The moment the Undead Mage raised its staff—
The entire chamber changed.
The air grew heavier.
Denser.
Like invisible chains tightening around their bodies.
Manaswini's voice dropped instantly.
"…Mana suppression field."
Raivan's eyes narrowed.
"So we fight weakened."
Priya cracked her neck slowly.
"Perfect."
The skeletal mage stepped down from the throne.
Each step echoed unnaturally across the chamber.
"…Your strength is insufficient."
Its hollow voice carried no emotion.
"Let us see your minds instead."
The runes beneath their feet flared.
And then—
Everything shattered.
Avdhoot blinked.
The dungeon was gone.
The others were gone.
He stood alone.
Wind brushed against his face.
Soft.
Warm.
He turned slowly.
His breath caught.
He was standing in an unfamiliar place.
A courtyard.
Sunlight filtered through trees.
A younger version of himself stood in front of a woman.
Smiling.
Gentle.
Lavanya Autade.
His mother.
Her voice echoed softly.
"You're late again, Avdhoot…"
His chest tightened.
This wasn't a memory—
He knew this moment wasn't true.
He remembered it clearly that this never happened.
Still, the word that came out of his mouth was...?
"…Aai."
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
She walked toward him.
Warm.
Real.
"You've been pushing yourself too much," she said, placing a hand on his head.
"You don't have to carry everything alone."
For a moment—
His guard dropped.
Just for a moment.
The warmth.
The voice.
The presence.
It felt real.
Too real.
Then—
His fingers tightened slowly.
His eyes hardened.
"…You're not her."
The illusion didn't break.
She looked at him, still smiling.
"Why would you say that?"
Avdhoot stepped back.
"Because she was never there to say things that gently."
A faint tremor ran through the illusion.
"And…"
His voice lowered.
"…she's gone."
The world cracked.
Like glass shattering.
The illusion collapsed instantly.
Back to Reality
Avdhoot dropped to one knee.
His breath was uneven.
Sweat ran down his forehead.
The chamber returned.
The others were there.
But they weren't moving.
They were trapped.
Standing still.
Eyes unfocused.
"…Illusions," he muttered.
The Undead Mage raised its staff again.
"Most fail to escape the first layer."
Raivan suddenly moved.
He staggered slightly.
But regained his stance.
"…Cheap trick."
Priya snapped back next.
She looked around wildly.
"…I was fighting three of those things at once."
Manaswini remained frozen.
Her expression strained.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Avdhoot's eyes sharpened.
"She's still inside."
The Undead Mage turned its gaze toward Manaswini.
"Her mind resists."
"…But not enough."
Avdhoot didn't hesitate.
He moved instantly.
He grabbed Manaswini's shoulder.
"Manaswini!"
No response.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her lips moved slightly.
"No… that's not correct…"
Avdhoot frowned.
What is she seeing?
The Mage lifted its staff again.
"Her mind clings to perfection."
"…Let it collapse."
Avdhoot made a decision.
He stepped closer.
Lowered his voice.
"Manaswini."
"Your formations aren't perfect."
Her fingers twitched.
"…No."
"They're not."
Her breath hitched.
"…They can't be."
Avdhoot continued.
"You misaligned the second anchor during the Behemoth fight."
Silence.
Then—
Her eyes flickered.
"…That… was because—"
"You adjusted too late."
A pause.
"…Yes."
Her eyes snapped open.
The illusion shattered.
She gasped sharply and stumbled backward.
The Mage's voice echoed.
"…Impressive."
All four were back.
But they were exhausted.
Even more than before.
The Real Battle Begins
The Undead Mage lifted its staff fully this time.
"Then face me without illusion."
Mana surged violently across the chamber.
Ancient symbols lit up across the floor.
Manaswini shouted.
"Those are casting arrays!"
Raivan moved instantly.
"Interrupt it!"
Priya charged.
Flames exploded around her fists.
But the moment she stepped into the circle—
BOOM!
A blast of force threw her backwards.
"…Barrier!" she growled.
Avdhoot's eyes scanned.
The Mage wasn't physically strong like the Behemoth.
But its control—
Was absolute.
The staff glowed brighter.
Mana condensed into sharp floating constructs.
Blades.
Dozens of them.
"Defend!" Manaswini shouted.
The blades launched.
WHOOOOOSH!
Raivan blocked three.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Priya smashed two aside.
Avdhoot dodged narrowly.
But one blade sliced across his arm.
Blood dripped instantly.
"…Fast."
The Mage spoke calmly.
"Adapt."
The attacks increased.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
The chamber filled with deadly projectiles.
They couldn't overpower it.
They couldn't outlast it.
Avdhoot realized something.
"…This isn't a fight."
Raivan glanced at him.
"Then what is it?"
Avdhoot's eyes locked onto the central platform.
"The inscriptions."
"They're incomplete."
Manaswini understood instantly.
"…It's maintaining the field through that structure."
"If we break it—"
"The spell collapses."
Priya grinned.
"Finally. Something simple."
Manaswini slammed her staff down.
"I'll disrupt the outer arrays!"
Raivan stepped forward.
"I'll create an opening."
Priya cracked her fists.
"I'll smash the core."
Avdhoot exhaled slowly.
"…I'll get you there."
The Mage tilted its head slightly.
"…Coordination."
"…Acceptable."
The battle erupted again.
Raivan unleashed a wave of frost across the floor.
Slowing the incoming blades.
Manaswini disrupted the runic flow with precise mana strikes.
The formation flickered.
Priya charged straight through.
Ignoring the attacks.
Taking hits.
Bleeding.
But moving forward.
Avdhoot moved beside her.
Fast.
Precise.
Every step calculated.
They reached the platform.
The Mage raised its staff.
"Too late."
Mana surged violently.
A massive construct formed above them.
A giant blade of pure energy.
Avdhoot's instincts screamed.
Move.
But Priya didn't stop.
"NOT THIS TIME!"
She jumped.
Her gauntlets burned brighter than ever.
And slammed both fists into the central inscription.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The platform shattered.
The entire chamber trembled violently.
The mana field collapsed instantly.
The floating blades vanished.
The giant construct above them flickered—
Then disappeared.
The Mage staggered.
Its staff dimmed.
"…Interesting."
Raivan didn't hesitate.
He moved.
Fast.
His frost blade pierced through the Mage's torso.
CRACK!
Ice spread through the bones.
The skeleton trembled.
Avdhoot stepped forward.
One final strike.
His dagger plunged into the core of the skeleton's chest.
The blue light in its eyes flickered.
Then slowly faded.
"…Trial…"
"…complete…"
The body collapsed into dust.
Silence returned to the chamber.
No one moved.
Then Priya dropped flat on her back.
"…I'm done."
Raivan sat down without a word.
Manaswini leaned against a pillar, breathing heavily.
Avdhoot stood still.
Looking at the shattered platform.
The dungeon wasn't natural.
The Mage wasn't guarding treasure.
It was testing them.
"…A trial," he said quietly.
Manaswini nodded weakly.
"Yes."
"And we passed."
At the center of the broken platform—
Something remained.
A small object.
Glowing faintly.
Avdhoot stepped closer.
And picked it up.
A crystal fragment.
But unlike the others—
This one pulsed with ancient energy.
Alive.
Watching.
The dungeon had given them something.
But whether it was a reward—
Or a curse—
None of them could tell yet.
[End of Chapter 32]