Aria's POV
Dawn came too quickly.
I'd barely slept, my mind spinning with images of my father's betrayal. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that photograph—him standing behind my mother, hands glowing with curse magic, destroying his own daughter's future.
"Up."
Kael's voice cut through my thoughts. He stood in the doorway, already dressed for training. His red eyes showed no sympathy.
"I said up, Aria. We have seven days to make you strong enough to survive the Abyssal Temple. That means no rest. No breaks. No mercy."
"I'm tired," I muttered, pulling the blanket over my head.
The blanket vanished, ripped away by shadows. Kael loomed over me, his expression hard.
"You think the temple will care that you're tired? You think the spirits guarding it will wait for you to feel better?" He grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet. "Your father cursed you. Your sister betrayed you. Your family threw you away. And now you have one week to become powerful enough to face the deadliest place in Japan. So I'll ask again—are you up?"
Rage flooded through me. Hot, burning rage that made my hands glow purple.
"I'm up," I snarled.
"Good." Kael's smile was sharp. "Then let's begin your real training. Day one: learning to use your merged spirits without killing yourself."
The training grounds were deep in the mountains, far from any city. Luna had come with us, her Kitsune spirit keeping watch for enemies.
"Summon your Dragon," Kael commanded.
I closed my eyes and reached for the Dragon spirit merged with my soul. Felt its massive presence stir inside me.
Come forth, I thought.
Power exploded from my body. The Dragon materialized—but wrong. Its form flickered and twisted, half-real and half-shadow. It roared in pain.
"Stop!" Kael's voice cracked like a whip. "Pull it back!"
I tried, but the Dragon was too big, too powerful. Its energy overwhelmed me, pouring out faster than I could control.
My nose started bleeding. My vision blurred.
"Pull it BACK!" Kael grabbed my shoulders, his own power flooding into me, helping me force the Dragon back inside.
The spirit vanished. I collapsed, gasping.
"What... what went wrong?"
"You tried to fully summon a legendary spirit without proper control." Kael's voice was harsh. "Merged spirits don't work like normal contracts. They're part of you now. You can't just summon them like pets. You have to channel their power through your own body."
"I don't understand."
He held up his hand. Red demon energy swirled around his fingers, forming into claws. "Like this. I don't summon my demon form completely. I channel specific aspects of my power. Claws. Wings. Shadows. You need to do the same with your spirits."
"How?"
"Practice. Again and again until it becomes instinct." He stepped back. "Now try channeling just the Dragon's scales. Not the whole spirit. Just its defensive power."
I took a deep breath and reached inside again. This time, instead of pulling the Dragon out, I tried to pull its power into my skin.
Agony shot through my arms as black scales erupted along my skin. They burned like fire, like my body was rejecting them.
"Don't stop!" Kael commanded. "Push through the pain!"
I gritted my teeth and pushed. The scales spread to my shoulders, my neck. Each one felt like a knife cutting into me.
But I didn't stop.
Finally, both my arms were covered in Dragon scales that gleamed like midnight.
"Good," Kael said. "Now punch that boulder."
He pointed at a massive rock twenty feet away.
"That's too far—"
"Punch it!"
I ran forward and slammed my scaled fist into the boulder.
The rock exploded into dust.
I stared at my hand, stunned. "I... I did that?"
"Dragon strength channeled through your body." Kael actually looked impressed. "That's the first step. Now do it nine hundred ninety-nine more times until you can summon those scales without thinking."
My shoulders sagged. "Nine hundred ninety-nine?"
"Did I stutter? Again!"
For the next six hours, I practiced channeling Dragon scales. My body screamed in protest. Blood dripped from my nose and ears from the strain. But slowly, gradually, it got easier.
By noon, I could summon the scales in three seconds instead of thirty.
"Better," Kael said. "Now we move to the Phoenix flames."
I wanted to cry. "Can't I rest?"
"No. Again!"
Day two was Phoenix flames.
Day three was Leviathan's water manipulation.
Day four was Cerberus's triple-threat attacks.
Day five was the Phoenix Rider's light spear.
Each day was worse than the last. Each day pushed me further past my limits. I bled. I screamed. I collapsed more times than I could count.
But I got stronger.
By day six, I could channel all five spirits' powers without passing out. Could switch between them mid-fight. Could combine their abilities into devastating attacks.
Luna watched from the sidelines, bringing me water and bandages, looking more worried each day.
"Kael, she's going to break," Luna said on the sixth evening. "She needs actual rest."
"She'll rest when she's dead," Kael replied coldly. "The temple opens tomorrow night. If she's not ready, she dies. Better to push too hard now than not hard enough."
I lay on the ground, every muscle in my body screaming. My merged spirits stirred inside me, exhausted but growing stronger.
"I can do this," I gasped. "One more day. I can make it one more day."
Kael knelt beside me. For the first time all week, his expression softened slightly.
"You've done well, little storm. Better than I expected. But tomorrow..." He hesitated. "Tomorrow is the hardest test yet."
"What test?"
"You need to learn to use all six merged contracts at once. My demon power plus all five legendary spirits. Channeled simultaneously." His red eyes were serious. "No one in history has ever managed more than three merged contracts. You're attempting six."
"What happens if I fail?"
"Your soul tears apart and you die screaming." He said it matter-of-factly. "But if you succeed, you'll have more power than any tamer alive. Including the Grand Master."
I sat up slowly, wincing at the pain. "Then let's do it. I'm not dying in that temple. I have too many people to make pay."
Kael smiled. "That's my girl. Rest tonight. Tomorrow at dawn, we attempt the full merge. And then..." His smile turned sharp. "Then we go hunting for answers."
Day seven. The final day before the temple.
I stood in the center of the training ground, facing Kael. Every muscle in my body hurt, but I was ready.
"Remember," Kael said. "Don't fight the power. Let it flow through you like water. If you try to control it, it'll destroy you."
"I understand."
"Then begin."
I closed my eyes and reached for all six contracts at once.
Dragon. Phoenix. Leviathan. Cerberus. Phoenix Rider. And Kael.
Their powers flooded into me like a tidal wave.
My body erupted in multicolored energy. Dragon scales. Phoenix flames. Leviathan water. Cerberus shadows. Phoenix Rider light. Demon darkness.
All of it at once.
The pain was unimaginable.
I screamed, but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. This was my only chance to survive the temple.
The six powers clashed inside me, fighting for dominance. Each one trying to consume the others.
No, I thought desperately. You're all mine. All part of me. Work together!
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, the powers began to synchronize. Like instruments in an orchestra finding harmony.
The pain lessened. The energy stabilized.
And I opened my eyes.
The world looked different. Sharper. I could see the flow of spiritual energy everywhere. Could sense every soul for miles. Could feel power humming through my veins like lightning.
My reflection in a nearby puddle showed the change. My eyes glowed with six different colors swirling together. My skin shimmered with scales, flames, water, shadows, light, and darkness all at once.
I was beautiful. I was terrifying. I was powerful.
"Impossible," Luna breathed. "She actually did it."
Kael stared at me with something like awe in his red eyes. "Seven days. It took you seven days to master what should have taken years. You really are her. My storm, reborn."
I felt the power thrumming inside me. Felt my merged spirits singing in harmony. Felt strong enough to face anything.
"I'm ready," I said. "For the temple. For my family. For everything."
"Not quite." A new voice spoke.
Ryker appeared from shadows, his blue hair messy and his green eyes gleaming. "Before we hit the temple tonight, there's something you should know. Something I didn't mention before."
"What?" I demanded.
"The spirit sealed in the Abyssal Temple? The one who knows all your family secrets?" His smile turned grim. "It's not just any spirit. It's the ghost of your grandmother. The one who died twenty-five years ago under 'mysterious circumstances.'"
My blood ran cold. "My grandmother?"
"Yup. Turns out she found out about your father's plan to curse you. She tried to stop him. So he..." Ryker made a throat-slitting gesture. "Murdered her and sealed her spirit in the temple where no one could ever find her. Until now."
Rage exploded in my chest. My father hadn't just cursed me. He'd murdered his own mother to keep the secret.
"He killed her?" My voice shook. "He actually killed her?"
"And sealed her in the worst prison imaginable." Ryker's expression was serious for once. "The temple breaks spirits. Tortures them for eternity. Your grandmother has been suffering there for twenty-five years. If we don't free her soon..." He paused. "There might not be enough of her left to save."
Kael moved beside me, his hand on my shoulder. "This changes things. If your grandmother's spirit has been tortured for decades, she might be hostile. Might attack us on sight."
"I don't care." My hands clenched into fists, power crackling around them. "She tried to save me. She died trying to protect me. I'm getting her out of there, no matter what."
"Even if it kills you?" Luna asked quietly.
"Even if it kills me."
Ryker grinned. "Excellent. I love a good suicide mission. We leave in three hours. Pack light, say your goodbyes, and prepare for hell. Because the Abyssal Temple doesn't just kill people." His smile vanished. "It destroys souls. And once you're destroyed there, you're gone forever. No afterlife. No reincarnation. Just... nothing."
The weight of his words settled over us like a shroud.
I looked at Kael, whose red eyes burned with determination. At Luna, who looked terrified but determined to follow me anyway. At my hands, still glowing with merged power.
Seven days ago, I was worthless. Defective. Thrown away.
Now I was strong enough to raid a temple that killed gods.
But was I strong enough to face my grandmother's tortured spirit and survive?
I was about to find out.
"Three hours," I said. "Then we end this. We free my grandmother, learn the truth, and then..." My eyes glowed brighter. "Then I go home and make my family pay for everything they've done."
Kael's smile was proud and dangerous. "That's my storm."
But as we prepared to leave, I couldn't shake one terrible thought.
What if my grandmother blamed me for her death?
What if freeing her meant facing the rage of a spirit who'd been tortured for twenty-five years because of me?
I pushed the thought away.
Too late to turn back now.
The Abyssal Temple was waiting.
And with it, the truth about my family's darkest secret.