The stairs wound downward far longer than Julian was comfortable with. Each step groaned underfoot, and the air grew colder, damper, and... weirder. Magic hung thick in the air like static, making the hair on his arms stand up.
"I think my eyebrows are vibrating," Julian muttered.
[That's a side effect of unstable enchantments. Or fear. Or both.]
Lira didn't respond. She was walking ahead of him, fire dancing lazily across her gloves to light the way. She looked calm, composed, and extremely ready to punch the darkness with fire.
Julian felt more like a wet sponge with a spoon.
Eventually, they reached the bottom: a wide stone chamber with no doors, no windows, and no furniture. Just four walls, each etched with faded glyphs, and a large circle on the floor in the center.
"Okay," Julian said slowly, "this looks suspiciously like a trap."
[That's because it is a trap.]
Lira stepped into the room. "Looks empty."
Julian hesitated on the last step. "That's exactly what a cursed trap wants you to think."
She gave him a look. "Then stay there. I'll test it."
She walked straight into the center circle.
The room reacted instantly.
A sharp click echoed through the stone. Runes lit up across all four walls. A shimmering barrier appeared behind Julian, sealing the entrance. The air thrummed with power—and then, something worse: silence.
"…Did I just get locked in a murder puzzle?"
[Yes. Estimated success rate: 32%. For her.]
"What about me?"
[Six.]
Julian groaned. "This is why I don't do basements."
The walls shimmered, and four panels slid open. From each, a floating orb emerged—each glowing a different color: red, blue, green, and yellow.
Lira raised a brow. "I'm guessing this isn't a welcome party."
[Puzzle orbs. Linked to elemental triggers. Guess wrong, get zapped.]
"Great. A guessing game with death penalties."
The orbs hovered around the room. One pulsed red, then darted toward Lira. She raised her hand and flung a fireball. The orb absorbed it, shimmered brighter, and vanished.
"One down."
Julian blinked. "That worked?"
[Red orb equals fire affinity. Logical pairing. You may have just learned something by accident.]
"I'm not sure if that's praise or an insult."
[Both.]
The green orb zipped toward Julian.
"What's green? Nature? Earth? Moldy cheese?"
[Try mental resonance. Push it back with Mind Pulse.]
Julian braced, raised the spoon, and focused. The pulse exploded from his hand, hitting the green orb dead-on. It flickered, twisted, then shattered into motes of light.
Julian whooped. "Yes! Eat it, death ball!"
[Calm down. That was beginner level.]
The blue orb surged toward Lira. She hesitated, then hurled another fireball. It fizzled harmlessly off the orb's surface.
"Uh…"
[Water resists fire. Basic logic.]
"I don't do logic, I do explosions!"
The orb charged at her. She dodged, barely avoiding a burst of frost that coated the floor in a thick layer of ice. She skidded and hit the wall with a grunt.
Julian ran forward, slipping, arms flailing.
"Nope! Nope! I do not consent to this level of ice!"
[Try lightning. Short circuit it.]
"I don't know lightning!"
[Then improvise.]
He focused all his energy into the spoon, imagined static, sparks, every time he ever touched a doorknob on carpet—and shoved that thought out with a pulse.
The blue orb spasmed and popped like an overloaded fuse.
Julian exhaled hard. "Okay... that actually worked?"
[You continue to survive in spite of yourself. Fascinating.]
The last orb, yellow, hovered between them, pulsing rapidly.
"What's yellow supposed to be?"
[Possibly light. Possibly wind. Possibly something far more annoying.]
Julian and Lira looked at each other. She stepped forward, flicked her glove, and launched a small firebolt.
The orb dodged.
Julian threw a Mind Pulse. The orb dodged again.
"Oh come on—"
The orb zipped upward and began pulsing faster. Julian noticed runes on the walls flashing with the same rhythm.
"Wait. It's a timer?"
[Correct. Countdown to a room-wide shockwave. Ten seconds.]
Lira scowled. "You distract it. I'll hit the walls."
Julian blinked. "Distract it how?"
[Be yourself.]
Julian screamed and waved his arms, jumping and shouting, "Hey! Hey, banana lightbulb! Look at me! I'm the distraction!"
The orb turned toward him.
"That worked?!"
[Nine seconds.]
Lira ran to the first rune and blasted it with fire. The symbol dimmed.
Second one—Julian hit it with a pulse. Dimmed.
Third—both of them hit it at the same time.
Fourth—still glowing.
"Too far!" Lira shouted. "I can't reach it!"
Julian looked at the spoon. "One more time."
He threw the pulse with everything he had. The spoon shook in his grip. The last rune flickered—
Then all four shut off.
The yellow orb sputtered midair… and shattered like glass.
The barrier behind them vanished. The room dimmed.
Julian collapsed to the floor.
"I hate this tower."
[You'll hate the next floor more.]
"Can't wait."