Puzzle: Shadow of Pillar

"Fuck it's almost 4 hours now," Caspian muttered.

As he walked through the dimly lit cave.

His body ached from the earlier trial.

"What that's," Caspian said while looking at the massive door that appeared infront of him out of nowhere.

The gate was ancient, its surface covered with intricate carvings that glowed faintly.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his hands against it and pushed with all his might.

CLUNK.

The gate groaned in protest before swinging open, revealing a vast chamber illuminated by an otherworldly light.

Caspian stepped inside, his eyes widening as he took in the sight before him.

The room was filled with towering pillars of varying sizes, shapes, and designs.

In the very center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it rested a sword.

The weapon radiated an aura of raw power, its blade gleaming as though it had been freshly forged.

CLANG.

The gate slammed shut behind him.

His heart pounded as the realization sank in—

"What's happening…" he muttered.

He turned back to the sword, its allure irresistible.

Step-step, he moved closer, his eyes flickering between the weapon and the pillars surrounding it.

As he approached, he noticed that the carvings on the pillars mirrored the images engraved on the sword's blade.

Intrigued, Caspian reached out, his fingers brushing the hilt of the sword.

ZIMP!!

Suddenly, a force struck him like a thunderbolt, hurling him backward.

THUD.

He landed hard on the stone floor.

Pain shot through his limbs, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up.

From nowhere, a deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber, filling the air with an unearthly weight.

"SHOW YOUR WORTH,"

"?"

"How?," Caspian asked.

"...."

No answer came.

.

Caspian sat against one of the smooth pillars

Two hours had passed, and frustration had begun to replace his determination.

"How the fuck am I supposed to show my worth?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

He had tried everything—pushing, pulling, examining the pillars for hidden mechanisms, even uttering the phrase that had guided him through the cave: "When shadow meets the fire, the path will show." Yet, nothing had happened.

Growling under his breath, he pulled the map from his pocket and unfolded it with shaking hands.

His eyes fell once again on the cryptic symbols:

A burning flame

A crescent moon

A coiling serpent

And a darkened sigil

For a moment, he simply stared at them, his mind churning.

These symbols are pretty useless, but what were they trying to tell him?

His gaze wandered back to the pillars.

Each one bore carvings—images that mirrored the symbols on the map.

He frowned, a thought dawning on him.

"The map…" he murmured,"It's not completely useless—it might be the key."

Standing up, he walked over to the nearest pillar and examined its carvings more closely.

One of the symbols caught his eye—a serpent, coiling in intricate loops. His mind raced.

"A coiling serpent," he said aloud, his voice echoing in the chamber.

His fingers traced the carving, and he looked back at the map.

One by one, he compared the symbols on the map to the carvings on the pillars.

"Each of these matches a symbol from the map…" His thoughts clicked into place as he stepped back, the entire puzzle unfolding in his mind.

"They aren't just decorations—they're markers."

His eyes landed on the flame symbol on the map, and he turned to the pillar that bore the same carving.

Slowly, he approached it.

The memory of the phrase returned to him.

"When shadow meets the fire, the path will show."

He glanced around the room, searching for anything that could cast a shadow.

His gaze fell on the flickering light at the chamber's edges, which was barely bright enough to illuminate the carvings.

"It's the flame," he said, realization dawning on him. "I need to create the shadow myself."

He summoned a small flame to his palm, its warm glow casting shadows against the nearest pillar.

Carefully, he positioned the flame so that its shadow fell over the serpent carving.

At first, nothing happened. Then, a faint hum filled the air, and the carving began to glow faintly.

"That's it," Caspian said, his heart racing.

He moved to the next pillar, the one bearing the crescent moon.

Repeating the process, he cast the shadow of his flame over the carving. It, too, began to glow.

One by one, he repeated the ritual, aligning the shadow of his flame with each of the map's symbols.

The air grew heavier with each activation, the carvings pulsating with light as if coming alive.

When he reached the final pillar—the one with the darkened sigil—he hesitated.

The air felt charged, and a sense of foreboding crept over him.

"No turning back now," he muttered, aligning the shadow one last time.

The pillar erupted in light, and the entire chamber trembled. The glow from the carvings surged toward the center, converging on the pedestal.

The sword, which had been inert all this time, began to vibrate, its blade shimmering with a newfound energy.

The voice returned, deeper and more resonant than before:

"You have shown your worth. Claim your prize, IF YOU DARE."

"What?," kael muttered.

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