Chapter 6: Trial of Foundations – The Beast Within
The dawn of the entrance exam arrived with storm clouds gathering over Aflety Magic Academy.
It wasn't just a matter of weather.
It was pressure.
As Evan stood on the training grounds with over two hundred new initiates, the air crackled with mana. Instructors stood along the periphery, silent but sharp-eyed. Beasts of all kinds—winged, horned, scaled, shadowed—stood beside their tamers or floated in spirit form above them.
Lilith stood calmly to Evan's left, arms folded, crimson eyes gleaming in the overcast light. Nex, resting like a snake-scaled pendant around Evan's neck, gave a low hiss as if sensing the storm.
"Initiates!" a voice thundered across the grounds.
It was Dean Gawain, head of Aflety and the Empire's strongest Beast Tamer. His presence alone made the ground feel heavier.
"You stand at the threshold of becoming true beast tamers—protectors, dominators, or something else entirely. But power without understanding is ruin. So today, your journey begins with the Trial of Foundations."
He raised his hand, and the earth beneath them shifted.
The entire field broke apart into a massive circular arena, separated into twelve sectors, each glowing with the symbol of one elemental domain: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, Metal, Nature, Light, Darkness, Space, Time, and Belt.
"The first test," Gawain continued, "will determine your compatibility, mental discipline, and raw resonance with your beast. In each elemental zone, a different trial awaits. You will be assigned based on your beast's affinity."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Evan exhaled slowly.
Water. Darkness. Nature. Nex had all three. That meant one of three possibilities.
He could be sent to Sector III – Verdant Grove, Sector IV – The Abyss Hall, or Sector VI – The Eternal Springs.
A moment later, their names began to flash across magical boards. Each student's elemental trial and placement was shown in glowing script.
Evan Rochel – Sector IV – The Abyss Hall (Darkness)
Lilith Laistrygones – Sector VI – Eternal Springs (Water)
Veyon Draxis – Sector X – Mirror of the Void (Space)
Cassia Belvane – Sector VIII – Wraithlight Terrace (Light)
Silva Elowen – Sector III – Verdant Grove (Nature)
Gareth Ironfang – Sector I – Pyre Crucible (Fire)
The group was being separated immediately.
Lilith scowled. "They're spreading us thin on purpose. Classic strategy—no unity, only chaos."
Evan's gaze narrowed as he studied the sectors. "Chaos reveals who's real."
He turned, walking toward the shadowed tunnel that led to The Abyss Hall.
Sector IV – The Abyss Hall
The moment Evan stepped inside, he felt it—emptiness.
This was no normal trial. The Abyss Hall was not made of stone or earth. It was a massive subterranean illusion dome, swallowing all light and noise. Mist curled at the edges of a black reflective floor. Evan's footsteps echoed too loud. Nex slithered down from his shoulder, alert.
From the shadows, a tall man emerged.
"Welcome, candidate," he said. He wore a mask etched with runes of blindness. His voice was soft, almost priest-like.
"This trial is not one of might, but of will. Step forward and confront your beast in its rawest form. If you are unworthy, the abyss will shatter you."
Evan didn't hesitate.
He stepped into the center, and instantly, the world twisted.
Within the Darkness
Suddenly, Evan stood alone in a field of black water. No sky. No horizon. Just ripples.
Then—a massive shape rose from beneath the surface.
Nex—but not as he was.
This Nex was monstrous, ten times larger, eyes blazing with serpentine intelligence. His body shimmered with ancient glyphs—part snake, part dragon, part shadow.
"Do you think you can control me?" the beast hissed in a voice that echoed inside Evan's mind. "You are but a soul reborn. Do you even remember who you were?"
Evan took a breath. "I remember enough."
"And yet, you fear power. You bind me with hesitation."
"I don't fear power," Evan growled. "I fear becoming what I was."
A pause.
Then the darkness quaked.
Nex lunged.
But Evan didn't move.
He raised his arm—and Nex froze mid-strike.
Not because of domination. But acceptance.
"You are me," Evan whispered. "And I am you. We rise together."
The world shattered like glass—and Evan opened his eyes in the real Abyss Hall.
The masked examiner stood silently. Then gave a small nod.
"Trial cleared. You walk in darkness and remain whole. Few do."
Evan stepped out of the hall—stronger, steadier.
Elsewhere – Trouble Brews
In the Verdant Grove, Silva Elowen stood before an ancient oak spirit that demanded she choose between saving a wounded beast or seizing a rare elemental core. She chose the beast—and the spirit smiled.
In the Pyre Crucible, Gareth Ironfang screamed defiance against fire golems, channeling raw fire magic and awakening a partial evolution in his Ember Fang.
In the Mirror of the Void, Veyon stood completely still as space fractured around him. When the storm cleared, his draconic beast had split into two mirrored forms.
And in the Wraithlight Terrace, Cassia Belvane faced illusions of her past—daughters of noble enemies her family had defeated. She emerged shaken, but calm.
But one student didn't return.
A nameless boy from the minor house of Rynvar. His beast turned on him mid-trial.
And he vanished.
No blood. No corpse.
Just a black feather, pulsing with unnatural mana, left behind in the Sector of Light.
The Black Nest Moves
Far above the arena, within the watchtower reserved for security mages, a figure stood alone.
Clad in a long black cloak and silver mask etched with a cracked bird motif, he observed the elemental trials without emotion.
Shade Cardinal, first talon of the Black Nest.
"They are ripe," he whispered. "The heirs, the beasts, the false gods behind them… All seeds for a better world."
Behind him, another masked figure appeared.
"The Rynvar boy was taken?"
"Yes. The Offering has begun."
Then they vanished.
End of Day – Reuniting
By sundown, all students had returned to the main courtyard. Some limped. Some cried. A few smiled faintly.
Lilith ran a hand through damp silver hair. "The water trial made me fight my own reflection. Apparently, it thinks I'm too possessive."
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Is it wrong?"
She shrugged. "I didn't say it was."
Cassia passed them, saying nothing.
Veyon stood alone near the edge, gaze skyward, deep in thought.
Silva gave Evan a nod—an unspoken truce, for now.
Then Dean Gawain returned.
"Congratulations. Most of you passed. Tomorrow, the second trial begins—The Beasthold Duel. You will fight—not alone, but as tamers. Prove your bond in battle. Prove your place."
He looked directly at Evan.
"And remember. Aflety does not train heroes. It forges dominators."
[End of Chapter 6]