Mist clung to the peaks of the Fading Highlands like restless spirits, curling around the black stone walls of Shadewatch Fortress. Kian Savoy's green aura pulsed softly around him as he descended the spiraling path into the fortress's lower chambers, alert to every shifting shadow and subtle shift in the air. The two months of training under Asia had honed him, but nothing could prepare him for what waited.
The heirs moved in tandem, Lucien calculating every step, Selina flicking her aura in sharp, controlled bursts, and Aren exuding calm discipline. Yet, even their combined experience could not mask the tension thrumming in the dungeon's corridors.
Then they emerged. Six figures cloaked in shadow, their aura dense, suffocating, and unnatural. Vlaud, towering and composed, led them his black aura pulsing like liquid darkness, the others moving with eerie precision.
"So… the Savoy heirs gather," Vlaud said, his voice smooth but edged with malice. "The family dares to rise again. Let's see if you deserve the name you carry."
The heirs attacked immediately. Lucien's iron-gray aura compressed into protective barriers while striking outward; Selina moved like a crimson streak, fast and lethal; Ronan surged forward, fists blazing orange. Kian mirrored them cautiously, green aura flowing in defensive arcs, observing weaknesses.
At first, their combined effort seemed promising. They dodged traps, countered the Abyss members, and landed small strikes. But Vlaud and his five companions moved with preternatural synchronicity. One by one, the heirs' attacks were anticipated and neutralized. A misstep here, a moment's hesitation there, and they were slammed against walls, their aura partially drained.
"They're… too coordinated," Varen muttered, violet aura flickering erratically. "We can't…"
Before he could finish, a crushing wave of Vlaud's black aura struck the group, sending all seven heirs sprawling across the stone floor. Ronan grunted, bleeding from a gash on his shoulder. Kian struggled to stand, green aura sputtering.
"This is… different from the dungeon," he whispered. "They're… alive but stronger than any trial we've faced."
The Abyss pressed their advantage, raining down strikes that battered the heirs relentlessly. Lucien's compressed aura shield cracked under a barrage; Selina was thrown against a wall; Aren barely avoided a crushing strike, his earth-like aura shaken.
Kian dodged, parried, and launched a counterstrike, landing a precise hit on Vlaud's shoulder. Vlaud's eyes flickered with faint surprise, but the grandmaster's expression remained composed.
"Not bad… child," Vlaud murmured. "But you are not ready."
Another strike sent Kian to the ground, his green aura flickering weakly, and for a moment, despair threatened to grip him. The heirs were falling one by one, their energy drained, their bodies battered.
"This is the end…" whispered Selina, pain flashing across her face.
And then a wave of azure energy tore through the chamber.
Asia Savoy appeared at the corridor's mouth, aura blazing like a storm in the dark.
"Well done, children," she called, voice ringing with power and authority. "Heirs of the Savoy family which once stood at the peak of strength and pride you have done well."
Her gaze locked on Kian. "Especially you, my disciple."
Before Vlaud could react, Asia surged forward, her azure aura striking like lightning incarnate. The battle erupted a storm of light, pressure, and deadly precision. She moved fluidly, each strike both defense and counter, overpowering the five Abyss members in seconds.
Kian and the remaining heirs watched in awe as Asia's form blurred a living tempest of aura and martial mastery. One by one, the five were incapacitated, their aura shredded, their movements halted.
Vlaud remained, stepping back cautiously, black aura flaring, but Asia's eyes bore into him with lethal focus.
You… will answer," she said, voice cold but steady. "And then I will decide your fate."
Vlaud swallowed, aura coiling like a predator forced to pause. Asia stepped forward, green and azure aura clashing faintly as she scanned the heirs.
"Children, remember this —strength alone is not mastery. Today, you learned limits. Tomorrow, you will surpass them."
Kian's fists tightened, green aura surging slightly as he nodded. He had fought, learned, and survived but the Abyss had shown him the cost of underestimating the world.
Lord Alden stepped forward, the storm of battle reflected in his silver eyes. He looked at the battered heirs, then let a rare, small warmth crease his stern features.
"Well done, children. I am proud of you."
His gaze hardened as it settled on the shadowed corridor where Vlaud had vanished. Alden turned to Tiren, his voice cold and commanding.
"Tiren find them. Uncover every trace of this 'Abyss': names, nests, patrons. When you have them, bring them to me. We will make sure those who struck at the Savoy learn what it costs to meddle in our affairs."
Tiren inclined his head, already drawing plans in the air as his mind moved faster than words. The courtyard held its breath; the promise of retribution hung in the chill mountain air.
The heirs, battered but alive, looked at Asia, a mix of reverence and fear in their eyes. Kian's gaze lingered on Vlaud the grandmaster's smirk faint, acknowledging the warning.
"This was your trial of resolve," Asia said softly. "Remember it. Survive it. And one day, you may rise to the peaks your ancestors once claimed."
Outside, the Fading Peaks were silent again, but the air still hummed with green and azure the marks of lessons learned, battles fought, and the shadow of a family refusing to fade.
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