Vaelix stood a short distance away, his golden shield still glowing faintly around him and the unconscious princess in his arms. His eyes were fixed on the newly lit path ahead, the same way the rest of us stared.

I watched him carefully, my staff still in hand.

Part of me wanted to attack him right there and end it before he recovered his strength. But another part of me hesitated. We didn't know what this place was or what was waiting for us beyond that path. For all I knew, fighting here could trigger something far worse.

Before I could decide, the ground shook beneath our feet.

A deep rumble echoed through the chamber, and the lamps along the walls flickered wildly. Then, with a grinding sound, the stone floor split open ahead of us.

Three massive stone steles rose slowly from the ground one in front of the other,

Their surfaces were smooth and crimson, shining faintly in the lamp light. Golden letters glowed across them.

I squinted, trying to read the words, but they were blurred, shifting like mist.

Even when I extended my perception, the meaning slipped away. It was as if some invisible layer was blocking me from understanding them, a veil placed intentionally to keep outsiders from knowing what was written.

Steve stepped closer but stopped midway. "Can anyone read that?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head. "No. It's like the words are there but not meant for us."

The three steles stood in a straight line ahead of us, each one rising higher than the last, like a path of judgment laid out in order.

In front of each stele, a glowing circle appeared on the floor, crimson light spreading outward in slow, steady rhythm.

We all stared at them in silence for a moment, unsure what to do.

Steve was the first to speak. "So… do we step in, or wait for something to happen?"

North shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the first circle. "They look like traps."

Primus wiped the sweat from his face. "Everything in this place is a trap."

I narrowed my eyes at the line of steles. They weren't random. "This feels like a test. Each one probably does something different… maybe something worse than the last."

I tried reading the words again, but they still refused to make sense. It was like something was blocking my mind from understanding them.

"Can we just skip to the second one?" Steve muttered, glancing between the glowing circles.

"I guess we could," I said, keeping my eyes on the steles, "but without knowing what they do, that's a gamble either way."

Steve nodded slowly. "Hmm… then—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

All of us turned as Vaelix began walking forward, his footsteps echoing faintly in the silence. He didn't hesitate, didn't even look back at the princess. Without a word, he stepped into the first circle.

The air around the stele pulsed, and the faint golden letters carved across its surface flared to life. A deep, crimson glow spread through the grooves as a single word appeared

Burden.

And then a pulse of pressure hit before I could even move.

It slammed straight through me, like an invisible hammer aimed not at my body but at the core of my being.

I gasped and dropped to my knees. Around me, everyone else fell too, Steve, North, Primus, even Vaelix was on his knees. The ground didn't shake, there was no aura or essence churning around us. Everything I was silent around us but the pressure remained. It was like the air was made of heavy molten iron pressing down on our souls.

The pain wasn't sharp. It was endless, a slow crushing that twisted from inside. My Essence channels felt like they were burning, my Psynapse dimming and flickering. I could feel every heartbeat like it was tearing something apart.

North's voice cracked beside me. "Billion… I can't—"

I looked at her. She was trembling, both hands clutching her chest. Steve wasn't any better. His forehead was pressed against the ground, his teeth gritted so hard blood leaked down his lips. Primus had already fallen on his side, faint groans escaping him.

And then, the sound of chains returned.

My eyes widened. I tried summoning my essence shield again but could not command my essence.

The air shimmered crimson. From the void above, chains descended again, thick and alive, their ends whipping like serpents. One by one, they latched onto each of us. I felt the sting deep inside my chest as one of them bit into me.

A chain shot toward Vaelix too. His golden shield flared brightly for a moment, but the chain tore through it like it was made of paper and latched onto him all the same.

The other ends of the chains remained loose, swaying gently.

I stared at the first stele again. Its golden letters pulsed once, and a faint whisper echoed in my mind, soft and almost mocking: I know you will share… but for how long, and for how many? Can you do it for Eternity?

My head snapped toward North. Her presence was fading, her Essence flickering like a dying flame. It was as if her soul was slowly dimming under the weight pressing down on all of us.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the free end of her chain. The moment my hand touched it, it came alive, slamming into my wrist, coiling up, and locking tight.

Pain exploded through me. It wasn't physical. It was like being stabbed from the inside by fire. Crimson light spread under my skin, crawling up my arm and toward my chest. My vision flickered red.

I heard something whispering at the back of my mind, a broken, corrupted voice but I pushed it down and held on.

North screamed, "Billion, no! Don't do that!"

I forced a grin even as my body trembled. "It's fine. I can handle it."

That was a lie. It wasn't fine. My soul was being gnawed at by something alive, something that didn't belong to me. It moved through me like hot smoke, crawling deeper each second.

I looked around, thinking fast. Steve was stronger than Primus, his soul more stable, his will more focused. Maybe…

"Steve!" I shouted through clenched teeth. "Take Primus's chain."

Steve lifted his head slowly, eyes bloodshot. For a second, he hesitated, then nodded and crawled toward Primus.

He grabbed the free end of the chain hanging near Primus. It latched instantly, and he groaned as the same corruption rippled under his skin. But the tremors running through Primus's body started to calm down.

The connection worked.

But Vaelix wasn't untouched either. He was down on one knee, his face tense, the aura around him flickering slightly. The force was pressing on him too, though not as harshly as it was on the rest of us. And it was understandable since he was transcendent and increase in soul strength was one of the main benefits of transcending.

The princess, who was beside him, wasn't as lucky. Her Essence was collapsing fast. She screamed, clutching her chest, tears running down her cheeks.

"Lord Vaelix!" she cried. "Help me! Please!"

He didn't even look at her. "You were unfit to enter this place. Survive if you can."

Her voice broke into raw pain. The light in her eyes dimmed, her body went limp. Then, with a low hum, the chain tore out of her chest, pulling a glowing blue orb, her soul, out with it. The orb drifted upward, trembling once before vanishing into the crimson haze.

Everyone went silent.

Even the chains seemed to quiet.

I stared at where she'd been, my mind churning with thoughts.

Vaelix's expression didn't change.

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