The Final Path

Emma and Rahi moved quickly through the dense forest, their steps silent against the damp earth. The tension from their encounter with the Eclipse King still weighed heavily between them.

"Come with me willingly."

Emma gritted her teeth. She refused to let his words shake her, but deep down, doubt whispered in the back of her mind.

"Why did the stones choose me? What if he's telling the truth?"

Rahi exhaled loudly. "Alright. I know that look."

Emma glanced at him. "What look?"

"The one where you're overthinking yourself into an existential crisis."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

Rahi gave her a flat stare. "Sure. And I'm secretly a prince."

Emma sighed. "I just… don't know what's coming next."

"Nobody does," Rahi said. "But that's never stopped you before."

Emma offered a small smirk, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

They were close now. Only two more stones remained. And if the pattern held, the next would be even harder to claim.

And after that?

The final battle would begin.

The Path to the Amethyst Stone

The last known location of the Amethyst Stone was the Valley of Whispers, a place where reality itself was said to bend.

As they neared the valley, the air grew unnaturally still. Even the wind seemed hesitant to pass through.

Emma tightened her grip on the stones she carried. "This place feels… wrong."

Rahi nodded. "Like a trap waiting to spring."

The moment they stepped forward, a low hum filled the air. The trees twisted, their branches curling toward them like outstretched fingers.

And then—they heard the whispers.

Soft, fragmented voices echoed through the valley, speaking words neither of them could understand.

Emma shuddered. "What is this?"

Rahi's jaw tightened. "It's messing with our minds."

Emma took another step forward—and suddenly, she wasn't in the valley anymore.

She stood in a grand palace, bathed in golden light.

And in front of her—was her mother.

Not a vision. Not a memory.

She was alive.

"Emma," her mother whispered, stepping closer, her eyes filled with warmth. "It's time to come home."

Emma's breath caught.

This wasn't real.

It couldn't be real.

Could it?

Her mother reached out a hand. "You don't have to fight anymore."

Emma's heart pounded. The warmth of the scene, the comfort—it was everything she had ever longed for.

But deep down, she knew the truth.

"This is an illusion."

She clenched her fists. "No."

The image flickered.

Her mother's expression darkened. "You would deny me?"

Emma's breath hitched. "You're not her."

The illusion shattered.

Emma staggered backward, gasping as she returned to the valley.

She wasn't alone.

Rahi was still there—but he stood frozen, his eyes distant, trapped in his own illusion.

And standing before them, at the center of the valley—

Was the Amethyst Stone.

Emma gritted her teeth.

This was it.

The final challenge before the end.