God Of Shadows: Ascension Of The Celestial Orphan

I faced my mother, my heart breaking with sorrow. "I'm sorry… I was too weak back then. But I won't run away anymore. I won't hide." I took a deep breath, my tears falling. "I will become stronger… for you… for myself."

Her were eyes filled with sorrow. "He was the Celestial God of Shadows… the ruler of darkness… the one who defied fate."

My heart stopped. "What?"

She nodded, her form fading. "You carry his blood… his power… his curse. But you also carry your real mother's light. You are the balance… the hope." Her voice slowly grew distant, and her body dissolving. "Do not let the shadows consume you… do not let his legacy control you."

Her face became softened, with the shadows fading from her eyes. "Li Tian…"

I reached out, my hand trying brushing her cheek without success. "I miss you… every day. But I won't let your memory be tainted by my fear."

She smiled, her form shimmering. "You've grown… my little one. You've become so strong… so brave."

I felt her warmth, her love wrapping around me. "Mother…"

She touched my pendant, her fingers light. "This belonged to him… to the man who loved her once!. Your biological mother. But darkness consumed him… just as it tried to consume you."

I swallowed, my throat tight. "Who… who was he? Who was my father?"

The world suddenly starts to tremble, and the shadows cracking up, with the illusion shattering. Her voice echoed, soft, and loving. "I will always be with you… my brave son…"

Light enveloped me, warmth, and peace filling my heart. I closed my eyes, her presence fading, so was the darkness retreating.

When I opened them again, I was back in the arena. The Mirror World was gone, the Trial of Illusions completed. I stood alone, my body aching, and my spirit weary. But my heart… my heart was stronger.

I looked down at the pendant, its light calm, steady. The shadows within were quieter, their whispers subdued. They no longer controlled me… they obeyed me.

I was the heir of the God of Shadows. But I was also Li Tian… the son of a woman who loved me, who believed in me.

And I would not let my father's sins dictate my destiny.

The elders watched from the balcony, their faces unreadable. But the Grand Elder smiled, his golden eyes gleaming. "So… the heir of shadows has awakened."

I looked up, my gaze locking with his. For the first time, I saw the same darkness swirling around him, the same shadows that plagued my soul.

He knew? . He knew everything!.

The Grand Elder turned, his robes flowing as he walked away. "The true Trial has only just begun…"

I clench my fists, with my resolve hardening. I had survived the Trial of Illusions… but the shadows of the past were far from defeated.

And the Grand Elder… he was at the center of it all.

I would uncover his secrets. I would master my power. And I would face my destiny.

But first… I needed to survive the Third Trial.

**********

YUE LING'S TRIAL OF ILLUSIONS

Cold darkness enveloped me as I stepped through the portal, my body sinking into the mirror's depths. My spirit quickly tore free, the world spinning, and reality being destroyed by the portal. I was falling… through shadows, and light, voices whispering and turning into echoes.

Then, everything stopped.

I stood alone in a vast, empty field. The sky was a endless one, with a sea of gray clouds swirling above. The wind howled, cold, and sharp, carrying the scent of rain.

I shivered slightly, my sword flames slowly flickering up. Something was wrong. This place… it was familiar. Too familiar.

"No… not here… not again…" I whispered, my voice trembling, on realizing what it was.

I turned sharply, my heart racing fast. In the distance stood a village, its rooftops broken, and its walls scorched badly by fire. The land was barren, and the trees dead, with their branches twisted. Smoke curled from the entire ruins, rising into the cold sky.

I knew this place. I had buried it deep, locked it away. But the Mirror World didn't care about my lies… about the masks I wore. It only showed the truth.

The truth of my past.

Slowly I walked forward, my feet heavy, and my chest tight. Each step brought me closer to my hidden past, the unwanted memories keeps flooding back. The screams, the flames, the shadows… and the deaths.

It was my village…and my home.

I stumbled to a stop at the edge of the ruins, my body trembling rapidly now. The ground was blackened, the earth scorched. Ashes scattered in the wind, with the strong smell of smoke, and blood heavy in the air.

A figure stood among the dirty rubble, her back is turned towards me, her hair flowing like silk. Her robes were white, untouched by the ashes. But, her presence was cold, distant.

My heart stopped. "No… it can't be…"

Slowly, she turned, her face stern, and her eyes empty. "Yue Ling… you've grown."

My legs gave away, my knees hitting the earth. "M-Mother…?"

She smiled, her face gentle. "You look so much like him… the man who destroyed us."

I shook my head, my vision blurring. "No… please… don't say that…"

Her smile slowly fades away, her eyes hardening. "You carry his blood… his curse. You are his child… his weapon." Her form wavered, shadows swirling around her. "You were born to destroy… just as he did."

I clutched my chest, my heart breaking with her words. "No… I'm not like him… I'm not…"

Her voice grew cold. "Then why did you survive… when we all perished? Why did the flames spare you… his child?"

The shadows rose around her, twisting, and monstrous. Her face was beginning to distort. Suddenly but slowly, the villagers begin to appear , their faces pale, and their eyes hollow.

They surrounded me, their voices accusing. "You brought this upon us… you are the reason we died."

I covered my ears, my spirit trembling. "No… no… please…"

They stepped closer, their faces empty. "You are cursed… you are the daughter of the Shadow Flame."

I screamed, my sword flames bursting around me, wild and uncontrollable. "Stop! I never… I didn't…"

As I continue to struggle with myself, the flames surged, burning the ground, the ruins, and their spirits. They screamed out loudly, their forms crumbling, and their faces twisting in pain.

I watched, horrified, as they burned… just as they had that day. The day my world ended.

My flames dimmed, and their ashes settling down around the place, their voices fading away. I stood alone, my body cold, my heart empty.

The suddenly darkened, with the wind howling. The shadows rose again, swirling, and forming a figure. A man in black robes, his hair long, his eyes crimson. His aura was suffocating, his presence overwhelming.

He looked at me, his gaze cold. "You've grown strong… my daughter."

I froze, my blood turning to ice. "No… you're not… you can't be…"

He stepped closer, his face calm, his eyes dark. "I am the Shadow Flame, the one who destroyed this village… the one who spared you."

I backed away, my body shaking. "You… you killed them… all of them… you killed Mother!"

He smiled, his face cruel. "And yet, you survived. My blood… my power… flows within you." His aura flared, shadows swirling. "You were born from darkness… you are my heir."

My flames flared, my anger boiling. "I am nothing like you!"

He laughed, his voice cold. "You think you can escape me? You cannot change who you are… what you are. My blood will consume you… just as it consumed me."

His eyes gleamed, his form shifting, growing monstrous. Shadows and flames wrapped around him, his power suffocating. "Embrace your destiny… my daughter… my weapon."

I screamed, my flames surging, my spirit burning. "I am not your weapon! I am Yue Ling… and I will never become you!"

I threw my hands forward, my flames exploding, golden and fierce. They clashed with his shadows, light against darkness, fire against flame.

He roared, his form cracking, his eyes blazing. "You cannot escape your fate!"

I gritted my teeth, my power surging. "My fate is my own… my fire is my own!"

The flames blazed brighter, golden lotus petals swirling around me, pure and beautiful. They cut through his shadows, burning them away, tearing his form apart.

He screamed, his body dissolving, his voice echoing. "You cannot escape… you cannot defy me… my curse… my legacy… will always haunt you…"

His form shattered, the shadows collapsing, the illusion breaking. The world spun, the darkness fading, light flooding in.

I opened my eyes, the arena coming into focus. The Mirror World was gone… the Trial of Illusions over.

I stood alone, my body exhausted, my spirit shaken. But my heart was burning, my resolve unbroken.

I looked up at the balcony, my gaze locking with the Grand Elder. His eyes were cold, his expression unreadable. But I saw the flicker of recognition… of understanding.

He knew who my father was. He knew what I was.

The Shadow Flame… the man who destroyed my village… the man who cursed me. My father.

I clenched my fists, my flames flickering. I would master this power… I would break this curse.

I would defy my fate… no matter what.