The Summoning
The ancient temple ruins had seemed like the perfect place to rest for the night. After their emotionally charged conversations and relationship revelations, the group had settled into an easy rhythm—Xie Lian and Wei Zhan taking first watch, Devran and Tianlan curled up suspiciously close to each other despite their protests, and Saanvi tucked against Vihaan's side like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But peace, as they'd learned, was always temporary.
The first sign something was wrong came at exactly midnight. Vihaan's eyes snapped open, not from any external sound, but from a deep thrumming that seemed to resonate in his bones. He lay still for a moment, listening, but the night was quiet except for the usual forest sounds.
Then he heard it—a soft, melodic humming that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was hauntingly beautiful, like a lullaby sung by the wind itself, but there was something underneath it that made his skin crawl.
"Vihaan?" Saanvi's voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes were open, staring up at the star-filled sky with an expression he'd never seen before—distant, dreamy, as if she was seeing something the rest of them couldn't.
"You hear it too," he said, sitting up carefully.
She nodded, but didn't look at him. "It's calling to me. To us. I can feel it pulling at something deep inside, like it knows who we are."
One by one, the others began to stir. Not the gradual awakening of people roused from sleep, but the sudden, alert consciousness of those who'd been waiting for a signal.
Devran's hand was on his sword hilt before he was fully upright. "What the hell is that sound?"
"Music," Tianlan said, but his voice was strained. His golden eyes were brighter than usual, as if responding to whatever power was calling to them. "But not the kind mortals make."
Wei Zhan and Xie Lian exchanged a look. They'd both been on watch, but neither had heard anything until now.
"It's getting stronger," Xie Lian observed, his hand moving to his weapon as well. "And it's definitely not natural."
The humming grew louder, more insistent. It wasn't just a sound anymore—it was a presence, pressing against their minds, whispering wordless promises of answers and power.
"We need to follow it," Saanvi said, standing with fluid grace. There was something different about her, something that made Vihaan's chest tighten with worry. She moved like someone in a trance, her usual sharp awareness replaced by an otherworldly serenity.
"Like hell we do," Devran said immediately. "Following mysterious supernatural music in the middle of the night is literally the first rule of 'how to die horribly in a forest.'"
"He's right," Wei Zhan agreed. "Every instinct I have is screaming that this is a trap."
But even as they protested, they were all moving, drawn by something deeper than curiosity. The pull was undeniable, like a current they couldn't swim against.
"It's not a trap," Vihaan said quietly, though his expression was grim. "It's a summons. The question is, from who?"
They gathered their belongings with practiced efficiency, but there was an odd quality to their movements—too synchronized, too purposeful. As if they were all dancing to the same unheard rhythm.
"This feels familiar," Tianlan muttered, shouldering his pack. "Like déjà vu, but deeper."
"Everything feels familiar lately," Devran replied, but his usual sarcasm was muted. "I'm starting to think we're all losing our minds."
"Or finding them," Saanvi said cryptically, already walking toward the tree line.
The forest at night was a different creature entirely. Shadows moved independently of the trees that cast them, and the moonlight seemed to bend around certain areas, creating pockets of absolute darkness that their eyes couldn't penetrate.
They walked in silence, following paths that existed only in their collective unconscious. Vihaan stayed close to Saanvi, worried by her distant expression. She moved like a sleepwalker, guided by invisible threads.
"Saanvi," he said softly, catching her arm. "Are you all right?"
She looked at him then, and for a moment her eyes cleared. "I don't know. I feel like I'm remembering something I never forgot, if that makes sense."
"It doesn't," Devran called from behind them. "But then again, nothing's made sense since we met you people."
"Speak for yourself," Tianlan retorted automatically. "I'm a beacon of logic and reason."
"You set your own eyebrows on fire yesterday because you were concentrating too hard on a flame technique," Xie Lian pointed out.
"That was... an experiment," Tianlan said defensively.
"In stupidity," Wei Zhan added, and despite the tense situation, several of them smiled.
But the brief moment of levity faded as the humming grew stronger. The forest around them began to change, becoming older, wilder. The trees were massive, their trunks twisted into impossible shapes, and the air itself seemed to thicken with age and power.
"How long have we been walking?" Devran asked, looking around with growing unease.
"Twenty minutes," Wei Zhan replied immediately.
"It feels like hours," Tianlan said. "Or years. Time isn't working right here."
They emerged from the forest into a circular clearing that definitely hadn't been there before. In the center stood a structure that defied easy description—part temple, part fortress, part tomb. It was built from black stone that seemed to absorb light, and covered in carvings that hurt to look at directly.
"Well," Xie Lian said conversationally, "that's ominous."
"The understatement of the century," Devran muttered. "I vote we turn around and pretend we never saw this."
But even as he spoke, he was moving toward the temple. They all were, drawn by the same invisible force that had brought them here.
The massive doors were already open, revealing a darkness so complete it seemed solid. The humming was coming from inside, echoing off unseen walls.
"Last chance to run screaming," Vihaan said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Where's the fun in that?" Saanvi asked, and stepped across the threshold.
The moment they were all inside, the doors slammed shut behind them with a sound like thunder. The darkness lifted slightly, revealing a vast chamber lit by floating orbs of cold, blue light.
"To seek wisdom," a voice said from everywhere and nowhere, "one must prove their worth. Face the trials, or be lost forever in the spaces between worlds."
"Of course," Wei Zhan said with resignation. "Why can't we ever find a nice, normal temple that just wants to give us free food and directions?"
"Because that would be boring," Tianlan replied, but his eyes were scanning the chamber for threats.
The floor beneath their feet suddenly cracked, splitting into five distinct paths. Before anyone could react, the sections they were standing on began to move, separating them despite their attempts to stay together.
"Saanvi!" Vihaan called out, reaching for her as the distance between them grew.
"We'll find each other," she called back, her voice already fading. "We always do."
Then they were gone, swallowed by the temple's hungry darkness.
---
**Trial 1: Devran & Tianlan – The Mirror of Souls**
Devran hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. The chamber he found himself in was circular, with walls lined with mirrors of every shape and size. Each reflection showed him perfectly, but there was something wrong with the images—they moved a fraction of a second out of sync, creating a disorienting strobe effect.
"Fantastic," he muttered, getting to his feet. "A funhouse designed by someone with a serious psychological disorder."
"Could be worse," Tianlan's voice came from behind him. "We could be separated."
Devran turned to find Tianlan brushing dust off his robes, looking remarkably composed for someone who'd just been transported to a nightmare realm.
"Always the optimist," Devran said dryly.
"Someone has to be, since you're determined to see the worst in everything."
"I prefer 'realistic,'" Devran replied. "And realistically, this place is going to try to kill us in some creatively horrible way."
As if summoned by his words, the mirrors began to shift. The reflections started moving independently, showing not who they were, but who they feared to become.
Devran's mirrors showed him alone—truly alone. In one, he stood over the graves of his friends, tears streaming down his face. In another, he was old and bitter, surrounded by empty bottles and broken dreams. A third showed him consumed by rage, his sword dripping with innocent blood.
"Charming," he said, but his voice was tight. "I've always wanted to see my worst fears made manifest."
Tianlan's mirrors were different but equally disturbing. They showed him losing control completely—his demonic heritage overwhelming his human nature until he was nothing but destruction given form. Fire and darkness poured from his hands as he razed cities, his eyes empty of everything that made him who he was.
"The deepest fear," the temple's voice whispered, "is not death, but becoming something you despise."
"Well, that's annoyingly insightful," Devran said, forcing himself to look away from the images. "Any ideas on how to pass this trial?"
"Don't look at me," Tianlan said, but Devran noticed he was deliberately avoiding his own reflections. "I was hoping you'd have some brilliant strategy."
"My brilliant strategy is usually 'hit things until they stop moving,'" Devran admitted. "But I don't think that's going to work here."
He reached for his sword anyway, but when he tried to draw it, his hand passed through the hilt like it wasn't there.
"No weapons," Tianlan observed. "How very sporting of our mysterious host."
"So what, we're supposed to just... what? Meditate our way out?"
"Maybe we're supposed to face the fears instead of running from them," Tianlan said thoughtfully. "Accept that these things are possible futures, but not inevitable ones."
"That's very philosophical of you," Devran said. "I hate it."
"I know you do. But can you think of a better idea?"
Devran stared at his reflections—all the ways he could fail, all the ways he could lose everything that mattered. The fear was real, visceral, making his heart race and his palms sweat.
"All right," he said finally. "Let's try your stupid plan."
He stepped closer to the mirrors, forcing himself to really look at the images. The loneliness, the failure, the violence—all of it was possible. He was human, flawed, capable of terrible things.
"I'm scared," he said aloud, his voice echoing in the chamber. "I'm terrified of losing the people I care about. I'm afraid of becoming someone they wouldn't recognize."
The reflections flickered but didn't disappear.
"But," he continued, his voice growing stronger, "being afraid doesn't mean being paralyzed. I can't control everything that happens, but I can control how I respond."
One by one, the mirrors showing his fears began to crack.
Tianlan was having his own struggle. The images of destruction and loss of control were hitting him where he was most vulnerable—his constant fear that his demonic heritage would overwhelm everything else about him.
"I've spent my whole life trying to balance two natures," he said, his voice barely audible. "Human and demon, creation and destruction. Sometimes I think it would be easier to just... let go."
"But you don't," Devran said, still focused on his own mirrors but listening. "You fight every day to stay who you are. That's not weakness—that's strength."
"Some days I'm not sure," Tianlan admitted. "Some days the fire feels more real than everything else."
"And on those days, you have us," Devran said simply. "You have people who see who you really are, not what you're afraid of becoming."
Tianlan looked at him then, really looked at him, and something in his expression shifted. "When did you become so wise?"
"I've always been wise," Devran said with a grin. "I just hide it under layers of sarcasm and poor impulse control."
"The wisdom to know oneself," the temple's voice said, and the mirrors began to dissolve. "The courage to accept what cannot be changed, and the strength to change what can be. You may pass."
A doorway opened in the wall, revealing a corridor lined with the same cold, blue light.
"That was either surprisingly easy or we're about to face something much worse," Devran said.
"With our luck, both," Tianlan replied, but he was smiling.
---
**Trial 2: Wei Zhan & Xie Lian – The Labyrinth of Intentions**
Wei Zhan found himself in a corridor that stretched infinitely in both directions. The walls were smooth stone, unmarked by any decorations or distinguishing features. Every step he took forward seemed to bring him back to the same point.
"Xie Lian?" he called out, his voice echoing strangely.
"Here," came the reply from directly behind him.
Wei Zhan turned to find Xie Lian examining the walls with scientific interest.
"Spatial distortion," Xie Lian said without looking up. "We're not actually moving through space—we're moving through concept."
"I hate it when you get philosophical," Wei Zhan said, but there was fondness in his voice. "Can you translate that into something useful?"
"It's not about where we're going," Xie Lian explained. "It's about why we're going there. The labyrinth is reading our intentions."
"So what, we need to want to get out badly enough?"
"Or we need to want to get out for the right reasons," Xie Lian corrected. "What were you thinking about when you started walking?"
Wei Zhan considered this. "Getting back to the others. Making sure Saanvi and Vihaan are all right. Finding a way to help Devran and Tianlan stop being idiots about their obvious feelings for each other."
"And I was thinking about keeping you safe," Xie Lian said quietly. "About making sure you don't do anything stupidly noble that gets you killed."
They looked at each other for a long moment.
"So we're both trying to protect people," Wei Zhan said.
"But maybe that's the wrong approach," Xie Lian said. "Maybe we need to trust that they can protect themselves."
"You're asking me to go against every instinct I have," Wei Zhan said. "I'm a prince. Protecting people is what I do."
"And I'm a wanderer," Xie Lian replied. "I've learned that sometimes the best way to help someone is to let them help themselves."
"So what do we do?"
"We walk forward with the intention of trusting our friends," Xie Lian said. "We believe they're capable of handling their own trials."
It went against everything Wei Zhan believed about leadership and responsibility, but he found himself nodding. "All right. Let's try it."
They walked forward together, not thinking about rescue or protection, but about faith. Faith in their friends' strength, faith in their own abilities, faith that they would all find their way back to each other.
The corridor shimmered and dissolved, replaced by a chamber filled with soft, golden light.
"Trust," the temple's voice said. "The foundation of all true bonds. You may pass."
---
**Trial 3: Saanvi & Vihaan – The Scales of Truth**
Saanvi landed gracefully in a chamber dominated by a massive golden scale. The air here was different—thinner, charged with power that made her skin tingle. Ancient symbols covered every surface, glowing with soft, silver light.
"Vihaan?" she called out, but got no response.
She was alone.
The scale began to move, its arms rising and falling in a hypnotic rhythm. As it moved, images began to form in the air above it—memories, she realized. Her memories.
But they weren't memories she remembered having.
She saw herself in flowing robes of silver and gold, standing in a garden that existed beyond the mortal realm. Divine light surrounded her, and she was speaking with someone—a figure whose face she couldn't quite make out, but whose presence filled her with warmth and longing.
"My beloved," her past self was saying, "I will find you in every lifetime. No matter how far apart we are, no matter what forms we take, I will find you."
"And I will wait," the figure replied, and though she couldn't see his face, she knew his voice. "In every lifetime, I will wait."
The memory faded, replaced by others. A wedding ceremony conducted under starlight, with vows that transcended mortality. A battlefield where she fought alongside the same mysterious figure, their powers complementing each other perfectly. A moment of sacrifice, where she gave up her divine nature to save a mortal world, knowing it would mean being separated from her beloved for countless lifetimes.
"The truth of the heart," the temple's voice whispered, "cannot be hidden from the scales."
"Saanvi." Vihaan's voice came from behind her, and she spun around to find him standing at the chamber's entrance. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held depths she'd never noticed before.
"You saw," she said. It wasn't a question.
"I saw," he confirmed, stepping closer. "The question is, what do you believe?"
She looked at the scale, still moving in its endless rhythm. "I believe... I believe we've been finding each other for a very long time."
"And I believe," Vihaan said softly, reaching out to take her hand, "that some promises are worth keeping across lifetimes."
The scale stilled, perfectly balanced. The chamber filled with gentle light, and a doorway opened in the far wall.
"Love," the temple's voice said, "is the greatest truth of all. You may pass."
---
**The Reunion**
The three pairs emerged into a vast central chamber simultaneously, relief flooding through them as they saw each other whole and unharmed.
"Thank the gods," Devran said, immediately checking to make sure everyone was accounted for. "I was starting to think we'd lost someone."
"We're harder to get rid of than that," Tianlan said, but his golden eyes were bright with relief.
"Did everyone else feel like their trial was specifically designed to mess with their head?" Wei Zhan asked.
"That's because it was," Xie Lian said. "The temple was reading us from the moment we walked in. It knew exactly what buttons to push."
"Well, it's over now," Saanvi said, but her voice was thoughtful. She kept glancing at Vihaan, as if seeing him in a new light.
"Is it?" Vihaan asked, his eyes scanning the chamber. "This feels too easy."
As if summoned by his words, the chamber began to shake. Ancient statues lining the walls started to move, their stone limbs creaking as they stepped down from their pedestals.
"You just had to say it was too easy," Devran groaned, drawing his sword.
"I don't suppose there's a chance they're friendly?" Tianlan asked, flames already dancing around his hands.
One of the statues swung a massive stone mace at his head.
"I'll take that as a no," he said, ducking and retaliating with a burst of golden fire.
The battle was chaotic but brief. The statues were powerful but slow, and the group had learned to work together with deadly efficiency. Wei Zhan and Xie Lian fought back-to-back, their movements perfectly synchronized. Devran and Tianlan complemented each other's attacks, fire and steel working in harmony.
But it was Saanvi and Vihaan who truly shone. They moved like dancers, like they'd been fighting together for centuries. Her divine light merged with his shadowy power, creating something new and beautiful and terrifying.
When the last statue crumbled to dust, they stood in the sudden silence, breathing hard but victorious.
"Now it's over," Saanvi said firmly.
"Don't jinx it," Devran warned, but he was grinning.
The temple doors opened, revealing the forest beyond. Dawn was breaking, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold.
"We should go," Wei Zhan said. "Before this place decides to test us again."
They filed out of the temple, but as they reached the tree line, Saanvi looked back one last time. The ancient structure was already fading, becoming translucent in the morning light.
"It's going back to wherever it came from," she said quietly.
"Good riddance," Devran said. "I've had enough of mysterious temples to last a lifetime."
"Several lifetimes," Tianlan agreed.
But as they walked back toward their abandoned camp, Saanvi fell into step beside Vihaan. "We need to talk," she said quietly.
"I know," he replied. "But not here. Not yet."
She nodded, understanding. Some conversations required privacy, and the revelations from the temple were too important to discuss with an audience.
Behind them, the temple dissolved completely, leaving only a clearing filled with morning mist. But the truths it had revealed—about fear and trust and love that transcended lifetimes—those would stay with them forever.
"So," Devran said, breaking the contemplative silence, "anyone else hungry? Near-death experiences always make me want pancakes."
"Where exactly are we going to find pancakes in the middle of a forest?" Tianlan asked.
"Details," Devran said with a wave of his hand. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."
And despite everything they'd been through, despite the revelations and the trials and the ancient mysteries, they found themselves laughing as they walked back toward whatever adventure awaited them next.
Some things, after all, never changed. And sometimes, that was exactly what they needed.