The labyrinth loomed ahead, the walls pulsating with faint, otherworldly light. Verena moved through the winding corridors, each turn more labyrinthine than the last. Her thoughts swirled, a cocktail of exhaustion and determination. The trials hadn't been easy—not by a long shot—but they hadn't been entirely unanticipated either. This was the kind of test the academy had been grooming them for, and even with everything weighing on her, Verena wouldn't back down. She couldn't afford to.
Saphira shifted on her shoulder, her coils tight against the tension that hummed in the air. She didn't speak, but Verena felt her presence, like a quiet companion who understood the urgency in every step. They'd gone through so much already. They weren't going to falter now, not when they were so close.
