Aston glanced at the fire suspended above them and knew this would be a problem. He summoned torches near the top of each wall and lit them. There. He was no longer using magic to continually summon fire or keep it suspended.

"What are we supposed to do?" Lucas looked at the group, his gaze frantic as a cold sweat ran down his face. "Our weapons will be useless against rocks!"

Immediately, everyone turned their gaze to Aston. He let out a loud gulp, realizing he really was the only one who could make a dent. Before he could do anything, the golem charged straight at him, Elric pushing him aside at the right moment. He quickly stood, using his sword to hold off the golem that had tried to punch Aston. For as much muscle as Elric had gained over the years, it wouldn't be enough to hold it back. Realizing this, Lucas used his daggers to hold it off.

"Um, why are you using your weapons to hold it off?" Isla raised an eyebrow. "It's rock..."

She had a point.

Aston quickly thought about what magic to use. If only he had touched a hammer before this journey... Fire seemed to be the most obvious answer. If he could melt the rock, maybe that would work. He created a ball of fire and launched it into the side of the golem.

Nothing.

Of course, that little ball of fire wouldn't work. It had to be larger. Which meant it would take thirty to forty seconds. He began casting the spell as the golem reared back, catching Elric and Lucas off guard. Using its long rocky arm, it pushed the two out of the way with ease, making its way to Aston, who began to panic, causing the spell to stop. He quickly dodged the golem, glaring at Elric and Lucas for not doing their job better.

Isla readied her bow, loosing her arrows, intentionally missing the golem. Her goal was to distract it, she knew the arrows would just bounce off the rock, causing danger to everyone else. Unfortunately, the golem was unfazed. The smug hunk of rock knew those arrows were no match for it.

The golem was dead set on Aston as if his magic attracted it. Had it known Aston was the savior and this was some sort of test to prove his worth? Either way, they would need to distract it, buying Aston time to cast his spell. But how?

"We trip it!" Gwyneth exclaimed. Elric and Lucas looked at her in confusion. "Aston, over here!" She beckoned to the boy who gave a quick nod before running over. "I'm going to need your help so that I don't, uh, die." She glanced at Elric and Lucas who looked even more confused and concerned. Aston was already on his way over; she didn't have time to explain. "Just make sure it doesn't fall on me!"

Aston ran behind the two girls as Gwyneth had motioned for him to do and began casting again. Once there, Gwyneth charged at the golem, ducking down so that she would push its legs. As she expected, the golem began its slow descent forward. Elric and Lucas immediately pushed the golem back so it wouldn't crush Gwyneth. She quickly crawled out just in time before Elric and Lucas couldn't hold it back anymore. They stumbled forward as the golem came crashing down.

Unfortunately, it began reconstructing itself almost immediately. Gwyneth turned back to Aston who was still focused on casting his spell, Darn, it would still be a little while longer. Isla, out of desperation, charged towards the rock giant, wrapping her arms around its leg in an attempt to slow it. Gwyneth mimicked her motion with the other leg. It was obvious it was a losing battle, but all they had to do was stall for a few more seconds!

"Get back!" Aston yelled, his eyes glowing a bright red. Elric and Lucas quickly pulled Gwyneth and Isla away, resulting in the golem making a sprint for Aston. Once everyone was a safe distance away, he unleashed the fire spell he had been casting. A flaming red meteor, about the size of the golem's torso, materialized from Aston's hands as he launched it into the golem. He backed away as much as he could before the rocks melted into a pile of dust. An azure crystal remained, and the walls began to shake.

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"It's going to summon another one-" Elric was cut off by the sound of glass shattering. An arrow had pierced the crystal, causing it to shatter and the walls to stabilize.

"I think... I think we did it!" Isla beamed through her exhaustion.

"It would have been nice if there was some sort of warning." Elric glanced at Lucas who was conveniently already looking away.

"You can't expect everything to be accurately recorded." Gwyneth gently patted Elric's shoulder, a sympathetic smile creeping through. Elric sighed knowing he shouldn't have expected Lucas to have all the answers, but when a giant rock golem materializes out of nowhere, it tends to put you on edge.

They proceeded deeper into the cave; A cold breeze greeted them as they climbed through the opening created by the golem. Or rather, the rocks used to form the golem were now missing, allowing the group to proceed.

The hallway expanded into a circular room. Large white fluorescent crystal shards lined the walls, giving the place a faint blue glow, making it far easier to see. The group had never seen crystals like these before or even read about them (in Gwyneth's case). Did they originate from the cave itself? Did other caves also have secret rooms with crystals? Or perhaps these crystals were linked to the sword they were searching for.

"What are these?" Isla gaped at the crystals before her, spinning around to take in everything. Even the ceiling was lined with these mysterious shards.

"Better not be remnants of the sword." Aston crossed his arms.

"If anything, I think it means we're going the right way." Gwyneth also took in the sight before her. "They remind me of isabells."

"If isabells were shards instead of flowers, at least." Isla smiled.

Gwyneth was about to laugh when she noticed the sword several feet before her. It was pure white giving off a translucent glow. Its blade far wider than any sword she had seen before, and the hilt was nearly indistinguishable from the blade. If she had to guess, the whole sword was made of marble. But that wouldn't make sense. It stood protruding from a stone slab, the material not different from the cave itself.

"Arise, your destiny awaits."

"Did you hear that?" Gwyneth nearly jumped at the voice.

"Hear... what?" Elric asked, frantically looking around after noticing Gwyneth's unease. Was someone coming? Would there be another golem?

"I can feel another presence here, yes." Isla nodded, doing little to put Elric at ease.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lucas squinted at the group before him. How come he couldn't sense anything?

"I don't think "hear" is the right word." Aston paused in his tracks. "It's like... A feeling. Something within me." It was as if the sword in front of him called out to his very being. It was beckoning to him, yearning for him, almost as if to say, "I'm here, take me." This sword would complete him, he was sure.

"What are you waiting for? It's yours to claim." Elric urged him.

Aston nodded at the group before turning back to the sword. Taking a deep breath, he approached the sword and placed both hands on the hilt.

And immediately cried out in pain. Waves of electricity soared through every nerve, setting fire to every cell in his body. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move — he couldn't pull away from the sword.

"Do not be surprised if the sword finds you unworthy." Mathilda's words rang through his ears.

"Aston!" Gwyneth ran to the boy before feeling herself shoved aside. Elric had pushed her away, fearing that she too might be hurt by the blade. He wrapped his arms around Aston's chest, freeing him from the sword. He lay on the floor unconscious, yet seemingly unhurt.

"Is he going to be okay?" Isla grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. She was relieved when there was one.

"I think so, but we should get out of here." Gwyneth furrowed her brows. Suddenly, she felt a pang of guilt. She was the one who had urged Aston to find the sword. Because of her, he had to suffer immense pain. She sighed. She would let him chew her out when he woke up.

"What do we do about the sword?" Lucas gawked. They had come all this way and risked their lives. Would they really leave it behind?

"We leave it." Elric narrowed his eyes before relaxing. It wasn't Lucas' fault. "He was unworthy; the sword will do him more harm than good."

Elric carried Aston on his back as they made their way to the cave entrance. Once they stepped out, the ground began to shake faintly.

"Is there an earthquake?" Isla asked, staring at the ground before looking up at the trees shaking slightly.

"Just our luck." Elric pushed by her, eager to get to the village to place Aston down.

"But what would cause an earthquake...?" Gwyneth wondered, her voice soft enough that Isla and Elric had completely missed it.