The corridor finally opened up into a vast chamber, dimly lit by floating orbs of pale light. The eerie silence was replaced by a slow, steady hum—magic pulsing through the very walls.
And standing at the center of it all was Lillian.
Relief flooded through me at the sight of her. She stood poised, her rapier drawn, her emerald-green eyes scanning the room with sharp intelligence. She didn't look hurt—if anything, she looked calm. Like she had been expecting me.
"Lillian!" I called, moving toward her. But as soon as I stepped forward, the magic in the room shifted.
Something slammed between us—a translucent wall of shimmering energy.
I staggered back, my fingers brushing against the invisible barrier. "What the—?"
"Ah." Lillian let out a small, knowing hum. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
She sheathed her rapier smoothly, turning to face me with a small smirk. "I see you made it through your trial."
I blinked. "Wait, you—" My mind raced. "You weren't fighting anything?"
She tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "No."
Of course. Of course, she wouldn't have to deal with fighting herself.
I exhaled, my nerves still on edge. "Well, good for you, I guess. Now how do we get through this?" I gestured to the shimmering barrier between us.
Lillian stepped closer, placing her palm against the wall of magic. Her eyes narrowed slightly, analyzing the spell. "It's a barrier that responds to emotional intent," she mused. "It won't break with force. It's designed to test something… deeper."
Great.
Just what I needed.
"And how do we 'pass' this test?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
Lillian's smirk grew. "We have to prove we trust each other."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"Think about it," she continued, tapping her fingers lightly against the magic. "This trial has tested teamwork, intellect, and now—" her gaze flickered toward me, unreadable. "Now it's testing us. Our bond."
I swallowed. "And how do we prove that, exactly?"
She lifted a single elegant brow. "By lowering our guard."
I blinked. "That sounds incredibly stupid."
Her chuckle was soft, amused. "Possibly. But it's the only way."
Before I could argue, Lillian did something insane.
She sheathed her rapier, stepped back away from the barrier, and closed her eyes.
"What are you—"
"I trust you, Sera," she said simply.
I stared.
She stood there, entirely defenseless, completely open.
And I realized what the test was.
It was forcing me to confront something. To understand that, despite everything, despite my doubts, my fears, someone trusted me.
Me.
Not the ghost of Sera Vandren. Not the villainess the world once feared.
Me.
I took a breath.
Then, slowly, I did the same.
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
And then—
A soft chime.
The magic shattered.
I opened my eyes just as the glowing barrier faded into mist.
And when I looked up—
Lillian was already in front of me.
Before I could react, she reached out, cupping my cheek with her gloved hand. Her touch was warm despite the leather, steady, grounding.
"You really don't see it, do you?" she murmured.
I swallowed. "See what?"
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "How much I adore you."
My brain shut down.
Before I could even think, before I could breathe, she stepped past me, her fingers ghosting along my jawline as she moved toward the next corridor.
"Come along, partner," she teased, throwing me a knowing glance over her shoulder.
I stood there, completely wrecked, watching as she walked away like nothing had happened.
I forced my legs to move, trailing after Lillian while my heart continued to betray me, beating way too fast for my own comfort. How much I adore you—who just says things like that?
Lillian. Lillian Aurora. That's who.
I didn't even know if she was teasing me at this point or if she actually meant it. And the worst part? I wasn't sure which answer terrified me more.
The corridor ahead led us into another chamber, this one bathed in soft, golden light. It was eerily quiet, save for the hum of magic that seemed to resonate from the very walls.
Lillian was already surveying the area, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her rapier. "Stay close," she murmured.
I rolled my eyes. "I am close."
She turned, and before I could react, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me even closer—until I was flush against her.
"Lillian—!" I barely managed to keep my balance, my face heating up.
"Now you are." Her voice was maddeningly soft, her breath warm against my ear.
I tried—really tried—to ignore the way my entire body felt like it was short-circuiting. "You—You did that on purpose."
She smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Oh, I was going to lose my mind.
Before I could shove her away, the chamber shifted.
A gust of wind surged through the room, and suddenly, illusions began to form around us.
Figures.
Whispers.
It was almost like a mirage—blurry images flickering to life in the space ahead. The longer I looked, the clearer they became.
And then I saw them.
Tessa.
Diana.
Claire.
Camille.
All standing ahead of us, their backs turned.
Except—they weren't real.
I knew that instantly. But the sight of them still sent a cold shiver down my spine.
"What the hell…?" I muttered, gripping Lillian's sleeve instinctively.
Lillian's eyes darkened. "Another test."
Of course it was.
As we stepped forward, the illusion shifted again.
This time, their heads slowly turned toward us.
And their expressions—
They weren't right.
Tessa's usual warm smile was eerily blank.
Diana's sharp green eyes held an emptiness I had never seen before.
Claire—who was always so alive—was completely still, like a puppet waiting for its strings to be pulled.
And Camille—
Camille laughed.
But it wasn't her laughter.
It was distorted. Hollow.
Wrong.
I swallowed. "Yeah, okay, this is officially the worst one yet."
Lillian didn't respond immediately. Her gaze was sharp, calculating.
And then—they spoke.
"You left us behind," the illusion of Diana whispered.
"You abandoned us," Claire added.
"You'll betray us, won't you?" Camille's voice was a soft hum.
Tessa was the last to speak. "You were never really one of us."
I felt my stomach twist.
Lillian's grip on my wrist tightened. "Sera. Look at me."
I hesitated, my eyes still locked on the twisted versions of my friends.
"Sera." Her voice was firmer this time.
I forced myself to look at her.
"This isn't real," she said, her emerald eyes steady, grounding. "You know that."
I took a breath. "I know."
"Then don't let them get into your head."
Right. Right. This was just another trial. Another attempt to dig into the deepest parts of our minds and twist them.
And I wasn't about to let it win.
I stepped forward, glaring at the illusions. "You're not them."
The figures flickered.
"You can't shake the doubt, can you?" Diana's illusion whispered.
"You're scared, Sera." Claire tilted her head.
Camille's lips curled into an eerie smile. "You'll ruin everything."
I exhaled. "You know what? Shut up."
And then, without thinking, I threw a blast of ice magic directly at them.
Lillian laughed.
A real, genuine laugh.
"I was wondering when you'd finally snap," she mused.
The illusions shattered on impact, vanishing into nothingness.
Silence.
I let out a shaky breath, my body still tense from the lingering unease.
Lillian stepped beside me, placing a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Good girl."
I nearly choked.
"Don't say it like that!"
Her grin was entirely too satisfied. "Like what?"
"You know exactly what I mean!"
She hummed in amusement. "Do I?"
"You!-"
Before I could strangle Lillian for her insufferable teasing, the room shifted again.
The golden glow that had bathed the chamber began to fade, replaced by the dim, eerie blue of enchanted torches lining the walls. The floor beneath us trembled, subtle but unmistakable.
Another test.
Lillian's playful smirk dropped instantly, replaced by that sharp, calculating focus I had come to recognize. "Stay close," she murmured.
This time, I didn't argue.
We moved cautiously, step by step, until the walls around us began to change.
No—not change. Close in.
The corridor we had just walked through disappeared behind us, stone shifting seamlessly like a puzzle locking into place. At the same time, new pathways materialized in front of us, twisting and winding in ways that didn't make sense.
It was a maze.
"Oh, fantastic," I muttered. "Because we haven't been through enough psychological torment already."
Lillian chuckled. "It wouldn't be a trial if it were easy."
I exhaled through my nose, scanning our surroundings. "Okay. Thoughts?"
Lillian's gaze flickered up, analyzing the shifting pathways with a quiet intensity. "The academy wouldn't create something unsolvable. There's a pattern to this. We just need to find it."
That made sense.
Except—this maze wasn't just shifting. It was breathing.
Like something alive.
I clenched my fists. "Right. So we should—"
The ground beneath us lurched.
I barely had time to react before the floor cracked open beneath my feet. A sharp gasp left my lips as I fell—but before I could even process it, Lillian's hand caught my wrist.
I let out a very undignified noise.
"Lillian—!"
She grinned down at me, completely unfazed. "Got you."
"This isn't funny—!"
She didn't let me finish. With an effortless pull, she hoisted me up and into her arms, spinning me back onto solid ground like I weighed nothing.
I froze.
Because suddenly—I was bridal-style in her arms.
"...Lillian."
"Yes, darling?"
"Put. Me. Down."
She laughed. "But you fit so nicely here."
I swore, if I hadn't just nearly plummeted to my death, I would have jumped out of her arms just to spite her. Instead, I shoved at her shoulders—though it didn't do much considering how obnoxiously strong she was.
Reluctantly, she set me back on my feet, though she didn't let go of my waist just yet.
"Honestly, Sera," she mused, tilting her head. "You really should let me hold you more often."
I glared at her, ignoring the way my heart was still hammering in my chest. She was impossible.
"We're in a literal death maze, and you're still flirting?" I hissed.
She smiled. "What better time than when adrenaline is high?"
I groaned. Why was I stuck with her?
"Alright," I exhaled, trying to push past my embarrassment. "Floor traps. Noted. What else should we be worried about?"
Almost as if in response—a low growl echoed through the chamber.
Lillian and I both went rigid.
Then, out of the shifting shadows—a creature emerged.
It was large, its body shifting like liquid smoke, multiple glowing eyes embedded in its shadowy form. It didn't move like a beast—it slithered, its form ever-changing, as if it didn't belong to a single shape.
I felt my blood run cold.
"What the hell is that?" I whispered.
Lillian's hand instinctively went to her rapier. "A wraith."
A wraith? In a controlled trial? That was not normal.
As if sensing our presence, the wraith snapped toward us, eyes gleaming with unnatural hunger.
Then it lunged.
Lillian reacted first.
In an instant, she unsheathed her rapier, her blade gleaming with a golden light as she slashed forward. The wraith let out a shriek as it was forced back, its form twisting unnaturally.
But it wasn't dead.
I didn't hesitate. Ice magic. Lillian wanted me to use it. Fine.
I raised my hands, feeling the surge of cold in my veins.
[Frostbind]
Ice shot out from beneath me, snaring the wraith's shifting limbs before it could reform. The creature thrashed, but the ice held, trapping it in place.
Lillian smirked. "Impressive."
"I'd say thank you, but I'd rather not die."
She lunged forward, her blade flashing in a deadly arc—and with one final strike, the wraith let out a blood-curdling shriek before dispersing into nothing.
Silence.
I exhaled, shoulders slumping. "Okay. So. That happened."
Lillian turned to me, her expression amused. "See? Ice magic suits you."
I shot her a look. "Are you seriously evaluating my magic performance right now?"
She chuckled. "When else would I?"
I groaned. "I hate you."
She patted my head. "No, you don't."
Before I could argue, the maze shifted again.
And something told me… this was far from over.