The moment Wads and Reiyell stepped through the archway, the chamber swallowed them whole. A low, guttural growl echoed off jagged stone walls, reverberating like distant thunder. The air was thick, damp with a faint sulfuric scent that made Wads wrinkle his nose. The ground itself seemed to pulse faintly beneath their feet, as if the chamber had a heartbeat of its own. Crystalline veins of dark blue ran along the walls, glowing intermittently, illuminating the space with a ghostly light that shifted as if the chamber itself were breathing.
Before them, the real test revealed itself. The boss—a colossal, five-headed wolf—stood in the center of the chamber. Each head was grotesque and glistening with jagged teeth, eyes glowing a menacing crimson. Its fur was coarse, bristled like iron wire, and it towered over them at least five times their height. The ground trembled slightly with each step it took.
Reiyell straightened, blue-ice hair cascading like a veil around her shoulders. Her indicolite eyes glimmered, unwavering in their calm determination. "Focus, Wyxro," she said, her voice regal yet calm. "Observe the pattern of its movement. We strike together."
Wads nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Yes… Rei." He paused, then sheepishly added, "I mean… Your Highness." He winced slightly, already regretting it. Reiyell's lips curved in a small, almost imperceptible smile.
"Rei is fine," she said smoothly, raising a hand and forming a sword of pure ice, its surface reflecting the eerie blue light. "It's just us here."
Wads allowed a faint grin to slip. "Got it. Rei it is. Guess I'll get used to it sooner or later."
They advanced cautiously, the ground quivering with each step of the beast. Wads' fingers twitched, generating faint black-purple distortions—the subtle hum of his Gravity Lattice. As the wolf lunged, its five heads snapping in chaotic motions, Wads activated it fully, warping local gravity to slow the monster's multi-directional attacks. Its claws scraped the stone floor but barely grazed them.
Thread, the offensive extension of his Seer ability, flickered around him, invisible yet precise. Each tendril of probability energy weaved between the five heads, subtly redirecting their momentum and exploiting minuscule openings he had calculated. He smirked as one head's strike completely misaligned, crashing into another.
Reiyell moved with grace, striking each head as it advanced. Her ice sword sliced cleanly, frost forming along the beast's jaws with perfect precision. Her Cryomancy Mastery allowed her to adapt instantly, creating spikes, shields, and blade extensions mid-combat. The icy air whipped around her, forming miniature snowstorms that masked her movements and made her a blur to the wolf's senses.
Wads darted around the monster, using Gravity Lattice to manipulate not just the wolf's trajectory but also the environment. Stones levitated, colliding with the beast, slowing it further. "Gotcha!" he muttered quietly as Thread connected with the space between its shoulders, subtly forcing the wolf to stumble.
Reiyell's strikes were unerring. Each swing of her ice blade chipped away at the monstrous hide, freezing blood vessels and sinew, making it sluggish. "Wads," she called, "the left flanks—intervene simultaneously."
Wads nodded, weaving his threads with pinpoint precision. The two moved in near-perfect synchronicity, their powers complementing each other. Gravity distorted, ice struck, the beast howled in fury. The chamber reverberated with every impact—shards of ice splintered and clattered against the stone walls, the wolf's claws gouged trenches into the floor.
Between attacks, Wads muttered softly, "If I could just—" then paused, correcting himself, "We just need to… time it right." He glanced at Rei, seeing her focus and poise, the way she anticipated every lunge. Despite the intensity, he couldn't resist a quick quip. "Hey, Rei, try not to get frostbite on your pretty hands, yeah?"
Reiyell shot him a sidelong glance, icy blue eyes narrowing with mock exasperation. "Wyxro, the wolf will be the one frostbitten if you stop jesting." She struck again, ice forming an enormous crescent blade that connected with the fifth head, freezing it solid.
With a coordinated effort, Wads manipulated the gravity around the chamber, causing the wolf to stumble into the frozen head. Reiyell seized the moment, sending a precise strike across the remaining heads. The beast howled, the sound deafening, then collapsed in a final, resounding crash.
They stood for a moment, breathing heavily, the chamber settling into an eerie silence. "We did it," Wads muttered, adjusting his glasses with a grin, though sweat streaked his face.
Reiyell sheathed her ice sword. "Indeed," she said calmly. Then, softer, almost teasingly: "Though you seemed to enjoy yourself."
Wads scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe a little. Don't tell anyone."
They moved deeper into the chamber, searching for treasure. Wads' eyes caught a glint in the corner of the cavern. "I'll check over there." He darted forward, moving with precise steps, and before Reiyell could react, he opened a small, red box chest. Instantly, a silver cuff clasped around his wrist, jerking him back toward Reiyell.
Reiyell raised an eyebrow, icy blue eyes flicking to the strange device. "Careless," she noted flatly, though a hint of amusement danced in her gaze. Wads glared at the cuff, tugging fruitlessly.
"It says…" she read aloud, the words glowing faintly on the cuff. "It can only be broken when the Arch Demon Mage is defeated. Location… unknown."
Wads groaned, flopping dramatically to the ground while still tethered to Reiyell. "Great… we're cuffed together. Perfect for a first trial."
Reiyell's lips twitched in a small smile. "You'll manage. Focus on adapting, not complaining."
They continued exploring, finding another chest—a long, ornately carved box. This one contained a scroll, sealed in wax. Reiyell carefully broke it open, revealing the unfamiliar symbols within. Wads peered over her shoulder.
"It's a dead language," Reiyell said, tracing her fingers over the scroll with precision. "Far beyond our current knowledge, yet clearly valuable. Perhaps the Empress left it intentionally."
Wads tilted his head. "So… we just keep it safe and hope it comes in handy later?"
Reiyell nodded. "Precisely. Though I daresay, you might learn more if you stop thinking aloud."
He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Your Highness…" he began, then corrected himself quickly, "I mean… Rei. I keep forgetting. Habits die hard."
She glanced at him, her gaze softening slightly, amused despite herself. "Rei, then. And perhaps you'll learn to manage them… habits, I mean, not just words."
Their banter continued as they delved further into the chamber, tension and playfulness intertwining. Despite the dangers surrounding them, there was a strange warmth in the camaraderie forming between them. And though the cuffs bound them physically, it seemed, in a subtle way, that they were beginning to bind their trust—and perhaps something more—together.
The Trial of Chambers had only just begun, yet Wads already felt that the challenges ahead would be different. Not just for survival, but for discovery… of treasures, of power, and perhaps, of one another.