A door could be seen in front of Damian, this door was known as the door of freedom or burden. All you need to do is open the door and walk out and the trail is complete, Damian was going to do so but the trail as if responding to damains taunts, moved.
The world around damaian bled into shadows.
Everything moved as if morphing into something else. One heartbeat, he stood on jagged of the trail, his chest steady, his gaze unflinching.
The next, he was nowhere and everywhere at once-- a void of shifting echoes, where the air itself trembled with memory.
And then they came.
Faces. Whisper. Cries rippled through the dark. Students torn apart by the lurkers. The stench of blood thickened the air, more real than memory should be.
Damian's eyes narrowed as he saw a boy. The one he told to stay at the portal.
The boy had died screaming for a salvation that never came. Now he stood before Damian, face unrecognizable. His lips moved but no sound emerged. Only silent accusation.
Damian felt the weight settle on his chest, heavier than steel. His smirk faltered. It seemed the trial was the one smirking now as it pressed on. He had survived by masking his face in cold exterior and even accepting loss. But this.... this was different. He had spoken to that boy, given him instructions, condemned him unknowingly.
Around him, the cries grew louder. Students screaming, beast snarling. Black blood spilling again and again, as if on an endless loop.
For a moment, even Damians feet would not move.
The door now far ahead, curved into the darkness itself, it was massive, ancient and unyielding. It's frame pulsed faintly with light as though neithera itself recognized it.
The closer he looked, the farther it drifted. His limbs grew heavier, his legs felt shackled by invincible chains, every step a war. This was the final truth. The door could not be forced.
Damian lowered his gaze, exhaling softly. Walking closer to the boy, he bowed his head ever so slightly. "I failed you" he said quietly. The words were not dramatic. They were bare, cold, honest "and I will fail others. This is the truth. Your death will weight on me, yes.... But it will not break me. I simply refuse to let it"
The words were sincere, the boys figure flickered- then dissolved like ash in the wind.
The first trial of a shade is meant to drawn one under the weight of their own guilt. Damian was calm, he didn't feel an ounce of guilt.
"The first trial is supposed to make me feel guilt, right?" He said as if talking to someone, the trial maybe "I see you've misunderstood my remark earlier. I've drowned in a sea of guit before, clawed my way back and sat with it, then I overcame it. So you see, when I said I've passed earlier. It was in a past tense, meaning... It already happened even before this trial began"
The illusion hissed, writhing. His defiance cracked them like glass.
The screams dulled. The beasts scattered into smoke. The weight on Damian's chest loosened. He moved, steps now lighter.
The door coming closer to him, no longer drifting.
The only way to pass the first trial is to justify your actions or simply overcome your guilt, when your heart is not longer weighed on guit, then you can move forward.
Placing his hands on the door, it opened slowly revealing a great light, smearing the shadows, banishing the illusions.
And when Damian stepped through, the light was gone. He emerged from the trial chamber. Seeing the female instructor as before, she saw him and pointed at a portal in the distance without uttering a word. He moved.
Looking around, he saw some chambers opened, showing some have completed their trials before him but he saw many locked, indicating many are still undergoing theirs. He was glad he passed his but did not celebrate neither was he dismayed. He knew very well that this was the way of the shades.
Getting to the portal, he was about to pass through when he heard a whisper brushed against the edge of his mind -- ancient, dangerous, forbidden. But he ignored it, not willingly but he simply did not have any strength anymore. The events and trail today had exhausted both mentally and physically. He stepped forward with the same calm stride as always. Getting outside he muttered
"It's evening"
Seeing the portal glowing, an instructor stepped forward, approaching Damian.
"Name!" He commanded
"Damian, Damian Quin" he said in a low voice, showing signs of weakness and tiredness
"Congratulations Damian, you're now a Graven Shade" the instructor said, gesturing for Damian's watch, Damian complied. A small device was placed over his watch and instantly, the once brown glow on it with a number 1 was now changed to a silvery color
"Welcome to Velcrid Academy"