The morning sun rose slow, spreading golden light over the town. Today was the day before the big practical exam. The day all the students must show their magic power and prove they belong to a Captain's group. The whole town was busy preparing. Some were nervous, some excited. But for Coker, today was filled with mixed feelings — hope, fear, and a little bit of doubt.
He woke early and went outside. The air was cool and fresh. He saw Lira practicing her water magic near the river. The water danced around her fingers like little silver snakes. She smiled when she saw him.
"You ready?" she asked.
Coker shrugged. "I don't know. What if I fail again? What if people laugh at me like before?"
Lira shook her head. "You're not the same boy from before. You have shadow magic now. You can make clones, soldiers, shadows. That power don't come easy."
Coker smiled weakly. "I just hope I can control it."
Suddenly, a loud voice came from the training ground. It was Captain Reizen.
"All students gather! Today we begin the Trial of Fire!"
The Trial of Fire was a special test made by the Captains. It was not easy. It was meant to see if a student can fight demons and control their magic under pressure.
Coker's heart beat faster. He walk slowly to the training ground. Many students were there, some practicing, some stretching.
Kaiens, the fire bully, was already there, flexing his muscles and throwing small fireballs in the air.
"Hope you ready, Coker," Kaiens said with a smirk. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
Coker said nothing. He looked at his hands. The shadow inside him was calm but waiting.
The Captains came out. Each stand tall and proud, their magic glowing. Reiko, the wind master, smiled at Coker but said nothing.
Captain Veyr, the fire master, shouted, "The Trial of Fire start now! Show us what you got!"
The ground suddenly opened, and from below came weak demons. They were not strong but quick and tricky. The students must fight them without help.
Coker took a deep breath. He raised his hand and created a shadow clone. It looked exactly like him but dark and smoky. The clone moved fast and attacked the demons. More clones came out, and soon he had five shadow fighters.
But the demons were clever. One sneaked behind a clone and almost destroyed it.
"Not good," Coker said quietly.
He focused harder. The shadow soldiers became stronger, faster. They blocked the demons and attacked back.
The other students also fought hard. Kaiens threw big fireballs that lit the sky. Lira used her water magic to freeze demons. The wind magic users flew and attacked from above.
Coker watched and learned. He felt like he belonged.
But then, a big demon appeared from the hole in the ground. It was huge, with red eyes and black scales. The students got scared.
The Captains shouted, "Focus! Work together!"
Coker felt the shadow inside him roar. He made more clones, but even his shadow soldiers looked small next to the demon.
He stepped forward. "I'll stop it."
The demon growled and charged at him. Coker's clones fought hard, but the demon broke through and hit him. Coker fell, pain shooting through his body.
He wanted to give up. But then he saw Lira's face. She was shouting, "Don't stop, Coker! You can do this!"
With all his strength, Coker stood up. The shadow inside him flared bright. He formed a giant shadow sword and charged the demon.
The sword cut through the demon's scales like paper. The demon screamed and fell.
Everyone cheered. Coker was tired, bruised, but smiling.
Captain Reizen came near and said, "You did good today. You have a strong heart."
Kaiens looked surprised but nodded. "Maybe you not so weak after all."
Coker laughed. "Thanks."
That night, Coker and Lira walked together under the stars.
"You did it," Lira said softly.
"Yeah," Coker said. "But I still have long way to go."
Lira smiled. "We all do."
The shadow inside Coker moved gently, waiting for the next challenge. Because the journey to become a true hero was only starting.