POV: Kael 🛡️🔥⚔️
The fire doorway didn't lead to the exit.
It opened into a massive chamber — circular, domed, and burning with golden light. Lava bubbled far below, casting shadows across platforms that floated midair. Dozens of glowing bridges connected the platforms, but they moved in random, dizzying patterns.
Worse — chunks of stone kept dropping away into the molten abyss.
"I don't suppose this is the gift shop," Jax said, peering over the edge.
"What is this place?" Lyra asked, eyes scanning the shifting maze.
A voice echoed once more:
"Only flame in harmony can cross the final trial. One flame. Four sparks."
Kael instinctively stepped in front of Ariya as the ground beneath them trembled. From above, something huge stirred — stone arms groaning, ancient gears turning.
A colossal timepiece embedded in the wall clicked once.
A countdown.
The platform jerked forward.
Without warning, the path ahead burst into motion, a lava-bridge flaring into existence for only a few seconds before vanishing again.
"We move now!" Kael shouted. "Go!"
Ariya was the first to leap. Kael followed instantly, his sword drawn. Lyra and Jax dashed after, the bridge cracking under their feet as they ran.
They landed hard on the next platform — but it immediately started to sink.
"This one's a trap!" Lyra yelled.
Ariya raised her hands. Flame burst around them, but the stone kept sinking.
"It's not about fighting it," Kael realized. "It's about syncing!"
"What?" Jax said.
"Together — our powers! Link them!"
Ariya gritted her teeth and threw a stream of flame toward Kael.
Kael caught it with his blade — the steel igniting with golden heat.
"Now that's new," he muttered.
Lyra raised a hand, channeling her wind magic into the fire. Jax, grinning like a madman, summoned a field of illusion that wrapped the heat into a glowing aura.
For a second, everything slowed.
Their powers linked.
The sinking platform rose.
"Yes!" Ariya shouted.
"Team combo unlocked!" Jax whooped.
"Don't get cocky," Lyra warned, launching herself toward the next bridge.
The gauntlet grew harder.
Each platform brought a new twist:
One forced them to fight mirror-versions of themselves — powered mirror versions.
Another was invisible, and they had to use Jax's illusions to find a safe path.
One had falling fireballs and shifting gravity — Kael nearly fell but Ariya caught him with a flaming whip.
"You alright?" she asked, breathless.
"Only if you are," he said, squeezing her hand briefly before they jumped again.
She didn't let go right away.
Finally, they reached the center platform.
A glowing emblem burned there — four flames intertwining. As they stepped into it, the lava below rumbled, and four stone guardians rose, each bearing a weapon made from a different element.
The voice returned one final time:
"Show me your unity. Prove the flame has a future."
"No pressure," Jax said, flexing his fingers.
Kael stepped forward with Ariya beside him. "We fight together."
The guardians charged.
Ariya's fire lit up Kael's blade again. Lyra took the air, buffeting the stone creatures with wind to slow their attacks. Jax sent flickering duplicates running in all directions, confusing the enemy long enough for Kael to land blow after blow.
Then Ariya raised both hands.
"Now!" she called.
They all poured their powers into her — wind, illusion, steel — and her mark flared blindingly bright.
A burst of fire shot into the sky.
The guardians stopped.
Kneeled.
And turned to ash.
The lava dimmed.
The timepiece stopped.
And for the first time, silence fell.
A new doorway opened at the far end of the chamber.
Kael turned to Ariya, breathing hard. "What was that?"
She looked down at her hand, the flame still dancing on her palm. "I don't know. But it felt like… we weren't just using power."
"We became it," Lyra said, walking over. "All four of us."
Jax flopped dramatically onto the ground. "Let the record show: teamwork is exhausting."
They all laughed — even Ariya.
Kael watched her smile.
And for the first time in days, he didn't feel the weight of the mission. Just… the warmth of something real.