The chamber was silent except for the sharp rhythm of my footsteps and the faint hum of the Abyss.
The Repeating Class was relentless. Only five Nephilim remained, survivors of the earlier trials, each clawing, biting, and enduring the brutal lessons in pursuit of perfection.
A Nephilim at one end had already broken down thrice because she'd failed thrice to transform as perfectly as Viridis did. Each failure made her reflection uglier and the next attempt more painful.
My muscles burned. My hands were raw, calloused from hours of gripping mirrors, my skin slick with sweat.
Every failed effort to perfect the Siren Sun's Trick left my body humming with pain, as if the Abyss itself was punishing me for my imperfections.
There were already streaks of veins on my forehead, popping with every trial.
Viridis's voice still echoed in my mind:
"Pain is the teacher. Only through suffering will illusion become truth."
I had grown quiet. My pride, my anger, even my past, all were buried under hours of repetitive drills.
I no longer screamed. I no longer wept openly. Only silent tears ran down my cheeks when no one was watching, leaving small streaks on my ash-streaked skin.
It was in one of those moments, curled into a shadowed alcove, that I first noticed Ghormon.
Ghormon had been watching me for some time.
A few days ago, she had passed the first test of the Siren Sun's Trick, effortlessly transforming into a human woman with perfect poise. Today, she had come for another reason, curiosity, perhaps, and something Shaoline could not yet name.
Ghormon knelt beside me in the shadows, her presence soft but commanding. "Why are you crying?" she asked quietly.
Her eyes were deep pools of violet, glowing faintly under the Abyssal torchlight. There was a smirk tucked to her lips.
I flinched. "I…I...it's nothing."
"Don't lie to me," Ghormon said firmly pulling my face up from my jaw with a finger so that my eyes met hers intensely. "I've watched you for days. You don't give up, even when it hurts. But here…" She nodded toward my trembling hands. "…here, it breaks you."
I looked away, biting my lip. "I have to get it right. Or…" I didn't finish the sentence. The thought of being erased, of failure, was too heavy.
Ghormon's gaze softened. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. The touch was light but grounding. Then she lent out a hand.
"Then let me help you. I know what you're struggling with. I've mastered the first step. I can show you what they didn't."
I hesitated. Trust was dangerous in the Abyss. But something in Ghormon's eyes, a mixture of warmth and determination that made me nod.
For hours, Ghormon guided me.
She spoke in hushed tones, detailing the subtle flow of magic in the Siren Sun's Trick: how to control the light in her skin, the curvature of her features, how to raise her hand perfectly for the trick to work, even the way her aura influenced perception.
"You're trying too hard," Ghormon said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. "Beauty isn't just the face you show. It's the confidence you hide beneath it."
My throat tightened. I had never considered that. My magic, my illusions, had always been about perfection, flawless appearance, flawless technique. But Ghormon's voice made me think… perhaps it was more than that.
Hours melted away. Sweat mingled with the heat of their effort. Finally, my reflection in the shard-mirror shimmered and held. The transformation wasn't perfect, my silver eyes still faintly glimmered, my lips slightly too pale, but it was enough.
Enough to pass the next test at least.
Ghormon stepped back, her violet eyes studying me closely. "You're ready."
I exhaled sharply, a mixture of relief and exhaustion flooding through me. "I… I can't believe it. I never thought..."
Ghormon cut her off with a soft chuckle. "Believe it, because I saw it happen. You don't need to hide your strength anymore."
For a long moment, we sat in silence. My gaze lingered on Ghormon, hesitant. There was a warmth there, something gentle but piercing, that I couldn't name.
And Ghormon… Ghormon's eyes flickered with something else entirely. Something vulnerable. Something unspoken.
"You know," Ghormon murmured after a pause, her voice softer now, almost a whisper.
"I've always… admired more than your determination. You… you fascinate me. Even when you cry. Even when you're scared. There's something about you I can't let go of."
She leaned in, as she spoke so that my nose was just inches away from her.
I froze. My heart skipped a beat. Admires me? Fascinates her?
I opened my mouth, but no words came. My chest tightened. Ghormon's words weren't a threat. They weren't cruel or commanding. They were… personal. Intimate. Dangerous.
"I...I don't know what to say," I admitted, my voice trembling slightly.
Ghormon tilted her head, smiling faintly.
"You don't need to say anything. Just… remember. Sometimes, survival isn't just about fighting the rules. It's about knowing who stands beside you."
I swallowed, unsure if my face betrayed the storm of confusion inside her. Beside me? Does she… feel something? I didn't know, and that terrified me more than the Abyss ever could.
Ghormon's hand lingered for a heartbeat longer on my shoulder before she finally withdrew. "Get some rest. Tomorrow… the test awaits. The last one. Only one of you five will leave this chamber with a chance at survival."
I nodded, my fingers brushing against the faint warmth left behind. The fear of death piercing me. There was no second death. Second death meant eternal vanishing and inexistence. Tomorrow the four of us would be dead with one surviving. Who would it be?
As Ghormon walked away, I whispered to myself, almost afraid to admit it, "Thank you… for seeing me."
In the shadows, Ghormon's gaze lingered on Shaoline's retreating figure. A faint smile curved her lips, tinged with longing. I'll protect her. I'll see her rise. And… maybe, just maybe… she'll let me stand beside her.
The chamber was silent once more, the flickering torches casting elongated shadows over the five exhausted Nephilims. Each one felt the weight of the next trial pressing against their souls.
I lay on the cold stone floor, breathing deeply. Tomorrow, the true test awaited. But for the first time in the Abyss, I didn't feel completely alone.
Somewhere in that darkness, a connection had been made, fragile, dangerous, and unspoken. But enough to light a spark.
And sparks… in the Abyss, could ignite fires that nothing could extinguish.