Chapter 25
Twenty-five
Nervously, I glance around the floor. All ten of us are positioned individually around the arena; our sponsors are now gone.
The magic uncurls slowly yet somehow all at once, like a smokescreen revealing the true nature of the pit.
Previously empty, the arena has transformed into a daunting gauntlet, an elevated obstacle course soaring skyward.
The course is stratified, with layers of complex tracks with multiple entry points.
Sections of climbing and ramps descending inwards are visible from my vantage point.
I’m unable to view the course in its entirety: thick gray walls block sections choppily with no apparent pattern.
This… is it? An obstacle course? There’s no way it’s this simple…
right? Orion would not have put me through hell with fire if the elements weren’t involved.
Perhaps this challenge is a little like me: not to be underestimated.
I need to get in, find a moonstone shard, and get out.
Preferably unharmed. Simple, right? I need to get moving.
The Kosmos didn’t specify how many pieces of moonstone were available in this challenge, and I refuse to emerge empty-handed.
I approach cautiously while Orion’s advice of not rushing runs through my mind.
There’s an opening level with my chest on the wall in front of me.
“Here we go,” I allow myself one deep breath before hoisting myself over the ledge.
I linger for a moment, waiting—not sure what for—before dropping into the course and landing in a crouch.
As my feet flatten on the surface, an ear-piercing shriek reverberates around me.
Who was that? The scream sounded female.
I gulp, hoping whoever it was is okay, before taking in my surroundings.
I’ve landed in what appears to be a lengthy chamber.
It’s hard to be certain; the darkness is impenetrable surrounding me.
The scream, combined with the darkness and uncertainty of what was to come, has fear creeping in.
But fear is darkness, and I am the light.
I was the light long before I was made to fear.
I vanquish the panic, staying calm and focused.
This darkness should intimidate, but I welcome it. I am unafraid.
I keep a hand running along the wall as I take steady steps forward.
The hall veers in two. One path is well lit, with a large crevice splitting the trail.
The gap looks jumpable, but is this the right path to follow?
The other is darkened, and I’m unable to make out what lies ahead, making out only a set of airborne bars.
Could that be like the dangling rings section of our training course?
If I were a moonstone shard hidden by the Kosmos, where would I be?
Born of night, cloaked in darkness—that’s where.
My steps are silent as I make my way to the bars.
I shake out my arms before bending my knees and launching upwards onto the first bar.
With one hand over the other, I reach the next bar.
As I go to move my hand, an unyielding force pushes downwards, prohibiting me from moving to the next bar. An element. Air.
A riddle for your thoughts, Zellie Toro?
A low and resonant voice echoes around me. Okay, that’s not creepy at all.
Answer correctly and proceed. Answer incorrectly and find what’s waiting below.
“Let’s hear it.” The sooner I answer, the quicker I can move on. Already, my body feels heavy from being suspended by my arms.
Forever falling, burning high.
Only a blink in the night sky,
I carry your travels, your burdens, your secrets—
Tell me your wishes, or live with regrets.
What? “Can you possibly repeat that?” My brain does not retain auditory information. I’m a visual learner, dammit!
Forever falling, burning high.
Only a blink in the night sky,
I carry your travels, your burdens, your secrets—
Tell me your wishes, or live with regrets.
Carry your travels? What does that even mean? Tell me your wishes… like when you wish on a star? The answer hits me at once. Yes, of course. A burning ball for traveling—like star-shooting, that people wish upon.
“A shooting star!” The forced air immediately releases the weight on my hands.
Proceed.
You don’t have to ask me twice. My arms are screaming. I swing my arms, pulling, as I propel myself forward. As I reach the last bar, I pump my legs, gaining momentum to the open landing in front of me. As I land, I quickly stumble but catch myself. That could have been ba—
“Ah!”
My next step on the flat path before me is a mistake.
I know this as soon as I put my weight down on my foot.
The flatness was an optical illusion, giving me a false sense of security.
A trapdoor gives way, and I’m free-falling.
I should have noticed this, but I was too distracted by losing my footing.
My landing is rough, my bottom taking the brunt of it, as my descent continues and picks up speed towards a molten blaze.
A scorching wall of fire awaits me at the bottom of the steep ramp.
I scramble, flailing to find something to hold on to.
Loose rocks skitter by me as dust and gravel kick up towards my face.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! This isn’t working. I didn’t make it this far just for me and my progress to go up in smoke.
There has to be something I can do. The Kosmos wouldn’t kill us off this easily…
would they? I shake the thought from my brain and frantically scan my surroundings in the quickly brightening light.
There! On the walls lining the ramp, there appear to be several jagged holes, as if the rocks that made up the section had fallen out.
I have no other choice. My body tenses as I continue to descend, preparing to launch.
I give myself a wide berth, jumping and reaching for the small openings.
Reaching, reaching… My fingers cling to the edge as my body slams against the wall.
The impact loosens my grip until I’m falling, tumbling, scraping against the wall towards a fiery doom.