m here. I’ll defeat those absurd summons of yours--even if they’re a million times stronger than me. Because my friends believe in me… and I won’t disappoint them.” Veltrerxx’s voice ripped through the air. “Die!!”

The two massive Armor Golems lunged, crashing down toward Estheria.

The ground exploded beneath them, the impact rocking the battlefield like an earthquake. Stone shattered and fissures split across the earth.

Estheria twisted hard, barely dodging the first crushing blow. But before she could recover, the second Golem’s fist slammed into her side, knocking her back. Her feet skidded across the broken ground--but she didn’t fall.

She gritted her teeth and pushed forward.

The first Golem rose again, leaping high before driving down like a meteor. Estheria darted aside at the last second and countered—her fist slammed into the Golem’s chest. A shockwave erupted from the impact.

But the hulking figure didn’t budge.
With terrifying speed, the Golem’s hand clamped around her wrist.
Before she could break free— SLAM It drove her into the ground. SLAM Again. SLAM Over and over, smashing her into the cracked earth before hurling her aside.

She groaned, her arms trembling as she pushed herself up, battered but not broken.

Veltrerxx let out a low, menacing laugh, his grin splitting wide. “Well, well… I thought you’d put up more of a fight. This is just straight-up disappointing.”

He took a few slow steps forward, his boots crunching over shattered stone. “I’m sure your friends will be disappointed too. All that faith in you—wasted.”

He thrust his arm toward the towering golems, his voice snapping like a whip. “Finish her. We need to begin the summoning ritual. Enough wasting time.”

Dust exploded skyward as the second Golem leapt and crashed down on her. The entire field quaked, clouds of debris blotting out the view.

Across the battlefield, the elite mages and soldiers stared in frozen horror. The Grand Mage’s breath hitched as he strained against his chains. His fists clenched, metal biting into his wrists.

“Estheria… Forgive me. Even as Grand Mage, I can do nothing to assist you at a time like this…”

On the other side of the capital--
Strixx, Aeliff, and I sprinted through the empty streets of the capital. The lockdown ordered by the Grand Mage had cleared the roads; not a soul was in sight.

Suddenly, a deep rumble split the air. The ground trembled beneath our feet. We skidded to a halt, whipping our heads toward the direction.

Explosive crashes echoed from the distance. A towering column of dust shot into the sky--from the direction of the Sacred Tower.

I stared hard toward it. Hang in there, Estheria…

Strixx’s voice cut in, sharp and steady.
“Strixx knows …..Estheria beating up those monsters. Estheria crazy strong after all.” She says smiling
Aeliff shot us both a hard glare, his voice sharp and commanding. “Stop running your mouths and move. We don’t have time for that.”
We both nodded, then three of us sprinted forward again.

As we sprinted forward, Aeliff motioned sharply. “Follow me. We’ll never reach the forest by nightfall unless we move fast.”

We chased after him, feet pounding against the silent stone streets. Suddenly-- A guttural snarl echoed ahead.

From alleys and rooftops, shadowed beasts emerged, fangs glinting, eyes burning with malice. We skidded to a halt—surrounded.

Strixx’s eyes narrowed, her voice flat. “The barrier’s down. Demon beasts are roaming Elfairia’s capital…”

I tensed, my fists clenching. We were boxed in.

Without a word, Strixx stepped forward. Her claws extended, sharp and lethal. “Leave this to Strixx.”

She vanished in a blur. In an instant, her claws tore through the demons--ripping them down effortlessly. Their bodies crumpled before they even touched the ground.

Aeliff’s eyes narrowed, watching her move cleanly through the pack. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Not bad at all, demon girl… You’re sure convenient to have around.”

Strixx huffed, brushing dust from her arm. “And I told you… Strixx’s name isn’t ‘demon girl.’”

I scanned the area quickly. “We should keep moving.”

After several blocks of sprinting behind Aeliff, we reached a large stone stable --the city’s Ground Beast depot. Carriages lined the yard, and sturdy reptilian beasts stood ready.

Aeliff vaulted the fence without slowing, whistling sharply. Several beasts immediately responded, trotting toward him.

I blinked in surprise. “You can ride them just like that?”

Aeliff shot me a sharp look. “Put your useless worry away. This stable belongs to my family. Every beast here knows me well.”

He swung up onto one of the creatures, gripping the reins tight. “Now get on. Stop standing around like an idiot!”

Without hesitation, Strixx and I climbed onto the beasts beside him. The moment we were ready, Aeliff snapped the reins. The ground beasts roared forward—and we tore through the empty streets toward the forest at triple the speed.

We rode the ground beast hard through the empty streets of ElFairia, the wind tearing past us as we approached the outskirts. As the forest loomed ahead, a thought gripped me—I clenched my fists.

Are the villagers going to be okay at the Academia…?

Aeliff, steering the beast without glancing back, snapped sharply. “I told you. Stop worrying about useless things. The Academia’s deployed with guards and mages—even without magic. There are bunkers for emergencies. The villagers will have moved into them. They’ll be safe.”

We tore past the lower elf village, now completely abandoned after the evacuation. Strixx’s eyes sharpened as the trees thickened.

“We’re close,” she called.

Without warning, Strixx vaulted off the beast, landing in a sprint alongside us. She glanced up at me, voice strong and confident. “Luca—hold on tight. Strixx will protect Luca and Aeliff.”

Her claws extended, gleaming sharp. She darted through the trees, slashing cleanly through demon beasts lunging from the shadows before they could reach us. Aeliff’s grip on the reins never faltered, his sharp instincts guiding us deeper into the forest.

Our destination was one of the two Sacred Towers—one at the northeastern side of the forest, and the other to the northwest. We made for the northwestern tower first.

Demon beasts struck at us relentlessly along the way, but Strixx cut them all down, leaving not a scratch on Aeliff or me. We pressed on, the forest blurring past until finally, through the thinning trees, we saw it-- A towering spire rising into the sky, thick with dark, writhing energy.

As we approached, the dense trees gave way to an open clearing surrounding the tower.
Our ground beast slowed on its own, its muscles tensing beneath us.

Then I noticed it-- The demon beasts… the ones that had been relentlessly attacking us the entire way--They had vanished. Gone. Not a single one in sight.

The air felt heavy. Suffocating.

The deeper we advanced into the clearing, the more unnatural the silence grew.

It was still. Far too still. Unnaturally calm.

Aeliff’s jaw clenched as his eyes scanned the area sharply. Strixx stopped in her tracks, her claws still poised mid-air, ears twitching uneasily.

The place was unnaturally quiet. Not just silent — dead still. No wind. No birds. Not even the usual rustle of distant beasts. It felt like the entire forest was holding its breath.

We got off the ground beast, boots landing softly on the cracked soil. Strixx stayed close, her eyes narrowing at every shadow, every corner. Without a word, she grabbed my hand firmly.

“Luca… don’t let go of Strixx.”

Her voice was steady, but the tension in her grip told me everything. Even Strixx, reckless and confident as she was, sensed it — something was wrong.

And yet… nothing came. No demon ambush. No corrupted beasts. Nothing.

Aeliff’s voice finally cut through the heavy stillness, low and edged with frustration. “Hmph… How do we remove the corruption here?”

He crouched, running his gloved fingers across the tainted ground. “As far as I know… demon corruption spreads in two ways: One--through chaos devices. Advanced demonic artifacts that anchor corruption into an area and spread it like poison. Two--through a demon itself. Some high-class demons can infect land and structures just by existing near them.”

He straightened, scanning the surroundings carefully. His frown deepened. “But there’s no device. And no demon in sight. So what the hell is going on here?” Strixx’s ears twitched slightly, her expression tightening. “Strixx can’t sense any demon too…” 
I blinked and looked at him, surprised by how confident and precise his analysis was. “That’s… impressive. You really know your stuff.”

Strixx tilted her head, blinking rapidly. “Even Strixx didn’t know all that!”

Aeliff scoffed and crossed his arms. “Of course you didn’t. Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m not just anyone—I’m one of the top scholars of ElFairia Academia.” His tone turned sharper, almost lecturing. “Demons and elves have been enemies longer than most can remember. We’ve spent centuries gathering intel on each other. Knowing your enemy isn’t just useful—it’s survival.”

I gave a slow nod, honestly impressed. Strixx huffed and crossed her arms.


“So Estheria was right after all!”

Aeliff clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked away. “Don’t remind me of that girl. She’s annoying enough without you quoting her.”

He paused for a moment, gaze distant, then muttered under his breath: “Hope she’s not getting crushed by those demons after talking big about handling things in the capital…”

Strixx shot him a sharp glare, snapping back fast. “Estheria is strong! Estheria won’t lose!”

Aeliff exhaled sharply and waved his hand dismissively. “Enough chatter. We’re wasting time standing here.”

He turned, scanning the tainted tower more carefully now. His voice dropped, tone serious. “I don’t sense the core here. Not even a trace. Yet the corruption is thick… spreading deep into this structure. Something doesn’t add up. It shouldn’t be possible for a sacred tower to be this heavily corrupted without a direct source inside it.”

His jaw clenched tight. “We need to move to the northeastern tower. There’s a good chance whatever’s preventing us from accessing the core is tied there. If the corruption is linked between the towers, breaking it at the source should cleanse both.”

He shot us a demanding look. “Let’s move. Now.”

Strixx and I both nodded firmly. Without wasting another second, we mounted the ground beast and surged forward through the forest.

We rode fast toward the northeastern tower, the ground beast pushing hard beneath us as the forest blurred past.

Demon beasts began appearing again, slipping from the shadows of the trees. Strixx wasted no time -- claws flashing, she cleared the path ahead, cutting down anything that lunged toward us. Every time one closed in from the side, she was already there, striking them down before they could touch Aeliff or me.

The attacks didn’t let up. Relentless, wave after wave. Still, we pressed forward.

After what felt like an endless stretch of riding and fighting, we finally neared the northeastern Sacred Tower. Even as we approached the base, the beasts didn’t back off like before. They kept coming -- more vicious, more desperate. It was as if something was driving them mad.

Then we broke through the last of the trees. The same wide clearing surrounded the tower --but this time, the air felt heavier, suffocating.

And at that moment -- From the top of the tower, a blinding light erupted.

At the moment Without a word, Strixx reached over and grabbed my hand tightly. Her grip was firm, steady -- like she was bracing me for whatever came next.

The light flared so bright, for a heartbeat it felt like everything around us vanished. The trees, the beasts, even the ground beneath us --swallowed by the white radiance.