Walking Endlessly

The words barely escaped his lips before the air grew heavy with silence.

Phaenora stopped mid-step, her eyes wide with genuine shock. It was as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

Vastarael? Cursing?

It was so out of character that her mind took an extra moment to process it. She turned to him, her lips parting slightly in astonishment.

"Did... did you just call us—"

"Did you just curse?" Narisva interrupted. "Oh, this is rich. Prince Perfect finally snapped."

Vastarael paused and half-turned toward them, his face still calm but carrying the faintest hint of exasperation.

"You heard me. I'm not apologizing."

Phaenora, still reeling, placed her hands on her hips.

"Okay, hold on. You never curse, Veneri. Never. What's going on with you?"

He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck as if the mere thought of explaining was exhausting.

"It's the Bane."

That got their attention.

"The Bane?" Narisva asked, her cocky demeanor momentarily giving way to curiosity. She tilted her head, studying him. "How's that got anything to do with you suddenly losing your princely charm?"

Vastarael shook his head slightly, leaning against the frozen wall of the tunnel entrance.

"It's not just a curse. It's an amplifier. The more chaos I'm surrounded by, especially by 'women,' the stronger it becomes. It makes everything more... volatile."

He glanced pointedly at the two women.

Phaenora blinked, realization dawning in her eyes. "Wait, are you saying—"

"Yes," he cut her off, his tone sharper now. "Your constant bickering? Your petty rivalry? All of it feeds into the Bane. The more you argue, the more it affects me. And if I'm not careful, it'll spiral into something worse."

Narisva crossed her arms, clearly unbothered.

"So what, you're blaming us for your curse kicking in? Sounds like a personal problem to me, Prince."

Phaenora shot her a glare before turning back to Vastarael. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? If we're making it worse, we could've—"

"You wouldn't have stopped," Vastarael interrupted again, though this time his tone was softer. "Do you seriously believe that you two would get along? Narisva hates my ass for blackmailing her, which I DO NOT regret at all. And you Phaenora... you're a bonafide instigator."

There was a brief silence as the weight of his words sank in.

"So what happens if it gets out of hand?" Narisva asked, her tone less cocky now, though she tried to mask it with indifference.

"It turns everything into chaos. Miscommunication, fights, destruction, it's like a storm that can't be controlled. And it's not just around me. It affects everyone with me."

Phaenora looked genuinely worried now.

"That... sounds like a nightmare."

"It is," Vastarael admitted. "Which is why we need to stay focused and not let petty arguments get in the way. We're about to enter a trial that could kill us... or worse. I don't need the Bane adding to that. Believe me, every time my Bane reacts, which it will, we will definitely die."

Narisva smirked, though it lacked her usual bite.

"Fine. I'll play nice....for now. But if you snap again, I'm definitely bringing this up."

Vastarael gave her a sidelong glance but said nothing, his calm returning as he turned back to face the tunnel.

Phaenora chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood. "I never thought I'd see the day where you cursed. Guess the Bane isn't all bad if it means you're finally showing a little edge."

"Let's just go," Vastarael muttered, stepping forward with renewed focus. "Believe me, there are a lot of words I can say to you but my patience is a little strong today."

The tension between them remained, but it was tempered by a new understanding. As they walked toward the unknown challenges ahead, Vastarael couldn't help but think that his Bane wasn't the worst thing he'd face today.

Not by a long shot.

°°°°°°°

The entrance to the Third Tunnel was nothing like they'd expected.

They'd walked into the silence of the icy cavern and almost immediately, found themselves standing before an opening. It was dark, the kind of darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. The walls of the tunnel, slick with ice, rose up like ancient giants watching over them, while the wooden planks beneath their feet creaked as though they were centuries old.

Narisva groaned loudly, clearly unimpressed.

"I didn't expect this to hit us so suddenly. An endless tunnel? Really? Like, can't we get a break?"

Vastarael and Phaenora both stared into the darkness ahead, the silence of the tunnel almost suffocating.

"Endless?" Phaenora echoed, arching an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"

Narisva gave a dramatic sigh, her eyes glinting with impatience.

"It means exactly what you think it means. This place doesn't end. It's a tunnel with no end in sight. It's just a long, dark stretch of nothing. The ice walls don't stop, the wooden planks just go on forever. There's no turning back and no way to tell when you've passed through it. It's like it keeps looping, taking you back to the same point over and over if you mess up. I failed it once. Got sent right back to the start. Real fun."

Vastarael didn't say anything immediately. His golden eyes narrowed, his mind already working. He glanced around at the tunnel, noting its eerie quiet, the way the ice reflected faint, flickering light in unnatural ways. He could sense the weight of the test now, and the danger it posed. But there was something more pressing on his mind.

"Why me?" He asked, his voice smooth as ever despite the unsettling nature of the tunnel. "Why did you choose me for this? Out of everyone, why me?"

Narisva glanced at him, a brief flicker of something unreadable crossing her face before the cocky smirk returned.

"You're the smart one," she said simply, as if the answer should have been obvious. "Out of everyone in the Seventh Enlightenment, you're the one who actually thinks before acting. The rest? They just charge in, no plan. You? You've got brains. That's why you're here. You'll figure this out. I don't need to babysit you."

Phaenora let out a small chuckle. She teased, nudging Narisva with her shoulder.

"So, you're saying he's the brains of the operation? I didn't think you'd admit that."

Narisva shot Phaenora a sharp look, but her usual defiant edge softened slightly.

"Don't get cocky. I didn't say he was better than anyone else. I'm just saying he's the most likely to keep his head on straight in this place. And if you're gonna walk through an endless tunnel with a bunch of death traps, you want someone who can think."

Vastarael couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride at her words, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he looked down at the wooden planks beneath his feet and then back at the dark tunnel stretching out before them.

"Smart," he mused quietly, though he was thinking more to himself than to anyone else. "I'll take that as a compliment. But there's more to it than just thinking."

Phaenora smiled faintly, sensing the shift in his mood, and then playfully nudged him again.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll figure it out. You've got us. Even if you're the brains, we've got the strength and the strategy. This isn't just a test for you, you know."

Narisva huffed, crossing her arms as she stared down the tunnel ahead.

"Sure, yeah. You'll just keep playing nice while I get us to the end. But, just remember... Vastarael's Bane... it's going to make this a lot harder. The more chaos there is, the worse it'll get."

Vastarael sighed deeply, not wanting to bring up the curse again, but he knew Narisva was right.

"I'm aware," he replied shortly, his voice darkening. "I don't need reminding. Well then, it's time for us to start walking."

"I just said its endless."

"It can't be endless, Narisva. Can't you use your space ability to somehow destroy this?"

"It's not affected by space. This is a literal endless tunnel. This is real."

Vastarael's eyes narrowed as he considered Narisva's words. The idea of an "endless tunnel" didn't sit well with him. Everything in Spheraphase, even the most complex of challenges, had a structure, a purpose, a hidden flaw or mechanism.

He refused to believe that something as simple as an endless tunnel could truly exist without some sort of flaw, a pattern to be discovered, or a trick to be solved.

Vastarael's voice held the usual sharpness of his intellect as he turned to face the girls.

"Then if it's real, there can only be one answer," he said, his eyes fixed on the icy walls around them. "Phaenora, you know what that means."

Phaenora, who had been standing silently behind them, her eyes already scanning the tunnel, let out a quiet sigh of understanding. Her gaze flickered briefly to Narisva before focusing on Vastarael.

"Of course I know," she replied with a small, knowing smile. "It's circular. This is a circular tunnel."