[This chapter is being edited. The Trial (2) and this chapter, trial (3) are undergoing editing. Please standby]
The stone door rumbled shut behind her, sealing the chamber with a soft hiss—like the exhale of something ancient watching from beyond. The temperature plummeted. Frost bloomed over the glyphs on the wall, crystallizing the constellations in jagged ice. Verena's breath misted in the air, her pulse thudding in her throat.
But this wasn't the Water path. Nor was it Ice-aligned.
This… wasn't any known trial at all.
"What the hell is this place?" she muttered, stepping cautiously forward. Her mimicry glyphs flickered at her fingertips, unsure of what to draw from. Even Saphira stirred uneasily inside her—still fused, still glowing faintly around Verena's arms like threads of light, but more subdued now.
Then came the voice.
It wasn't spoken. It echoed straight into her skull, bypassing the ears, like an intrusive thought you couldn't suppress.
"Verena Aurelian."
