The mark on my chest pulsed like a living heartbeat, tugging me forward through the twisting, surreal forest. Every step I took left faint traces of shadowfire dancing in the air, curling like ethereal smoke before fading into the storm-lit mist. The girl sprinted ahead, her silver hair flowing like molten light through the dark, and I had no choice but to follow.
"Faster! They're closing in!" she shouted, glancing back with sharp, fearful eyes. Her ears twitched with every sound—the way she moved made it clear she knew this forest far better than I ever could.
I gritted my teeth. Shadowfire surged along my veins, coiling around my arms and legs instinctively. The storm above seemed to respond, lightning flashing across the sky as if mocking our flight. I had survived the first encounter, but now the trial had begun.
A low, mocking laugh echoed through the trees. Not human. Not entirely beast. It carried an unnatural resonance that made the hairs on my arms rise. Then the first Shadow Hunter stepped from the mist—towering, armored in obsidian plates etched with glowing runes. His spear twisted shadows around it like liquid night, the very darkness seeming to obey his will.
I exhaled sharply, letting the shadows answer my instincts. My palm ignited with black flames, forming a crescent of nightfire that slashed through the mist. The Hunter staggered but did not fall. He vanished into the shadows with inhuman speed.
"Don't underestimate them," the girl hissed, gripping my arm. "These aren't ordinary warriors—they hunt Shadowborn for a reason."
"Noted," I replied, and the forest around us seemed to hum in anticipation. The next wave of Hunters appeared as if conjured by the wind itself. Their numbers were overwhelming, yet the shadows bent to me. Every movement was instinctive, precise, and fluid, a dance I had never learned yet somehow knew.
Branches snapped overhead as the forest reacted violently to our passage. Roots writhed like serpents beneath the soil, trying to ensnare us. The mist thickened, and whispers crawled across my mind, carrying secrets I could not yet understand.
We fought through the first wave. Shadowfire ripped through armor, scattering the bodies into ash. The girl darted between combatants, her own faint magic shimmering along her hands. It was clear she was no mere guide—she was a warrior, trained in the art of the Shadowborn. Her speed and agility complemented my raw, instinctive power. Together, we began to carve a path through the chaos.
The deeper we went, the more the forest seemed alive. Trees twisted unnaturally, half-melted and crystalized at the same time. Shadows stretched and shifted, bowing toward me—or recoiling in fear. My mark burned brighter, pulsing with a rhythm that synced with the forest itself, tugging me toward a hidden clearing.
"There," the girl whispered. "That's where the trial truly begins. The Shadowborn must prove themselves, or they will be devoured."
A chill ran down my spine. I tightened my fists, feeling shadowfire coiling around my arms like living serpents. Each heartbeat made the mark pulse faster, as though anticipating the confrontation ahead.
Emerging into the clearing, I froze. Towering creatures stood there, born of shadowfire itself—wings made of smoke, claws of black flame, eyes that glowed with ancient malice. Their forms were humanoid yet grotesque, each more terrifying than the last. They shifted as I moved, testing my reaction, calculating my weaknesses.
One stepped forward, its voice like grinding metal. "You are… the vessel."
"Yes," I muttered, shadowfire spiraling around my fists. "And I'm not weak anymore."
The trial began in earnest. The first creature lunged, a blur of darkness and claw. Shadowfire erupted from my palm, colliding with its strike, sending embers scattering across the clearing. I pivoted, launching a sweeping arc that disintegrated it midair. The girl unleashed her magic, sending beams of violet light that pinned another in place.
The fight was relentless. Every step forced me to adapt, every strike honed my instincts. Shadowfire bent to my will, weaving patterns of destruction that left nothing but ash. The mark on my chest pulsed violently, guiding me, testing me, warning me of danger before it arrived.
Hours—or was it minutes?—passed in a blur of shadow and fire. Exhaustion clawed at me, but I could not stop. The trial demanded everything: my power, my instincts, my mind. Finally, the last of the shadow creatures fell, dissipating into smoke that twined with the storm above.
The forest fell silent. Only the faint crackle of residual nightfire remained, spiraling around my body like a crown of darkness. I dropped to my knees, breathing hard, feeling the weight of the trial pressing down on me.
The girl approached, her expression unreadable. "Few survive this first test," she said quietly. "Even fewer master it."
I glanced at my hands—once human, now instruments of annihilation. Shadowfire hummed faintly, responding to my thoughts as if eager to see what I would do next.
"So… what now?" I asked, still panting.
She tilted her head, her silver eyes glinting in the storm-lit clearing. "Now… you learn why the Shadow Court chose you. The forest has judged you. But the world beyond this clearing… it will not be so forgiving."
I stood, chest burning, mark throbbing, shadows swirling like obedient predators around my limbs. One thing was certain: I had survived the first trial, but the real tests had only just begun.
And somewhere deep in the storm above, the High Phoenix of the Shadow Court watched, its gaze hidden yet omnipresent, judging the Shadow Phoenix's first steps into a world that would either forge me into legend… or erase me from