Chapter 12: The First Trial
The Azure Fox gestured toward the center of the hall, her form glimmering with a residual otherworldly light. Unseen energy crackled in the air, and before them stood a swirling vortex of mist, its depths swirling with an unsettling luminescence.
"The way of the Azure Fox is through a trial," she declared, her voice hearing oddly, echoing within an otherworldly resonance. "A journey inward to conquer the shadows that live within the heart of every warrior."
A shiver ran down Ye Wushang's spine. Many opponents he had fought in sparring, and many hardened warriors twice his age he had battled to the better of the majority of battles. This, however. This was different. The churning of the mist, the air thick with unused might, spoke of something far grander than anything he had ever known.
He gazed at Elder Zhao, his eyes seeking solace in those of the old warrior's weathered face. But even the old warrior's eyes were drawn to the bubbling vortex, and his features said nothing. Even the collective wisdom of the gathered elders-in their crooked, profoundly etched faces, the weight of centuries' journeys-was enough to ease him not.
"What's in it for me?" Ye Wushang asked, his voice barely above a quaver as fear clawed at the single-minded purpose that had driven him thus far.
The Azure Fox swung to look at him, her silver eyes, once warm as moonbeams, now fierce with an almost feral intensity.
"That, young master, is for you to find out," she said, her voice untinged with its regular melodic quality. "The path of the Azure Fox is not for the faint of heart. It is one of bravery, self-discipline, and a determination to listen up for the truth that lies buried under layers of pride and self-deception."
She pointed to the swirling vortex. Her face had grown hard. "In you go, Wushang," she said. "Go on into the mist and face what shadows await you there. Only then will you begin to grasp the true nature of the power that slumbers within you."
It conflicted with the growing sense of duty welling up inside Ye Wushang. Trained since childhood to be a warrior who meets challenges head-on, he couldn't help feeling a deep-seated unease at being filled with a swirling vortex of mist. Not the physical threat itself, but the profound sense of the unknown emanating from the swirling depths caused it.
The elders were seated with faces wrinkled in wisdom from centuries: anxiety laced with cautious hope. They said nothing, but their silence was worth a thousand words. To them, generations of Ye Family warriors had passed. They saw the rise and fall of power and empires coming and going. But all that went with the way of the Azure Fox was a secret kept close-a mystery whispered into the ears, only in whispers.
Then he leaned hard against the ground, feeling strong strength stemming from Yue Rushuang's hand within his. She stood beside him wearing her mask of serenity but there was a quiver in her touch; an unspoken fear that she had become a mirror of him. Like the elders, she knew the burden of prophecy: the burden of destiny now placed on these broadened shoulders.
"I'm ready," said Ye Wushang, his voice firm despite the tremor that ran through him. He repeated the words, and every syllable was like a hammer blow against the anvil of his fear, forging in his mind a new resolve. This trial he would undergo, whatever it may be, not as the heir to the legacy of the Ye Family but as a warrior who would forge on his own path.
Then he turned toward the churning mist. His eyelids did not blink. He breathed in deep into the mist and walked forward as the air grew heavy, then dimmed with light as he entered into uncertainty.