Chapter 35: Shadow and Light

Entering the vast banquet hall, Etzli found her surroundings disturbingly familiar.

She'd been here before.

The block-like pillars. The high ceiling. The wall murals: ornate, colorful, and highlighted with veins of gold leaf.

The tile floor demarcated two opposite halves. At the center, a bright family crest.

Etzli's heart sank.

This was a modern recreation of the Olo Mountain Temple where she failed her Criterion. It looked brand new, yet somehow felt colder than the ruins she remembered. Something important was lost in translation, but she couldn't identify exactly what.

A long dining table stood just off-center, so as not to cover the family crest. Beyond stood a gilded door leading... somewhere.

Eztli had failed her test, so she never made it through that door to see where it led.

"Grub!" Capac bellowed. "Smashing! We've built an appetite!"

He led Etzli to the long table.

There was only one person seated there. Atee.