tales of perdolia

chapter 44

Chapter 44: The True Awakening - Part 3

The endless void surrounding the Temple shimmered with threads of dark starlight, whispering secrets to those who dared to listen. Abisai and his mother, Nova, drifted forward-neither walking nor flying-simply being in the void. In the distance, the next trial revealed itself: a blackened temple carved from obsidian stone, shaped in the form of three wolves standing guard over a gate swallowed by shadows.

Nova's expression grew solemn.
"The next trial... will be far darker," she said, her voice echoing like a chorus. "Umbra, the Knight of Shadowwolf, awaits."

Abisai's gaze narrowed, a quiet fire in his eyes.
"So how long do you think I've been here?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the looming temple. "In this... dream-state coma?"

Nova tilted her head. "It's hard to say. Time flows differently here than it does in the living world. A second there could be days here... or the other way around."

They stepped onto the temple's obsidian threshold, black mist curling around their feet. The gate loomed higher now, and Abisai took in the etchings of the three wolves-each one glowing faintly with different auras.
He smirked. "So I guess this one's the elemental knight... Wolframatic."

Nova raised her hand, halting him. "Wait. Be cautious. Be aware of his beastly howl. It's more than sound-it can unweave your mind if you're not grounded."

Abisai clenched his fist. "Don't worry. I've faced a howl before. Sirous tried it during the fire trial... I handled it. I can handle this."

But Nova's expression grew stern. "Don't be too confident. The howl you faced from Sirous was a spark compared to the storm Umbra commands. He is the master of the Shadowwolf element-he howls from the abyss itself. Be prepared."

Abisai hesitated for a moment. Something had been gnawing at him this whole time.
"There's something I don't get," he said, turning to her. "Every trial, you stay behind. I understand you're forbidden to interfere... but why do you need to stay behind? Why can't you even watch?"

Nova looked away, her form dimming just slightly as if a veil of pain brushed over her.
"I am bound by the Old Laws," she finally said, her voice softer than before. "When I chose to bear you into the mortal world, I was stripped of the right to guide your hand directly in these trials. I may enter the void, speak with you in dreams... but I cannot cross the threshold into the Temples."

She paused, her eyes glistening with ancient sorrow.

"Each trial is a test not just of your strength, but of your soul. If I were to step in... the balance would shatter. You would never awaken as your true self."

Abisai's eyes lowered in thought.

Nova stepped forward, placing a hand over his chest. "You are not alone, even when I cannot walk beside you. You carry the blood of starlight and storm... and the fire of your own will. That is enough."

Abisai looked toward the gate once more. It began to rumble. The three wolf statues snarled silently, and a deep, inhuman growl began to echo from the darkness beyond.

He breathed in.
"I guess it's time to meet the shadow."

As the howling wind of the void roared behind him, Abisai's eyes gleamed with resolve. In an instant, a surge of light and elemental energy enveloped his body. Metallic plates folded into place across his limbs, radiating with streaks of crimson and ember. His cloak of starlit threads flared behind him, and his Knight Form took shape-sleek, formidable, and burning with raw potential.

Without hesitation, he stepped through the gates of the Temple.

But once inside-everything was black.