The cold, desolate silence after Aros’s disappearance pressed heavily on Alex and Amira as they sat on the unfamiliar ground. For a moment, the world seemed unnaturally still, as though even the air mourned the absence of their companion. Amira clenched her fists, staring at the spot where the glowing gate had vanished, her breathing sharp and uneven.
“This… this can’t be real,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He wouldn’t just—” She broke off, shaking her head violently, as though trying to force the thought away.
“He said he’d hold it off,” Alex said, his voice unusually quiet. For once, there was no sarcasm, no humor to mask his emotions. He stared at the ground, a deep crease forming between his brows. “But he didn’t have to stay behind. We could’ve figured something out. We always do.”
Amira turned to him, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and anguish. “We wouldn’t have made it without him!” she snapped. “Do you think I wanted him to stay? Do you think I—” Her voice cracked, and she turned away, rubbing her forehead as if to hide her vulnerability.
Alex opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. For all his bravado, for all his quick-witted deflections, he was at a loss. The realization of Aros’s sacrifice struck him harder than he expected, and he hated how powerless it made him feel.
“We have to keep moving,” Amira said after a long silence, her voice steadier now but still tinged with a raw edge.
“Keep moving?” Alex repeated, incredulous. “Amira, Aros just—”
“I know!” she interrupted, her voice rising. “I know, Alex. But sitting here and doing nothing won’t bring him back. The only way to honor his sacrifice is to finish what we started.”
Alex hesitated, then let out a resigned sigh. “Fine,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “But if we run into any more giant shadow monsters, you’re handling it.”
Amira shot him a withering glare but didn’t respond.
The new terrain they found themselves in was vastly different from the shattered platforms of the liminal space. The ground was made of smooth, obsidian-like stone that glimmered faintly under a pale, gray sky. Towering spires of jagged crystal jutted out at odd angles, casting long, eerie shadows. The air felt thick, almost oppressive, as though the very atmosphere resisted their presence.
“Great,” Alex muttered, kicking a loose pebble that skittered across the stone with an oddly metallic sound. “Another cheerful dystopian landscape. Just what I needed.”
Amira ignored him, scanning their surroundings with a focused intensity. “There’s something off about this place,” she said.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Alex said, gesturing to the jagged spires. “It’s like we’re trapped in an evil rock garden.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Amira said sharply. She knelt down, running her fingers over the ground. “It’s too quiet. No wind, no wildlife, nothing.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Alex said, though his voice betrayed his unease. “After everything we’ve been through, I could use some peace and quiet.”
As if on cue, a low, rumbling growl echoed through the air, freezing them both in place.
Alex groaned, rubbing his temples. “Why do I even talk? Seriously, why?”
Amira rose to her feet, drawing her weapon. “Stay close,” she said, her tone brooking no argument.
“Wasn’t planning on wandering off,” Alex muttered, pulling out the compact energy blade Aros had given him during their earlier journey. It flickered to life, casting a faint blue glow.
The growl grew louder, accompanied by a faint vibration beneath their feet. From the shadows of the crystal spires emerged a hulking, quadrupedal creature with sleek, black scales that shimmered like oil. Its glowing red eyes locked onto them, and its elongated jaws revealed rows of jagged teeth.
“Yep, definitely not a good thing,” Alex said, taking a step back.
The creature let out an ear-piercing roar and charged, its powerful limbs propelling it forward with alarming speed.
“Scatter!” Amira shouted, diving to the left as Alex bolted to the right.
The creature skidded to a stop, its claws sparking against the stone, before turning its attention to Amira. She fired her sidearm, the energy bolts striking its flank, but the creature barely flinched.
“Uh, Amira?” Alex called from a safe distance. “Any brilliant plans you want to share?”
“Working on it!” she shouted back, dodging a swipe from the creature’s massive claws.
The beast turned its attention to Alex, who froze like a deer caught in headlights. “Oh no, no, no—”
Before the creature could pounce, a deafening crack echoed through the air, and a blinding bolt of light struck the ground between them. The creature recoiled, snarling, and retreated into the shadows, its glowing eyes lingering on them before disappearing entirely.
“What the hell was that?” Alex asked, still clutching his weapon as he looked around wildly.
Amira was equally stunned, her weapon still raised. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
Then, from the shadows of the crystal spires, a figure emerged. It was a woman, tall and imposing, clad in an armor-like suit that glimmered faintly with the same light as the bolt that had saved them. Her hair, a cascade of silver, shimmered like moonlight, and her piercing blue eyes seemed to see straight through them.
“Who are you?” Amira demanded, her weapon trained on the stranger.
The woman didn’t respond immediately. She studied them with an air of quiet authority, her gaze lingering on Amira before shifting to Alex.
“You are trespassers in a forbidden realm,” the woman said, her voice calm but firm. “Explain yourselves.”
Alex, ever the diplomat, raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hi, we’re just your average, everyday travelers trying to save the planet. No big deal.”
The woman’s expression didn’t change. “Your flippancy will not serve you here,” she said coolly. “This realm is not for the unworthy.”
Amira lowered her weapon slightly, sensing that the woman wasn’t an immediate threat. “We didn’t come here by choice,” she said. “We’re trying to stop an extinction-level event. If you can help us—”
The woman cut her off with a sharp gesture. “Help is earned, not given,” she said. “If you wish to survive this place, you must prove your worth.”
Before either of them could respond, the ground beneath their feet began to shift, and the crystalline spires started to glow. The woman stepped back, her form dissolving into light as she vanished.
“What just happened?” Alex asked, looking around in panic as the terrain began to change.
Amira’s eyes narrowed. “I think,” she said grimly, “we just started another trial.”
The glowing crystals rose into the air, rearranging themselves into a labyrinth of shifting walls and pathways. From the shadows came the sound of multiple growls, identical to the creature they had just faced.
Alex groaned. “Why can’t we ever just get a break?”
“Stay close,” Amira said, gripping her weapon tightly. “We’ll figure this out. We have to.”
But even as she spoke, she couldn’t shake the feeling that their challenges were only just beginning.