Page 20 of Favored By the Stars

"Welcome to the Trial of Celestial Blades," she sneered, her voice a discordant echo of my own. "Where only the truly marked shall wield the power to cleave falsehood from truth."

I instinctively reached for my blade, but found nothing at my hip. Panic fluttered in my chest before I forced it down. This was a test, I reminded myself. The weapons I needed wouldn't be physical. I calmed myself as much as I could and watched my opponent.

"You think you're ready to face the truth?" my doppelgänger taunted, her lip curling in disgust. "You can't even face yourself."

With inhuman speed, she lunged forward. I barely managed to dodge, feeling the wind of her blade's passage against my cheek. Where it struck the ground, reality itself seemed to splinter.

"Stop running," she hissed. "Embrace what you truly are. What we become."

As she spoke, the world rippled. Visions flickered across the shattered landscape, Thorn's lifeless body at my feet, Kaelyn consumed by feral magic, entire cities reduced to ash by my hand. Each image struck like a physical blow, threatening to overwhelm me.

But something felt off. These visions, horrific as they were, lacked the ring of truth I'd felt in the mirror chamber. They were exaggerated, twisted to elicit the maximum emotional response.

Understanding dawned. This wasn't about facing my darkest potential. It was about discerning truth from lies, even when they wore my face, came from my own lips, or were whispered to me by my mind.

I squared my shoulders, meeting my shadow self's gaze. "You're right," I said, my voice steady. "I am marked. But not by darkness."

As I spoke, I felt a warmth spreading from my chest. Light emanated from my skin, soft at first, then growing in intensity. My Moon Mark blazed with silver fire, and suddenly, I felt the weight of two blades materializing in my hands.

Curved like crescent moons, they gleamed with an inner light that shifted between silver and gold. Runes etched along their length pulsed in time with my heartbeat. Was this the true form of the Moon Blades that I'd been trying so desperately to wield?

My shadow self snarled, raising her own corrupted blades.

The air between us crackled with tension as we faced each other, mirror images locked in a deadly dance. My shadow self's eyes narrowed. A mixture of hatred and something else, maybe fear, flickered across her twisted features.

"You can't outrun your destiny. The darkness is in your blood, Senara. It's who you are," she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

I tightened my grip on the Moon Blades, feeling their power hum through my veins. "You're wrong," I said, surprised by the calm in my voice. "The darkness may be a part of me, but it doesn't define me. I choose my own path."

"You think wielding those pretty swords makes you worthy?" my shadow self sneered, her attacks growing more frenzied. "You're nothing but a scared little girl playing at being a hero!"

Her words stung, but I refused to let them shake my resolve. I parried her blows, feeling the Moon Blades respond to my will as if they were extensions of my very being. With each exchange, I felt more attuned to their power, more certain of my path.

"I may be scared," I admitted, ducking under a vicious swipe, "but that doesn't make me weak. Fear can be a teacher, if you're willing to listen."

With a feral scream, my doppelgänger lunged forward, her corrupted blades slicing through the air. I raised my own weapons instinctively, and as they clashed, a shockwave of energy rippled outward. The desolate landscape around us shimmered and warped, reality bending under the force of our conflict.

We traded blows in a furious exchange, our movements a blur of silver and shadow. Each strike of our blades sent sparks of magic flying, illuminating the blood-red sky. Somehow, I moved with a grace and skill I'd never known before, as if the Moon Blades themselves were guiding my hands.

But my shadow self was relentless, driven by a fury that seemed to grow with each passing moment. Her attacks became wilder, more desperate, and I realized with a start that she was afraid, afraid of losing, afraid of what my victory might mean.

"You can't win!" she snarled, her face contorted with rage. "You're nothing without me. Nothing!"

As she spoke, the surrounding visions intensified. I saw myself standing atop a mountain of corpses, laughing as the world burned, then I saw Thorn looking at me with horror and disgust, turning away as I reached for him. Finally, I saw myself alone, consumed by power and madness.

But this time, I didn't let the images shake me. I knew they were lies, exaggerations meant to break my resolve. Instead, I focused on the truth I carried within me, the love I felt for my friends, the desire to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, and the hope for a better future.

With each step forward, each parry and strike, I felt stronger. The light emanating from my skin grew brighter, pushing back the oppressive darkness around us. My shadow self's attacks became more frantic, more uncontrolled.

"Stop it!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "You can't deny me! You can't escape what you are!"

I met her gaze steadily, seeing the fear and desperation in her eyes. "You're right," I whispered. "I can't escape you. But I can accept you."

She shrieked, bringing both blades down in an overhead strike.

I crossed my own blades to block, bracing for impact. The collision sent a pulse of energy radiating outward, shattering the obsidian spires around us. As the dust settled, I stared into eyes that mirrored my own. Pain, doubt, and a desperate longing for acceptance filled them.

In that moment of connection, I understood. This shadow wasn't some external evil to be vanquished, but a part of myself I needed to acknowledge and integrate. The trial wasn't about defeating her, but reconciling with her.

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