The enchanted sky above the arena dimmed with the lowering of the dual moons, signaling the end of Trial Day Three. As the final contestants stumbled, limped, or were dragged from the maze...some bloodied, some broken, and some with eyes full of fire...they were greeted by blinding lights and Sasha's booming voice.
"TRIAL COMPLETE. FINAL COUNT: 32 SURVIVORS. 36 HAVE FALLEN OR FORFEITED."
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Faenet flooded with posts, screenshots, clips, and commentary. Viewers couldn't believe the massacre rate.
A fire elemental vaporized by a soul illusion trap
Three shifter siblings who chose to withdraw together to save the youngest
Kazra's cousin, Marnyx, disqualified for freezing mid trial and refusing to move
A rebellion soldier who saw a vision of his murdered child and never recovered
One contestant exploded after solving a riddle trap incorrectly (whoops)
Notable Quote from Sasha (brutally honest as usual):
"Well. That was… less inspiring and more bloodbathy than anticipated. Maybe next time don't bring your unprocessed trauma into a survival challenge. Just a thought."
🔥 Survivors Include:
Torvax Korr, Cryo Tyrant
Veena Sahl, Blight Ember
Nahlia Mare, Waveblade
Nyxar Veyne, Vortex Widow
Nico & Nimra, twin rogue scouts
Mother Tazzhra (who apparently took a nap mid maze and still made it)
A surprise dark horse: a mute hobgoblin girl with summoning tattoos who soloed a mirror beast with a frying pan
📣 Rhiannan's Speech – Livestreamed on Faenet
Standing in front of a roaring bonfire, surrounded by the rebel banners and Faenet drones capturing every glorious second, Rhiannan addressed the survivors.
Her hair flowed loose, her skin glowing with divine light as the crowd held their breath.
"You have proven you are not ruled by fear. You faced your nightmares, and you won."
"We honor the fallen. We feed the flame of their courage."
"There are 32 of you left. The next trial will test your soul. Not all of you will survive."
"But I believe in you. And if you choose to walk away now, there is no shame in it. Your names will be etched in history as survivors of the fire."
"For those who remain...eat, drink, fuck, and be merry while you can. The real trials begin soon."
Thunderous cheers. Tears. Hugs. Offers of celebratory sex. Typical rebel behavior.
With her hands glowing golden, Rhiannan raised a memorial pyre for the fallen. She whispered their names, one by one, and with every name, a flame turned into a sparkling spirit light, rising into the sky.
She collapsed to her knees as her goddess whispered:
"This is how you lead. With heart. With fire. With faith." Rhiannan sobbed loudly. She was so proud of herself.
Veena Sahl challenged two people to a drinking contest and won. They vomited. She didn't blink.
Torvax was hand feeding Reyna and Nahlia meat skewers while glaring at anyone who looked too long.
Nico tried to put a glamour spell on Nimra to look like Rhiannan. It backfired. He now has sparkly tits for 48 hours.
📲 Faenet Highlights:
🗨️ @LetThemEatAshes: "MY GIRL VEENA SURVIVED I KNEW SHE WOULD 🔥🔥🔥"
🗨️ @TorvaxDaddyFan420: "If Torvax looks at me the way he looks at Reyna I'll die happy."
🗨️ @MazeMeBaby: "Who was that hobgoblin?? I'm naming my daughter after her."
🗨️ @WitchBitch91: "Rhiannan's speech just made me cry into my soup."
The heavy doors of the Dragon Castle war room slammed open as Rhiannan, surrounded by her five fiercely protective mates, strode in with the confidence of a goddess who'd just walked through fire...and came out demanding more.
Already seated at the massive obsidian table were the Rebel Six, casually snacking on cinnamon wrapped fae fruit, flipping through maps, or sharpening daggers like the violent little gremlins they were.
Reyna Voss entered last, flanked by her hulking cryo tyrant mate Torvax Korr, who looked like a murder glacier in love, and her stunning new mate Nahlia Mare, the blue-haired water elemental with a body that made armor jealous. They both moved in sync, scanning the room protectively while still looking at Reyna like she personally invented orgasms.
Rhiannan grinned and clapped her hands once.
"Alright, bitches. Let's get down to it."
The map of the realm shimmered to life in the center of the table...Sasha's voice purring through the room.
"Displaying Faenet chatter, enemy movement, and top trending conspiracy theories. Try not to stab each other."
💣 Intel Drop from the Nerd Queen
Reyna stepped forward, her voice steady but her cheeks pink as both mates hovered behind her like sexy twin bodyguards.
"The Forgotten King's real name is missing from every surviving record...but I've found dozens of cross referenced mentions in cursed grimoires and banned prophecies calling him The Forgotten Sovereign."
Everyone went dead quiet.
"He was the first king of death. Not just a villain. A god who was dethroned. And he wants his crown back."
Rhiannan swore under her breath.
Kazra choked on her wine. "Fucking knew it. You don't get that many bones in your decor without being old money evil."
Reyna continued.
"We believe he's trying to use the Trials to break the divine veil. If he can corrupt one of the sentries… he can get through."
Silence. Then Barrik grunted. "Well, shit. Guess we better win."
Just as Zaiya leaned in to study a map, a sharp crack echoed through the chamber.
Two massive figures stormed in, a Sun Elf warlock with golden skin and runes crawling up his arms, and a towering lion shifter in obsidian armor, his eyes glowing red.
Zaiya stood, eyes narrowed. Her lightning crackled.
"Who the fuck are you?" She demanded, sniffing the air curiosily.
The warlock froze. The lion growled low, and then both dropped to their knees at the exact same time.
"Mate."
Zaiya blinked once. Twice.
"...I'm sorry, what?" She said, dumbfounded. She could smell it. She knew. They were her mates. But what the fuck?
The Sun Elf's voice was velvet and reverent. "We've been tracking the call for weeks. It led us here. To you."
The lion shifter added with a low growl, "We felt you. We dreamed you. We're here to stay."
Kazra dropped her glass. "Oh. This is gonna be fun."
Rhiannan squealed and clapped like a kid on solstice morning.
"Another mate bond?! The gods are handing them out like faeberry cupcakes!"
Barrik: "I swear if one more person gets a mate before me I'm summoning an ex."
Mother Tazzhra (smirking): "Don't worry, little stone man. I see your future. It involves cuffs."
Nico: "We're all just living in Reyna's sexy nerd fantasy now."
Torvax (growling with a grin): "Damn right."
Reyna ducked her head as her mates kissed each of her cheeks. Rhiannan slung an arm around her shoulders and whispered:
"I told you. You're going to change everything."