They reached the base of the mountain just before dusk. The sky was a bruised purple, streaked with orange, like it couldn't decide if it wanted to burn or bleed. The wind bit at their cloaks, colder than it should've been for spring. Ayden groaned, hugging himself.
"Who turned the AC on max out here?" he muttered. "My nipples are freezing off."
Lucien rolled his eyes, pulling his hood tighter. "Maybe don't announce your nipples' status every ten minutes."
Cain, walking ahead, didn't say anything. He hadn't said much since Eira's revelation about their mother. He just kept moving forward like the mountain owed him answers.
Eira led the way, silent and sure, like someone who knew every rock and root by heart. She finally paused at the mouth of a cave carved into the cliffside, its entrance choked by mist that curled like smoke.
"This is it," she said. "The Tomb of Whispers."
Ayden muttered, "Sounds so inviting."
Eira turned to them, serious. "Inside, it won't just be traps or monsters. This place... it messes with your mind. Shows you what you fear most. What you regret."
Lucien scoffed. "Great. More trauma. My favorite genre."
Cain looked at each of them. "Stick together. No matter what we see in there… don't trust it unless it bleeds."
Ayden blinked. "Wait, that's the rule?"
Lucien grinned despite himself. "Kinda metal, not gonna lie."
The tomb swallowed them in silence.
It wasn't just dark. It was wrong. The kind of dark that made your skin feel tight and your breath sound too loud.
The walls were etched with glowing runes — old, cracked symbols that pulsed faintly like veins under skin. The further in they walked, the more distorted time felt. Like every step was stretched longer than the last.
And then, like flicking a switch, they were no longer together.
Lucien's Vision
He blinked and found himself in a garden.
Bright sunlight. Birds chirping. And a woman tending roses in a white dress.
"Lucien," she called, smiling. "Can you help me with these?"
His heart slammed against his ribs. "Mom?"
She looked up, exactly as he remembered — warm eyes, dark curls, soft hands.
But he knew.
It was too perfect.
"I miss you," he whispered, stepping forward.
She smiled. "Then stay. We can be a family again."
Lucien bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "You're not real."
She frowned. "I'm what you want, Lucien."
He backed away. "And that's the problem."
She morphed, just slightly — her smile too wide, her eyes too glassy. A whisper in his ear said, You'll always be the one who didn't save her.
Lucien screamed, and the world shattered.
Ayden's Vision
Ayden stood alone in a ruined ballroom.
Music played faintly — a slow waltz. He looked down and realized he was dressed in royal silks, a crown tilting on his head.
"Oh no. Not this dream again," he muttered.
Then they appeared — rows and rows of people he once called friends, allies, even lovers — all laughing.
All turning into ash before his eyes.
"No no no—" He ran to them, but they crumbled, slipping through his fingers like sand.
"You're always the joke, Ayden," a voice hissed. "The clown prince. Too scared to lead. Too selfish to protect."
He dropped to his knees, fists clenched. "SHUT UP! I'm not just a joke... I'm more than that... I'm real! I fight!"
A blade appeared in his hand. He stabbed it into the floor, and the illusion cracked like glass.
Cain's Vision
Cain stood in a field of graves.
Thousands of them. Each marked with his name.
One read: Cain Elric — Killed by Fear. Another: Cain Elric — Killed by Love.
And another: Cain Elric — Killed by Himself.
He stood before one more, fresh and untouched.
Mother Elric.
He sank to his knees.
"I couldn't save you. I tried. I—"
"She's alive."
He turned to see Eira — but it wasn't her. It was a twisted version, eyes hollow, smile cruel.
"You'll fail again. Like you always do."
Cain stood up slowly. "Not this time."
He clenched his fist, and fire bloomed from his palm, engulfing the graveyard.
One by one, they stumbled into the center chamber — pale, shaking, sweat-soaked.
Lucien sat down hard. "I just argued with my dead mom and a bush. I don't wanna talk about it."
Ayden flopped on the stone floor. "I got roasted by a hallucination. Honestly, 10/10 delivery. Hurt my feelings in stereo."
Cain didn't speak. He just pulled them both into a hug, holding on like they were anchors.
Eira emerged a moment later, eyes tired.
"You passed," she said quietly. "The tomb let you through. It means you're strong enough to face what's ahead."
Lucien looked up. "So now what?"
Eira turned toward the black doorway at the far end. "Now… we go wake your mother."