The first floor was a crucible. The moment they stepped in, flames erupted from all sides. The path forward turned into shifting platforms above boiling lava.
"Only one may proceed," a voice warned.
Kael looked at Eira and Ashenfang. "I'll go."
Eira nodded reluctantly. "We'll find another way up."
Kael leapt from platform to platform, the heat blistering, the air thinning. At the center, a flaming apparition appeared—it bore Kael's face.
"I am who you were when you burned everything to win."
Kael didn't hesitate. "Then you're not me anymore."
He slashed. The fire vanished. The door opened.