The moment Kieran stepped through the gate, the cold clinging to his skin evaporated like mist under the midday sun. Relief flickered briefly, but it was short-lived. The warmth wasn't comforting—it was oppressive, heavy, and suffocating. The air clung to him like a second skin, thick with humidity that made every breath feel like inhaling molten ash. The sudden shift left him disoriented, his body still aching from the frostbitten trial behind him.
His arm throbbed, the claw wound from the first trial a constant, gnawing pain that refused to fade. Blood had dried in dark streaks down his forearm, but fresh warmth seeped through the torn fabric of his sleeve, sticky against his skin. He hadn't had time to properly tend to the injury, and the blood loss was beginning to take its toll. Every movement sent sharp, searing jolts up his arm, and his head felt light, his vision swimming at the edges. But he forced himself to keep moving. Stopping wasn't an option—not here.
He blinked against the orange glow that pulsed across the chamber, the light rippling in time with a low, distant rumble. Fiery veins snaked through the walls and floor, glowing cracks that dripped molten heat into bubbling pools of lava. The jagged obsidian walls were wrapped in thick, leathery vines, their green tendrils curling protectively around the glowing stone. The chamber felt alive—not with the still, desolate cold of the last trial, but with a furious, seething energy that seemed to breathe with the world itself.
Kieran wiped the sweat from his brow, his fingers trembling. The frost-streaked memories of the figure by the frozen lake still lingered faintly, a ghost of cold against the suffocating heat. Who had they been? Why did their life feel so tangled with his own? The questions gnawed at him, but the oppressive heat and the weight of the trial ahead left no room for answers.
He stepped cautiously forward, his boots testing the uneven ground. The stone beneath him was cracked and unstable, the glowing veins of magma threatening to swallow anything that lingered too long. The vines seemed to shift as he moved, curling away from his feet as though recoiling from his presence. The path narrowed into an archway framed by molten cracks, the air shimmering with heat. Beyond it, the chamber opened into a bridge of jagged stone suspended above a churning sea of lava.
Kieran's breath hitched. The bridge was narrow, its surface fractured and unstable, and at its far end stood another pillar. This one was wreathed in golden light, its surface etched with runes that pulsed erratically. The energy it emitted was wild and untamed, a sharp contrast to the cold, steady hum of the obelisk in the previous trial.
But it wasn't the pillar that made his stomach twist. It was the figure standing between him and the other side.
At first, it was hard to make out, the rippling heat distorting its shape. But as it moved, its form solidified—a humanoid figure made of molten stone, its jagged body glowing with fiery veins. Cracks in its surface revealed a searing, molten core, and its eyes burned like twin suns, locking onto Kieran with an intensity that made his chest tighten.
The elemental stepped forward, each movement deliberate and heavy, the bridge groaning under its weight. Kieran's pulse quickened. There would be no dodging this one—not here, where the lava below waited to devour anyone who stumbled.
His eyes darted to the pillar, a faint memory stirring within him. The figure by the frozen lake, their hands aloft, frost spiraling outward in smooth, controlled currents. For them, it had been effortless. For Kieran, it was chaos—raw, untamed power that surged without warning and left him drained. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He couldn't rely on that power now, not when the bridge beneath him was already unstable.
The elemental roared, the sound like a volcano erupting, and lunged forward. Kieran barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side as molten claws slashed through the air where he'd been standing. The heat was unbearable, searing his skin even from a distance. He stumbled, his boots skidding on the slick stone, and barely managed to regain his footing.
The elemental advanced, its molten body radiating waves of heat that made the air shimmer. Kieran's mind raced. He couldn't fight it head-on—not with the bridge crumbling beneath them. He needed to outthink it, to use the environment to his advantage.
His gaze darted to the glowing veins of magma that snaked through the bridge. They pulsed with the same erratic energy as the pillar, their molten glow flickering in time with the elemental's movements. An idea began to form, but before he could act, the elemental lunged again.
This time, Kieran wasn't fast enough.
The molten claws grazed his shoulder, and a searing pain shot through him. He cried out, stumbling back as the heat burned through his shirt and into his skin. The smell of scorched fabric and flesh filled the air, and he clenched his teeth against the pain. His vision blurred, the edges darkening as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to stay upright. He couldn't afford to stop now.
The burn was sharp and raw, but it was the claw wound on his arm that truly threatened to undo him. The blood loss was making him lightheaded, his movements sluggish, and the combination of injuries left him teetering on the edge of collapse. He pressed a trembling hand to his ribs, trying to steady his breathing, but the elemental wasn't going to wait for him to recover.
The elemental roared again, its molten body glowing brighter as it prepared to strike. Kieran's mind raced. The veins of magma—they were connected to the pillar, feeding its energy. If he could disrupt them, even for a moment, it might be enough to weaken the elemental.
Ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the throbbing in his arm, Kieran raised his hand, summoning the last of his strength. Ice flickered weakly in his palm, the cold struggling to hold its form against the oppressive heat. He focused all his energy into the spell, shaping it into a jagged spear of ice.
The elemental lunged, its claws slashing through the air. Kieran threw the spear with all his might, aiming for the largest vein of magma. The spear struck true, shattering the vein and sending a spray of molten rock into the air. The elemental staggered, its movements faltering as the connection to the pillar was disrupted.
Kieran didn't wait. He summoned another spear, his movements slower and more deliberate as the pain in his shoulder flared. The second spear struck the pillar itself, the ice spreading across its surface in jagged patterns. The runes flickered, their light dimming as the elemental let out a final, guttural roar. Its molten body cracked and splintered, the fiery glow fading as it collapsed into a heap of smoldering stone.
The bridge groaned beneath Kieran's feet, the cracks spreading as the molten veins hissed and bubbled. He stumbled forward, his chest heaving, and reached the pillar just as the last of its energy faded. The runes flared one final time before going dark, and the oppressive heat of the chamber began to dissipate.
Kieran collapsed to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The burn on his shoulder throbbed, the pain sharp and unrelenting, but it was the claw wound that truly weighed on him. His body was battered, his strength waning, and the questions that haunted him were no closer to being answered.
With a final, shaky breath, he stepped through the next gate, the faint hum of the pillar echoing in his mind.