Aria drew in a deep breath. Fear gnawed at her heart, but the spark of resolve burned hotter than the fire rumbling beneath the earth.
"If I run… who will protect them?" her inner voice roared.
The sound of retreating footsteps faded into silence. The courtyard was empty now, leaving only her—and the looming shadow straining to break free through the cracks in the wall.
She stepped forward. Just one step, yet it carried more weight than a thousand steps taken in retreat. Her eyes blazed with determination.
"I… will stand as a protector," Aria whispered to herself. The words were quiet, yet they resounded through the depths of her soul.
At that moment, a sudden light flared from within her chest—an answer from destiny itself.
A sharp crack! split the air as the old stone wall fractured wide. Shards of rock flew like a storm of gravel, the echo rolling through the courtyard.
From the gaping fissure, a shadow seeped forth—thick and choking like a poisonous fog. It twisted, taking shape into a monstrous form, its twin crimson eyes blazing within. Hatred and hunger radiated from it, so heavy that even the air seemed to collapse beneath the weight.
The remaining trainees, hidden at a distance, cried out in alarm, but none dared approach.
Aria did not retreat. She stood her ground in the center of the courtyard, the trembling earth resonating with the pounding of her heart.
*"You are what I was born to face…" * she whispered, her gaze locked on the shadow as it emerged step by step from the broken wall.
The light within her chest flared brighter, as though it was shaping itself—an ancient weapon awakening to destiny.
You are what I was born to face…" * she whispered, her voice trembling, yet steady in its conviction. Her gaze refused to waver as the shadow pushed itself free, step by step, from the fractured wall.
The silence was suffocating. Dust and shards of stone drifted in the air like falling ash, swirling around the figure that emerged—its form shifting, neither wholly human nor wholly beast. Its eyes gleamed with the weight of centuries, recognizing her as if it had waited for this meeting since the dawn of time.
The light within her chest pulsed violently, no longer a gentle glow but a searing blaze. It surged through her veins, igniting her every heartbeat until it was no longer just a part of her—it was her. The warmth seared her skin, and in that pain, she felt something ancient stirring.
The light stretched outward, bending itself, molding as though unseen hands were forging a forgotten weapon in the crucible of her soul. A blade of radiance, etched with symbols she did not know but somehow understood, began to manifest in her grasp.
The shadow halted, tilting its head as though amused. Its voice seeped through the darkness like poisoned silk.
"So… the heir awakens."
Her grip tightened around the forming weapon. Fear clawed at her, but beneath it was something stronger—an unyielding resolve, a truth etched into her very existence.
She inhaled slowly, the air sharp and cold in her lungs.
"No," she whispered back, her eyes blazing. "Not heir… not victim. I am the end you feared."
The wall behind her cracked further, the world itself trembling as destiny prepared to collide with shadow.