Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
T he Ascension Grounds were eerily quiet when we arrived, the usual crowd of cadets and instructors conspicuously absent. Only Major Ledor stood in the center, arms crossed over his chest, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.
“It’s time for your next trial,” Major Ledor announced as we formed a line behind our banner. “This one is called the Crucible of the Aether.”
My squad exchanged uneasy glances. I’d never heard of that trial, and judging by the uncertain expressions on Jax’s and Riven’s faces, neither had they.
Major Ledor stepped forward, his gaze as sharp as a blade. “The crucible is designed to test your endurance—both physical and mental. The objective is simple—Survive by stabilizing the wellspring inside the Aetherfield.”
He stretched his hands into the air, and suddenly, the wind shifted. The air thickened, like the very oxygen around us had been replaced by something heavier, something... unnatural. The ground beneath our feet vibrated, and the sky above darkened to a swirling mass of gray and violet clouds.
Tendrils of glowing mist spiraled from Major Ledor’s fingertips, coiling like smoke before slamming into the earth with a pulse that rippled outward. The air seemed to hiss as shimmering runes carved themselves into the ground, each one glowing faintly with electric-blue energy.
The earth cracked open, splitting into jagged seams that bled with violet light.
From those fractures, a maze of shadowy constructs began to rise—walls of smoke and shifting stone that stretched and twisted as though they had a mind of their own.
The paths coiled like serpents, forming dead ends and false trails.
Arches of swirling mist shimmered above the paths, occasionally flaring with arcs of lightning that danced between them.
“You must each make it to the other side,” Major Ledor said grimly.
“The walls are illusions, but the pain they cause... is not.” He paused, his eyes narrowing.
“The crucible will test your mind. It will feed on your fears and memories. Whatever you see in there, whatever you face... is yours alone. If you fail to push through it, you may never emerge from the Aetherfield.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. The twisting maze seemed to breathe, the violet veins pulsing like a heartbeat beneath the ground.
“Any questions?” Major Ledor asked.
“What happens if we fail?” Naia’s voice was even, but her fingers clenched into fists at her sides.
Major Ledor’s expression was grim. “Then you don’t come out.”
Jax cursed under his breath, but I kept my focus on the maze. The glowing symbols twisted and curled in endless patterns, like a language I couldn’t begin to understand.
“Step forward when you’re ready,” Major Ledor ordered. “One by one.”
I stepped closer, my gaze locked on the churning mist.
Survive, I reminded myself. Just survive.
I stepped into the Aetherfield, and the world shifted.
The air turned cold and thin, like I was breathing through a wet cloth. The ground beneath my boots felt uneven, the stones warped and unstable. The mist closed in, swallowing the sounds of the world behind me. No wind, no distant murmurs of my squad—just silence.
I kept walking, gripping the hilt of my dagger at my waist. The path twisted ahead, the stone curling like a snake’s spine. I couldn’t tell if I was going deeper into the maze or circling back on myself.
A flicker of movement caught my eye.
“Who’s there?” My voice seemed to die before it could reach my own ears.
Nothing.
I moved forward, stepping carefully around a jagged crack in the stone. The mist thickened, and suddenly, I wasn’t alone.
Remy stepped from the fog, his face shadowed beneath his hood. His eyes weren’t warm like I remembered—they were cold, empty.
“You think you can fight me?” His voice was low and sharp. “You think you’re strong enough?”
I swallowed hard and kept walking, brushing past him. It’s not real, I reminded myself. Just an illusion.
But the voice followed me.
“You never mattered,” Remy sneered. “You were a mark. Just a job.”
I kept moving, even as the tightness in my chest tried to pull me under. The path twisted and turned until I reached a small clearing. A flash of silver shone in the mist—my throwing stars.
My heart stuttered. They were buried in someone’s chest.
I stumbled forward and dropped to my knees. Blood seeped from the body—Jax. His lifeless eyes stared up at me, accusing. My throwing stars glinted in his chest like silver teeth.
“No…” My voice shook. “No, no, no…”
“You did this,” a voice whispered.
I turned, and my father stood there, arms crossed. His smile was cruel. “I told you this would happen. You’re poison. Everyone you love dies or leaves you.”
I couldn’t breathe. My chest burned like fire had filled my lungs. The pain clawed deeper—a cold, gnawing ache in my ribs. This isn’t real. This isn’t real…
But then the ground cracked beneath me, and I was falling—into darkness, into nothing.
The air shifted the moment I landed hard. Magic coiled thick around me like smoke, curling through my veins and making my skin itch. The Aetherfield pulsed—not with life, but with power—unstable, volatile, and hungry. It would devour anyone too weak to command it.
Perfect , I muttered as I stared at the faint symbols in the air.
Kaelith, do you have any idea what I should do?
Trace the glyphs.
“Glyphs it is,” I muttered under my breath. My fingers trembled as I lifted my hand. Magic surged inside me, sparking hot and restless. The air shimmered as I sketched a glowing sigil—a twisting pattern that was both enchanting and haunting.
For a heartbeat, the glyph flared bright, stabile. My magic wrapped around it like a thread pulled taut.
Yes... Yes, I can do this ? —
Kaelith’s presence flickered in my mind—distant and faint, like a whisper I couldn’t quite hear. The glyph dimmed. I pushed more magic into it, but without Kaelith’s support, my power felt like trying to catch smoke in my hands.
The glyph sputtered.
No, no, no ? —
It shattered, exploding in a burst of sparks that sliced across my arm like shards of ice. I staggered back, clutching the searing cut.
“Focus!” Jax barked from somewhere nearby, his own glyphs blazing gold.
I gritted my teeth and tried again. Another sigil—this one shaky and uneven—flickered to life in front of me. Kaelith’s power was supposed to be anchoring mine, feeding strength back to me.
But she was hardly a breath in the back of my mind. Cold. Weak. Gone.
My second glyph lasted only seconds before it, too, burst apart—this time searing across my ribs.
Blood trickled down my side.
Fine. If Kaelith wasn’t going to help me hold the magic steady, I’d just burn through whatever power I had left.
I dragged magic from the core of my body—deep within my soul—and forced a third glyph to life. My skin burned with the effort, but this one held.
The Wellspring’s pulse changed, warping the air around us.
Flames erupted from the earth, burning in unpredictable bursts. I twisted away from one that shot up beside me, feeling the heat lash my skin.
The wind howled next, slamming into my side and sending me staggering mid-stride. My weakened glyph buckled, flickering dangerously.
Kaelith, I need you now.
Her presence stirred—faint, distant—but she didn’t answer.
A second gust surged through the Aetherfield, and I slammed into the ground hard enough to knock the breath from my chest. The glyph snapped, and my magic recoiled inside me like a coiled wire pulled too tight.
Pain lanced through my ribs. Blood trickled from my split lip.
Get. Up, Kaelith’s voice finally growled through the bond.
I staggered to my feet, dodging a crumbling stone pillar that collapsed just inches away.
I can’t hold this on my own. My thoughts seared toward her, desperate. I need you.
Nothing. Not even a whisper of power from her.
The Wellspring’s pulse thundered like a drumbeat inside my head. Power surged through the air—wild and uncontrollable.
I reached for my magic, and it seared through me like fire racing through my veins. My glyphs flickered and flared, trying to hold the volatile energy in place.
More. Just a little more.
I forced more power into the construct I was weaving—a shape of wings made from threads of glowing light—something strong enough to tether Kaelith through the chaos.
My magic bucked, burning hotter than I’d ever felt before. My vision blurred, my head pounding. My body trembled, muscles seizing from the strain.
Too much.
I felt my power slip, the wings faltering, flickering like dying embers.
No, no, no ? —
The Wellspring surged again, swallowing what magic I had left. I felt something inside me tear—as if my magic had clawed itself too deep, leaving raw, gaping wounds behind.
I choked on a scream as fire seared through my body. My vision blurred into streaks of red.
Kaelith... please... I begged.
Stop. You’ll kill yourself.
Kaelith’s voice slammed through my mind.
I can’t... I can’t do this without you, I pushed back, barely conscious, my body collapsing under its own weight. If you won’t help me... then just ? —
Her magic hit me like a lightning strike.
I screamed as her power surged through me, cold and sharp like ice forced through my veins. My fingers spasmed as I tried to shape the wings again, the magic burning through my hands like molten metal.
But this time, it held.
The glowing wings solidified, their light burning bright enough to sear through the chaos. The Wellspring’s pulse shifted—wild magic folding in on itself, dragged back into balance by the shape I’d carved from my own pain.
I stumbled from the Aetherfield. Blood smeared my fingers, burned raw by the magic that had lashed through me. My vision swam, my head pounding as though my skull was splintering from the inside out.
Jax and Naia had just finished celebrating before they turned toward me—Naia’s face pale with worry.
“You look like hell,” Jax muttered. “You pushed too far.”