Page 21 of Her Guardian Demon

The realization hits me like a physical blow. I stumble back from the mirrors, my mind reeling. This can't be happening. I am Kieran, the Demon Lich King, Lord of Shadows and Nightmare. I do not form attachments. I do not care.

A knock at the door snaps me back to reality. I compose myself just as several Ravencrest faculty members enter, demanding updates on Aria's progress.

"She is performing adequately," I say, my voice cold and disinterested. "As expected of one with her potential."

They pepper me with questions, but I reveal little, maintaining a mask of aloof observation. Inside, however, I'm in turmoil.

My attention is drawn back to the mirror as Aria faces a moral dilemma. She's discovered a shortcut that would guarantee her success, but using it would trap another student in the Gauntlet forever. I hold my breath, suddenly desperate to see what she'll choose.

To my immense relief - and admiration - Aria rejects the shortcut. She chooses the harder path, even knowing it might cost her the trial. In that moment, I see in her the potential not just for great power, but for true leadership.

As she enters one of the Gauntlet's most dangerous areas, a surge of protective instinct washes over me. Before I can stop myself, I'm weaving subtle magics, manipulating the Gauntlet to give her a fighting chance.

It's a clear violation of the rules, and guilt gnaws at me even as I justify it to myself. I'm not ensuring her victory, I reason, just... leveling the playing field.

I watch as Aria's confidence grows with each challenge she overcomes. Her power is expanding at an astonishing rate. Pride swells within me, but it's tinged with unease. At this rate, she might soon rival my own abilities.

The thought should terrify me. Instead, I find myself fascinated by the possibility. What heights could she reach with the right guidance? What could we achieve together?

As Aria delves deeper into the Gauntlet, facing ever greater dangers, I remain transfixed by the mirror. My earlier resolve to maintain distance has crumbled entirely. I am invested now, for better or worse.

The Gauntlet continues, and with it, the transformation of not just Aria, but myself as well. All I can do now is watch, wait, and wonder what the future holds.

14

ARIA

Ijolt awake, my body screaming in protest. For a moment, I can't remember where I am. Then reality crashes back - the Abyssal Gauntlet, the endless trials, the constant danger. I'm curled up on a narrow ledge, part of a staircase that seems to go on forever.

Groaning, I push myself up, my muscles aching from sleeping on cold stone.

How long have I been in this nightmare? Days? Weeks?

Time has lost all meaning. Flashes of the challenges I've overcome race through my mind - the room of shifting shadows, the bridge of burning souls, the labyrinth of living nightmares. Each trial pushed me to my limits, forced me to tap into powers I never knew I possessed.

I check my supplies. A few sips of water, a handful of dried berries that might be poisonous for all I know, and my wand – cracked but still humming with power. It'll have to do.

Taking a deep breath, I start my descent. Each step sends a jolt through my body, not just from exhaustion, but from the magic infused in the very stone. Whispers curl around mymind, offering power, wealth, dominion over realms beyond imagination. All I have to do is give in, let the darkness take me.

I grit my teeth and push on. The whispers change tactics, conjuring illusions of my past life. I see my parents, their faces etched with worry and disappointment. My old friends, moving on without me, forgetting I ever existed. For a moment, a wave of homesickness washes over me so strong it nearly brings me to my knees.

What am I doing here? Why am I putting myself through this torture?

No. I can't think like that. I've come too far, sacrificed too much. This is my path now, for better or worse.

I've barely taken another step when the staircase shudders. With a grinding of stone on stone, the steps begin to shift. Gaps appear between them, growing wider by the second. I'm going to fall!

Instinct takes over. I grab my shadow cloak, the gift from Kieran that's saved my life more times than I can count. As I throw it around my shoulders, I feel its magic respond to my desperation. I leap into the void, the cloak spreading like wings of darkness.

I glide between the rapidly separating steps, my heart pounding so hard I think it might burst. Just when I think I've mastered this new form of movement, the entire staircase vanishes. I'm falling, tumbling through absolute darkness.

I land hard on a smooth stone floor, the wind knocked out of me. As I gasp for breath, torches flare to life around me. I'm in a vast circular chamber, easily the size of Ravencrest's great hall. At its center stand three doors, each radiating a different energy that makes my skin crawl.

Slowly, I approach them. Words appear above each door, burning themselves into the air.

POWER - KNOWLEDGE - REBIRTH

The door of Power pulses with raw energy. I can feel it calling to me, promising strength beyond my wildest dreams. But there's a wrongness to it, a sense that whatever I gain will cost me something essential.

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