The Final Trial

After Ryker confirmed it was safe, he gave a sharp nod — the signal to move forward.

The staircase spiraled down, each step dragging us deeper into the earth. The air thickened, growing heavy and damp. Every breath tasted of dust and old stone.

It felt like an hour—or longer—before the ground finally leveled out beneath us.

A vast chamber stretched before us, swallowing our torchlight whole. One by one, torches along the walls ignited with a whoosh, casting flickering shadows across the room. The flames danced in sequence, leading our eyes to the massive door at the far end — A stone door with ancient runes that pulsed faintly, as if breathing.

It didn't need words to reveal what lay beyond.

A boss room.

"The relic should be beyond this," Edric said, voice low but steady.

He stepped forward without hesitation, planting his foot and pressing both hands against the stone. Muscles tensed beneath his armor, his clothes pulling taut around his arms.

CREAKKKKK.

The door groaned like a wounded beast, stone scraping against stone as it slowly gave way.

Darkness greeted us — vast and endless.

As we entered, the torches flared to life one by one making my breath caught, as the room revealed itself.

Even though I'd seen this place in the game, it still took the air from my lungs.

The chamber was massive, stretching beyond the reach of the torchlight. The walls and ceiling were covered in huge, sprawling paintings — twisted scenes of battles between humans and giant demonic beasts. Each scene blended into the next, creating a mural of endless violence. The colors, though faded with age, seemed to shift in the flickering light.

But the paintings weren't what stole my attention.

It was the statues.

Two rows of them lined both sides, each towered about fifteen feet tall and stood like disciplined soldiers. Every muscle and vein was carved in incredible detail, and their blank eyes felt like they were following us.

Yeah, no doubt about it — they were our final trial.

They stood too perfectly still. Too pristine, untouched by time.

Statues like these didn't exist to be admired.

They existed to wake up.

The air was thick with tension. Everyone stood ready, swords drawn, eyes sharp. We moved forward cautiously, each step an invitation for a trap to spring.

At the end of the long, endless hall sat a massive statue of a man wearing a king's crown, slouched on a decorated stone throne. His face looked both noble and empty, with carved eyes staring lifelessly forward. In the center of his chest, like a heart stolen from a god, was our prize — the Deathsong Amulet.

Its purple glow hummed faintly, demanding attention. The moment we saw it, no one could look away.

"Keep your guard up and search the room," Ryker ordered, his voice cutting through the trance.

Even with the relic within reach, haste wasn't an option. Ryker, a seasoned knight, knew better — the room practically screamed trap.

But this was a straightforward trial. The only way forward was through that amulet. It was inevitable. A fight awaited us.

And honestly? Chaos was all I needed.

When the search came up empty, Ryker shifted to the second plan. He stationed knights near the entrance, securing our escape route. Then Evan stepped up — of course he did. That idiot loved the thrill.

"I'll get it," he grinned, and before anyone could object, he was climbing the statue like a damned squirrel.

With one swift tug, he ripped the amulet free.

"I got it!" he shouted from above.

The room held its breath.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then everything went to hell.

The statues lining the hall shuddered. Stone limbs groaned and cracked, ancient joints breaking free from centuries of stillness. They moved unnaturally fast, circling us in an instant.

"Position!" Ryker barked, voice unwavering.

Ranald slammed his hand against the floor, and the earth rumbled. The ground quaked beneath the statues, making them stagger — that was all we needed. Swords flashed. The clang of steel meeting stone filled the air like a war drum.

Ryker's blade burned with blue flame, slicing clean through a statue's head, turning it to rubble.

"Air Blade Barrage!" Evan shouted like a maniac, firing rapid slashes of compressed wind, tearing through several statues' eyes.

I facepalmed. Why the hell is he screaming his moves?

The hall turned into a spectacle of magic and steel. The knights fought fiercely, their abilities carving through stone, but I wasn't here to gawk. I slipped away from the healers, where Selene stood unnervingly calm at the center as Edric guarding her.

All this time, my struggles weren't about getting the Deathsong Amulet. It was just a flashy relic I grabbed in the game because it practically screamed, "Take me!"

My real goal lies beyond this wall — the one behind the king's statue.

"Hummmm!"

A deep, vibrating hum shook the hall.

The sound reverberated through the air, making the stone floor tremble beneath my feet. The others stiffened as the shattered statue fragments scattered across the floor began pulling themselves back together, piece by piece.

"Where is that sound coming from?" Evan's voice cut through the tension, his eyes scanning the hall in confusion.

The hum came from everywhere at once — bouncing off the walls, making it impossible to pinpoint.

But I knew.

"It's the crown statue!" I shouted, my voice rising above the noise.

The knights hesitated, their eyes flicking to me with uncertainty.

Commander Ryker stared at me, curious but cautious.

So far, the king statue hadn't moved. It would stay that way — unless someone struck it first.

Come on. Someone hit it already!

The restored statues lunged back into action, attacking with relentless precision. The knights fought back fiercely, blades clashing, but the king statue remained untouched.

They're ignoring me? Damn it. I wasn't going to wait around for someone else to figure this out.

I broke into a sprint, weaving past the knights locked in combat. Evan stood near the statue, his sword a blur as he struck at the soldiers with inhuman speed.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" he shouted after me.

I didn't answer. I didn't have time.

A soldier statue lunged, its stone sword arcing toward me.

"Yeah, come on!" I roared, adrenaline surging through me.

A few weeks ago, I'd have frozen in fear. But after everything I've been through — every close call, every near-death escape — fear wasn't in me anymore.

The sword came down in a brutal overhead slash. I saw the path clearly, like my instincts had been sharpened to a razor's edge.

I ducked down, narrowly avoiding the strike as the blade slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.

It wasn't done. The statue raised its sword again, preparing for a vertical slash. I sprinted forward.

SWISH!

Shit — it's fast.

I dropped low, sliding between its legs as the blade carved through the air inches above me. The ground shattered from the force of the impact, cracks splintering outward.

I skidded to my feet, heart pounding.

"Huh?"

A rush of air brushed against my back — wrong. Too fast.

I turned just in time to see the statue twist unnaturally, its torso rotating inhumanly as it brought its sword around in a wide arc, aiming straight for me.

Shit.

"Tempest Rush!"

A sudden spiraling gust of wind erupted, halting the statue's movements. The sword froze inches from my back.

I glanced sideways and caught sight of Evan, his hand raised and his glare fixed on me. Finally, he's doing his fucking job.

The healer hurried over to him, pausing just long enough for our eyes to meet, but he quickly turned away and began tending to Evan.

Huh. The healer man was working diligently. Whatever. As long as they stayed alive and kept the fight going for a few more hours, I didn't care.

I bolted toward the king statue.

"Hummmmm…"

The hum returned, deeper and more resonant. My dagger was already in hand. I didn't hesitate — I drove the blade into its leg with everything I had.

The hum stopped abruptly, replaced by a slow, grating creak.

Its head tilted downward, stone grinding against stone. It's hollow eyes met mine.

Then it smiled.

Its lips cracked open, revealing rows of jagged stone teeth. The expression wasn't human — it was wrong, a twisted parody of a grin.

"You finally showed your fangs, huh?" I muttered

The king statue moved.

It stood, towering as its head nearly scraped the ceiling. The entire room seemed to hold its breath. Even the knights froze, turning to stare.

My chest tightened as I remembered what came next in the game.

Move!

I threw myself sideways just as its leg swept through the air in a wide, vicious kick.

SWOOP!

The force of the strike pushed me to the side as I barely dodged it. My feet barely hit the ground before I sprinted again, circling behind it.

It didn't stop. The statue reached behind the throne with one massive hand, stone fingers digging deep. With a bone-rattling crack, it tore off a chunk of the throne — shaping the jagged stone into a colossal, makeshift sword.

This is gonna get ugly.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Ryker barked, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. All eyes locked onto the king statue.

The massive figure shifted, its stone limbs groaning as it raised its newly-formed sword behind its back. For a moment, everything went still — like the room itself was holding its breath.

And then it swung.

A colossal horizontal slash tore through the air, fast enough to blur. It was wide enough to carve through nearly all of our knights in one go.

The knights might dodge it... but Selene and Koala?

I whipped my head and turned toward them.

SWOOP!

The air screamed as the sword cut through, faster than anything that massive had any right to be.

BAMMMM!

The impact shook the room. Dust and debris exploded from the center of our group.

When the cloud settled, I saw him.

Edric.

He stood at the heart of the blast, one knee slightly bent to brace against the force. His arms trembled, holding the giant sword back with his bare hands. His armor was shredded, his upper shirt in tatters — but his body glowed with a vibrant, earthy brown aura that rippled across his skin.

Is that…

I stared, my voice barely a whisper.

"Is that fucker even human...?"