The Path of the Unyielding

The air still crackled with remnants of shattered paradox as the last Wraith dissolved into nothingness. The city groaned beneath them, its ancient mechanisms twisting and reshaping, as if reacting to the disturbance of battle.

Zahra flicked nonexistent dust from her shoulder, her golden eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. "Well, that was fun."

Elise, breathless and still gripping her pistol, shot her a glare. "You have a twisted definition of fun."

Zahra smirked. "You wouldn't last a day with the Kha'ren."

Elise stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "And you wouldn't last a second without that cocky attitude, would you?"

Zahra's expression didn't shift. "Confidence keeps me alive, princess."

"Stop calling me that."

Before Elise could lunge at her, Idris quickly stepped between them. "Enough," he sighed, exhausted. "We don't have time for this."

Zahra simply rolled her shoulders. "You're right. Let's move."

She turned without another word, striding through the shifting ruins as if the city itself bowed to her presence. Idris hesitated before following.

The others trailed behind, tension still hanging thick in the air.

---

A City That Remembers

The deeper they went, the stranger the city became.

What had once been seamless pathways and towering spires was now a fractured dreamscape of suspended bridges, spiraling corridors, and floating platforms—each shifting in and out of alignment with time itself.

Reality here refused to be stable.

"This place is alive," Nyla murmured, reaching out to touch a nearby wall. The surface rippled, like touching the surface of a pond. "It's like it's... aware of us."

Zahra scoffed. "Of course it is."

Nyla turned to her. "You know something?"

Zahra glanced at her, smirking slightly. "I know a lot of things."

Elise groaned. "You're impossible."

Zahra ignored her, stepping forward onto a floating pathway that had only just solidified. "The Sa'Khel built their cities to exist across multiple realities. They weren't just constructing structures. They were weaving time itself into their foundations." She placed a hand on a nearby pillar. The glowing runes along its surface flickered in response. "This city isn't just remembering us. It's deciding whether or not we should be here."

Rook frowned. "And what if it decides we shouldn't?"

As if in response, a low rumble rolled through the city.

Zahra grinned. "Then it gets interesting."

Idris exhaled, rubbing his temples. He was starting to really regret bringing her along.

---

The Trial of the Forgotten

As they ventured deeper, the city's passages became narrower, the walls alive with shifting symbols.

Then—

A massive gate loomed ahead, embedded into the side of a structure that seemed to stretch beyond the sky. Unlike the rest of the city, the gate wasn't flickering. It was stable. Waiting.

Zahra tilted her head. "Ah. I was wondering when we'd hit a lock."

Elise frowned. "A lock?"

Zahra stepped forward, brushing her fingers across the gate's surface. The symbols glowed faintly beneath her touch, but when Idris reached out—

Nothing.

The runes remained dim.

Zahra smirked. "Looks like this one wants a Kha'ren to open it."

Rook crossed his arms. "You sound way too pleased about that."

Zahra ignored him, pressing her palm fully against the gate. The symbols flared to life, pulsing in a rhythmic sequence. The air vibrated as a deep voice echoed from the structure itself.

"The Forgotten may enter. But only those who prove themselves may pass."

The ground shifted beneath them.

Then—

The floor collapsed.

---

Into the Abyss

Idris barely had time to react before gravity betrayed him. The world flipped, and suddenly he was falling, falling, falling.

Cold wind howled around him as darkness swallowed everything.

Then—

Impact.

The landing was abrupt but not entirely painful. Idris groaned, rolling onto his side as his vision adjusted.

They were no longer in the floating city.

Instead, they stood in a vast cavern, walls lined with massive statues of warriors—each one wielding a different weapon, their eyes glowing with faint blue light. The floor was smooth, polished stone, etched with intricate circular patterns that pulsed with an eerie rhythm.

Zahra was already on her feet, stretching like nothing had happened.

Elise groaned, rubbing her back. "I hate this city."

Rook scanned their surroundings. "Where the hell are we?"

Zahra grinned. "The Trial of the Forgotten."

Idris narrowed his eyes. "And what does that mean?"

The moment he asked, the statues moved.

With a thunderous grinding sound, the first warrior's massive stone blade lifted. The second unsheathed twin daggers. The third—an axe, its edge gleaming unnaturally.

Then, in perfect unison—

They charged.

---

The Fight for Passage

The cavern exploded into chaos.

Rook barely dodged the first strike, the stone blade cleaving through the ground where he had just stood. Elise fired three quick shots, but the bullets bounced off the warriors' armor.

"These things aren't real," Nyla shouted. "They're echoes—memories of fighters!"

Zahra smirked. "So we just have to beat them?"

Idris dodged a strike from the dagger-wielding warrior, flipping backward as the statues pressed forward. "That's easier said than done!"

Zahra cracked her knuckles. "For you, maybe."

Then she vanished.

In a blink, she reappeared behind the axe-wielding warrior, slamming her dagger into the back of its knee. The moment the blade connected, the entire statue shuddered, cracks spreading from the point of impact.

Idris's eyes widened. "Their weak points—"

"—Are the places where time forgot them," Zahra finished. "Gotta know where to look."

Now armed with that knowledge, Idris leaped toward the dagger-wielding warrior, dodging its attacks with precise movements. He spotted a fracture along its ribs—a place where the stone seemed faded, incomplete.

He struck.

The warrior froze, a low hum vibrating through its form before it shattered into dust.

One down.

Elise whirled toward another, her aim adjusting. Now that she knew where to shoot, her blasts found their mark—striking the weakened sections with pinpoint accuracy.

One by one, the warriors fell.

Until only one remained.

The largest.

The statuesque figure towered above them, its armor untouched, its form unwavering. It gripped a colossal spear, the weapon glowing with an unnatural force.

Zahra exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "Alright, big guy. Let's see what you've got."

The warrior lunged.

Its spear cut through the air, its sheer force shaking the cavern itself. But Zahra didn't move.

She waited.

Waited—

Then—

She dodged at the last possible second.

With a single, impossibly fast motion, she vaulted up the spear, using it as a bridge to reach the warrior's head.

She grinned. "Found you."

Her dagger plunged deep into the weak point—

And the warrior collapsed.

Silence.

Then—

The gate ahead unlocked.

Zahra landed gracefully, flicking dust from her hands. "Took you all long enough."

Elise groaned. "I hate her."

Idris smiled slightly.

Zahra grinned back.

"Come on," she said. "Time to meet history."

And with that, they stepped forward.