Fourth Trial Began

The announcement hit us like a ton of bricks. "Only one of us will proceed to the final trial…?" I repeated quietly to myself, trying to wrap my head around it. I turned to look at my teammates. They were staring at the hologram board, their faces a mix of confusion and shock—probably thinking the same thing as me: What the hell does that even mean?

"Wait, we have to fight each other?!" Sylvara, the mage said, her voice full of disbelief.

"Who knows?! It doesn't make sense at all!" Cain, the archer said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "We've been through all of this together, and now they're telling us only one of us gets to make it to the end?!"

"You gotta be fucking kidding me, right?! This can't be real!" Thorin snapped, finally losing his cool. For the first time, he didn't act calm, even though he was the party leader.