Blue

One moment Chains had been at her side the next, Blue was alone. She stood in a silent corridor that stretched seemingly without end in both directions, a seamless tunnel of smooth stone and shadow. 

The air was deathly still, and her own breathing echoed unnaturally loud to her ears.

Blue's heart thudded in her chest as she turned a slow circle, one hand skimming the cool wall. No door or break marked where she had entered. It was as if the tower had swallowed her, trapping her in this endless hallway.

"Chains?" Blue called, her voice small in the emptiness. Only her echo answered, distorted and lonely.

Unease coiled in her stomach, but she forced a long, steady breath. Panicking wouldn't help. This had to be another of these trials. She ran her palm along the wall, feeling for any seam or gap. Nothing. If this place was meant to disorient her, she would resist. 

She had come too far to be defeated by an empty hallway.

Blue started forward with measured steps, boots tapping softly on stone. The corridor ahead looked identical to what she'd left behind, smooth walls, evenly spaced blue flames flickering in sconces, no variation at all. She counted her paces under her breath:

Fifty

One hundred

Two hundred

 nothing changed. By now she should have reached a stairway or door, yet the passage kept going. Frowning, Blue halted and glanced back. 

The way behind was just as endless.

Her pulse quickened. What if the corridor looped back on itself? 

To test it, Blue picked up a fallen stone and carved a cut across on her hand, placing it on the base of the wall. She flinched lightly, the pain sharp. 

She straightened and continued on, walking faster now.

Before long, a blood mark came into view on the wall ahead. It was her mark. Blue rushed over and pressed her fingers to it to be sure. A cold prickle traced up her spine. She had returned to where she began, the corridor looped seamlessly.

Blue swallowed her panic and whispered, "Alright… think." This puzzle was meant to wear her down, but there had to be a way out, something she was missing. Surely the trial wasn't unwinnable; She just had to find the exit.

She crept forward again, running her hands along the walls as she went. 

Maybe a hidden trigger or door was concealed somewhere? But every stone was perfectly fitted, every sconce identical to the last. 

The corridor gave no hint at all, as if mocking her efforts.

Her patience frayed as frustration clawed at her. At last, she cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "Chains! Can you hear me?!" Her voice tore through the corridor and came back to her in useless whispers. Nothing. 

The silence that followed felt heavier than ever. Blue realized she was shaking; the trial was chipping away at her resolve, bit by bit.

Gritting her teeth, Blue broke into a run. Her footfalls echoed back in a rapid staccato, multiplying until it sounded like a dozen people were running with her. The eerie illusion of company spurred her on; she sprinted even faster, as if chasing those phantoms.

Finally, her burning lungs and leaden legs gave out. Blue staggered to a halt, doubled over and gasping. 

Sweat stung her eyes and her heart thundered in her chest. And still nothing had changed. The hallway was as endless and unchanging as before, mocking her efforts. She had no idea how many loops she'd done or how long she'd been here. 

Time meant nothing in this void. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she braced a hand on the wall.

"Is that all you've got?!" she shouted hoarsely. Her words rang out and died, swallowed by the darkness. The emptiness answered with silence, stoking her anger and despair.

Her determination was cracking, but she forced herself onward in a stumbling shuffle.

 If this trial was a test of endurance meant to break her spirit, she wouldn't give in. Yet each time she spotted that damned blood mark again, her confidence frayed further.

She tried everything she could think of: one hand on the right wall, then on the left, even walking backward. Nothing worked. Every path led her back to the same telltale bloody mark.

 Each reappearance of that mark filled her with a surge of helpless fury at this cruel trap.

At last Blue stumbled to a stop. At some point she had started talking to herself, muttering old songs, half-forgotten lullabies, anything to break the silence. Now her throat was raw and only a ragged whisper remained. A bitter, humorless laugh escaped her. She really was starting to lose it.

"This isn't real… it has to end," she croaked. Pressing her forehead to the wall, Blue squeezed her eyes shut. A sob broke from her chest, then another. 

Her legs buckled and she slid to the floor, curling into herself as the tears finally came.

Blue had no idea how long she huddled there, shoulders shaking with sobs. It felt as if something inside her had cracked. 

She hated this feeling of helplessness, but she was too exhausted to hold back anymore. Eventually her crying dwindled to sniffles. She wiped her face with trembling fingers.

 A heavy despair settled over her. Was this truly how it would end? Would she wander this hallway until she collapsed, alone and forgotten?

No. She wouldn't accept that. Blue sucked in a shaky breath and lifted her head. Her eyes stayed shut; she had no desire to see those cursed walls.

Instead, she focused on what she could feel and hear. The stone at her back was solid and real. Her breathing, though uneven, was slowing. 

And there, just barely, she sensed something else: a whisper of cool air across her face.

Blue's heart fluttered. A draft? Here? She staggered to her feet, keeping one hand on the wall and her eyes firmly shut. If her vision lied to her, she'd have to trust her other senses. 

Taking a deep breath, she extended her free hand into the darkness ahead and began to walk.

It was terrifying to walk blind. Every instinct screamed at her to open her eyes, but she refused. She followed the faint breeze, step by cautious step, as it grew slightly stronger against her skin. 

Her fingertips slid along the wall, until suddenly the wall ended. Her hand swept through empty air where solid stone should have been.

Blue's eyes flew open. Inches from her hand was a narrow wooden door set into the stone wall. So perfectly hidden, she might have run past it a hundred times and never noticed.

A shaky laugh of disbelief bubbled out of her. The exit had been here all along, invisible until she stopped trusting her eyes.

Heart pounding, Blue seized the iron handle and turned. The latch clicked and the door creaked open, spilling warm golden light into the corridor. 

She didn't hesitate, she lunged through the doorway, heart in her throat, afraid it might vanish if she waited even a second.

Crossing the threshold felt like stepping out of a storm. The pressure in Blue's head finally eased, and the stagnant air gave way to something clearer. Cool. Torch-lit. Real. Her breath caught when she saw someone waiting across the chamber. Chains stood slouched against the far wall, bruised and burned but alive.

Chains turned at the sound of the door, eyes wide. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Blue let out a breath, half a laugh, half a shake, and her legs nearly buckled beneath her.

Chains was already moving. She caught Blue under the arm before she could hit the ground. Blue steadied herself with a hand on her shoulder and nodded once. "You made it," she said quietly, her voice raw.

"So did you," Chains answered. Her voice was hoarse but steady.

They stood there for a moment, just catching their breath. No big words. No collapse. Just the quiet relief of not being alone. Blue looked up and gave a tired nod. Chains returned it with a small, almost defiant smirk.

"Next time," Chains muttered, "we don't split up."

Blue didn't argue.

The room was still now. The torchlight moved softly across the stone, casting long shadows. The air held no threat, no movement, only stillness. A shallow alcove carved into the wall offered a patch of raised stone, flat and dry. Chains pointed to it with a small gesture, and the two of them crossed over without speaking.

They sat. Not side by side. Not far apart. Just enough to know the other was still there.

Chains leaned back and stretched her legs with a quiet groan. Blue folded her knees to her chest and rested her arms across them. Neither of them spoke.

Minutes passed.

Their bodies cooled. Their breathing steadied. The silence no longer felt like a weight. It was just quiet.

They didn't know what came next.

But for now, they could stop.

And that was enough.