Aden moved cautiously down the newly revealed passage, his fingers grazing the stone walls. The air here felt different—thicker, almost alive, as if the temple itself was watching his every step.
He had barely walked a dozen paces when the walls shuddered again.
Aden stopped. "No. No, we're not doing this again."
The stone beneath his feet shifted, and suddenly, the floor wasn't just solid ground anymore—it was a puzzle. The tiles glowed faintly, ancient symbols flickering in and out of focus.
A pattern.
Aden didn't move, eyes darting across the floor. The last time he rushed forward without thinking, he'd almost been crushed. This time, he wouldn't make that mistake.
He crouched, running his hand over one of the tiles. The symbol beneath his palm darkened, while the others flared up, their positions rearranging.
Aden groaned. "Of course, it's a memory game."
He had seen something like this before—on a much smaller scale. Some merchants used puzzle-locks to secure goods, forcing thieves to memorize shifting patterns to unlock them. But this? This was bigger, and the stakes weren't just lost profit—they were his life.
Think.
The symbols weren't random. They pulsed in intervals, almost like—
Aden's eyes narrowed. A rhythm.
His mind clicked into place. The temple had already tested his adaptability and survival skills. Now, it was testing something else: pattern recognition.
The tiles pulsed again, a clear sequence emerging.
Aden smirked. "Alright. Let's dance."
He stepped onto the first tile in sync with the rhythm. The moment his foot landed, the second tile flickered, cueing him to move.
Step. Pause. Step. Step. Pause.
The rhythm sped up.
Aden adjusted instinctively, his body shifting without overthinking. It was like hearing a song and knowing the beat before the drums even hit.
One wrong move, and the floor would vanish beneath him.
The final tile pulsed. Aden leaped forward—
Click.
The walls rumbled, and the glowing tiles dimmed.
He exhaled, grinning despite himself. "You almost got me there."
The floor held steady, and ahead, another passage opened.
Aden took a second to catch his breath.
Then, still grinning, he stepped forward—because at this point, he wouldn't even be surprised if the temple had one last trick up its sleeve.