The water trial began at midnight, when the tides were highest.
Jacob stood at the edge of the Stormspire's lowest cliffs, where the sea roared against jagged rocks far below. The initiates had been given no instructions—only a single, rusted key each, and the warning: "Drown the doubts, or drown in them."
Tara elbowed Jacob in the ribs. "Don't look so grim. Worst case, you die quickly." She grinned, but her knuckles were white around her key.
A horn sounded. Lysandra, her magic now restored to its usual gold hue, was the first to leap. The others followed, their keys glowing faintly as they plunged toward the black waves.
Jacob hesitated—then jumped.
The water swallowed him whole.
For a moment, there was only cold and darkness. Then his key flared, and the ocean parted, revealing a submerged staircase carved into the cliffside. At its base stood an ancient iron door, its surface etched with the same violet runes as his pendant.
The Vault of Echoes
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of salt and rust. The vault's walls pulsed with bioluminescent algae, casting eerie blue light over crumbling murals. One depicted four floating islands bound by chains—chains that were being shattered by a shadow wielding a jagged shard.
Silas's voice hissed from behind: "The Order never told you the truth about the Sundering, did they?"
Jacob spun. The storm-eyed mage stood in the doorway, water dripping from his cloak. "They claim it was an accident. But some of us chose to break the world." He pointed to the mural's shadowed figure. "Alaric was there. He helped unleash the Shard's power—and now he wants to do it again."
A tremor shook the vault. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling as seawater began to seep through.
The Choice
"Prove it," Jacob demanded.
Silas tossed him a waterlogged journal—Alaric's handwriting, dated three centuries past: "The Shard cannot be controlled. But if we must burn the world to save it, so be it."
The vault groaned. Lysandra's voice echoed down the stairs: "Jacob! The door's sealing shut!"
Silas grabbed his arm. "Come with me now, or die with their lies."
Above them, the ceiling collapsed.