For a single, breathless moment—there was nothing.
No sound. No ground beneath my feet. No warning.
Just the sensation of falling.
I barely had time to scream before a surge of magic flared around me, wrapping around my body and slowing my descent. The world blurred as I plummeted through what looked like an endless abyss, a deep void of swirling shadows and glowing symbols.
Then—impact.
I hit the ground with a roll, my knees scraping against the rough stone. My ears rang, my vision spun, but I was alive.
I exhaled sharply, shaking the disorientation from my head. What the hell was that?
I scrambled to my feet, my hands instinctively reaching for my surroundings. The space was dimly lit by flickering torches embedded in the walls. The air was damp, cool, and smelled faintly of moss and something metallic—blood? No, it wasn't fresh. But this place had seen battle before.
A groan sounded nearby.
I spun around, my heart hammering, but it wasn't a threat.
It was—
"Lillian?"
She sat up slowly, rubbing her temple. Her usual grace was absent, her composed demeanor cracked just enough to reveal the mild irritation in her furrowed brows. "That was... quite the landing," she muttered.
I rushed toward her, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. "I'll survive. But…" Her emerald gaze darted around the dimly lit space. "It looks like we're not where we started."
I swallowed. "The others?"
"I don't know."
A cold weight settled in my stomach. We were separated.
Before panic could fully take hold, a low, mechanical click echoed through the chamber.
We both stiffened.
And then—
A wall to our left shifted.
No, it wasn't a wall.
It was moving.
The stone seemed to ripple like liquid, forming into jagged spikes, twisting into unnatural shapes. Then—eyes opened within the stone itself. Dozens of glowing, soulless eyes stared back at us.
I barely had time to register what was happening before the thing lunged.
"Move!" Lillian shouted.
I didn't need to be told twice.
We dodged just as the monster's arm—if I could even call it that—slammed into the spot we had just been standing. The impact cracked the stone beneath it, sending shards flying in every direction.
I landed into a crouch, my heart hammering. "What the hell is that?!"
Lillian's eyes were sharp as she assessed it. "It's… a Sentinel Construct. A magical entity bound to protect this place."
The monster straightened, its enormous form towering over us. More runes began glowing along its rocky skin. Then, with another deep rumble, it raised its other arm.
This time—it was aiming at me.
I barely had time to react before a pulse of pure energy surged toward me.
Shit!
[Fire Shield]
A wall of flames erupted in front of me, clashing against the construct's energy blast. The impact sent a wave of heat across the chamber, my boots sliding back against the force of it.
Lillian wasted no time.
With a flick of her wrist, a golden sigil materialized beneath her. Light magic flared around her fingertips, weaving through the air like threads of gold.
[Luminous Chains]
Golden chains shot forward, wrapping around the Sentinel's limbs, pulling tight.
"Now, Sera!" Lillian called out.
I didn't hesitate.
I pushed forward, flames bursting to life around my dagger as I channeled my magic.
[Blazing Strike]
I leaped.
My blade ignited with fire as I slashed downward, aiming directly at the creature's glowing core. The blade met stone—
And then—
Everything exploded.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the chamber.
I barely managed to land on my feet, skidding across the stone floor as dust and debris clouded the air. My ears rang from the sheer force of it, my breath coming in short gasps.
"Did we—" I started, but before I could even finish my sentence, a deep rumbling vibrated through the ground beneath us.
The dust cleared just enough for me to see it.
The Sentinel was still standing.
Cracks spread across its body, glowing with ember-like energy, but it wasn't enough. The thing let out a hollow, guttural sound, something between a roar and grinding stone, before lumbering forward again.
"Oh, come on!" I yelled in frustration.
Lillian was already moving, golden light forming at her fingertips. "It's bound to this place by magic," she said quickly. "We need to destroy its core entirely—your attack damaged it, but we need to hit it again."
The Sentinel raised one of its massive arms, the runes on its body flaring with raw energy.
I braced myself, magic burning at my fingertips. "Then let's finish this."
It lunged.
I dodged, rolling to the side as its stone fist slammed into the ground where I had been standing. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, bits of debris shooting up from the sheer impact.
Lillian, moving with terrifying precision, raised a hand—golden barriers materializing mid-air, catching the fragments before they could hit me.
"Cover me!" I shouted.
She didn't even hesitate.
With a swift motion, Lillian raised her hands—her magic forming a radiant bow of pure light.
[Divine Arrow]
She fired.
The glowing arrow streaked through the air, slamming into the Sentinel's exposed core. The moment of impact sent golden light exploding through its body, causing the cracks in its form to widen even further.
I took my chance.
Summoning every ounce of magic in my body, I charged.
[Blazing Strike]
With fire coursing through my veins, I leaped one last time—dagger burning red-hot as I drove it straight into the construct's core.
For a second, everything froze.
Then—
The Sentinel shattered.
Stone and energy burst outward, dissipating into the air in a shockwave of magic. A deep, guttural sound echoed through the chamber as the creature collapsed inward, its remaining fragments crumbling into dust.
Silence followed.
I landed hard, my legs nearly giving out beneath me as I exhaled sharply. Lillian lowered her bow, watching as the last remnants of the construct faded into nothingness.
"…Is it over?" I asked, still breathless.
She tilted her head, scanning the area. "For now."
I let out a relieved sigh before collapsing onto the cold stone floor. "Well, that was hell."
Lillian chuckled, moving toward me before kneeling at my side. "You did well."
I looked up at her, watching as she tucked a strand of her silver hair behind her ear, her emerald eyes glowing faintly from the residual magic still surrounding her.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, feeling exhaustion creep in. "But let's never do that again."
She smirked, offering me a hand. "Oh, Sera."
I groaned, taking it. "Don't—"
But before I could finish, the walls began to shift again.
I froze.
Lillian's expression darkened, her fingers tightening around mine.
"…Looks like we don't have a choice," she muttered.
Because as the dust cleared, the torches lining the chamber flickered brighter. The runes on the walls began to glow once more.
And ahead of us—where the Sentinel once stood—another path had opened.
A path leading even deeper into the Trials.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I really, really hate this place."
Lillian chuckled, tugging me forward. "Come on, partner."
With no other choice—we stepped into the unknown.
The air inside the newly revealed passage was thick with magic, a quiet hum vibrating through the stone walls. Torches flickered with an unnatural glow, casting eerie shadows that stretched and twisted with every step we took. The deeper we walked, the stronger the sensation of something watching us became.
I let out a slow breath, trying to push down the unease curling in my stomach. "You know, at least we're together," I muttered, my voice hushed in the dim corridor. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to partner up with a first-year or some random student I barely knew."
Lillian hummed, her grip on my hand tightening just slightly. "Would've been tragic for them, really," she said, a teasing lilt in her tone. "They'd either end up falling for you—or running away in terror."
I shot her a look, but the dim lighting made it impossible to tell if she was being serious or just messing with me. "Very funny."
She only smiled, her emerald eyes shimmering like captured starlight. "I mean it. You tend to have that effect on people."
I refused to acknowledge the way my heart skipped at her words. Instead, I focused ahead, where the corridor finally opened up into a wider chamber. The stone beneath our feet felt warmer here, as if something ancient pulsed beneath it. The air smelled faintly of burnt magic—like a spell long forgotten yet still lingering.
Lillian came to a stop beside me, her gaze scanning the room. "We should be careful," she murmured. "There's something here."
I swallowed, gripping my dagger. "Yeah. I can feel it."
And then, as if responding to our presence, the runes on the walls flared to life, bathing the entire chamber in an ominous, golden light.
Something moved.
The sound of grinding stone echoed around us, and from the far side of the room, a shadow began to rise.
A construct, larger than the last—its eyes glowing with unnatural energy, its massive arms lined with runic carvings.
I inhaled sharply.
Lillian took a step forward, her magic already igniting at her fingertips. "Round two?" she asked, glancing at me with a smirk.
I exhaled slowly, steadying my stance. "Looks like it."
The Sentinel lunged forward, its hulking frame moving faster than something of its size should be able to. The very ground shook beneath its weight, and the air crackled with residual magic.
Lillian and I reacted instantly.
She sidestepped, her movements fluid and graceful, a flick of her wrist conjuring a barrier of golden light between us and the monster's attack. At the same time, I leaped to the side, my dagger gleaming as I channeled frost magic into the blade.
The Sentinel's fist slammed into Lillian's barrier, sending a shockwave rippling through the chamber. But the light held, and in the same breath, I darted forward, twisting my body to land a well-aimed strike at the gaps between its massive, stone-plated armor.
[Frost Edge]
The moment my blade made contact, ice spread across the Sentinel's arm, freezing its movements.
"Nice one," Lillian called, already repositioning. "But it's not down yet."
She wasn't wrong. The construct let out a deep, vibrating hum, its runes flaring brighter, and with a sudden pulse of magic, the ice shattered, sending razor-sharp shards flying in all directions.
"Move!" Lillian shouted.
I reacted on instinct, ducking low just as she extended her hand toward me. Before I could even register what she was doing, warmth surged through my veins, and suddenly, my movements felt lighter—faster.
[Acceleration Ward]
I shot her a quick glance, and she smirked. "Took a gamble. Seems like you trust me after all."
I didn't have time to argue—not when I felt the spell thrumming through me, my reactions heightened, my balance sharper. Synergy. That was what this was.
Lillian wasn't just throwing spells around randomly—she was adapting to me, enhancing my strengths instead of trying to overpower the construct herself.
I grinned. "Let's see how far I can push this."
Lillian's eyes gleamed. "Show me."
With a burst of speed, I launched forward, my body moving with unnatural precision. The Sentinel swung again, but this time, I was already three steps ahead—twisting, dodging, weaving through its attacks like water slipping through cracks.
I barely even felt my feet touch the ground.
"Lillian! Keep it busy for a second!" I called.
"On it!" she replied without hesitation.
Raising both hands, she clapped them together, and suddenly, dozens of golden threads of light shot out from her fingertips, wrapping around the Sentinel's arms and legs.
[Binding Chains]
The Sentinel lurched, its movements slowing as Lillian's spell took hold.
This was my chance.
I skidded to a stop, flipping my dagger in my grip. Taking a deep breath, I summoned my magic—the dual forces of fire and ice swirling in my palm.
Then, with everything I had, I threw it.
The dagger spun through the air, its blade wreathed in both elements—fire crackling on one edge, frost glistening on the other.
The moment it struck the Sentinel's core, both forces exploded outward. Ice froze its joints solid. Fire ignited the runes lining its body. And then—
With a deafening crack, the entire construct collapsed inward.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then Lillian let out a slow, impressed whistle. "Well. That was dramatic."
I exhaled sharply, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Had to make it count."
She smirked, walking up to me. "You trusted me just now."
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone. "Uh—yeah? I mean, of course I did."
Lillian took another step closer, and I suddenly became very aware of how close she was—the way her emerald eyes gleamed with something warm and unreadable.
"You let me enhance you," she murmured. "You let me into your magic, let me change how you move. That's not something you do lightly."
I swallowed. She wasn't wrong.
Something about fighting alongside her felt… right.
"…It worked, didn't it?" I muttered, trying to sound nonchalant.
Lillian just smiled—soft and knowing.
"It did," she admitted. "And that means we make a good team."
She reached out, brushing something off my shoulder. It was such a small gesture, but the way her fingers lingered—just barely—sent a quiet shiver down my spine.
I cleared my throat. "Well, if we make such a good team, we should keep moving before another one of those things shows up."
Lillian chuckled. "Oh, Sera. Always running from something."
I huffed, stepping past her. "Not running. Strategically advancing."
Her laughter followed me as we made our way deeper into the Trials.