CHAPTER 15:The Library Trials

The bookshelves towered above them, shifting and rearranging as if the library itself was alive. The air smelled of parchment, ink, and a hint of something ancient—magic, perhaps, or the weight of countless untold stories.

The robed figure watched them with an unreadable expression. "Knowledge is power," they intoned. "But power without wisdom is destruction. Your next trial is simple: Find the answer to a question hidden in this library. Fail, and you will remain lost forever."

Lior blinked. "Oh great. An eternity of books. Sounds like Elias's dream and my nightmare."

Elias, the Scholar, adjusted his glasses with a gleam in his eye. "Finally, a trial where I'm the hero."

Zayn groaned. "Couldn't we just punch the answer out of someone?"

The robed figure ignored him. With a wave of their hand, the bookshelves began shifting again, forming countless twisting corridors. Then, the floor beneath them split apart—each of the seven suddenly falling through separate openings.

Before anyone could scream, they landed in completely different sections of the library. The trial had begun.

Amara's Trial (The Seer)

Amara found herself in a dimly lit aisle, books floating around her like restless spirits. She reached for one, and the pages flipped open on their own. The words rearranged themselves into a single question:

"What is hidden even from those who see?"

She swallowed. She was the Seer—was there anything hidden from her? She closed her eyes, reaching inward, searching.

Then, a whisper brushed against her mind.

"Your own fate."

Her breath caught. Was that the answer? Could it be so simple? Or was it something more?

Zayn's Trial (The Warrior)

Zayn landed face-first on a pile of scrolls. He groaned, pushing himself up. "I hate this place."

A single book hovered in front of him, its cover pulsing like a heartbeat. He reluctantly opened it.

"Strength fades. What remains?"

Zayn frowned. "Muscle memory?"

The book slapped him.

"Hey!"

Clearly, wrong answer. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. This wasn't a fight he could win with brute force. So what did remain when strength was gone?

He thought of the others—their bond, their journey. Then it hit him.

"The will to stand again."

The book hummed.

Elias's Trial (The Scholar)

Elias had never been happier. He was surrounded by books, and the only thing standing between him and success was a question. Easy.

"What is the cost of knowledge?"

He smirked. "Depends who you ask."

But as he flipped through pages, images flashed before him—great scholars driven mad, kings who had burned libraries to keep their secrets, civilizations lost because they sought knowledge before wisdom.

His hands trembled. He knew the answer.

"The cost of knowledge… is responsibility."

The books around him nodded in silent agreement.

The Keeper's Revelation

While the others faced their own questions, Rafa, the Keeper, found himself before a single book that glowed with an unsettling light.

"You have already seen what awaits," the book whispered. "But will you accept it?"

Rafa clenched his fists. The visions had shown him a future where not all of them survived. He had sought answers, but the more he learned, the heavier the truth became.

His question was not one of knowledge, but of choice. Would he tell the others?

The Trial's End

One by one, they found their answers. The bookshelves shifted again, pulling them back to the central chamber. The robed figure stood waiting, unreadable as always.

"You have each answered correctly."

The library trembled, and the walls melted away, revealing a new path—one that led forward, toward the next trial.

But as they stepped through, Rafa lingered.

His heart was heavy. Because he knew something the others did not.

The final trial would not test their minds. It would test their fate.