Linus held up the map fragment with the verse, his voice steady as he addressed the group.
Louis, still clutching the Phoenix’s Heart gem, stepped forward. he stated, his tone brooking no argument.
Aria’s team immediately bristled at his demand. one of her companions replied.
A murmur of agreement rippled through Aria’s group, their suspicion evident. Louis’s team matched their wariness, equally concerned about the risk of being double-crossed or ambushed once the sanctuary was opened.
Linus raised a hand, calling for calm. he said, his tone calm but firm.
The silence stretched thick with distrust. Aria flexed her fingers around the hilt of her sword, her eyes flicking between Louis and his team. Her companions exchanged uneasy glances toward one another, silent messages passing between them.
Louis exhaled sharply through his nose, his grip on the Phoenix’s Heart gem tightening. he said.
Linus stepped between them, his stance deliberate. he reminded them, his voice calm yet insistent.
Aria's expression remained guarded, but after a lingering pause, she gave a single nod. she conceded.
Louis snorted.
The two factions didn’t relax, but at least they weren’t seconds away from drawing blood. For now, it would have to be enough.
They moved closer to the sanctuary entrance, the eerie glow from the Phoenix’s Heart gem casting long, distorted shadows on the ancient stone walls.
They negotiated in clipped, tense words, every inch of space between them a battlefield of unspoken threats and uneasy truces. Eventually, they settled on a formation: the light mage in the center, Louis’s group flanking the right with the gem, and Aria’s team on the left, ready to counter any betrayal. Linus positioned himself behind the light mage, his gaze flicking between both sides.
No one was comfortable. No one truly trusted the arrangement. But with the sanctuary looming before them, there was no turning back.
Linus asked, his eyes sweeping over the assembled figures. Nods came from both sides, the tension crackling but contained.
The light mage stepped forward, accepting the gem from Louis with a wary glance. He felt the gem’s weight, a pulse of energy thrumming within. Then, meeting Linus’s gaze, took the map fragment he held out, eyes skimming over the ancient verse written there.
The light mage took a steadying breath before reading the verse aloud, her voice clear and unwavering in the still night. Linus’s eyes narrowed slightly as he realized the mage was a woman. Her voice carried a distinct tone, each syllable hanging in the air, resonating with an ancient power.
In response, the runes on the sanctuary’s entrance began to pulse with a ghostly light, growing brighter with each word she spoke. The atmosphere grew heavy, charged with anticipation, as the ancient magic stirred, responding to the verse in a language older than time itself.
A deep, resonant rumble echoed from within, and the massive stone doors began to shift, sliding open to reveal a dark, gaping passageway beyond. A hollow wind rushed past them, carrying the scent of dust and something older—something untouched by time. The darkness beyond felt alive, stretching toward them like an open maw.
Everyone held their breath, the moment of truth hanging thick in the air. Linus could feel the wave of anticipation and latent fear emanating from the group.
The sanctuary lay open, and with it, the path to the Phoenix Blade. The real test, however, was just beginning.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The massive sanctuary doors creaked open, revealing a dark interior dimly illuminated by the faint glow of ancient runes. Shadows leaped across the stone walls, casting eerie, twisted shapes that seemed to beckon them forward. As the doors swung wider, the echoing space amplified the whispers of the labyrinthine maze awaiting them. Everyone hesitated, each feeling the weight of this sacred place—the Phoenix Blade lay somewhere beyond, and only one could claim it.
The silence shattered as Aria charged forward, her lightning-infused blade crackling, a streak of electric fury in the dim space. She lunged at Linus with deadly precision, but he countered smoothly, his shadow-wrapped sword absorbing the lightning’s energy. Dark tendrils erupted from the stone floor, reaching for her ankles.
Before they could ensnare her, Aria’s partner intervened, slicing through the tendrils with a swift arc of his water-infused blade. A pulse of water surged, loosening the shadows’ grip. Aria staggered but steadied herself, her eyes burning with a renewed resolve.
From the side, Louis Rutherford’s fiery blade illuminated his approach, casting a flickering glow across the chamber. He swung his sword in a broad arc, sending a wave of heat that forced Linus to teleport out of range, disappearing into the sanctuary’s deeper shadows. Reappearing behind a pillar, Linus conjured a shadow clone—a swift, silent echo of himself that lunged at Louis from the darkness.
The clang of steel echoed as Louis parried, the force of the impact igniting a surge of sparks. Each clash seemed louder in the hollow chamber, every strike reverberating off the stone walls.
The Sorenputhra spy entered the fray with a gust-infused swing of his mace, aiming for Aria’s light mage. She barely evaded the impact, the powerful gust throwing her against the wall. She recovered quickly, retaliating with a flash of blinding light, filling the chamber with a dazzling glare that momentarily stunned her opponents.
Seizing the cover of the light, Aria and her partner launched a synchronized strike against Louis, their blades creating a cascade of steam as lightning, water, and fire collided. Louis roared and countered with an explosion of flame, cracking the floor and sending shards of stone flying. A fragment grazed Aria’s arm, and she winced, her grip faltering for a split second.
Linus saw his chance. He summoned a shadow beast, a mass of dark energy that lunged at Aria’s partner, forcing him to split his focus. The Sorenputhra light mage fired beams of concentrated light at the beast, dispersing it in an instant. Linus, taking advantage of the moment, slipped behind the light mage, his shadow blade slicing through the air in a deadly arc. The mage stumbled, blood blooming on his shoulder as he struggled to maintain his spell.
Aria’s gaze locked onto Linus. As she charged, her blade sparkled with renewed lightning, and her attack was an arc of blue light slicing through the darkness. Linus barely managed to parry, gritting his teeth as the shock of electricity traveled through his arm.
Louis hurled another wave of fire toward her, forcing her to dodge back as her partner raised a barrier to shield them. The protective light threw deep shadows around the chamber, which
