I had reached the stairs before Theo and took the first three steps in one leap. Before I found my footing Theo had grabbed me by the elbow and caused me to falter in my step. I managed to stay standing by catching myself on the railing.

"The hell Theo!" I yelled as he attempted to shove me to the side.

"Only one of us gets the special reward," Theo said through gritted teeth. "And that person is going to be me. So get out of my way, Ward."

A suddenly flash of gray struck me right in the nose. I felt something crunch from the impact and immediately my eyes began to water. He had elbowed me right in the face. I tried to reach out and trip him by the ankle but I was too slow and only managed to slip onto my side. Before I knew it, Theo had taken a good three jumps up the stairs and was almost halfway to the top.

"Ward, are you okay?" Tala said as she gently placed her hand on my shoulder. I didn't respond only rubbed my thumb under my nose to check if I was bleeding. Sure enough my thumb came back red. Anger flared inside me. Not because I was struck down so easily, or for the fact that I was pretty sure my nose was broken, but by the sense of betrayal. I knew the Trials were meant to test us, putting our strengths not only against the Fallen States but against each other. After all why would the Trinity offer up a special prize to the one who reached the top first. I shouldn't have expected anything less than the son of the strongest Outrider we had, but for a moment there I thought we had become friends. To hell with Theo. I was getting that prize.

Tala had tried to ask me if I was okay again but before she could finish her question I was up on both feet and climbing as if my life depended on it.

With every step I could feel my nose dragged down by the force of my jumps while also feeling an awful burning in my leg from the Wretched Shambler. My head was still foggy and my stomach yearned for more food but despite this I rushed on. I took the stairs four at a time stretching my legs as far as I could. I reached both my hands out and grasped the railing with every jump, then pulled myself forward trying my best to keep my momentum going despite the pain I was feeling.

The had made it to the top of the stairs and stopped to look around. His attention turn to his far right then back down at me. He stared at me for a few seconds then ran off. By the time I had reached the top of the stairs I could see Theo running down a nearby hallway. There was a white and red sign painted on the wall nearby. It had a large letter H stamped in its center with an arrow pointing down the hallway. Helicopter Pad. Roof Access. We were nearly there.

I summoned what strength I had left and bolted for the hallway. Somewhere behind me I could hear Tala calling my name.

The hallway was long and built with thick walls of gray concrete that echoed with an ominous thud with each step I took. It seemed impossibly long compared to everywhere else I had traveled within the Tower. In fact as I ran it seemed as though the hallway itself was being stretched farther and farther. I could see Theo a good thirty feet ahead of me but as I focused on him running the end of the hallway grew. The far end of light became nothing more than a flickering flame from a brightly lit candle.

Theo stopped running. I took a few more steps forward before finally stopping myself. I turned around to see how far I had run but I only saw Tala now standing fifteen feet or so behind me. Her mouth was moving but there was no sound. Then her attention whipped off somewhere to her right.

My eyes trailed her gaze and I inadvertently stumbled as the world spun out from under me. The walls shot out in all directions until they faded into drapes of darkness. The floor stretched to a distant horizon that blended with the sudden night sky.

I had to focus on my feet to get my balance to come back. It took me a few good breaths before I was able to pick my head up. I wish I hadn't. Even though the rush of expansion had ended the entire world was split into three colors. Everything had an extra hue fading from its edges. Tala seemed to be shifting between three different colored versions of herself. The floor stuttered like a prismatic lantern. It was nauseating. The little food I had managed to find was almost lost before I shut my eyes and counted to ten.

One, two - A high pitched whine cut my eardrums. Three, four - Static punctuated my chest and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Five, six - My body felt like it was being pulled in three different directions. Seven, eight - Not not directions. Possibilities. Nine, ten. I opened my eyes.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I was standing in the shimmering lake of ink. The sky was black and endless. There was no sun but a reflection could be seen dancing on the edges of the swirling waters. I expected to see the figure with the inverse sun for a head but he was nowhere to be found. However, I wasn't alone. Tala and Theo were standing with me. The three of us encircled the spotlight's edge shining down from above. A voice rose from somewhere deep in the recesses of my memory to become a moment - This moment.

"To reach the pinnacle you must be willing to lay down everything. Power is given to those who hold dear to everything. My power is received by those who are willing to take it. Prove yourselves here and now. The paths ahead must be taken and you must choose your path."

I tried to talk to the voice but my words were empty and silent. They fell from my lips as though I spoke from the ocean depths. I looked over at Tala and tried to call out to her but again my words became nothing but smoke, torn away into the air by an unseen wind.

There had to be a way out of this room. A way for us to escape this darkness. The voice said that we had a choice to make. Was this the final choice of our Trials? If we succeeded in this test would we finally recieve our Class Pathways and truly begin our lives within the Fallen States? Why did everything this being - was it the Trinity speaking to us - have to be so cryptic.

I tried to summon my Codex to see if I had any quest updates, any new notifications but nothing materialized. I then tried to summon my knives but as I lifted my hands, they were already in my grasp. *When did I draw my blades? Was I holding them the entire time? Did this have something to do with the test?*

I decided that, despite my inability to talk, I could walk over to Tala and figure out another way to communicate. We could figure this out especially after all we had been through.

There was a rush of movement to my right. Theo was sprinting full speed at me. His weapon drawn out ready to attack. What was he doing? Was there a monster behind me? I looked around to see if there was any reason for his sudden sprint. But there was only me. I tried to call out again, mainly out of instinct. Again there was only silence and the strange echo of Theo's rushing footfall. Whatever Theo was seeing, I couldn't, for he had a mad look in his eyes. Then it finally hit me like brick to the back of the head. He was going to try and kill me.

I waved my hands out in an attempt to stop him but he slammed his shoulder right into my stomach. He tackled me straight into the shallow depths. My shoulders hit the ground first. The impact shuddered my spine and sent a striking pain down my back and even caused the wound in my leg to sting. Then my head slammed below the inky waters which swallowed my vision in a darkness so pure that no light would ever penetrate it. I felt the cold waters wash across me, shock me and sent a panic scattering through my mind. I tried to get up, to escape this liquid coffin, but I felt a heavy pressure push down on my chest keeping me pinned to the ground. Theo had stepped on my chest using his full weight to drown me.

I blindly slashed out with my knives. I wildly attacked at where I hoped Theo's leg was. My first swing got stopped midair then my arm got pushed into the water. My second attacked made contact with something solid. Whatever it was brought the dull blade to a sudden stop. I pushed my arm forward. Theo let out a howl. The sounds of his agony drove me to drive the blade farther. Without warning the blade was free. My attack cut through the air and almost made me drop the knife.

I felt Theo's weight lessen and took the moment to push up onto my elbow to give myself a better angle to fight. Once I caught my weight I rose fast and shoved Theo. I emerged from the waters with a deep, gasping breath as I launched Theo off of me. I watched as he fell hard on his back then twisted faster than I expected over to his side. He was already on his knees by the time I found my footing. I held my blades out in front of me. Dark liquid dripped down my hair and eyes. Theo brushed at his face with the back of his sleeve then swung his metal bat out in front of him.

“What the hell are you doing, Theo?” I asked, water spraying from my lips. My voice had returned. Perhaps Theo's tackle to my gut somehow knocked the words back into me.

“Don’t give me that, Ward. You know damn well what’s happening.” Theo slowly stood, bat ready to attack. "This is the final stretch. We are about to get our Class Pathways and whoever gets to the top first gets the special reward. After all the shit we've been through, it's gotta be worth it."

Tala came to a stop off to my left. She had summoned the book and was holding it out like a beacon of light that would break through the dark. She aimed that light towards Theo. I could see the intent in her eyes. Burn Theo now before he burned us. "Tala, wait. I think we can figure something out without killing each other." My words fell of deaf ears as Tala took the moment to summon a flare of fire and fling it right at Theo's head.

Theo wrapped his bat across his chest and caught the spark of fire across the barrel. It shattered like a broken ball of magma casting hot metal in all directions. The fierce sparks caused everyone to cover their eyes and face. I felt small shocks prick the skin of my hands and bounce from my jacket. When I felt it was safe I lowered my arm. Theo was no longer standing off to my right. He was in a dead sprint towards Tala who still had her face shielded. He was going to kill her.