“You know, if this quest could get any more exhausting, I’m starting to wonder if I signed up for the wrong adventure,” Finn muttered, rubbing his still-sore arm from the shadow creature’s grip. His voice, though laced with humor, had a weariness to it, as if he were trying to mask the deeper strain that was wearing on all of them.
Lysandra shot him a look, half amused, half concerned. “Finn, you’ve been signing up for the wrong adventure since the moment we met you.”
He grinned. “And yet, here we are. Still alive. Mostly intact.”
“Mostly being the key word,” Maelis chimed in, glancing at the fading remnants of the bridge behind them. “Though, next time you want to slip, maybe aim for solid ground instead of an abyss.”
Finn raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, you try fending off a shadow creature while dangling over a bottomless pit and let me know how that goes.”
Alaric, always the steady leader, walked ahead of them, his posture tense and eyes scanning the terrain. He didn’t share in their light banter. Instead, his mind was on the trials ahead, the path winding deeper into the unknown. “We can’t afford to let our guard down. Every step we take gets us closer to the True Flame, but it also brings more danger.”
“Alaric, if you’re trying to motivate us, it’s working,” Finn said with a grin. “In the sense that I’m now sufficiently terrified.”
Alaric stopped and turned to face them, his expression serious but not without warmth. “Look, I know it’s been hard—impossibly hard at times. But we’re close. We’ve come through too much to fall apart now.”
Lysandra nodded, her voice soft but determined. “We won’t fall apart. We’ll face whatever’s ahead, together.”
Maelis glanced around at the rocky path ahead, the air thick with a tension that made her uneasy. “So what do we think the next trial will be? More shadows? Something worse?”
“Does it matter?” Alaric asked, his voice steady. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it.”
But as they pressed forward, the path narrowed again, this time leading them to a set of ancient stone steps that wound around the edge of a steep cliff. The wind howled through the narrow passage, sending chills down their spines as they carefully ascended the precarious steps. Each step felt heavier than the last, not just from the physical exertion but from the oppressive weight of the journey bearing down on them.
The air grew thinner, the altitude pressing on their lungs as they climbed higher. The narrow steps forced them to walk single file, and every now and then, a loose rock would clatter down into the ravine below, a stark reminder of the drop on either side of them.
When they finally reached the top, the path opened up into a wide plateau, and before them stood a series of stone archways. Each archway was etched with symbols, glowing faintly in the dim light. The arches stretched out in a line, leading deeper into the mountain.
Alaric slowed, his eyes narrowing as he examined the symbols. “This is it. The next trial.”
Maelis stepped forward, running her fingers along one of the glowing symbols. “What do you think they mean?”
“I’m not sure,” Alaric said, his voice laced with uncertainty. “But these trials are meant to test our resolve. Whatever happens, we need to be prepared.”
Lysandra’s voice was quiet but resolute. “We’ve been through so much already. We can get through this.”
Finn, trying to inject some levity into the situation, gave a half-smile. “You know, I think this is the part where we all split up and face our inner demons, right? That’s how these things usually go.”
Alaric shook his head, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “No one’s splitting up. We face this together.”
One by one, they stepped through the first archway, the air growing thick with magic as they crossed the threshold. Immediately, they were plunged into darkness, but this was not the same kind of darkness they had encountered before. This was an oppressive, suffocating blackness that seeped into their bones, making it hard to breathe. And then, the trials began.
A voice echoed through the void, deep and resonant. “To continue, you must prove your resolve. Each of you will face your greatest challenge. Only then will the path forward be revealed.”
The first trial came swiftly—walls of fire erupted around them, separating each member of the group from the others. The heat was unbearable, and the flames flickered with images of their worst fears.
Finn found himself standing before an image of his father, disappointment etched across his face. “You’re not good enough, Finn,” the illusion sneered. “You’ve never been good enough.”
He clenched his fists, the old wounds of doubt reopening. But he squared his shoulders and stared the illusion down. “I’m done letting you control me. I’m more than your expectations.”
Maelis, in her own circle of fire, was faced with a vision of all the lives she had taken in battle. The blood, the faces of those she had killed in the name of the light. “You think you’re a hero? You’re nothing but a killer.”
She trembled, but she refused to look away. “I fight for a cause greater than myself. I protect. I don’t destroy.”
Lysandra was faced with a peaceful life, one where the war was over, where she could live in happiness with her friends. The temptation to stay, to abandon the quest, was overwhelming. But she knew it wasn’t real. She swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, “We’re not done yet.”
Alaric’s trial was the most personal. He saw himself standing alone on a battlefield, all of his friends fallen around him. “You can’t protect them. You never could.”
The weight of the vision pressed down on him, but he raised his sword and shouted into the darkness, “I won’t let this happen. Not as long as I still stand.”
And then, just as quickly as they had begun, the trials ended. The flames disappeared, and they found themselves standing together once more, breathing heavily, the tension hanging in the air between them.
But the relief was short-lived. As they stepped toward the next archway, Alaric staggered, his hand going to his side. Blood seeped through his fingers, staining his tunic. Lysandra was at his side in an instant, her eyes wide with panic. “Alaric!”
He gritted his teeth, the pain clear on his face. “It’s nothing. Just… just a scratch.”
But it wasn’t just a scratch. The wound was deep, and the blood was flowing freely. Finn and Maelis hurried to help him sit down, their expressions grim as they assessed the injury.
“We can’t afford to lose anyone,” Lysandra said, her voice shaking. “Not now, not when we’re so close.”
Finn knelt beside Alaric, his usual humor gone as he looked at his friend with concern. “We’ll patch you up, but you need to rest. You can’t keep going like this.”
Alaric shook his head, his face pale but resolute. “We don’t have time. Malachor’s forces could already be closing in. We need to keep moving.”
Maelis, always pragmatic, frowned. “You’re no good to us dead. We’ll move forward, but only when you’re ready.”
Lysandra’s hands shook as she applied pressure to the wound, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever. “Alaric, don’t you dare do this. You’re not invincible.”
He looked at her, his gaze softening despite the pain. “I know. But I can’t let this stop us. We’re too close.”
Finn, sensing the intensity between them, cleared his throat, his voice trying to lighten the mood. “Hey, let’s not make this into a big romantic drama. Alaric’s tough. He’ll pull through.”
Maelis raised an eyebrow. “And you’re one to talk about romantic drama?”
Lysandra rolled her eyes at Finn’s attempt to diffuse the tension, though her smile was grateful. “Finn, you’re impossible.”
“And yet, you’d miss me if I were gone.”
Lysandra’s expression softened, though her eyes remained on Alaric. “Maybe.”
The banter helped, but the reality of the situation was undeniable. Alaric was injured, and their path forward was growing more dangerous with each step. The next trial awaited them, and they would need to be at full strength to face it. As they prepared to move forward, the air around them shifted once more, the heavy weight of magic pressing down on their senses. The trial wasn’t over. Not yet.
And as they stood there, surrounded by ancient ruins and the echoes of their trials, a dark shadow moved in the distance, watching, waiting.
They weren’t alone. And they weren’t safe.