TRIAL
A blazing sun loomed above, casting golden light over an endless, rolling desert. The sands beneath his feet were hot, yet strangely soothing.
A single voice echoed across the vast emptiness.
“Show me your resolve, Fireborn.”
Then—
The shadows came.
From the horizon, dark figures rose like living silhouettes. Their bodies flickered like ink in water, shapeless yet solid, their eyes burning red with malice.
They rushed forward.
Ethan’s heart pounded. No hesitation.
He moved.
His chains snapped forward, wrapping around the first shadow creature, but the moment they touched—it dissolved.
Before he could react, another one struck from behind—its formless claws slicing through the air.
Ethan twisted, narrowly dodging, but the impact sent a sharp pain across his ribs.
Damn… they’re fast.
He rolled to the side, raising his hand—modifying the sand beneath his feet, hardening it into a solid platform to steady himself.
The shadows didn’t stop.
Dozens of them. No… hundreds.
They swarmed him from all directions.
Ethan clenched his fists. He needed to think differently.
He closed his eyes, focusing his breathing.
Then—
He activated his Lion’s Heart.
A golden pulse surged through his veins, and suddenly—
He could see it.
The world around him wasn’t just sand and light. It was code.
The shadows weren’t real enemies. They were a test.
A trial to see if he could overcome fear itself.
Ethan exhaled sharply.
“Alright… let’s change the rules.”
He opened his eyes.
Gold blazed within them.
Instead of dodging, he ran forward.
Straight into the horde of shadows.
They lunged—but this time, he didn’t fight them like enemies.
He rewrote them.
As their blackened claws reached for him, he grabbed one of them—and instead of destroying it, he changed its form.
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The shadow in his grasp twisted, its shape shifting, its energy dispersing—until it became something else.
Light.
A radiant golden figure stood where the darkness once was.
The others hesitated.
Ethan smirked. “Now I get it.”
This wasn’t about destruction.
It was about transformation.
He spread his arms wide, releasing a wave of golden energy outward.
One by one, the shadows were reclaimed, turning into beacons of light, until nothing remained of the darkness.
The sun above flared brilliantly, and the desert vanished.
Ethan gasped as he returned to reality.
The golden ember above the pedestal pulsed once—
Then shot straight toward him.
Ethan barely had time to brace himself before the fragment entered his chest, just like before.
A rush of energy flooded his body.
His veins glowed with golden light, his Leo aura surging in ways he had never felt before.
But this time—
He remained standing.
He clenched his fists, feeling the power settle deeper than before. Like a missing piece had finally returned.
Solis leaped onto the pedestal, tilting his head. “Well?”
Ethan exhaled slowly. “I think… I’m starting to understand.”
Solis’s tail flicked in amusement. “Good.”
Then, with a flick of his tail—
A portal opened.
“Time to go home, Fireborn.”
Ethan took one last look at the temple before stepping through.
?Return to the Academy
Ethan collapsed onto his bed, his body aching but his mind alive with newfound knowledge.
He had passed the third trial.
He was getting stronger.
And something told him—
The hardest tests were yet to come.
?The Morning After
Ethan woke up with a start.
His eyes snapped open, and for a brief moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. The ceiling of his dorm blurred into focus, the golden morning light seeping through the windows. He felt… different.
More aware.
He sat up, his body surprisingly light despite the previous night’s exhaustion. His senses were sharper, his surroundings clearer than ever. The subtle creak of wood, the faint rustling of leaves outside, the distant murmur of students waking—he could hear everything.
He clenched his fist. His aura wasn’t just stronger—it felt refined.
Ethan had changed.
Orion’s loud snoring snapped him out of his thoughts.
Ethan glanced at his roommate, who was sprawled across his bed, one arm dangling off the side. He shook his head, chuckling softly. Some things never change.
Then, a familiar voice spoke from the windowsill.
“You’re finally up.”
Ethan turned to see Solis, perched elegantly, his twin tails flicking in rhythm. The cat’s silver eyes gleamed with knowing amusement.
“Feeling different?” Solis asked.
Ethan stretched, flexing his fingers. “Yeah… like everything is more real. Sharper.”
Solis hummed approvingly. “That’s the third fragment settling in. Your senses have started aligning with what you were always meant to be.”
Ethan exhaled. He wasn’t ready to think about what that meant just yet.
Instead, he swung his legs over the bed and got up. “Come on, we’ve got class.”
Solis yawned, unimpressed. “Academy lectures seem rather dull compared to the trials you’ve been facing.”
Ethan smirked. “Maybe. But I still have a lot to learn.”
Walking into the Virgo lecture hall, making his way to the classroom.
He found his usual seat next to Callan and Orion, who were already deep in conversation.
Before he could seat, their instructor entered the room, silencing all conversations.
“Settle down,” Professor Alden Greybourne said, his sharp gaze sweeping the students. “Today, we continue our studies on material transmutation and advanced code manipulation.”
The class immediately focused, pushing personal conversations aside.
Ethan leaned back in his chair. Time to learn something new.
?The Power of Elemental Infusion
Professor Greybourne held up a simple iron dagger in one hand.
“Alchemy is not just about changing one material into another. It is also about enhancing existing materials to unlock their full potential.”
He ran his aura through the dagger, and within moments, the blade began to glow faintly blue—the metal’s structure strengthening before their eyes.
“By fusing elemental properties into an object, we can create weapons, tools beyond normal limitations.”
With a flick of his wrist, he sliced through solid stone as if it were butter.
Gasps filled the classroom.
Lysandra leaned forward. “Interesting…”
Ethan’s mind raced. This wasn’t just about transmutation—this was coding on a deeper level.
Greybourne continued. “Each element interacts with a material differently. Your task is to experiment—find a material, infuse it, and observe the changes.”
He gestured to the workshop tables, where an array of materials awaited—metals, wood, stone, cloth, even glass.
“Begin.”
The classroom buzzed with activity as students spread out, choosing materials to test.
Lysandra was already deep in modifying a silk cloth, trying to make it resistant to cuts.
Orion, ever creative, grabbed a handful of metal scraps, clearly attempting something unique.
Ethan, however, picked up a simple piece of coal.
Orion raised an eyebrow. “Coal? That’s an interesting choice.”
Ethan smirked. “I have an idea.”
He activated his Leo sight, peering into the coal’s coded structure.
Coal burned—it was energy condensed into a solid form.
But what if he could change the way it released energy?
He placed his hands over the coal and began rewriting.
Instead of burning all at once, he adjusted its properties to release stored energy in controlled bursts.
The coal hardened, shifting into a dense crystalline form, its surface glowing faintly.
Ethan grinned. “Controlled combustion.”
Callan, observing from the side, nodded. “If you shape that into a weapon… it could unleash stored energy on impact.”
Ethan’s grin widened. That was exactly his plan.
Lysandra, glancing over, smirked. “Not bad, commoner.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the overwhelming praise.”
Professor Greybourne walked between the tables, observing each student’s progress.
He paused by Ethan’s table, eyeing the modified coal.
“Interesting…” he murmured.
Ethan nodded, sensing the weight behind the compliment.
Greybourne turned to the class. “Today’s lesson should teach you something important—alchemy is not just about knowledge. It is about innovation.”
He glanced at the students work before continuing.
“Class dismissed.”
