There’s only one path forward now. A scattering of half-fallen platforms leading toward the obelisk at the chamber’s heart. They’re already crumbling, too. If we hesitate, if we misstep…we fall.
“We move now!” I shout, barely heard over the crash of stone.
She gives a determined nod.
Together, we jump.
The first platform tilts the second we land. I stumble, knees slamming down hard. I steady myself and grab Serenya as she lands beside me. Another slab drops past us into the abyss. No sound. Just gone.
Shadows flood the chamber, pouring in through every crack—clawing at the air.
This trial isn’t just collapsing the room. It’s turning it into a trap that is alive and hungry.
Serenya throws up her hands, her own shadows surging to push the others back. Her power is fierce and wild, but I can see the strain in the set of her jaw, the tremble in her arms. She’s losing ground.
“Go!” she shouts, voice cracking. “I’ve got it—just move!”
“No,” I snap, planting myself at her side. The warmth inside me rises, sharp and urgent. Light ignites in my hands,blinding white-gold, spilling outward like a second sun.
The chamber's shadows recoil, screeching in silence, retreating just enough for us to move.
We run.
Platform after platform, we jump, dodge, and climb, each step a gamble. I throw my light ahead, cutting paths through the encroaching dark, while Serenya lashes her shadows outward, binding falling stones long enough for us to cross. We move as one.
Still, it isn’t enough.
The obelisk is close. But the rest of the distance is nothing but air. No platforms. No path. Just a chasm yawning between us and the center.
I skid to a stop, chest heaving. “There’s no way—”
“Yes, there is.” Serenya’s voice is ragged. She steps beside me, her hand brushing mine. Her shadows writhe, reaching out like living bridges, latching to fragments of stone still hanging in the void. They form a thin, trembling walkway. Too fragile.
I understand instantly. I lift my hand and send light into the shadows. Gold burns through black, turning the tendrils solid, almost glass-like. It’s still fragile, but strong. For now.
“Together,” I murmur, meeting her eyes. She holds my gaze. No argument this time.
We move. Step by step, onto the bridge—light and shadow fused into one shaky path. It quivers under us, threatening to splinter with every step, but it holds.
The obelisk looms closer, glowing brighter now, pulling us in—or daring us.
Shadows lash up from the chamber floor—desperate and clawing. My light flares again, hotter, too hot. I push it harder, burning them back.
It scorches through me, pain tearing across my chest.
But I can’t stop.
Not while she’s still moving.
She slips—just for a second—and I react without thinking.
I grab her hand and yank her toward me before she can fall.
Her magic hits mine like a jolt. Shadows twist into light, merging, steadying us.
Together, we take the final step.
The instant our feet hit solid ground, the walkway shatters behind us, vanishing into nothing.
