We were still processing the new presence Mel radiated, her transformation both breathtaking and humbling. Her glowing turquoise eyes scanned the cavern with an intensity that made me pause, her stance exuding both grounded strength and a sharp, new alertness. Trish and Leo murmured something about her weapon’s shifting forms, their voices filled with awe. Frodi’s booming laugh rumbled through the cavern, breaking the tension of the earlier fight.

And then Mel froze.

Her ethereal glow seemed to flicker faintly, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto a single point. “Where is Tieryn?” she demanded, her voice cutting through the brief moment of relief like a blade.

Her words sent a jolt through me. My head snapped toward the spot where Tieryn had been. My heart sank.

The figure bound in stone wasn’t Tieryn.

The realization hit like a punch to the gut. My grip tightened around Virellia as I took a step closer. The person bound before us was someone entirely different, an older woman, her clothes tattered and face gaunt, her body trembling as a low, eerie laugh escaped her lips.

“Tieryn, stop your games,” I growled, my voice a mix of anger and disbelief. “Shifting won’t save you. You…”

My words faltered as a voice, smooth and mocking, echoed through the cavern.

“You foolish boy,” Tieryn sneered, her tone dripping with condescension. “You really think me weak enough to get caught by the likes of you? How quaint. You’re in my territory now.”

Her voice was everywhere and nowhere, weaving through the shadows that clung to the cavern walls. It reverberated like a taunt, each word laced with an amusement that made my blood boil.

I scanned the chamber, my gaze darting from corner to corner, trying to pinpoint the source of her voice. The air seemed thicker, heavier, as though her presence itself weighed down on us.

Then my attention snapped back to the bound woman. Her lips twisted into a mirthless grin, her laughter growing louder and louder until it filled the cavern, echoing in a way that didn’t belong to her frail form. She leaned forward as much as the restraints allowed, her eyes gleaming with a manic light, something caught between madness and revelation.

Tieryn’s laugh began to fade, the echoes diminishing until only the faintest trace lingered in the air. But there was something in those final moments, a subtle crack in the bravado that made me pause. Hidden beneath the mocking tone, buried at the very edge of the sound, was a tremble.

A hint of something raw. Something real.

Fear.

I smirked, then turned back to the maddening woman. Her eyes darted wildly, unfocused and erratic, her mouth moving in rapid, unnatural motions. Her entire body trembled violently as she began to rise, floating above the ground as though pulled by an unseen force.

“Run!” Leo shouted, already sprinting away at full speed.

None of us questioned him. We bolted, the urgency in his voice leaving no room for hesitation. My heart pounded in my chest as I ran, but something told me it wouldn’t be enough. Skidding to a halt, I slammed my shield into the ground, casting [Celestial Sanctum] with all the force I could muster.

Trish was right beside me, her wings slamming forward in a protective arc. Her chakrams whirled out, forming an intricate barrier of spinning light just beyond her wings. “Brace!” she shouted.

Then it happened.

A screeching scream erupted from the woman, piercing the air with a sound so raw and unnatural it sent a chill racing down my spine. The screech grew into an earsplitting crescendo before a massive explosion tore through the chamber. The walls shook violently as cracks splintered outward like jagged lightning, threatening to collapse the entire cavern.

Leo’s voice rose in a chant, the words inaudible over the chaos. His form shifted and morphed, stone overtaking his body until he stood as a massive elemental. Without hesitation, he shot into the ground, disappearing beneath the quaking floor.

The cracks raced toward us, threatening to swallow us whole. I gritted my teeth, pushing all my strength into the shield, watching as Trish’s chakrams and wings absorbed the brunt of the blast. Yet it wasn’t enough. Shadowy tendrils erupted from the explosion, snaking through the air with violent intent.

The pressure on our combined defenses was unbearable. The tendrils writhed and lashed, forcing their way through any gap they could find, stabbing at our bodies. Trish and I screamed, the exertion and pain nearly overwhelming as the force pushed us back inch by inch.

At my hip, Virellia began to hum, her vibrations resonating through me like a faint melody. A light emanated from her, golden and defiant, spilling over into the shield. The radiant energy surged, and I felt Virellia’s presence scream in pain as she poured everything into strengthening the barrier.

The shield pulsed with celestial light, obliterating any shadow tendrils that drew too close. The pressure eased, but not enough. A deafening crash resounded as stone erupted in front of us, forming a towering wall that blocked the remaining onslaught.

Trish’s wings and chakrams snapped back to her body, the sudden release leaving her gasping for air. The shaking slowed, the tremors subsiding into faint vibrations as the explosion’s force finally abated.

“Virellia, are you okay?” I asked, my voice trembling with panic as I felt her weakened state. No response. My heart clenched, the silence stretching unbearably long.

“Virellia?!” I screamed, desperation clawing at my chest.

“I just…” her voice finally whispered, faint but present. Relief flooded me. “Need some rest.”

Her presence faded, and I exhaled shakily, patting her hilt with trembling fingers. “Rest, my friend. We’ll be here when you wake,” I murmured, my voice soft but steady.

Letting my back slide down the wall, I sank to the floor beside Trish. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, the echoes of the explosion still ringing in my ears. For now, we were alive. But the weight of what had just happened lingered, I clenched my fist in anger.

“It’s not enough,” I mumbled, my voice barely audible over the lingering hum of tension in the cavern.

Trish’s sharp gaze snapped to me. “What’s not enough?” she asked, her tone cautious, yet her eyes held concern.

“This!” I shouted, gesturing to myself with a sweep of my arm. My voice came out harsher than I intended, anger cracking through it like thunder. “All of this!”

Mel and Trish exchanged a wary glance before turning their full attention back to me. Their concern only added fuel to the fire burning in my chest.

Leo emerged from the ground, his elemental form diminished, his presence grounding yet questioning. He locked his gaze on me, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What exactly do you mean?” he asked, his tone measured, but I caught the edge of worry beneath it.

“How the hells did I not see that wasn’t her?” I said, my fists clenched as I stared down at the ground, unable to meet their eyes. “Or… what if it was her, but she switched places with… that while I was distracted?” My voice cracked as I gestured toward the wall where the old woman had detonated into a storm of shadow and destruction.

“Mate, this isn’t just on you,” Mel said softly, lowering herself to the ground before me. Her massive form radiated strength, but her voice carried a gentleness that caught me off guard. “This was all of us.” Her turquoise eyes, usually so fierce, now shimmered with unspoken pain.

I barely registered her words, the weight of guilt crushing me until realization struck like a blade. My head shot up, scanning the cavern. “Frodi,” I whispered, panic tightening my throat. “Where the hells is Frodi?”

The air grew unbearably still. A single tear slid down Mel’s cheek, catching the faint glow of her ethereal light. Leo turned toward the wall he had created, his jaw tightening as his gaze lingered on the jagged stone.

Trish’s hand came to rest gently on my shoulder, her touch steady but trembling faintly. Her golden-brown eyes shimmered with sorrow as she whispered, “He didn’t make it.”

My breath caught. The words hung in the air, cutting deeper than any blade.

Mel’s voice broke the silence, raw and quiet. “He knew he wouldn’t…”

Leo’s voice, heavier than I’d ever heard it, finished the thought. “So, he turned and shielded us with his body as best he could.”

My chest tightened, a cold ache spreading as the truth settled in. My mind raced back to the moment of the explosion. Trish. She had slammed her wings forward with such force, her movements frantic and desperate. Not just to protect herself. Not just to shield me.

She knew. She had known what I would do if I had seen him.

Virellia was silent, but her presence lingered in my mind, like a comforting hand on my shoulder. I felt her sadness entwined with my own, her gentle embrace trying to dull the sharp edges of my grief. There was nothing I could have done, she was telling me that without words, but the weight of those truths felt no lighter.

“I need to be stronger,” I said finally, my voice low, almost breaking. “More aware.”

“We all do, brother,” Leo replied, his tone softer than I’d expected. “We all do.”

Trish’s gaze was sharp, her jaw set tightly. “Tieryn knows she can’t beat us,” she said, her words clipped with barely contained fury. “She did this hoping to break our spirits, to shake our resolve.”

Mel’s voice cut through the tension, steady but simmering with her own anger. “She fears us now; and she should.”

We sat there for a time, letting the silence settle around us, catching our breath and tending to our wounds both seen and unseen. Trish’s aura radiated a soothing warmth, her innate healing ability working tirelessly. I could feel its power surging stronger than ever, the evidence in how quickly our injuries faded.

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I glanced at her, a quiet thankfulness swelling in my chest. She caught my gaze and gave me a small nod, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and reassurance. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

“We should see the other side of the wall,” I said quietly, my voice strained. “We need to know what happened… what’s left.”

Mel hesitated, her glowing turquoise eyes flicking to Leo and Trish. The pain in her expression was undeniable, but after a beat, she nodded. “Aye, you’re right,” she murmured.

Leo stepped forward, his hand brushing the wall he had forged in the heat of battle. The stone trembled slightly at his touch, responding to his will. With a deep breath, he began to dismantle the barrier, the chunks of rock crumbling away like sand through his fingers.

As the wall fell away, the aftermath of the explosion was laid bare before us. The cavern was in shambles. Cracks spider-webbed across every surface, stalactites had fallen, and the ground was littered with debris and scorched remains of the puppeteer’s destructive power.

And then, we saw him.

Frodi’s massive form lay at the heart of the devastation, or what was left of him. His once-mighty body was reduced to little more than a smoldering skeleton, charred and brittle. The armor he had worn was melted and warped, fused to the stone beneath him. The sight was haunting, a visceral reminder of the cost of his sacrifice.

Mel’s breath hitched audibly, and she fell to her knees, her ethereal glow dimming as she stared at what remained of her friend. “Frodi…” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Trish reached out, resting a hand on Mel’s shoulder, her own expression etched with grief. “He knew what he was doing,” she said softly. “He saved us.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and tight. My hand unconsciously moved to Virellia’s hilt, seeking her steadying presence. Even in her weakened state, I could feel her grief mingling with mine, a shared sorrow for a soul who had given everything.

Leo knelt beside Mel, his hand brushing the smoldering remains of Frodi’s skeleton. The stones beneath it seemed to hum faintly in response, a final acknowledgment of the giant’s sacrifice. “He stood between us and certain death,” Leo said, his voice quiet but resolute. “Without him, we wouldn’t be standing here.”

The silence that followed was heavy, punctuated only by the faint crackling of cooling stone.

“We should honor him,” Trish said finally, her voice steady despite the tears glistening in her golden eyes. “He deserves that much.”

Leo stepped forward, his hand resting on Frodi’s smoldering remains. The earth trembled beneath him, and slowly, it began to rise, swallowing the giant’s skeleton in a solemn, deliberate motion. The stone sealed over him like a tomb, final and unyielding.

Leo straightened, patting Mel’s shoulder as he turned to face me. His voice was quiet but unshakable. “We’ll honor him by finding Max and taking down that assassin… and whoever’s pulling her strings.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears, though his face remained stoic. He turned away before anyone could see more.

We nodded in silence, standing together and staring at the spot where Frodi’s remains had rested. The cavern felt heavier somehow, the air thick with unspoken promises.

After a moment, I broke the silence. “Which way to where Max was lost?” My voice was steady, but a weight pressed down on my chest, the loss still fresh.

Mel raised her arm, pointing to an opening now buried under rubble. “He was lost in that cavern, just through there.”

Leo moved wordlessly toward the obstruction, his steps slow and deliberate. Placing his hand on the rubble, he closed his eyes. The stones began to shift, flowing together like water, merging into the walls around us. The cracks in the cavern, remnants of the explosion, filled in as if healed by an unseen force. Within minutes, the rubble was gone, and the walls stood smooth and unbroken, like nothing had ever marred them.

As the last of the stone settled, Leo swayed, his balance faltering. He fell back, but Trish appeared at his side in an instant, catching him with ease. She guided him down, her movements gentle but firm.

“Rest for a bit, Leo,” she said softly, kneeling beside him. Her hands hovered over him, glowing faintly with a warm, golden light. Her lips moved, casting a spell, though the words were too quiet for me to hear.

Leo nodded in gratitude, his eyes closing as the healing energy washed over him. The tension in his shoulders eased, his breathing slowing.

Curious, I glanced at Trish. “What was that?” I asked.

She smiled, her expression both proud and tired. “I can do more than just heal your health now,” she explained. “I can also transfer mana to others, but…” Her smile wavered. “I can only do it once a week, and it drains me for a while. My mana use will be limited for the next few hours.”

I nodded, impressed. “That’s new.”

“It is,” she replied with a small shrug. “I figured it was worth the cost.”

After waiting a few minutes for Leo to regain his strength, he finally stood, brushing off the dust that clung to his robes and nodding in my direction. I pushed myself off the wall, shaking the stiffness from my limbs, and walked toward the opening.

Mel, who had been sitting cross-legged in a meditative state, opened her glowing turquoise eyes. Determination radiated from her expression as she stood, her newfound presence exuding a quiet intensity. Trish stretched her wings and arms as she stepped up beside me, her movements deliberate and precise. Together, the four of us fell into formation, a silent unity driving us forward as we entered the cavern where Max was last seen.

The atmosphere shifted immediately. The air felt heavier, carrying a damp, metallic tang that clung to my senses. The faint drip of water echoed in the distance, but it only served to emphasize the oppressive silence around us. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls, twisting and curling as if alive.

“Something in here… feels wrong.” Virellia’s voice resonated in my mind, breaking the uneasy quiet. The suddenness of her words startled me, her silence until now making them all the more jarring.

I instinctively tightened my grip on her haft. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice low, summoning my shield into my left hand.

“Something here is not what it appears to be,” she replied, her tone carrying a rare edge of caution.

I stopped, closing my eyes and allowing my senses to extend outward. The others halted with me, their weapons shifting slightly as they scanned the cavern for threats. I could feel their tension, the unspoken questions hanging in the air.

Trish moved closer, her wings flaring out slightly as if to shield us. Mel’s hammer rested on her shoulder, its ethereal turquoise glow casting faint patterns on the rocky walls. Leo stood at my other side, his hands poised to summon the elements as he whispered something under his breath, likely preparing a spell.

“Show me what you feel, Virellia,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. My heartbeat steadily, but my skin prickled with the sense that we were not alone.

A faint pulse radiated from Virellia, and the cavern’s appearance began to shift, almost imperceptibly at first. The shadows grew darker, deeper, as if they were being stretched beyond their natural bounds. Faint whispers brushed against my mind, too quiet to understand, but persistent enough to unsettle.

Through Virellia’s connection, the world became sharper, more vivid. The texture of the walls seemed to ripple, their surfaces taking on an almost fluid quality. The faint hum of unseen energy thrummed through the air, vibrating against my skin like the resonance of a distant bell.

“Do you see it?” Virellia’s voice asked, softer now, as though speaking directly into my soul.

I opened my eyes, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I did. A faint shimmer danced at the edge of my vision, flickering like heat waves above hot stone. It was subtle, elusive, as if whatever it was didn’t want to be found.

“There’s something here,” I said aloud, my voice steady despite the unease clawing at my gut. “And it knows we’re here too.”

The others tensed at my words. Mel’s hammer shifted into a greatsword in her hands, the transition seamless and instinctive. Trish’s chakrams hovered around her, spinning slowly, their edges gleaming with a golden light. Leo stepped forward, the ground beneath his feet shifting slightly as if responding to his presence.

“Eyes open,” I said, my shield raised as I stepped further into the cavern. “It’s watching us.”

“Easy now,” a woman’s voice rang through the cavern, calm and gentle, yet carrying an eerie resonance that seemed to echo from every direction.

We froze. The air around us thickened, and my grip on Virellia tightened. “There needs not be a fight, friends,” the voice spoke again, her tone soft but unyielding.

“Easy for the unseen to say,” I called out, my voice sharp and steady as my eyes swept the cavern. Shadows flickered, but none gave away the source.

A sigh, heavy with sadness, rippled through the darkness. “Because if I were to appear before you now, you might attempt to strike me down without question. Especially after the immense battle you just endured.” Her words were measured, tinged with sorrow rather than malice.

Trish growled low in her throat, her chakrams spinning in restless circles. “You just watched that play out? You had no thoughts of helping, and now you expect us to trust you?” Her tone was sharp, bristling with anger.

A gentle laugh followed, soft yet strangely disarming. “You think I would willingly step into the chaos between monstrous forces like that? And who’s to say you wouldn’t have turned your weapons on me the moment I revealed myself?” she countered, her voice unwavering but without venom.

Her reasoning struck a nerve, though I kept my expression neutral. I couldn’t fault her logic, but that didn’t mean I trusted her. “What is it you want?” I asked, my voice firm, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Silence stretched for a heartbeat, then another. The tension in the air was palpable. Finally, a figure emerged from the shadows, her arms raised in a gesture of surrender. “I want to help you,” she said simply, stepping into the faint light. Her voice softened as she added, “And to help you reunite with your friend.”

The light revealed her features, and I felt my breath hitch. Her hair was like the midnight sky itself, shifting and flowing around her, dotted with what seemed to be glistening stars. Her deep purple eyes held a quiet depth, her gaze unwavering but without hostility. Her skin, a striking shade of violet-blue, seemed to absorb the light and reflect it back faintly, giving her an almost ethereal glow.

She stood there, unarmed, her presence calm yet undeniably otherworldly. Every instinct screamed to stay on guard, but something about her demeanor gave me pause.

Leo was the first to respond, his tone cautious but probing. “What friend?” he asked, testing her claim with deliberate ambiguity.

The woman didn’t falter, her deep purple eyes meeting his with unwavering calm. “Max is his name. Is it not?” she replied, her voice steady, almost soothing, yet carrying a weight that demanded attention.

Our gazes snapped to one another, unspoken questions swirling between us. Trish’s chakrams pulsed angrily, their faint hum the only sound in the cavern. Mel stepped forward, her turquoise glow flaring slightly as her glare fixed on the Drow woman.

“And how,” Mel began, her voice low and venomous, each word laced with barely contained anger, “do you plan on helping us reunite?”

The Drow’s expression remained serene, though her hands, still raised in surrender, shifted slightly as if to show she meant no harm. “I have been watching,” she said simply. “Not interfering, only observing. Max has been... taken. Bound in ways you cannot undo alone.”

Mel let out a growl, her hammer resting on her shoulder like a threat barely held back. “Convenient, isn’t it?” she spat. “You watched, you let him be taken, and now you show up, expecting us to believe you care?”

The woman’s head tilted slightly, her midnight hair shimmering as it moved. “You misunderstand,” she said softly, her tone almost apologetic. “I did not allow it. What holds him is beyond me, but it is not beyond you. And if you wish to see him again, you’ll need someone who knows how to navigate the labyrinth you’re stepping into.”

Her words sent a chill through me. “Labyrinth?” I echoed, my shield still raised. “What are you talking about?”

The Drow’s gaze flicked to me, her deep purple eyes locking onto mine. “The Void Empress’s servants are clever. They do not simply steal. They hide their spoils in realms not meant for mortal feet. If Max is to be found, you will need me to guide you through the veil.”

“Bound... how exactly?” I asked, easing my grip on my shield. The calming pulse of Virellia’s trust flowed through me, tempering my unease. I glanced at the others, silently urging them to relax, at least enough to hear what the woman had to say.

Her deep purple eyes scanned us, gauging our readiness to listen. “The labyrinth is both of this world and not,” she began, her voice steady yet laced with urgency. “You can enter it here and exit here, but its pathways connect to any world in this realm, and even to hers.”

Her words sent a ripple of unease through the group. The mention of her realm darkened the air like a storm cloud.

Mel’s glowing turquoise eyes narrowed, her hammer shifting slightly in her grip. “And how do we know you’re not working with her?” she asked, her tone hesitant but firm, as though she already suspected the truth but needed reassurance.

The woman’s midnight hair shimmered faintly as she shook her head. “Because, if not for me, Max would already be dead within those walls. I cannot intervene directly,” she admitted, her expression pained. “But I’ve done what I can, guided him unseen, left him what gifts I could to aid him in his fight.”

Trish stepped closer, her chakrams humming softly in warning. “If you’ve helped him, why not bring him out?” she asked, suspicion still heavy in her voice.

The Drow’s gaze turned to Trish, solemn and unyielding. “The labyrinth’s laws bind me as much as they bind him. My interference can only go so far before I risk being caught. If we do not hurry, I fear his strength will fail, even at his new rank.” Her voice softened at the end her sorrow clear.

Mel’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of Max’s rank, her skepticism wavering. “New rank?” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion and hope.

The woman nodded. “He has ascended, but his enemies grow stronger too. What awaits him in the labyrinth is not just a trial, it is a death sentence unless you reach him soon.”