“Tour virtues must be tested: Cage Trust. Sacrifice Wisdom, Enco
of you must face what lies within
Before we could react, a sudden gust of wind mshed past us, carrying a shimmering silver mixt. It entled around each of in,
The air thickened with energy. My vision blurred, the Sarred separating us from one another. The world tilted beneath my feet
Hall fading from sight.
Then darkness. darkness.
When the haze cleared, I found myself standing in a cold clearing, alene. The silence was deafening, pressing against my ears heavy weight. A silver mist caled at my feet, shifting and twisting life something alive. Then, three figures materialized before me -Isaiah, Elijah, and Austin.
Relief surged through me, but it was fleeting. Something wasn’t right. They weren’t moving. They stood motionless, their faces blank, their eyes empty. They looked like themselves but felt… wrong
A deep, resonant voice echoed through the clearing.
“To prove your devotion, one must be left behind.”
My heart stopped.
“No,” I breathed, my throat tightening.
The voice remained unmoved.
“Choose.”
Panic clawed at my chest. Choose? How could I? Isaiah, Elijah, Austl–they had been by my side, fought for me, bled for me. Each
of them meant everything to me. The idea of leaving one of them behind was unthinkable.
I turned in a slow circle, searching for an escape. “There has to be another way,” I said, my voice firm but desperate.
The mist thickened, swirling aminously. The voice grew colder.
“choose, or all will perish.”
I looked back at my mates. Their faces were still expressionless, but could feel them. The band we shared pulsed faintis a whisper of warmth in the cold air. They were real. This was a test.
I clenched my
tists.
I wasn’t going to choose.
y voice trembled, but I forced conviction into my words. “Then take me instead.”
My
The mist surged forward, wrapping around me like icy fingers. The pressure was suffocating, but i stood my ground.
“I won’t choose between them,” I said, my voice resolute. “If sacrifice is required, then let it be me.”
The ground trembled beneath me. The mist recoiled, curling into itself, retreating as if my words had struck something deep. My mates shimmered, their forms fading like illusions.
1/2
Chapter 160
A woll’s howl pierced the sileñor.
Then, the voice returned–softer this time.
The clearing dissolved into silver light, and heldur I could blink, I was back
The Path Forward
The others were already there, watching me with concern.
“Stormi?” Isaiah stepped forward, gripping my arms. “Are you okay?
I nodded, though my legs felt weak. “Yeah… I think I passed.”
The ground trembled,
The stone wolves, once rigid and unmoving, lowered their heads in acknowledgment. A hidden passage cracked open beneath the ruins, revealing a stone pedestal at its center.
Resting on top of it was the last missing piece of the stone tablet.
We approached cautiously, reverence thick in the air. The ancient artifact was covered in intricate markings, glowing faintly, as awakening at our presence.
Isaiah carefully lifted it, brushing away centuries of dust. As he turned it over, the inscription became clear:
“Only with the dew of the Echoing Pines shall the path be revealed.
Alex frowned, arms crossed. “Okay… what the hell does that mean?”
Isaiah’s expression darkened with realization. His voice was steady as he recited:
“Within the ancient forest, the howls reveal,
A path to follow, a destiny to unseal.”
My heart pounded.
A chill ran down my spine.
We had our next clue.
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