Chapter 17:
CHAPTER 17— The Night Before the Trial
The Human Who Challenged the Heavens
The Conversation That Changed Ivan’s Fate Forever
The chamber was quiet—too quiet. The torches along the walls flickered with blue flames, their glow revealing ancient runes carved deep into the stone. The air tasted like dust and old magic.
Ivan stood alone.
He felt his heartbeat.His breathing.His desperation.
Elen… I’m coming for you.
Footsteps echoed.
Slow. Heavy. Controlled.
Darian Valtheran emerged from the darkness, silver hair cascading like cold moonlight. His eyes—gray, sharp, unwavering—locked onto Ivan as if seeing through his soul.
---
The Master Begins
“Ivan,” Darian said, his voice calm but weighty, “you stand here with certainty. But certainty means nothing without understanding.”
Ivan bowed his head slightly. “I’m ready for anything.”
“Are you?” Darian asked, stepping closer, “Or do you only believe you are?”
Ivan clenched his fists.“I’ll endure whatever I must.”
Darian let out a low breath—half disappointment, half anticipation.
“You sound like a man who has never truly tasted despair.”
Ivan’s jaw tightened. “I have. The day she vanished, I—”
Darian raised a hand, stopping him.
“Pain is not the same as despair.Pain sharpens you.Despair breaks you.”
Ivan swallowed, eyes steady.
“Then I’ll let it sharpen me.”
Darian studied him quietly. “You really think you can endure this trial with nothing but emotion?”
Ivan didn’t answer.
Darian continued:“Before the trial begins… you must know what you’re truly facing.”
---
THE LOST TRUTH OF THE UPPER WORLD
Darian moved his hand. The torches dimmed, and a spectral map formed in the air—a swirling painting of three worlds merging and clashing.
“You seek the Upper World,” he said. “But its gates reject the weak. They reject humans because humans… break.”
Ivan’s throat tightened.
“With every breath you take in that world,” Darian continued, “your lifespan burns faster. Your blood thickens. Your bones strain. The slightest mistake is fatal.”
Ivan whispered, “But Elen is there.”
“And because of that,” Darian said softly, “you are willing to die.”
Ivan lifted his head. “I will die if I don’t go. Losing her is worse than death.”
A long silence passed.
Darian’s expression changed—not pity, not sympathy… but respect.
“You remind me,” he said quietly, “of myself.”
---
Ivan:“I can’t stay here while she’s suffering alone. She chose to protect me. Now it’s my turn to fight for her.”
Darian:“You misunderstand, Ivan. This trial is not a battle. It is a mirror.”
Ivan:“A mirror?”
Darian:“It will show you the version of yourself you fear the most.The version Elen might fear.The version you try to hide.”
Ivan felt a jolt in his chest.
Ivan:“I am not afraid of myself.”
Darian’s eyes narrowed, as if calling his bluff.
Darian:“Then tell me, Ivan—Do you seek power to save her?Or do you seek power because you’re terrified of losing her again?”
Ivan opened his mouth… then closed it.
A heavy silence.
Ivan (voice breaking):“Both. I want to be strong enough that no one can take her from me ever again.”
Darian nodded.“That honesty will serve you well.”
---
IVAN’S INNER THOUGHTS
Am I selfish? Am I weak?Or am I finally brave?Elen… would you want me to change? Or would you fear it?
No matter what… I have to reach you.
---
THE LESSON OF CONTROL
Darian lifted a hand. The ground trembled. A massive crack split the floor, revealing a glowing abyss of purple and white energy beneath.
Ivan stepped back, startled.
Darian’s voice grew sharper.
“You cannot rely on emotion alone. Power drawn from desperation is unstable. It will destroy you before the trial does.”
Ivan:“Then teach me. Whatever I lack, I’ll learn it.”
Darian smirked faintly.
“Good. Then listen.”
He placed two fingers on Ivan’s forehead.
A rush of cold shot through Ivan’s mind—images, memories, fears, hopes—flooding all at once.
Darian whispered:“Control your breath.Control your fear.Control your heart.”
Ivan’s breathing steadied.His mind cleared.His pulse calmed.
Darian stepped back.
“Better.”
---
OUTSIDE — Liora and Kael’s Reactions
Far outside the chamber, Liora leaned against a stone pillar, hands folded, her violet eyes thoughtful.
Kael paced back and forth, restless.
Kael grumbled:“He’s stubborn. Strong-willed. But I’ve seen men like that crumble.”
Liora shook her head softly.“No. He isn’t like the others.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “Why do you trust him?”
She stared at the closed chamber doors.
“…Because he isn’t fighting for glory or pride. He’s fighting for someone he loves. People like that… are the ones who surprise the world.”
Kael sighed dramatically.“Or get themselves killed faster.”
Liora shot him a glare.“Kael.”
He held up his hands in surrender.“Fine, fine. But don’t blame me if he passes out five steps in.”
Liora whispered,“He won’t. He can’t. Not with what’s driving him.”
---
THE DOORS OPEN
A deep rumble shook the dungeon.
The chamber doors began to split open—slowly, heavily—like a giant awakening from sleep.
Kael straightened.Liora’s eyes widened slightly.
Ivan stepped out.
He looked…
Different.
Calmer.Sharper.Stronger—not physically, but in presence.
He met their eyes.
Kael grinned.“Well damn, human. You look like someone who just fought his own soul.”
Ivan’s reply was quiet, firm:“I’m ready.”
Liora nodded with approval.“You’ve changed. Good.”
---
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIAL
Darian appeared behind Ivan, his cloak whispering like smoke.
“The trial begins now.”
The earth trembled.The torches extinguished.A circular platform of pure white light rose from the ground.
Runes ignited.Wind swirled violently.The sound of thousands of whispers filled the air.
Ivan stepped onto the platform.
Kael shouted,“DON’T DIE!”
Liora whispered,“Come back alive.”
Darian’s voice boomed across the chamber:
**“IVAN.
STEEL YOUR HEART.THE TRIAL OF THE RESONANT VEILAWAKENS.”**
A blinding surge of light swallowed Ivan whole—
His world vanished.
His trial began.
The chamber was quiet—too quiet. The torches along the walls flickered with blue flames, their glow revealing ancient runes carved deep into the stone. The air tasted like dust and old magic.
Ivan stood alone.
He felt his heartbeat.His breathing.His desperation.
Elen… I’m coming for you.
Footsteps echoed.
Slow. Heavy. Controlled.
Darian Valtheran emerged from the darkness, silver hair cascading like cold moonlight. His eyes—gray, sharp, unwavering—locked onto Ivan as if seeing through his soul.
---
The Master Begins
“Ivan,” Darian said, his voice calm but weighty, “you stand here with certainty. But certainty means nothing without understanding.”
Ivan bowed his head slightly. “I’m ready for anything.”
“Are you?” Darian asked, stepping closer, “Or do you only believe you are?”
Ivan clenched his fists.“I’ll endure whatever I must.”
Darian let out a low breath—half disappointment, half anticipation.
“You sound like a man who has never truly tasted despair.”
Ivan’s jaw tightened. “I have. The day she vanished, I—”
Darian raised a hand, stopping him.
“Pain is not the same as despair.Pain sharpens you.Despair breaks you.”
Ivan swallowed, eyes steady.
“Then I’ll let it sharpen me.”
Darian studied him quietly. “You really think you can endure this trial with nothing but emotion?”
Ivan didn’t answer.
Darian continued:“Before the trial begins… you must know what you’re truly facing.”
---
THE LOST TRUTH OF THE UPPER WORLD
Darian moved his hand. The torches dimmed, and a spectral map formed in the air—a swirling painting of three worlds merging and clashing.
“You seek the Upper World,” he said. “But its gates reject the weak. They reject humans because humans… break.”
Ivan’s throat tightened.
“With every breath you take in that world,” Darian continued, “your lifespan burns faster. Your blood thickens. Your bones strain. The slightest mistake is fatal.”
Ivan whispered, “But Elen is there.”
“And because of that,” Darian said softly, “you are willing to die.”
Ivan lifted his head. “I will die if I don’t go. Losing her is worse than death.”
A long silence passed.
Darian’s expression changed—not pity, not sympathy… but respect.
“You remind me,” he said quietly, “of myself.”
---
Ivan:“I can’t stay here while she’s suffering alone. She chose to protect me. Now it’s my turn to fight for her.”
Darian:“You misunderstand, Ivan. This trial is not a battle. It is a mirror.”
Ivan:“A mirror?”
Darian:“It will show you the version of yourself you fear the most.The version Elen might fear.The version you try to hide.”
Ivan felt a jolt in his chest.
Ivan:“I am not afraid of myself.”
Darian’s eyes narrowed, as if calling his bluff.
Darian:“Then tell me, Ivan—Do you seek power to save her?Or do you seek power because you’re terrified of losing her again?”
Ivan opened his mouth… then closed it.
A heavy silence.
Ivan (voice breaking):“Both. I want to be strong enough that no one can take her from me ever again.”
Darian nodded.“That honesty will serve you well.”
---
IVAN’S INNER THOUGHTS
Am I selfish? Am I weak?Or am I finally brave?Elen… would you want me to change? Or would you fear it?
No matter what… I have to reach you.
---
THE LESSON OF CONTROL
Darian lifted a hand. The ground trembled. A massive crack split the floor, revealing a glowing abyss of purple and white energy beneath.
Ivan stepped back, startled.
Darian’s voice grew sharper.
“You cannot rely on emotion alone. Power drawn from desperation is unstable. It will destroy you before the trial does.”
Ivan:“Then teach me. Whatever I lack, I’ll learn it.”
Darian smirked faintly.
“Good. Then listen.”
He placed two fingers on Ivan’s forehead.
A rush of cold shot through Ivan’s mind—images, memories, fears, hopes—flooding all at once.
Darian whispered:“Control your breath.Control your fear.Control your heart.”
Ivan’s breathing steadied.His mind cleared.His pulse calmed.
Darian stepped back.
“Better.”
---
OUTSIDE — Liora and Kael’s Reactions
Far outside the chamber, Liora leaned against a stone pillar, hands folded, her violet eyes thoughtful.
Kael paced back and forth, restless.
Kael grumbled:“He’s stubborn. Strong-willed. But I’ve seen men like that crumble.”
Liora shook her head softly.“No. He isn’t like the others.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “Why do you trust him?”
She stared at the closed chamber doors.
“…Because he isn’t fighting for glory or pride. He’s fighting for someone he loves. People like that… are the ones who surprise the world.”
Kael sighed dramatically.“Or get themselves killed faster.”
Liora shot him a glare.“Kael.”
He held up his hands in surrender.“Fine, fine. But don’t blame me if he passes out five steps in.”
Liora whispered,“He won’t. He can’t. Not with what’s driving him.”
---
THE DOORS OPEN
A deep rumble shook the dungeon.
The chamber doors began to split open—slowly, heavily—like a giant awakening from sleep.
Kael straightened.Liora’s eyes widened slightly.
Ivan stepped out.
He looked…
Different.
Calmer.Sharper.Stronger—not physically, but in presence.
He met their eyes.
Kael grinned.“Well damn, human. You look like someone who just fought his own soul.”
Ivan’s reply was quiet, firm:“I’m ready.”
Liora nodded with approval.“You’ve changed. Good.”
---
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIAL
Darian appeared behind Ivan, his cloak whispering like smoke.
“The trial begins now.”
The earth trembled.The torches extinguished.A circular platform of pure white light rose from the ground.
Runes ignited.Wind swirled violently.The sound of thousands of whispers filled the air.
Ivan stepped onto the platform.
Kael shouted,“DON’T DIE!”
Liora whispered,“Come back alive.”
Darian’s voice boomed across the chamber:
**“IVAN.
STEEL YOUR HEART.THE TRIAL OF THE RESONANT VEILAWAKENS.”**
A blinding surge of light swallowed Ivan whole—
His world vanished.
His trial began.
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