It had been three and a half years since my training began.
My hair had grown far past my shoulders. Between training, studying, and surviving, I never found the time to cut it. It still carried that faint purple tint, and my eyes remained different colors—one icy blue and the other crimson red.
A lot had changed over the years.
I had put on a considerable amount of muscle, and my power had grown immensely.
I could now wield the Arts of Hellfire and the Arts of Dark Magic, abilities that once seemed impossible to me. Yet despite all of that, I was still me.
Still the same introverted geek.
Still the same awkward nerd.
Still the same guy who gave one hundred percent to everything he did.
According to Kanan, I had progressed faster than any previous child of Hades he had ever trained.
He seemed proud of that.
There was one thing, however, that I could never do.
Kill.
I refused.
Years ago, I made a promise to myself that I would never take another life, and I intended to keep that promise.
I know how ridiculous that sounds.
The son of Hades.
A child of the God of the Dead.
Someone surrounded by death refusing to kill.
The look on people's faces when they learned that fact was always priceless.
Throughout my training, I had overcome every challenge Kanan placed before me. I defeated monsters summoned from the Underworld, trained under martial arts masters, and learned to fight with swords, shields, axes, bows, and countless other weapons.
Still, I had my favorites.
The first were the Blades of Hell, a pair of chained blades that wrapped around my body when not in use.
The second was Infinity Staff.
Forged from God Steel, it was said to be completely indestructible.
I had tested that claim many times.
The staff had won every single time.
Besides being a weapon, it also acted as a magical focus, allowing me to channel my powers more efficiently.
Then there was my armor.
Shadow Armor.
To most people it looked like simple compression gear worn beneath my clothes.
In reality, it was crafted from the same legendary God Steel used to forge Zeus's lightning bolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades's helm.
I usually hid it beneath a red-and-black leather jacket reinforced with the same material.
My body had changed too.
Scars covered my skin, reminders of countless battles and training sessions.
Tattoos stretched across my body as well.
A black armored pattern resembling chains and plated armor ran down my left arm, across my chest, and over half my back.
On my right side, a raven's wing spread across my shoulder while a dragon's head rested on my chest, connected by black vein-like markings.
Personally, I thought they looked awesome.
Kanan disagreed.
Some things never changed.
Over the years, our friendship only grew stronger.
And now, after all this time, I had reached my final day of training.
Relief washed over me.
It felt like carrying a massive boulder with one hand for years and finally being told I could set it down.
Unfortunately, there was one last challenge.
The Final Maze.
My final task was simple in theory.
Survive for one year.
Or reach the end.
The maze was filled with traps, monsters, puzzles, and things far worse than any of those.
According to Kanan, it was designed to test every lesson I had learned.
There was just one detail he probably should have kept to himself.
"One hundred and eighty-six previous children of Hades attempted this test."
I looked at him.
"And?"
Kanan hesitated.
"They all died."
I stared at him.
"Wow."
"I thought you should know."
"That's not motivating."
"I wasn't trying to motivate you."
"Clearly."
My heart pounded as I stood before the entrance.
The massive stone walls towered overhead.
Darkness waited beyond.
This was it.
The final challenge.
The last obstacle between me and freedom.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the entrance slammed shut behind me.
The sound echoed throughout the maze.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then I smiled.
"Well," I muttered, gripping my staff, "this is either going to end really well or really badly."
And with that, I began my final test.