Jon and Victor listen carefully to the riddle. To understand its meaning, both look at each other.
Victor starts thinking, but Alina's voice is still echoing in his mind, distracting him. Jon senses this and tells him to stay calm.
They begin thinking about the riddle again:
"No one can stop me, no one can defeat me. The more you spend, the more I keep getting weaker."
Jon says softly, "This is about something we can't defeat or stop, the more you spend, the less it becomes."
Victor closes his eyes and thinks, "Could this be about breath or air?"
But before he can answer, the same mysterious voice echoes in Victor's ears, as if someone is calling his name.
Jon grabs Victor's hand tightly and looks into his eyes, "We must answer the riddle with a clear mind, or we might be stuck here forever!"
Before Jon can respond, suddenly a strong wind begins to blow all around them. The bridge starts to shake, and the red light from the flowing lava below becomes more intense. Cracks begin to appear in the surrounding rocks.
Victor's mind is still unsettled. He feels as if someone is whispering his name softly in his ear. He looks around, but sees nothing. Suddenly, his gaze falls on a corner—there, a faint shadow is lingering in the wind!
Jon immediately shouts, "Victor! Don't look over there, it's just an illusion! Answer the riddle and think about getting out of here!"
But then Victor's whole body freezes. He can't move or speak. In front of him, the shadow slowly becomes clearer. It starts to take the shape of a woman.
Jon shakes Victor violently, but an odd pain appears on Victor's face. He slowly says, "Alina...? How are you here...?"
Jon now realizes that this is some spiritual illusion trying to deceive Victor. He shouts again, "Victor! This isn't real! It's just a trick trying to stop us from reaching the other door!"
At that moment, the eyes of the statue, which had spoken the riddle, begin to shine, and its voice echoes:
"Answer, or you will be lost in darkness forever."
Jon doesn't hesitate. He answers the riddle loudly...
As soon as Jon speaks the answer to the riddle, "Time," the entire place begins to shake. The statue's eyes glow even brighter, and a deep, resonating voice echoes through the area—
"Answer accepted. The gate is opening."
Suddenly, the stone gate in front begins to tremble, and then, with a heavy sound, it slowly begins to open.
But before they can move forward, Victor remains frozen. His eyes are still fixed on the shadow, which has now fully taken the form of Alina.
Alina's face looks at Victor, filled with sadness and pain. Her voice becomes clearer and more emotional—
"Victor... don't go... don't leave me here alone..."
Victor's heart begins to pound loudly. Uncertainty and pain arise in his eyes. It feels as though his entire past is standing before him.
"Is this really Alina? Or is this just an illusion? Why does it feel so real if it's a trap?"
He starts to take a step back.
"Victor! Stop!" Jon shouts loudly.
But before Jon can stop Victor, suddenly the entire place begins to tremble. The wind picks up, and a black mist starts swirling around Victor.
Alina's eyes now appear to be teary, but then a mysterious smile spreads across her face.
And then…
Her eyes turn red.
Jon is stunned seeing this.
Victor is still frozen, but now it's too late.
Suddenly, Alina's shadow spins rapidly in the air and forms a black cloud of smoke that envelops Victor from all sides!
Victor screams loudly—
"Jon!"
But before Jon can run towards him, Victor's body begins to rapidly sink into the darkness.
"Victor!!!" Jon shouts loudly, but Victor's body starts to vanish into the black smoke.
The last thing Jon sees are Victor's eyes—now completely black.
And then…
Jon pulls out wings from his back and throws them towards Victor. He chants some spells, and from his hands, ten beams of bright light emerge, surrounding Victor and merging into the black mist.
The wings are angelic, and with a single jolt, they destroy all the negative energy.
The Third Door:
Jon's magical spells slowly dissipated the black mist, making the surroundings a bit clearer. Victor ran quickly to Jon's side. Both of them moved forward swiftly, but this time, the atmosphere was even more terrifying and ominous than before.
Flames were rising all around them, so high that they touched the stone bridge. Within these flames, several dark silhouettes floated in the air, resembling lost souls. They moved silently, yet their presence could be felt in the air.
Fear flashed in Victor's eyes. Gasping for breath, he said to Jon, "We shouldn't have come here... This place is wrong."
Jon looked at him and replied in a serious tone, "Alina cannot be here. This is just an illusion of this place. We need to get out of here quickly, or we will die!"
Victor nodded in agreement, and both of them rushed toward the third door. The air was so hot that breathing had become difficult. The heat from the flames made their throats dry.
As soon as they reached the door, a stone statue nearby suddenly glowed, and a deep, echoing voice boomed,
"The journey continues... Solve the riddle and move forward."
The Third Riddle:
"I am the thing everyone fears, yet I am everyone's destiny. I am unseen, yet the most certain of all."
Victor and Jon fell into deep thought upon hearing the riddle.
Jon gripped Victor's hand tightly. While thinking, he suddenly felt a soft yet chilling sensation on his neck, as if fingers were gently trailing across his skin. Then, a whisper echoed in his ear,
"Am I not beautiful?"
A shiver ran down Jon's spine. His heart pounded heavily.
Panicking, he looked at Victor and asked, "Who is behind me?"
Victor stared into his eyes and replied, "There's no one behind you..."
Jon's face grew tense with worry. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Then who is touching my neck...?"
Victor glanced around, but all he could see was the burning bridge and the raging flames. The floating shadows still drifted closer to them.
Taking a deep breath, Victor steadied himself and said, "Don't be afraid! We must focus on the riddle! Only by answering it can we escape from here!"
Jon was visibly disturbed by the unseen presence. He slowly ran his own hand over his neck, but there was nothing there—just an eerie coldness that seeped into his bones.
"Is my death near...?" Jon murmured in a shaky voice.
Victor looked at him seriously and slowly answered, "Yes... and that is the answer to the riddle."
"Death."
The door suddenly began to glow brightly. The sound of grinding stones echoed, and slowly, the door started to open.
Victor hurriedly stepped forward, but Jon remained still.
Just then, the whisper returned to his ears, "Don't leave me behind..."
The fingers on his neck pressed down even more. This time, the touch was freezing, as if something had latched onto him.
Jon's heart pounded in his chest. But then, gathering all his strength, he sprinted forward and crossed the third door just in time.
A loud, piercing scream echoed behind them as the door slammed shut with a thunderous noise.
Breathing heavily, Jon and Victor looked at each other.
Fear was still evident on Jon's face. Trying to regain his composure, he said, "We need to get out of here quickly before this darkness catches us again."
What Happens Next?
Now, they stood before the fourth and final door… but would this be the most dangerous one yet?