When the Dusk Inferno rises, the beginning of the new generation of Dusk warriors is put to the test.

"Astra Sunfire!" A man calls out my name. Slowly, I approach the white marble floor and walk up the stairs, one by one, my curly blonde hair bouncing with every step. Slowly approaching the platform in front of me, with my fists clenched, I step onto it. Above me, there is an opening with the Dusk Inferno shining down on me. As red light envelops my body and my surroundings fade, my eyes close shut.

Walking along the floors of pure darkness, I call out. "Is anyone here?" My voice ripples through the air.

This is the only way I can get to know my origin. If I can't pass this, if I can't gain a murk, all of those injections and things I did to survive were, no, for nothing. All the trials I had to overcome in that cellar will never happen to me again. I'm no longer a star, a slave. I'm an onyx, and I will bond with a murk and join the college in Duskvale, to survive and get to know my true origin. Even if I am cursed by the god Erebus, I will surpass them all.

"That's it, your darkness." A voice trumpets through the dark space, making the walls rumble and shake tensely. Its voice is raspy and has this eerie feeling to it, which makes my body feel limp. Stopping in my tracks, I couldn't move, not one inch, as if I were stuck in time. "Speak your name, mortal."

"Astra Sunfire." I said it with full respect. "You don't have the lineage of the Sunfire household. You have none." It was stated in an amused voice.

He was right, though; I had no lineage or origin that I knew of. "That's right, I'm a star, a slave of the Sunfire estate. The only survivor of his experiments."

"Hmm, you're not the first. This year, there's a bunch of people like you." It pauses. "But you're different. Not once in my existence, have I?" It stopped, and a slight chuckle slipped out. "I guess we are the same."

His words sounded so unreal. "The same?" I pondered.

"Ones that don't know their origin."

"But you're a murk?" I was inwardly confused.

"In this world where mysteries are answered through the panels of origin, Erebus, our maker left, and with new answers, there are more mysteries being found. So tell me, do you really agree that there's only one type of Murk?" Its words made my insides twist for some reason.

He was right; there's too many secrets in this world for there to be just three types of species and one type of Murk. This world was not just formed by any god; it was formed by the god of darkness, after all. "Will you bond with me?" I said it in a stern voice. A Murk and an Onyx can only bond when the Onyx's darkness is compatible with each other. It's just a matter of whether the Onyx can contain that darkness and use it as power absolute to them by the beings formed from the absolute darkness.

"There's something within you that I can't just put my finger on. Is it the darkness that is consuming your every being, or the light tirelessly trying to fight it away? But for now, I choose you." As the words left his mouth, pain coursed through my body; my knees, arms, and most of my chest felt as though fire was running through my veins.

I groan in pain, the feeling of fire licking against my skin. With each lick getting more intense, my consciousness was fading, and my eyes couldn't stay open for much longer. I clenched my fist, digging my nails into my palms, and tried to hold onto every bit of strength I could. I quickly took a glance at my patched skin with two different colors, and in the center of my chest was a glowing upside-down v crest slowly becoming dark.

"They say when a bond is forged, it is not accepted by the higher council until they pass all the trials. Are you ready to fight to survive?" It questioned me.

"I'm ready," I said, fighting through the current surge of pain in my body.

"Now, show them your darkness," it roared, instantly making me fly up. I watched everyone's face as I stood before them, my crest now fully black.

"Astra Sunfire! You have been chosen by a Murk but not acknowledged. You have to now pass the second trial." I turned around to the announcer, bowed my head slightly, and walked down the platform, everyone clearing a path for me as I walked through them. My only focus is on the large black door in front of me. It creaked open, and I walked out with my head held high.