Labyrinth (2)

The beast crumpled under Melissa's relentless onslaught, a mere low tier monster barely registering on her wrath-fueled radar. Trailing behind, Emma, the earth mage, clung to the edges of the clearing, her pale face reflecting the carnage in wide, terrified eyes.

Blue eyes flashed like lightning as Melissa snarled, the taste of iron thick on her tongue. Dealing with this bloodbath alone while the damned fog thickened, obscuring any escape route, was infuriating. Yet, she pushed forward, her steps echoing in the oppressive silence.

A glimmer on the horizon caught her eyes. A lake, its surface reflecting the unnatural sky above. And there, amidst the swirling mist, a familiar sight. Natalia, a whirlwind of fiery braids and laughter, locked in conversation with Anna.

"Look who's here," Melissa spat, her voice dripping with annoyance. Natalia's crimson eyes widened in surprise, then flickered to Melissa's blood-soaked form.

"Blue, you're a mess," she quipped, gesturing at the crimson staining Melissa's clothes.

Melissa's jaw clenched. "Yes, while I had the pleasure of doing all the work, she was busy playing hide-and-seek with my shadow." Her accusing glare pierced through Emma, who attempted to shrink further into the fog.

Before Natalia could respond, a tremor ran through the ground, resonating in their very bones. A monstrous bassline pulsed through the air, each beat a hammer blow against their eardrums. Darkness poured down like ink spilled from a celestial pen, threatening to drown them all in its suffocating embrace.

"No way," Melissa rasped, a primal fear clawing at her throat. Memories of a nightmarish past, of tentacles and teeth and endless hunger, flooded her mind. She stumbled back, her grip on her sword the only anchor in this swirling chaos.

Natalia tilted her head, confusion etched on her face. But that confusion was short-lived. A monstrous form materialized before them, a giant octopus, its tentacles pulsing with an alien energy.

Crimson eyes blazed with defiance. With a guttural roar, Natalia launched herself into the air, a fiery comet streaking towards the beast's shimmering water shield. Emma and Anna joined the fray, their earth and metal magic weaving around the beast's undulating form.

But Melissa remained rooted to the spot, memories of the wood, of cold tentacles and suffocating darkness, choking her. Tears blurred her vision as she saw it all replaying before her eyes. One by one, her friends succumbed to the relentless clutches of that monstrous force on that night. Why was it here, now, poised to inflict the same devastation once again?

Then, a surge of defiance ignited within her. Not this time. This time, she wouldn't be a bystander. With a scream, her blue eyes ignited with a watery fire. The mist around her swirled, coalescing into a shimmering blade in her hand.

She was a force of frozen fury, a glacier sculpted into vengeance. With a scream that pierced the oppressive silence, she charged towards the monstrosity, her icy blade crackling with the promise of retribution.

But the beast, a symphony of darkness and destruction, was not easily toppled. A tentacle, thick as a fallen redwood, slammed down, snatching Natalia from the fray. A sickening crunch, like ice fracturing in the heat, resonated through the clearing. Natalia's eyes, once blazing with defiance, flickered and dimmed, their fiery light extinguished in an instant.

Dead.

The word echoed in the emptiness that hollowed out Melissa's heart. The creature, its maw dripping with Natalia's essence, loomed over them, a grotesque monument to her failure. The weight of grief, a crushing burden, settled upon her shoulders, the taste of ash and bitterness coating her tongue. In the quiet aftermath, a tired acceptance painted her features, a wearied acknowledgment of the relentless cycle that seemed destined to repeat. 

**

A tremor tore through Elias, a choked sob escaping his lips as he cradled Adam's still form. Emerald eyes, wet with grief and desperation, darted around the unending abyss. His ears strained for a familiar sound, a heartbeat, anything to shatter the suffocating silence.

Then, it came – a whisper, soft yet insistent, carrying a wave of unexpected calm. "It's not real," it promised, a soothing balm on his ragged nerves. Hope, flickering like a distant ember, ignited within him.

Elias wasn't fooled. Adam, though no master mage, wouldn't fall prey to this flimsy panda illusion. No, Adam was his strength, his anchor in this swirling chaos. Fueled by this newfound resolve, Elias rose, his emerald eyes smouldering with defiance.

A prickling sensation danced across Elias's scalp as he focused, the whispers becoming more than whispers – a resonant hum in the very air around him. He reached out, his silent plea weaving through the endless abyss. "Emerald feathers, sun-kissed wings, show me where Adam sleeps, the true Adam, not the shadow."

A flurry of light, a flurry of sound. Birds erupted from the darkness, swirling in a vibrant, living map above him. Their synchronised flight, a feathered river of emerald and gold, beckoned him forward. He followed, heart pounding against his ribs, a desperate hope blooming in his chest.

One by one, the layers of darkness peeled back, not crumbling but dissolving in a cascade of swirling shadows. His steps, no longer faltering, carried him towards a clearing bathed in soft light. And there, nestled within a bed of emerald leaves, lay Adam, peaceful and unharmed.

A cruel clap shattered the stillness. Lord Grant, his features twisted in surprise and curiosity, stood behind him. But all Elias saw was the arrogant smirk he longed to erase.

"You, of all people, broke through the illusion first," Grant said, his green eyes searching Elias's. "You're no ordinary mage."

Elias ignored the praise, his focus solely on Adam. "What did you do to him?" he snarled, a growl bubbling in his throat.

Grant shrugged, a hint of admiration creeping into his voice. "The spiders made their choice. The weaker one sleeps, while the stronger faces trials." 

Emerald fire flickered in Elias's eyes, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. "What twisted amusement is this?" he hissed, his voice raw with suppressed fury.

Lord Grant laughed. "Ingenious, wouldn't you say? A test of the mind, not muscle. A mage's strength lies not in brute force, but in their control, their ability to face their own darkness." He leaned closer, his voice laced with a serpent's venom. "But you, young man, you have a large crack in your armour. So how did you even escape?"

Elias hoisted Adam onto his back, his answer laced with quiet defiance. "You're wrong. Adam is my strength." 

With that, he turned, disappearing into the waiting carriage, the echoes of his words hanging heavy in the air. The spiders may have tested him, but Elias had passed, not through magic, but through the unwavering belief in Adam.