The Keeper was the same woman they had seen at the gate. She bowed to them, a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips. Behind them, the Keeper’s circle created an invisible barrier. Though David couldn’t see it, the Outers had stopped a good distance away, beating against the barrier and killing themselves in the process. They were like zombies—mindless and many.

“You have shown the courage to fight against overwhelming odds,” the Keeper said. Her hair cascaded in gold, making her the most beautiful aspect of this dead city. The towers were immaculate, but they gave the city a grave-like atmosphere. David focused on the woman as she gave them a speech about being warriors.

“Now, you will show a different kind of strength. One that is less within your control.”

She gestured for them to stand to her left, then took a few steps back. Her left foot sank into the ground with a click. The ground beneath them shook, trembling as if an earthquake was about to tear the city apart. David leaped back as the ground split open, revealing an orange glow beneath. He recoiled when the heat from below pushed against his face. He glanced from the river of red below to the Keeper.

“What is this test?” David asked, a cold suspicion creeping up his spine. He pushed the fear away. He tried.

“A test of faith and luck,” the Keeper said. “The Soul Key is somewhere down there, at the bottom of the river. A test of faith, because only those with faith will survive. Faith is the armor that will protect you from the certainty of death that awaits those who jump in. If you lack faith, you have already failed.”

“And luck—why?” David asked. The Keeper smiled and gestured at the opening with delicate fingers.

“Luck, because no one knows where the Soul Key is. At the bottom? Floating on the surface? No one knows. But Lord Amareth has placed the Key within the river of death. Will you find it before you die? Or will you, like many others, have your soul stolen in your search for the Key? What will it be?”

“What if we decide to forfeit?” Elisha asked, his back to David. The Keeper grinned, her face untouched by the cruelty of the place. She seemed insulated from the harshness of the city, and David wondered if she was anything like Arya. That would explain why she seemed so detached. He looked down at the river, far below, but he could feel the heat—scalding, burning away whatever hope he had left. Did Nauli know this would be so difficult? Was Amareth testing them? The thoughts rushed through his mind.

“If you forfeit, you will survive like them,” the Keeper said. “You cannot leave the city without the Key. The Key is your passage and your only chance to challenge the one who sits at the top of the tower.”

“Do you know who sits there?” David asked. The Keeper stared at him, her lips set in a dead smile.

When she spoke again, it was to give more rules. “Only one of you can go in. Those who remain after failure will join the Outers.” She gave a small bow. “May you receive Amareth’s favor and kindness. Good luck.”

David frowned, unsure if he could trust his luck. He hated how silent Ignis had been, so he probed.

You overthink the simplest things, Ignis said, his annoyance clear and biting. David tried to figure out what he was referring to.

“No riddles. I need your hel—”

David rushed forward, pulling his brother back. Elisha’s body was covered in shadow, no part of him visible. He jerked his arm away from David and rounded to face him.

“You can’t go down there,” David said. “Your shadow is brilliant and useful, but how long do you think you’ll last down there? Think before you jump to your death.”

“What about Chloe?” Elisha asked, desperation in his voice. “She could use her protective barrier to wade through the lava and search for the Key. That should work, right?”

David shook his head, pushing Elisha aside. He wasn’t sure what plan he could devise, but he knew he was the most equipped for this test. He had two sets of armor and an affinity for flames. He didn’t delude himself into thinking it would be like swimming in a cold pool, but he was the only one who could last more than a minute down there.

“I’ll go,” David said. “I use flames, remember?” He hoped his reassurance worked for his siblings. They were already in battle—it would be foolish to return empty-handed.

He walked to the lip of the opening and looked down. He didn’t have much of a choice, so he summoned Arathorn’s Scales. The armor formed over his skin, shielding him from the heat. The dragon horn made him look a little ridiculous, but it was perfect. The helm sealed, and David sighed. He glanced back at Elisha and Chloe. Their fear mirrored his own. He smiled and nodded before leaping toward death.

He closed his eyes at first, expecting the heat to intensify as he got closer to the bubbling river. He was wrong.

The heat hit the armor first. The armor held, protecting him until he pierced the surface of the lava. The armor disintegrated almost instantly, and David was briefly ravaged before summoning the World Tilter armor. He tried to scream as the armor manifested, searing his throat and tongue.

The new armor saved him, but he was still uncomfortable as his raw skin rubbed against the inside. He didn’t have time to focus on the pain. He realized his mistake—the river was both magical and physical. The heat would continue to build until he was cooked inside the armor. Yet he let himself sink deeper. It made sense to search the bottom. It was dark, but David believed he would feel the Key if he was close.

He swam around, searching. Whenever he felt a sting, he used essence to soothe the burn and refocused his mind. He would die before giving up. Luckily, nothing else lurked in the river. Fighting a monster in these conditions would be the worst punishment. He thought he saw something sparkle in the distance but realized it was nothing.

He tried to resurface, and panic struck him—he couldn’t ascend. The force keeping him down was too strong. The harder he fought it, the more powerful it became. A new fear gripped him: burning, drowning, and failure. David cursed, understanding why no one had found the keys. Perhaps there were no keys, and he was doomed to die along with his sister.

“You will kill yourself like that,” a familiar voice said. “You can cocoon yourself instead.”

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David couldn’t understand what the mediator meant. There was no way to protect himself from the heat, and the force pushing him down was overwhelming.

“I haven’t suggested this before because it will cause great pain, but we can’t avoid it now.”

A faint blue light appeared before David, revealing the mediator’s face. She smiled.

“I need your permission to merge with you, David,” she said softly. David sensed sadness in her voice. His head buzzed with distant whispers, and the pain from the heat was almost unbearable.

“The faster you agree, the quicker this will be,” the mediator urged. “After the merge, I can help you survive this.”

David didn’t doubt her, but he hesitated, searching for another way. After a few moments, he nodded. The mediator’s face split into a smile, far different from before.

The light surged forward, sinking into David’s chest. The pain hit like a shockwave, exploding within him. David screamed, feeling as though his armor had vanished. In reality, it had. The river burned away his clothes and began eating at his skin. The layer of essence protecting him held for only seconds before it, too, was devoured.

The agony was unending.

You have absorbed Vith.

You have acquired a divinity!

David gasped as essence poured out of him. The pain had been intense but brief. He reached out to touch the bubble of essence now surrounding him. It was thick, pushing back against the waves of lava. David stood, surrounded by deep red, watching the lava flow around him. It was surreal.

“You know my name now,” the familiar voice said, though it felt closer—like his own thoughts coming back to him in a different voice. It was terrifying. But whatever had happened was saving him.

“Vith,” David said. He stared in shock as his burned arms slowly healed, new skin forming over the wounds. It itched slightly. The process amazed him.

“Am I a god now?” David asked, and Vith chuckled. The sound vibrated in his head, making him wince.

“What did we do? Why can I heal myself? And what is this bubble?”

There were so many questions, but David focused on the fact that he was standing in something that should have killed him, yet he felt no heat. The cocoon was thick, and essence flowed through it, keeping it up. David scoffed. Elisha wouldn’t believe this. Why hadn’t he done this before if this was the result?

“Because you couldn’t gain the required insight,” Vith explained. “Merging with one of us enhances your ability to control essence. This method creates a rift, but the consequences will come later. For now, you must focus on channeling as much essence as possible without passing out. I will help.”

“Shouldn’t I search for the Key?” David asked.

“You don’t find the Key—it finds you,” Vith explained. “The test is about how long you can endure. But there is a better way.”

David nodded, realizing that this was what the Keeper had meant by faith. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released his essence in a controlled flow. More essence surged from him than he had ever known he possessed. When he opened his eyes, the blue of his essence mixed with the red of the burning river, creating a staggering display of color.

The flow of essence continued for several minutes, and David began to feel the strain of losing so much.

“Don’t stop,” Vith urged. “I think we’re almost there. Just hold on a bit longer. I can feel it.”

“I can’t,” David gasped, his breath shallow. He moved his head from side to side, searching for any sign of the Key—something sparkling or glowing. But there was nothing, only the gentle outward flow of his essence. Just as he was about to stop, he felt a tug, a sudden pull, followed by the tower’s notification.

The Tenth Soul Key has manifested.

The Key floated in front of him, shimmering with power. David grasped it quickly. In an instant, the world around him changed. He was no longer submerged in the river of lava. Cold air hit his bare skin, and he found himself standing outside the Keeper’s barrier. Elisha was looking at him, mouth half-open in shock, while Chloe stood behind him, her face hidden by Elisha’s cloak.

“Allow me,” the Keeper said, handing David a stack of clean clothes. He took them gratefully, all the while frowning at Vith’s amused laughter in his head.

You have acquired a Soul Key.

The clothes were comfortable and fit him perfectly. As he dressed, the Keeper watched with a grin that made David’s face flush, as though he were still feeling the heat of the lava. Once he was dressed, he tossed the Key to Elisha, who examined it closely. There was something within the Key—David could feel it. It wasn’t power like what he had felt when absorbing Vith, but it was concentrated, pulsing with potential.

“What is it?” Elisha asked, holding the Key up to the light. It was a large slab of sapphire, gleaming brilliantly as he tossed it up and caught it. The Keeper stretched out her hand, and Elisha glanced at David before handing it over. The moment the Keeper touched it, her appearance changed. She suddenly seemed weary, as if the timeless beauty she had exuded before was only an illusion.

“It is a piece of the one who sits at the top of the tower,” the Keeper said, her voice quiet and reverent. “Those who acquire and absorb it gain the power to challenge him.”

“So it will give me a bit of the power of whoever rules over the tower?” David asked, staring at the Soul Key in awe.

The Keeper nodded. “Yes. In its current form, it is a vessel. But once you absorb it, it will unlock a portion of his power within you.”

She gestured for David to come closer, and when he did, she moved with lightning speed. Before he could react, she drove the Key into his chest. David groaned, staggering backward. If Vith hadn’t warned him, he might have attacked her. The Soul Key slid into his body, leaving a bloody gash that quickly healed.

“You can heal yourself?” Elisha asked, stunned. “That’s like Zoey. Kinda unfair.”

“Says the guy who can teleport,” David muttered, but his words were cut off as he inhaled sharply. A rush of pure essence surged through him, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It filled him with warmth, with a power he couldn’t fully comprehend. The energy coiled up within him, waiting to be unleashed.

“Vith, what is this?” David asked, feeling both awe and confusion.

“Vith?” Elisha asked, frowning. “Who is Vith?”

“This is incredible, David,” Vith said, ignoring Elisha’s question. “I don’t know if it’s because we’ve merged or if it’s due to your innate gift for essence, but you seem to be handling a portion of the Ruler’s magic with ease.”

“What can it do?” David asked, and Vith chuckled.

Arcane Magic: Emperor’s Hand.

The spell came to life as easily as breathing. Outside the Keeper’s barrier, a pillar of fire erupted, dissolving the Outers to ash in an instant. The light illuminated the city, casting the world in a brilliant flash of orange, red, and blue. Then, just as quickly, the flames disappeared, and the Outers’ moaning returned.

David stared at the spot where the fire had been. Subconsciously, he summoned his gauntlet and Zoey’s orb. If he had that much power, then surely he could…

You have attempted to tame chaos!

You do not have the required authority to affect the Orb of the Harvester!

“You lack the authority to undo the orb,” Vith explained. “Authority, not power.”

David clenched his fists, trying to hide his disappointment. He had thought, for a brief moment, that the power he had gained would be enough to free his sister.

“It’s not over,” Vith said reassuringly. “This is only the beginning. We’ll find a way.”

David nodded, forcing himself to remain calm. He had come this far, and he wasn’t going to give up now. The Soul Key was only the first step toward the end of their journey—and Zoey’s salvation.