The night inside the Temple feels too long.
Too still.
Too full of shadows whispering things I don't want to hear.
Aiden refuses to sleep.
He sits on the floor in front of the bed, back against the stone frame, eyes fixed on the door as if willing any danger to come through so he can rip it apart.
I sit beside him, knees drawn to my chest.
The mark on my palm glows faintly—silver on the outside, gold inside, black threads pulsing slowly like a heartbeat.
I should be terrified.
I am.
But not of the trial.
Of what I saw.
Aiden dying in front of me.
My hands coated in magic I couldn't control.
A future that feels too real to ignore.
I shiver.
Aiden notices immediately.
He reaches out and pulls me into his lap in one fluid motion.
"Cold?" he asks quietly.
"Scared."
He exhales through his nose—
slow
controlled
danger simmering underneath.
"Of the trial?" he asks.
"Of losing you."
His arms tighten around me, instantly protective.
"You saw a vision," he says softly. "A possible future. Not a guaranteed one."
"It felt real, Aiden."
"So did our kiss," he murmurs. "Which one do you trust more?"
My cheeks heat.
I bury my face into his neck.
"You're impossible."
"And you're shaking," he whispers back.
His hands rub gentle circles on my back, grounding me, anchoring me, pulling me away from the nightmare still clinging to my bones.
"I won't die," he says quietly.
"I won't leave you."
"You can't promise that."
"I just did."
His tone brooks no argument.
I rest my forehead against his collarbone, breathing in the scent of pine and smoke and Alpha that always calms me.
"You need sleep," he murmurs. "The second trial is at dawn."
"So do you."
"I'm not sleeping."
"Why?"
He pauses.
Then—
"Because I want to wake up and see you breathing. The whole night."
Something breaks in my chest.
"You'll break yourself like this," I whisper.
He cups the back of my neck gently.
"Let me," he whispers. "If it keeps you alive, let me."
Before I can answer, the Temple lights flicker.
The air thickens.
A cold wind curls around us.
Aiden stiffens beneath me.
"It's starting," he whispers.
THE TEMPLE AWAKENS AT DAWN
The "ceiling"—if it can be called that—begins to glow with early light.
Soft silver, then pale blue.
As if the moon is being replaced by a rising sun.
But the air doesn't grow warmer.
It grows sharper.
Colder.
Dense with ancient power.
A deep vibration rolls through the floor.
Aiden stands, lifting me with him effortlessly.
I clutch his shirt.
"Aiden—"
He looks down at me with a gaze so intense it almost stops my breath.
"You're not alone. You go in, I follow."
"You can't follow," I whisper. "It's a solo trial."
He leans down, brushing his lips against my forehead—
so softly it hurts.
"Then I break the rules."
"Aiden—!"
"Let them try to stop me."
The Temple suddenly hums, and the door bursts open with a blast of light.
Kai and Ethan stumble backward into the room.
Kai gasps, "Uh… I think dawn is pissed."
Ethan whispers, "We're all going to die."
Aiden ignores them completely.
He takes my hand.
The bond pulses hard—
pounding, tightening, becoming almost overwhelming.
The Temple voice echoes:
"Shadow Heir.
Step forward."
My heart thuds painfully.
Aiden moves to step with me.
I grab his wrist.
"Aiden, no."
He turns to me slowly.
"Tell me one reason to let you go alone."
"Because this is my trial," I whisper.
"Not yours."
"I don't care."
"I do."
His jaw clenches.
"You don't understand—your life is tied to mine now. If something happens to you—"
"Then you protect me by letting me stand."
His breath catches.
The bond pulses again.
Harder.
More urgent.
He closes his eyes for a moment.
When he opens them—
they're softer.
Breaking.
Hurting.
Loving.
"Then I'm here," he whispers, voice shaking.
"Every second. Every breath. Right behind you."
I squeeze his hand.
He squeezes back—so tightly I know he doesn't want to let go.
Finally, slowly, painfully—
He loosens his grip.
Only slightly.
"Go," he whispers.
"But if you scream—"
"I know," I say. "You'll tear the Temple down."
He nods once, sharp, fierce.
"Yes."
THE SECOND TRIAL – THE ECHO OF SOULS
I step into the next chamber.
The doors slam behind me.
Aiden snarls and slams into them from the other side.
"LIYANA!"
"I'm okay!" I call back, voice small.
He doesn't move away.
I hear his fist hit the stone.
The chamber is empty.
A circular room with walls covered in moving symbols—
they shift like scripts made of moonlight.
The floor glows with a single line of silver that runs around the room.
A voice echoes from everywhere at once:
"Trial Two:
Face the echo of every soul you carry."
"What does that mean?" I whisper.
The chamber answers.
The symbols peel off the walls like floating ink—
swirling in the air
taking shape
taking form.
Five human silhouettes appear.
Then clearer.
Then alive.
I feel my breath stop.
The souls are—
My father.
My mother.
The young version of my reflection.
The child I used to be.
And—
Aiden.
All five of them stand before me.
But they aren't real.
Not fully.
They flicker like memories.
Aiden's silhouette steps forward first.
I freeze.
It's him.
But not him.
Soft-eyed.
Unscarred.
A version of him I never met.
He reaches his hand out to me.
"Choose me," he whispers.
My chest aches.
I step forward—
But the next soul steps in front of him.
My mother.
Her glowing silver hair floats around her like a halo.
"Choose your destiny," she says.
"The world needs you."
"I need him," I whisper.
"Need is not destiny."
The little girl version of me steps next.
Small.
Terrified.
Eyes too bright.
"Choose safety," she cries.
"Choose someone who won't die for you."
My throat tightens.
Then my father appears.
Cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing white.
"Choose your blood," he says softly.
"Choose power."
I step back.
"No."
He smiles. "You cannot deny your inheritance."
"I can," I whisper.
The souls glow brighter—
pressing in around me.
My reflection speaks:
"You cannot carry all of us.
You must let something go."
My heart pounds.
I look at each one:
Aiden—the love that anchors me.
Mother—the destiny I lost.
Child-me—the innocence I failed.
Reflection—the power I fear.
Father—the darkness hunting me.
The room vibrates.
A whisper echoes:
"Choose what defines you…
or you will be torn apart."
I clutch my chest.
Aiden's soul reaches for me.
"Choose me."
My father's soul reaches too.
"Choose power."
My mother's soul lifts her hand.
"Choose purpose."
My reflection spreads her fingers.
"Choose truth."
The child-me sobs.
"Choose safety."
I scream:
"I CHOOSE ME!"
Light explodes from my body.
White.
Gold.
Silver.
Black.
All merging.
All mine.
The souls burst apart like smoke.
The chamber shakes violently.
I fall to my knees.
My mark burns—
Then settles.
When the light fades—
The souls are gone.
All except one.
Aiden.
The real Aiden.
He didn't appear inside the trial—
but as soon as the barrier drops—
He rushes in, skidding to his knees in front of me.
"Liyana!"
His hands cup my face, frantic.
"Are you hurt? Are you breathing? Talk to me—"
I throw my arms around him and collapse into his chest.
"I chose me," I sob.
He pulls me even closer, voice breaking.
"And I choose you," he whispers fiercely.
His lips crush mine—
fast
urgent
desperate
relief poured into a kiss.
He only pulls back when I gasp for air.
He leans his forehead to mine.
"I thought I lost you," he whispers.
"You didn't."
He wraps me in his arms like a shield.
"You passed," he says softly.
Before I can answer—
The Temple booms:
"Trial Two complete.
Final trial will begin at nightfall."
Aiden stiffens.
"Final?"
We both turn toward the far wall.
And see it.
A door carved in black stone.
Wreathed in gold.
Locked with both moon and shadow magic.
Aiden mutters under his breath:
"…That looks bad."
I swallow hard.
"It looks like hell."
He pulls me close again.
"We face it together," he says.
But the Temple whispers:
"Only one may enter the final trial."
Aiden growls.
"NO."
My blood runs cold.
And the last words echo through the chamber:
"Only the Shadow King's heir walks through that door…
or the bond breaks."
Aiden grabs me.
I grab him.
And the world feels like it's falling apart again.