The trio tumbled out of the vortex, landing unceremoniously on a hard surface. Alex groaned, lying flat on his back as the world spun around him. “Does anyone else feel like they’ve been put through a cosmic blender, or is it just me?”
Amira pushed herself up, wincing as she clutched her side. The wound from the statue’s blade was shallow but still bleeding. “Stop whining, Alex. At least you’re still in one piece.”
Aros, ever graceful, was already on his feet, his staff glowing faintly as he surveyed their new surroundings. “We must move quickly. This place is not what it seems.”
Alex sat up, rubbing his temples. “Can we take a minute to appreciate how vague and ominous you always sound? ‘This place is not what it seems.’ Yeah, no kidding, Aros. Nothing ever is.”
Amira gave him a sharp look but didn’t respond. She was too busy studying the space they had landed in. It was unlike anything they had encountered before—a vast chamber filled with floating platforms that seemed to defy gravity. The platforms glowed with a soft, golden light, connected by translucent bridges that shimmered with every step they took.
Above them, the ceiling was a swirling mass of stars and galaxies, as if the room were suspended in the middle of space itself.
“It’s… beautiful,” Amira murmured, her voice tinged with awe.
“Yeah, sure,” Alex said, eyeing the floating platforms nervously. “Beautiful in a ‘don’t-look-down-or-you’ll-plummet-into-an-infinite-void’ kind of way.”
Aros stepped onto the nearest bridge, his movements cautious but steady. “This is a dimensional waystation,” he said. “A place that exists between realities. It was likely constructed by the same beings who created the stabilizer cores.”
Amira followed him, her footsteps careful as the bridge shimmered beneath her. “Do you think we’re closer to stabilizing the Rift?”
Aros hesitated. “Perhaps. But this waystation is not merely a passage. It is also a test.”
Alex groaned. “Of course it is. Because nothing in this interdimensional scavenger hunt can just be straightforward.”
As they crossed to the next platform, the air around them began to hum. The stars in the ceiling above flickered, and a deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber.
“Travelers… why do you seek the heart of the Rift?” 
Alex froze, looking around wildly. “Okay, who said that? Because if it’s another statue coming to life, I’m out.”
“It’s not a statue,” Amira said, her hand instinctively going to her sidearm.
Aros’s expression grew serious. “It is the guardian of this waystation. We must answer truthfully, or we will not be permitted to proceed.”
The voice spoke again, its tone both commanding and otherworldly. “You carry the mark of the Rift’s corruption. Speak, or be cast into the void.” 
Amira stepped forward, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. “We’re here to save our planet. The Rift is tearing our world apart, and if we don’t stabilize it, everything we know will be destroyed.”
The chamber fell silent for a moment, the hum in the air intensifying. Then the voice spoke again. “Your cause is noble, but your hearts are divided. Trust is the foundation of survival. Without it, you will fail.” 
“Trust?” Alex muttered. “That’s a little rich coming from a disembodied voice threatening to throw us into a cosmic abyss.”
Amira shot him a glare, but the voice didn’t seem to notice his sarcasm. Instead, the platforms around them began to shift, rearranging themselves into a new configuration.
“Prove your unity,” the voice said. “Only then will you earn passage.” 
Before any of them could respond, the bridge beneath their feet dissolved, and the trio plummeted into darkness.
Alex screamed, flailing as the void swallowed him. “I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!”
When Alex opened his eyes again, he was alone. The endless void had been replaced by a narrow corridor, its walls lined with mirrors that reflected his image back at him endlessly.
“Hello?” he called, his voice echoing. “Amira? Aros? Anyone?”
There was no response.
He took a cautious step forward, the mirrored walls warping his reflection as he moved. The air felt heavy, and every sound seemed amplified, as though the corridor were listening.
“Great,” he muttered. “Lost in a cosmic funhouse. Just what I needed.”
As he walked, the reflections in the mirrors began to change. At first, they were subtle differences—a smirk where he wasn’t smiling, a shadow where there shouldn’t have been one. Then the differences grew more pronounced.
One reflection glared at him with glowing red eyes. Another pointed accusingly. A third stepped out of the mirror entirely.
“Uh, nope,” Alex said, backing away as the mirrored version of himself advanced, its expression twisted with malice. “Nope, nope, nope.”
Meanwhile, Amira found herself in a completely different setting—a dense forest bathed in an eerie green light. The trees seemed alive, their twisted branches reaching for her as she passed.
“Stay calm,” she muttered to herself, her hand on her sidearm. “This is just another test.”
But the forest didn’t feel like a test. It felt alive, and it was watching her.
A low growl echoed through the trees, and Amira spun around, her weapon drawn. Out of the shadows stepped a massive, wolf-like creature, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
Amira’s heart pounded as she aimed at the creature. “I don’t have time for this,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear coursing through her veins.
In yet another part of the waystation, Aros stood in a circular chamber, his staff glowing faintly. The walls around him were covered in ancient runes, their meanings just out of reach.
A figure appeared before him, shrouded in shadow. It spoke in a voice that was eerily similar to his own. “You cannot save them. You will fail, as you always have.”
Aros clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on his staff. “I have no time for your lies.”
The shadow laughed, a hollow, mocking sound. “Then prove me wrong.”
The three of them faced their trials alone, each confronted by manifestations of their fears and doubts. The voice of the waystation echoed in their minds: “Trust is the foundation of survival. Without it, you will fail.” 
But as the challenges grew more intense, a new threat began to take shape—a shadowy figure that watched them from the edges of their trials, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.