The ground beneath them was shifting.
Not like an earthquake. But in waves, as if something deep beneath the surface was breathing – a slow, dense rhythm that kept the rock in constant motion. Rioji and Rex moved cautiously across the Earthquake Sea, a landscape that seemed to think for itself. Every step meant uncertainty. Every breath, a new variable.
The layers of stone beneath them didn't vibrate. They shifted, pulsed subtly – as if the ground wasn't made of matter, but of resonance itself. Stone slabs rose from nothing, hovered briefly, then plunged into the abyss.
Rex (grim):
"This place is an insult to every plan."
He tried to sound calm, but his tone betrayed him. The strategist in him rebelled against unpredictability. For him, control was a weapon. But here, that weapon was being knocked from his hand – with every new step.
Rioji remained silent. His gaze was alert, but calm. As if this kind of terrain was more familiar to him than a straight road. He didn't move more cautiously than necessary, nor faster than allowed. He was part of the movement – not its victim.
Rex (thinking):
Unease crawled beneath his skin.
He wasn't a rookie. Not reckless. But something about this place teased his instincts in an uncomfortable way. Like a presence watching them, unseen. And the deeper they went, the louder that feeling grew.
Then he saw it.
The bridge.
It stood there like a relic from another era. A massive path stretched across a bottomless gorge – but nothing about it was stable. The slabs that made up its surface floated in the air. They slowly moved apart, only to crash back together seconds later. One wrong step and you'd fall.
Rex (skeptical):
"That's supposed to be a path?"
He stepped closer, tapped one of the floating slabs with the tip of his boot. Immediately, a dull impulse ran through the stone. The slab didn't vibrate – it recoiled, then shot forward again and froze. A test. A response.
Rex (wary):
"A trap?"
Rioji (observing):
"No."
Rex (annoyed):
"Then what?"
Rioji (calm):
"A test."
Rex (sarcastic):
"A test? From who?"
He stepped back, glanced to the side – but Rioji didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked a few steps along the edge of the bridge, examining the carvings on the edges of the slabs. Symbols. Almost eroded, but still recognizable. Similar to ancient resonance formulas long thought lost.
Rioji (quiet):
"From those who were here before us."
Rex (confused):
"What does that even mean?"
Rioji pointed to the patterns in the stone – they ran like a nervous system through the structure. Some lines glowed faintly, others pulsed. He placed his fingertips gently on one of the patterns. The slab twitched slightly.
Rioji:
"This bridge doesn't just react to weight. It senses resonance. Anyone who wants to cross must prove themselves."
Rex (narrowing his eyes):
"So we have two options. Either we figure this out… or…"
Rioji (looking at him):
"Or you jump and hope you don't die."
Rex wanted to argue. But the look Rioji gave him was too direct. Too steady. He knew exactly what Rex had been thinking – and he was right.
A Moment of Truth
Rioji stepped closer to him. His voice was calm but carried a sharpness that couldn't be ignored.
Rioji (firm):
"Rex."
His name alone made Rex straighten.
Rioji:
"Your mind isn't working the way it usually does."
Rex (defensive):
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Rioji:
"You're ready to act without analyzing. That's not like you."
Rex (tense):
"Maybe you should stop pretending you know me."
Rioji (unfazed):
"I know you. Because I watch you."
Rex (containing his anger):
He clenched his fists. The impulse was there. But he swallowed it. Why?
Rioji:
"You're cautious. Calculating. But now? You were about to jump. No plan. Why?"
Silence.
Rex (thinking):
He knew. Or maybe he didn't want to know. Part of him wanted to prove himself – to Rioji. To himself.
Kyro, Ezryel, Liebe – they'd already had their moments. Him? Not yet.
And that stung.
Rioji (softly):
"You're afraid you're not enough."
Rex (sharply):
"I'm not afraid."
Rioji:
"Then don't act like it."
Rex (silent):
Damn.
He knew Rioji was right. And that made it worse.
Rioji:
"If you want to prove yourself – do it with your mind, not your ego."
Rex took a deep breath. Then – finally – he nodded.
Rex:
"Alright. Let's solve this."
Rioji (dryly):
"Finally."
The Trial Begins
They stood at the first slab. The air was dense – not with heat, but with tension. Resonance flickered between the carvings like static energy. Invisible, but present.
Rex (focused):
"If you're right, this thing wants to test us. But for what exactly?"
Rioji ran his fingertips along the markings.
Rioji:
"Resonance. Patterns. Movement. Everything reacts to what we emit."
He stepped onto the first slab.
For a moment – nothing.
Then a section of the carvings lit up.
A pattern. No attack. No warning. A beat.
Rex (shallow breath):
"The slab… it's reading you."
But when he stepped forward himself, the next slab moved – backward.
Rioji (analyzing instantly):
"It doesn't want us to walk blindly."
The symbols began to change – new lines, new angles. The slab was trying to interpret what Rex was projecting.
Rex (quietly):
"It thinks with us."
Rioji (small nod):
"And it decides if we're worthy."
Rex:
"If we move wrong…?"
Rioji:
"We fall."
Rex (dryly):
"Sounds fair."
They moved on – carefully. Step by step. Like solving a puzzle that didn't require thinking but resonance. Movement. Stillness. Connection.
The Final Obstacle
The air grew heavier. Deeper.
Then the ground beneath them pulsed. Not rhythmically – more like a heartbeat far too massive to be human.
Something was approaching.
A sound. Metallic. Humming. Saturated with resonance.
An ancient construct rose from the shadows of the platform – immense, more machine than creature. Its eyes were pure energy. Not light – frequency.
And its voice wasn't a sound but a thought that burned directly into their minds.
Construct (in their heads):
"THE TRIAL IS NOT YET OVER."
Rex (smirking):
"Well then. Round two."
Rioji stepped forward. His posture didn't change. But the air around him did. Not visible. Not measurable. But undeniable.
Something around him grew heavier. The surroundings drew inward – as if gravity itself had shifted to match him.
The zone responded to him.
Rioji (coldly):
"This time, think before you run."
Rex (grins slightly):
"Promise."
Then they launched into the fight.