Chapter 30: The Tower of Storms
The Tower of Lightning loomed ahead like a jagged spine, crackling with unnatural energy. Thunder rumbled across the sky, and jagged bolts of lightning lashed out from the swirling clouds above, hitting the tower's summit.
Andrew felt it—the storm wasn't just in the sky. It was inside him. Ashren's pulse vibrated with a quiet hum, like the sword could sense the electric charge building in the air.
"I think we're walking into a storm," Kaelira said, her voice light, but there was a dangerous edge to her smile. She adjusted her blades, testing their weight. "And I don't mean the weather."
"I have a bad feeling about this one," Selennia murmured, her eyes scanning the storm. "It's not like the last trial. It feels… alive."
"Then we better stay sharp," Andrew replied, tightening his grip on Ashren. "I don't plan on getting struck down."
- Trial of Lightning: A Test of Will -
The air around them crackled with anticipation. A doorway opened in the base of the tower, revealing a long corridor filled with sporadic, flashing lights. The Trial of Lightning had begun.
At the far end of the hallway, a giant metal cage suspended in the air, surrounded by arcs of electric energy. Inside it, three more gladiators stood, their forms crackling with arcane power. They were lightning-borne—much like the tower itself. Their eyes glowed with stormy energy.
One of them stepped forward, lifting a hand, and the air hummed with power.
"Your trial is simple," the gladiator's voice boomed. "Survive the storm, conquer the chaos, and defeat us. The lightning will test your endurance and your mind."
The tower around them shifted as thunder roared, and the storm intensified. Arcane lightning struck the floor in jagged paths, splitting the ground into molten veins. Every step forward felt like walking through a live wire, a dangerous path where a single misstep could fry them into oblivion.
- Clash of Storms -
The gladiators moved with fluid grace, darting through the storm with ease, drawing the lightning to themselves as though they were the storm. They danced through the crackling currents, their weapons sizzling with electrical energy.
Kaelira darted forward first, using her agility to avoid the bolts, and with a quick motion, she struck the first gladiator with one of her blades. The gladiator's lightning-infused body absorbed the strike with ease and retaliated with a surge of energy, sending a pulse of raw power toward her.
Kaelira barely dodged in time, spinning to her feet with a sneer. "Is that all you've got?"
Selennia didn't hesitate to act. She summoned sigils from the air, but the lightning disrupted her magic, causing her shields to flicker and break apart under the onslaught of energy. She gritted her teeth, determined to hold her ground.
Andrew stepped forward, feeling the weight of Ashren in his grip. The sword hummed, its power aligning with his own. But this time, something was different. The lightning didn't just test his body—it tested his soul.
- The Lightning Within -
As Andrew advanced into the storm, he felt it: the pulse of the storm resonating with his own darkness. Ashren's shadow aura flared in response, the blade humming with power. The lightning struck him, but it didn't hurt—it flowed through him.
He could feel the energy coursing through his veins, but it didn't destroy him. It empowered him.
In that moment, a vision flashed before his eyes.
- A Vision: Shadows in the Storm -
The sky above him split open. The world turned to ash, and before him stood an army of shadow-wielders—dark, powerful warriors, each wielding their own version of Ashren. They whispered words of war and conquest. They were him—his past self, leading an army of darkness to subjugate the realms.
"You will wield this storm, Andrew Caelum," a voice whispered in the back of his mind. "Harness the lightning, and they will bow before you."
"No," Andrew gasped. "I won't—!"
The storm raged harder. But this time, Andrew focused. He pushed the vision away, choosing to control the storm rather than be consumed by it. He could feel the power of Ashren wrapping around his will—calming the chaos instead of giving in.
- Rising Above the Storm -
With a forceful movement, Andrew thrust Ashren into the air, using the sword to draw the lightning toward him, channeling it into a concentrated burst of power. It was as though the storm itself bent to his will.
The gladiators hesitated.
Kaelira and Selennia watched, stunned, as Andrew's figure seemed to rise above the storm, commanding the lightning as if it were a part of him.
With one mighty strike, he cleaved through the air. The gladiators fell.
- After the Storm -
As the storm began to settle, the trio approached the gladiators—now defeated, lying unconscious on the ground.
Andrew lowered Ashren, his chest heaving with the force of the storm still buzzing in his blood.
Kaelira panted, a smirk on her face. "Impressive."
Selennia's voice was softer, more uncertain. "That was… something else."
Andrew's eyes were still on the horizon, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He was changing. The power of Ashren was growing within him, but with it came the weight of his past life.
He couldn't ignore it anymore.
- The King's Watchful Eyes -
Far above, in his private chamber, King Vallan stood watching.
"The boy is becoming something… dangerous," he muttered.
Beside him, his advisor spoke. "Should we take action, sire?"
The king's eyes narrowed.
"Not yet. But soon… he will be ready to confront his past. And when he does, he will not recognize the future we've built."
The advisor nodded.
"And if he doesn't bend to our will?"
The king's lips curled into a grim smile.
"Then we shall break him."