The next five years at the Astoria Knight Academy passed in a blur of sweat, steel, and sleepless nights. Aldomite turned fifteen, hardened by constant, grueling training, yet fragile from the war raging in his mind.
His performance was unparalleled. He was a force of nature—faster, stronger, and more relentless than any other student. He set record marks in endurance trials, his body enduring punishment that should have broken bone and spirit. This was the work of Zechtron, the Core Essence supplying inhuman reserves.
But the cost was his humanity. Every surge of power came with a wave of corrosive, cold malice. Aldomite barely slept, tormented by nightmares where the demonic flames of his home merged with the ancient, terrible visions of Zechtron's fall. He was haunted by the Uncaged Voice, now a constant, scornful companion that mocked his fear and demanded he abandon his foolish human friends.
Lipton and Calvin became polished, exceptional knights, but their relief was overshadowed by a deep, constant worry for Aldomite. He was always withdrawn, prone to sudden, paralyzing anxiety, and rarely ate, surviving on sheer will and the dark energy inside him. Commander Graven, seeing the boy's volatile state, intensified his malice, his insults now aimed directly at shattering Aldomite's fragile mental control. Graven was waiting for the perfect storm, confident that the boy would break before he earned his final knighthood.
The announcement of the Trial of the Limba Coil—an advanced, unassisted survival test—sent a ripple of fear through the class of twenty students. It was a crucial evaluation needed to qualify for the final knighthood examination. For one week, they were to navigate the Cal-Limba Forest and retrieve a sealed artifact from its dangerous core.
Commander Flick, the Academy's lead strategist and the officer solely responsible for the Survival Training curriculum, addressed the cadets. "This is not a game," Flick stated firmly. "Cal-Limba is a beast's territory. Failure here means you do not graduate to the Final Knighthood Trial."
Observing from a discreet distance was Commander Graven. He stood near the perimeter, his heavy gaze fixed on Aldomite, his face a mask of cold, personal anticipation. Graven leaned in toward a nearby colleague, his voice a low sneer. "He is a risk, that one. This unnatural strength he carries will turn against him. If not constantly under pressure, it will consume him and others. Flick had already taken precautions. He had deployed veteran scouts, including Instructor Thorne, whose true mission was to observe the Students without intervention, ensuring the academy knew precisely what happened in the deep woods.
And so it's time for the trial to begin but the class had to chose a leader, The tension thickened as Aldomite gathered with Lipton, Calvin, and two other cadets. Derek, the group's chosen tactical leader, laid out their conservative route.
"Derek's the best choice for navigation, Aldomite," Lipton said, trying to maintain harmony. The Uncaged Voice within him was a low snarl: "Leaders are a liabilities The Cal-Limba doesn't follow rules." Derek snapped, tired of Aldomite's arrogance. "We need clarity. You're only bringing volatility."
"My strategy is strength," Aldomite retorted, a spike of corrosive malice pulsing from his core. He looked at his friends, his expression hardened by the dark energy. "I don't need the playbook, and I don't need the dead weight."
Ignoring the worried calls of Lipton and Calvin, Aldomite simply turned his back. Fueled by the toxic demands of the power inside him, he plunged into the forest's shadows, choosing the path of maximum danger.
Aldomite moved with a manic intensity for nearly twenty hours. He needed neither rest nor food, surviving solely on the stolen energy of the Core Essence.
By the afternoon of the next day, deep in the forest, he encountered a shadowing demon: Hexon, the Beast Tamer, a demonic spy, commanding a colossal Magnus Grolak.
The battle was a terrifying convergence of trained skill and unnatural power. Aldomite was eventually trapped under the Grolak's immense weight, facing Hexon's killing blow.
Aldomite was lost in his mind thinking of how he wouldn't be able to fulfill his UNCHOSEN DESTINY, at the moment before the end, he screamed—a sound of ancient rage and terror—and the Core Essence of Zechtron exploded.
A blinding, black-yellow aura flared, and the temperature of the clearing plunged. Driven by a blinding, murderous intent, Aldomite became a conduit of annihilation. He drove his hand into the Grolak's side, draining the life from the beast in a flash of dark energy. The creature collapsed, a massive husk.
Hexon stood stunned, witnessing the impossible. "What… what are you?"
The dual voice that answered was strained and echoing. "We are the reason you fear the dark."
In a final surge, Hexon was torn apart, disintegrating into a cloud of steaming, sulfurous ash. Aldomite collapsed instantly, the pure drain of the power leaving him cold, spent, and barely conscious.
Instructor Thorne, who had been shadowing Aldomite, rushed to the source of the unnatural sounds. He saw the scene—the colossal, dead beast, the ash pile, and Aldomite, motionless and covered in superficial cuts. Having missed the catastrophic power surge, Thorne determined Aldomite had been caught in a unique, highly violent fight. The priority was extraction.
Thorne carried the heavy, unconscious Aldomite out of the forest, abruptly ending his trial.
Aldomite was returned to the medical wing and placed under the care of his classmate, the medical student Elise. She mended his scratches and worried over the profound, unexplainable depletion of his vital energy.
When Aldomite was stable, he was brought back to the group, As Aldomite, woke up from his unconscious sleep, a wave of cruel laughter erupted from the assembled students.
"Look at that! The lone wolf couldn't even last a full day!" Derek mocked, his sneering voice cutting across the room. "Twenty hours of solo glory, and he had to be hauled out by an instructor! The ridicule was brutal. The students were furious over his arrogance, and his early, ignominious return was seen as a deserved humiliation.
Aldomite remained silent. He knew the truth—the demon spy, the terror, the power—but the secret was too dark to share.
Lipton and Calvin immediately rushed to his side.
"Ignore them," Calvin muttered.
Lipton clapped his friend on the shoulder, his loyalty unwavering. "You're back. That's what matters. We'll cover for you in the next rotation."
Aldomite gave a barely perceptible nod. He was alive, but the world now mocked his weakness, unaware that he had just eliminated a demonic threat. The cold, terrible satisfaction of the Uncaged Voice was the only reward he carried. The trial came to an end Elise noticed something deeply unsettling. The exhaustion wasn't just physical. Aldomite's internal energy—his mana core—was not simply depleted; it was hollowed out. It felt as if a vacuum had been placed over his entire being, draining his reserves to near zero. The Trial of the Limba Coil was barely over, but the most dangerous forces were already at work in the Astoria Knight academy. Derek, basking in his self-appointed moral authority, seized on Aldomite's early return. He painted a vivid picture of Aldomite's arrogance, his reckless departure, and his ultimate failure—found unconscious and helpless by an instructor after less than 24 hours, demonstrating Aldomite's unfitness for command or teamwork. The rumors, now amplified by Commander Graven's subtle endorsements and the general student body's resentment, soon reached the highest authority: Principal Hector. After the principal, Hector, summoned commander Flick. A curt, impersonal message was delivered to the commander: Report regarding the findings of the Trial of the Limba Coil, Flick however, looked grim. He knew the official report from Instructor Thorne—detailing the strange ash, the unnatural death of the Grolak, and the unexplained depletion of Aldomite's energy—would contradict the gossip. But he also knew that Graven had already poisoned the well. The truth would now have to fight against institutional embarrassment and a widely accepted narrative of failure.
Chapter 4: THE FOG OF MEMORIES