Riku stood at the edge of the sparring ground, drenched in sweat, heart pounding.
Across from him stood Aria, her silver hair tied back, eyes sharp like drawn blades. She had given him no mercy in the last hour—not with her spells, not with her words.
"Again," she commanded. "You hesitate too much. Out there, hesitation kills."
"I'm human," Riku snapped. "Not some magical warrior like you!"
"You're the Herald now. That means you don't get to be just human anymore."
Riku gritted his teeth. He lunged forward, calling on the Arcblade. The weapon responded, flashing into his grip with a sound like cracking thunder. He swung wide—but Aria sidestepped effortlessly, tapping his chest with her staff.
"Dead again," she said coolly.
He collapsed to his knees, breathing hard.
"Why do you even care?" he muttered. "Why train me if I'm useless?"
There was a pause.
"Because I was like you once," Aria said softly. "Thrown into this world, scared, lost… angry. But someone trained me. Believed in me. Now it's my turn."
Riku looked up at her, surprised.
"You're not from here?"
"I was born here," she said, "but raised in another world. I know how it feels to be caught between two fates."
Suddenly, a loud horn echoed through the castle. A warning.
Aria's expression darkened. "Trouble."
They rushed to the lookout tower. A scout mage pointed toward the horizon.
"Shadowborn. A full swarm. They've breached the east barrier."
Riku's eyes widened. From the hills, black mist rolled like a storm—and within it, dozens of twisted creatures raced forward, screeching, clawing at the ground.
The council members appeared behind them in flashes of light.
"This isn't a raid," the ice woman said grimly. "It's a test. They're watching us."
Aria turned to Riku. "You stay here."
"No," he said. "I can help."
"You're not ready!"
"I wasn't ready when I faced the shadowbeast either. But I still won."
The council exchanged looks.
"Let him come," the elf muttered. "He must learn what war tastes like."
Riku followed the others to the battleground. The Arcblade gleamed in his hand, as if sensing the danger ahead.
The clash came fast. Screams filled the air as steel met claw and spell met shadow. Riku fought alongside Aria, defending mages, striking down creatures, his instincts sharper than ever. The medallion around his neck pulsed with each kill, feeding his strength.
But in the chaos, something went wrong.
A young girl—barely thirteen—was cornered near the treeline, too scared to move. A massive shadowhound pounced—
—and Riku didn't think. He dove.
Everything slowed.
The blade in his hand shifted, lengthening. His eyes glowed faintly.
He struck.
The shadowhound vanished into dust.
He stood panting, the girl safe behind him.
From the woods, a figure watched.
A masked warrior in dark armor, carrying a sword identical to Riku's.
"So… the twin has awakened," the figure whispered. "But light cannot exist… without shadow."
He vanished into mist.
---
Riku returned to the castle bruised but alive. Aria treated his wounds in silence, then finally said, "You're stronger than you think."
He looked at her, exhausted. "I don't want to be a hero."
"Heroes don't get to choose," she whispered. "The world chooses them."
Far beneath the castle, a crystal cracked—dark energy spilling out.
The Shadow Herald was awakening.