Chapter 82: The Trial of Blood

The air inside the circle was heavier than iron. It pressed on my lungs, made every breath feel stolen. My family’s shadows stood before me, their golden eyes glowing like candles in the dark.

“Alpha,” they whispered again.

The sound cut through me like glass.

My mother’s lips moved, her voice threading into the air. “Why did you survive when we didn’t?”

I froze. “That wasn’t my choice. You know that.”

My father’s eyes narrowed. “Do we? Or did you always carry what Gregory wanted? Were you the reason he found us?”

“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “No, that’s not—”

But my brother stepped forward, his face twisted with accusation. “If you hadn’t been born, we’d still be alive.”

The words punched the air out of me. “Stop. That’s not you talking. That’s this trial. That’s her.”

“Or maybe it’s us,” my mother said coldly.

I backed away, trembling, but the runes under my boots flared, holding me in place. The voices of my family grew louder, overlapping, crashing into me like waves.

“Harbinger.”

“Monster.”

“Curse.”

“No!” I screamed, clutching my head. “That’s not who I am!”

But the darkness twisted again.

And suddenly I wasn’t standing in front of my family anymore.

I was standing in the estate courtyard.

Bodies littered the ground. Elena. Ethan. Echo. Even Aidan. Blood painted the stones. And at the center of it all—me.

Me, standing over them, my hands dripping red.

I staggered back. “No. That’s not real. That’s not real.”

But the other me turned, smiling, her golden eyes blazing.

“You can’t deny it,” she said, her voice my voice but sharper, crueler. “It’s in you. It always has been. You’re not a protector. You’re a weapon.”

“I’m not you,” I whispered.

“You are me,” she hissed. “The Harbinger. The one who ends. Look at them!” She pointed to Aidan’s broken body. “You think you’ll save him? You’ll destroy him. Just like you destroyed us all.”

“Shut up!” I shouted, surging forward. My blade was suddenly in my hand, though I hadn’t drawn it. I swung at her.

The other me caught the blade barehanded. Smiled. And pushed it back toward my chest.

I stumbled, barely stopping it before the edge touched my skin. My arms trembled.

“You can’t fight yourself,” she whispered. “Because in the end, I win.”

\---

Outside the circle, the torches flared higher.

Aidan stood at the edge, fists clenched, every muscle screaming to break the barrier. “What’s happening to her?”

“She’s fighting herself,” Echo said quietly. Her eyes were locked on the glowing runes. “That’s the first test.”

“What kind of test is that?” Elena snapped. “She looks like she’s dying in there!”

Ethan was typing furiously, trying to analyze the energy readings from the circle. “It’s feeding off her fear. Amplifying it. If she gives in, she loses.”

“Loses what?” Callum growled.

“Everything,” Echo said flatly.

Aidan’s jaw tightened. He pressed his palms against the invisible wall of the circle. “Roxanne, listen to me. You’re stronger than this. You hear me? Stronger.”

Elena yelled too, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Kick your evil twin’s ass, Rox! We’re not cleaning up your mess if you fail!”

Rhea stood quietly beside them, her small hand clutching the journal tighter. “She won’t fail,” she whispered. “She can’t.”

\---

Inside, I was still locked against myself.

Every ounce of strength in me strained against the blade, against her smirk, against the voice that told me this was who I really was.

And then I heard it.

Aidan’s voice.

Through the noise, through the darkness.

“You’re stronger than this.”

I gritted my teeth, forcing the blade back inch by inch. My arms screamed, but I pushed harder.

“I’m not you,” I growled at my shadow self. “I’ll never be you.”

The other me’s smile faltered. Just slightly.

I shoved again, harder.

“I’m not a monster,” I said. “I’m not a curse. I’m Roxanne. And I choose who I am.”

With one final surge, I ripped the blade free and slashed across her chest.

She staggered back, golden light spilling from the wound like fire. Her eyes widened in shock before she dissolved into smoke, vanishing into the dark.

The runes flared brighter under my boots.

The first test was over.

But I knew it wasn’t the last.

\---

Outside, the circle pulsed with light, and Aidan stumbled back as heat rippled outward.

“She’s still standing,” Ethan said, eyes glued to the readings. Relief flickered across his face. “She won round one.”

Elena exhaled sharply, dragging her hands through her hair. “Great. Now how many more rounds does she have to fight before this nightmare ends?”

Echo’s gaze didn’t waver from the circle. “As many as it takes.”

\---

Inside, the darkness shifted again.

And new shapes began to form.

This time… not enemies.

Not shadows.

But the people I loved most.

Elena. Ethan. Echo. Callum. Rhea. Aidan.

They stood in a line before me.

And one by one, they raised their weapons—pointing them at me.

The second trial had begun.