The fog slowly dissipated and revealed a bone archway carved into the side of the mountain. The silver mirror reflected not the hollow where they stood, but a mysterious land in the beyond.

  A hand pressed against his shoulder wound, InuShin clenched his jaw as he slowed his breathing. With each wave of pain, he winced.

  The long blow of a horn filled the air, signaling the next trial.

  “Standing before you, the Mirror of Bone,” Chieftain Soravell announced, “will challenge you to face yourself in ways you hadn’t thought imaginable. Step inside the mirror and prepare yourself.”

  Slow rhythmic drums bounced off the hollow walls, mixed with guttural humming. Scratching metal layer underneath in the spaces between. The Skifulv’s hums transitioned into a chant. The men, gravelly. The women, ominous.

  Peering up at the watcher’s edge, InuShin noticed several of them shook little pouches. It must be the coins that make the scratching sounds.

  “InuShin, quit wasting time,” Leif muttered, his mangled arm hung beside him.

  One by one, the other Skifulv approached and stepped into the mirror, the silver rippling like steps on water.

  Ears shifting forward, InuShin watched as Leif stepped into the mirror after the others. Did he use my name? He blinked slowly as he neared the mirror. Guess I earned some trust.

  A second hum, faint, emitted from the mystical gateway.

  Reaching out, he touched the surface and instead of solid, it felt like water, morphing around his fingers. As he pushed forward, a warm, mystical aura filled his body.

  A silver light surrounded him and the Skifulv behind him faded into silence.

  When the light faded, InuShin stood alone. No Skifulv. No Mirror.

  Did we get separated? Are we doing this one alone?

  Only the slow ascension and descension of calm breathing.

  Surrounding him, a cavern unlike anything he has ever seen. The air glistened with bioluminescent flora, vines in soft greens and blue. Their light reflected off walls that resembled the outline of ribs. Slowly, in a steady rhythm, expanding and retracting.

  “Where am I?” His heart hammered as he stepped through the miniature forest. A stream of sickly yellowish-green liquid flowed beside him, the stench of acid permeating from it.

  A low, slumbering growl reverberated around him.

  He froze as the vibration ran through him, pressing his ears to his head. What kind of monsters are in here? They have to be worse than the wolves if this is the second trial.

  Steeling his nerves, InuShin continued through the small forest until he reached an open field, claws flexed. A molten light of ethereal green and warm amber illuminated the area. An object hovered in the center.

  What is that? Squinting, he shielded his eyes with his good arm and peered into the light.

  A claw-shaped crystal of deep green and amber hovered high above the ground.

  “Is anyone else here?

  “Who enters?” A voice echoed, seemingly coming from every direction.

  Rubbing his palms against his pants and glancing around, InuShin cleared his throat. “My name is InuShin Morimoto. Where am I?”

  “In the Heartwild Maw,” the voice answered. “What brings you here?”

  A slumbering growl erupted once more, coming from every angle.

  “The Full Moon trial?” InuShin muttered. “I stepped through the Mirror of Bone and ended up here. But since I’m the only one here, I don’t think this is part of the Skifulv trial.”

  “I do not know what this Full Moon trial is, but if you wish to claim Thalvora, you must surrender your thoughts. Survive by what you are, not what you think.”

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  “What do you mean?”

  Without a response, the energy in the cavern shifted and sparks of electricity emerged from a dark corner. Static filled the air.

  Then. Streaks of electricity shot towards him and he quickly dodged, a sharp pain from his side injury shot through his body.

  Why couldn’t they’ve given me time to heal? He clutched his side, pressing against the wound. His breath sharpened as he squinted.

  Five figures slowly stepped from the shadows, each one wielding an element.

  “Is this still part of the Full Moon trial?” InuShin stared in disbelief.

  Five identical versions of InuShin stood before him, their silver hair cascading down their backs like trickling moonlight. Zaffre eyes twinkling with their element attunement.

  Wordlessly shifting their stances, each one manipulated their element around them and simultaneously hurled them towards InuShin. Gush of water, fragments of rock, bolts of lightning, bursts of flames, and blades of air.

  Widened eyes, his stomach dropped and he ran to his right. One wolf was hard enough. How am I supposed to fight five versions of myself? Especially at the same time?

  Bits of bark scattered around him as the elements collided with the trees, ripping them to shreds.

  His lungs burned as he pushed off the mushy ground, jumping over the putrid stream.

  Coughing, he braced his back against one of the trees and raised his good arm, pulling moisture from the muggy air and formed a ribbon of water around his arm. I’m not going down without a fight.

  Tightening his jaw, his ears twitched as he listened to their movements, pinpointing their locations. Each one sounded slightly different:

  WaterShin was calm and precise. FireShin was hurried and forceful. EarthShin was weighted and sturdy. AirShin was light and laughing. LightningShin was silent and unpredictable.

  InuShin’s heart echoed in his ears, chest heaving with each deep breath.

  AirShin slid from behind a tree and three gradual whispers pierced the air.

  InuShin shifted his water ribbon into a wall but the air sliced through it, two of them cutting him. His cheek and arm.

  Wincing slightly, he quickly morphed his wall into a few arrows and fired them back at AirShin. Before they could reach their target, a burst of flames engulfed them, leaving nothing but steam in their trail.

  LightningShin appeared to his right, arm raised and fingers extended as electricity danced between the tips.

  InuShin leaped out of the way, but just as he landed on his feet, an intense force collided with his left side. Immense pain jolted through his body as he doubled over.

  They’re too quick, too in sync. I don’t have time to think of a way around them. Blood dripped from his cheek as he glanced up and two silver arcs of water hurled towards him. Raising his arm and closing his fist, the arcs rippled until they turned into a mist around him, dampening his hair, clothes, and skin.

  Grinning, LightningShin appeared in front of him and discharged an electrical surge and the water on him amplified the jolt.

  A loud scream ripped from his throat as he fell to his knees, panting.

  One element against five isn’t fair.

  Fist-ablaze, FireShin stood before him and threw a jab. Crossing his arms and tension tugging through his left side, he formed a wall of water and steam erupted around them.

  “This would be easier if I could use the other elements.” Clenching his jaw, he closed both hands and wrapped a water bubble around FireShin. “I wish I asked the others how they control their elements, maybe I could have practiced on my own. Maybe then I could use them to my advantage in this situation.”

  Suddenly. Duanna’s voice echoed in his mind. The other elements will wake when you are ready… or when the world forces them.

  “That’s it!” His eyes widened. “This is the world forcing them.”

  His water bubble rippled as it began to boil, a hiss filling the space around them.

  Jumping back, he inhaled slowly and closed his eyes. No more thinking, just react.

  His ears twitched to the whistling melody surrounding him. The cavern’s pulse echoed through his bones. Kinetic energy danced along his skin. A burning sensation filled his lungs.

  Exhaling slowly, he reopened his eyes, shoulders relaxed and breath steady. “None of you are my enemy. Just another part of my wild.” He shifted his stance, bending his knees slightly.

  Each reflection moved as one storm, their combined roars echoing through the Heartwild Maw. Air howled, Lightning crackled, Fire roared, Water hissed, and Earth rumbled.

  Calm. Deadly. WaterShin rushed first, a ribbon of water wrapped around its arm.

  With a short sidestep, InuShin’s arm followed and a wave burst through WaterShin, forcing its body to freeze and slowly dissolve into a mist and absorb into his skin.

  Immediately after, FireShin charged, flame spiraling around its fist. The heat blistered InuShin’s skin. Rather than fight it, he reached out and grabbed FireShin’s blazing fist, letting the pain surge through him.

  Flames bursted around them and then it sank into InuShin’s skin, merging with him as FireShin evaporated into smoke.

  The ground beneath him trembled as EarthShin rose, each step causing a quake within the Maw. InuShin attempted to move but his foot sank into the mud. His heartbeat halted for a second. No more running.

  With a weighted kick to the side, InuShin grunted as he caught its leg. The impact cracked through the cavern. Heavy. Solid. EarthShin crumbled to the ground before him, its pulse slowly synchronizing with his own.

  The pressure in the air whipped around him as AirShin laughed, darting around. Small slips gust sliced his arms, face, and torso, blood dripping from his body and staining his clothes.

  “You can’t hold me,” it laughed.

  AirShin’s energy whipped around him. Fast. Invisible. Small cuts appeared across his body, blood slowly rising from them.

  Closing his eyes and breathing slowly, he felt for AirShin’s presence. The shift in air pressure, the breath before movement.

  For a heartbeat, silence.

  InuShin shot his eyes open and reached out, grabbing AirShin by the heart. It gasped, dissolving into whirling feathers of light. A faint breeze circled InuShin’s shoulders. Whispering.

  Crackling light reverberated off the walls as LightningShin bounced from place to place. Chaotic. Swift.

  Pain lanced through him, electric, burning his lungs from the inside. Muscles tensing, InuShin screamed as he fell to his knees. The electrical charge spiraled around him, arching between parts of his body.

  Emptying himself, the spark’s dance lessened until it settled inside him. Every element sang at once; earth pulsed, air whispered, fire burned, lightning thrummed, and water soothed.

  Panting heavily, his body trembled, adjusting to the new sensations.

  The mystical light slowly descended and the deep green and amber crystal hovered right before him, Golden threads lined the edges of the crystal.

  “Good. You weren’t meant to conquer them, but to accept them as part of you.” The crystal’s voice echoed. “Through your survival, you gain possession of I, Thalvora. Hold onto me and I will heighten your abilities.”

  Reaching out, InuShin grabbed the rough crystal. Warm, a thrum of animal growls filled his ears.

  Straining, he pushed himself off the ground and slipped the crystal into his satchel and an arched mirror manifested inside one of the trees.

  He staggered towards it and gazed at his reflection. No longer did a scared boy stare at him. Instead, a brave, calmer young man.

  “I may not be whole,” he whispered. “But I am here. And that is enough.”