Page 10 of Angel of Ruin

Mira snorts. "Everyone knows Sariel. He's got a reputation for being particularly cruel to human candidates."

Great. Just great.

"I'll just have to avoid him," I say, more to convince myself than anything else.

Mira raises an eyebrow. "Good luck with that. He's overseeing every stage of our trials."

Reality crashes down on me. There's no escaping this. Sariel will be there, watching my every move, probably waiting for me to fail. The thought makes my stomach churn.

But as the initial panic subsides, something else takes its place. Determination. White-hot and unyielding.

"You know what?" I say, squaring my shoulders. "Let him watch. I'll show him and every other xaphan that I belong here."

Mira grins, a fierce light in her eyes. "That's the spirit. We'll show those winged bastards what we're made of."

I nod, feeling a spark of hope ignite in my chest. Maybe I can't avoid Sariel, but I can damn well prove him wrong about humans. About me.

As we head to our first training session, I steel myself for what's to come. Sariel might be overseeing these trials, but I'm the one who'll be conquering them. No matter what it takes.

I collapse onto the cold floor of the training room, my lungs burning and sweat stinging my eyes. It's well past midnight, but I can't stop. Not when the first trial is only days away.

"Come on, Lyra. One more set," Mira urges, offering her hand.

I groan but take it, hauling myself to my feet. My muscles scream in protest as I face the obstacle course again.

"You got this," Kai calls from the sidelines. Mira started to recruit some of our roommates, hoping to find a group to train and support each other. I have to admit, it's helped a lot.

I nod, take a deep breath, and launch myself at the first hurdle. My body moves on autopilot, muscle memory kicking in as I vault, climb, and sprint through the course. By the time I reach the end, I'm gasping for air, but a small smile tugs at my lips. My time's improving.

"Nice work," Mira says, tossing me a water bottle. "Think you can go again?"

Before I can answer, the door to the training room slams open. We all freeze, hearts pounding. If we're caught here after hours...

But it's not a guard. It's Lena, and she looks terrified.

"They've changed the first trial," she pants. "It's... it's not just endurance anymore. They've added combat."

The news hits like a punch to the gut. Combat? We've barely had any weapons training.

"How do you know?" Kai demands.

Lena shakes her head. "Overheard two xaphan talking. They're trying to weed out more of us early on."

Silence falls over our group as the implications sink in. This changes everything. Our carefully planned training regimen, the strategies we've developed – all useless now.

"Well," I say, breaking the heavy silence. "Guess we better start learning how to fight."

The others nod, determination replacing fear in their eyes. We've come too far to give up now.

The next morning, I stand at attention, my heart racing as Sariel strides in front of our line. His wings, a pristine silver-white, catch the light with each step. I force myself to breathe steadily, refusing to show any weakness.

"Listen up, humans," Sariel's voice cuts through the air. "The first trial has been decided."

My stomach drops. They hadn't decided until now? The realization that the xaphan are making this up as they go makes me shift uneasily.

Sariel's golden eyes sweep over us, lingering on me for a moment. "Tomorrow, you'll face an aerial obstacle course. It'll test your physical abilities and how well you handle heights."

The blood drains from my face. Heights. Of course it had to be heights. I've always been terrified of falling, a fear that's only intensified since moving to the towering structures of New Solas.