The entire chamber was bathed in golden radiance so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes.
But the shadow beasts had no such protection—they shrieked in agony as the divine light seared their essence.
"Run!" Levi shouted, his voice echoing strangely in the luminous chamber.
They ran.
Elena grabbed his arm as they reached the tunnel entrance, her touch sending unexpected warmth through his system. "That was incredible! How did you—"
"Later," Levi gasped, his energy reserves dangerously low. "We're not safe yet."
The tunnel was narrow and winding, clearly designed as an emergency escape route. Emergency lighting flickered to life as they passed, triggered by some automated system.
Behind them, the sounds of pursuit had faded—the shadow beasts were apparently unwilling to follow them into the well-lit passage.
"This leads to Sector Six," Elena said, reading signs on the wall. "We'll have to circle back to reach the extraction point."
"How do you know about Sector Six?" Kane demanded. His perfect hair was disheveled, and his expensive gear was scratched and dirty.
"I study the layouts before every examination," Elena replied coolly. "Don't you?"
"I don't need to study. I have natural talent."
"Natural talent doesn't help much when you're being hunted by shadow beasts," Torres observed.
They walked in relative silence for several minutes, the only sounds being their footsteps and the distant hum of the facility's power systems.
Levi found himself walking beside Elena, acutely aware of her presence.
"Your eyes have stopped glowing," she said quietly.
"Good. It was starting to give me a headache."
"What happened back there? I've never seen anyone use light magic like that."
Levi hesitated. How much could he tell her? How much should he tell her?
"I'm not sure," he said finally. "I've always been able to do... small things. Healing cuts, making lights brighter. But today it felt different. Stronger."
"It was beautiful," Elena said softly. "Like watching the sunrise."
[BOND FORMATION DETECTED]
[ELENA VOSS: ROMANTIC INTEREST INCREASING]
[COMPATIBILITY RATING: VERY HIGH]
"You're staring at her," Mera whispered in his ear. The tiny light spirit had been quiet during the battle, but now she seemed amused.
"I'm not staring," Levi whispered back.
"You're definitely staring. And she's staring back. This is promising."
"This is complicated."
"The best things usually are."
They emerged from the tunnel into a vast atrium filled with ancient mining equipment. Sunlight streamed down from skylights far above, creating patterns of light and shadow on the metal surfaces.
It was almost beautiful, in an industrial way.
"There," Elena pointed to a staircase leading upward. "That should take us to the main exit."
"Wait," Levi said, his enhanced senses picking up something the others had missed. "We're not alone."
A figure stepped out from behind a massive drill assembly—a woman in her thirties with silver hair and pale skin that seemed to shimmer in the artificial light.
She wore the black and silver uniform of a Guild Proctor, but something about her felt wrong.
"Congratulations," she said, her voice carrying an odd echo. "You've passed the first test."
"Proctor Hendricks told us there was only one test," Marcus said nervously.
"Proctor Hendricks told you what you needed to hear." The woman's smile was sharp. "I am Proctor Vex, and I oversee... special cases."
[DIVINE SIGHT ACTIVATED]
[SCANNING SUBJECT: UNKNOWN ENTITY]
[WARNING: DIVINE ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED]
[CLASSIFICATION: HOSTILE]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
"She's not human," Levi whispered to Elena.
"What?"
"She's not human," he repeated, louder this time. "Everyone stay back."
Proctor Vex laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "Oh, you have good instincts. Yes, I am not entirely human. I am what you might call a divine servant. An avatar, if you will."
"Avatar of what?" Elena demanded, her hand moving to her medical kit—which, Levi realized, probably contained more than just healing supplies.
"The Shadow God, of course. Nyx has been watching young Levi with great interest. Imagine our surprise when we detected the awakening of light magic in these ruins. Such a rare gift, and in such an... unlikely candidate."
Kane stepped forward, his sword half-drawn. "I don't care what you are. We passed your test. Let us go."
"Oh, but you misunderstand," Vex said, her form beginning to shift and blur. "The test is just beginning."
Shadow erupted from her body like black flames, filling the atrium with writhing darkness.
The temperature dropped twenty degrees in an instant, and the sunlight from above seemed to dim.
"Levi!" Elena shouted over the rising wind. "Whatever you did before, do it again!"
"I'm trying!" Levi's hands blazed with golden light, but it felt weak compared to the overwhelming darkness surrounding them. "It's not enough!"
"Then make it enough!" Mera's voice was urgent in his ear. "You carry the light of a god! Act like it!"
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[ACCESSING DEEPER POWER RESERVES]
[WARNING: UNTESTED ABILITIES MAY CAUSE SYSTEM INSTABILITY]
[PROCEED? Y/N]
The shadow was closing in, and Levi could hear his companions crying out in fear and pain. Elena's voice cut through the chaos: "Levi, I believe in you!"
He thought of Maya, dying slowly in their apartment. He thought of Elena's trust, of the way she'd looked at him when he'd driven back the shadow beasts.
He thought of forty-nine failures, and of the promise he'd made to himself.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Proceed."
[ABILITY UNLOCKED: RADIANCE]
[FRAGMENT RESONANCE DETECTED]
[SEEKING... SEEKING...]
[FRAGMENT LOCATED: FRAGMENT OF DAWN]
[BEGINNING RETRIEVAL]
Light erupted from Levi's body, but this time it was different. Instead of the warm golden glow he'd produced before, this was pure white radiance that seemed to come from the very core of creation.
The shadows recoiled as if burned, and Proctor Vex's form wavered.
"Impossible," she hissed. "The fragments are sealed. They cannot be claimed by mortals."
"Good thing I'm not entirely mortal anymore," Levi said, his voice carrying new authority.