Betrayal hits hard. Not everyone is who they claimed to be.
They carried Axel up the stone path beyond the Final Gate, his body weak but his spirit burning. The city shimmered around them—less hostile now. Like it finally recognized them not as invaders... but as successors.
But Keitha wasn't done yet.
The new chamber was vast, golden veins in the walls pulsing like a heartbeat. Eight new pedestals rose from the floor—each with a shimmering artifact tied to the power each of them had unlocked.
Athena's flame flickered within a crystal sphere.
Asher's tech-aura vibrated inside a glass panel.
Ace's script scrolled across a golden scroll, infinite and alive.
Blair's lyrics danced through a loop of sound and light.
Enzo's compass spun, but pointed toward something deeper—an even older truth.
Zora's pendant glowed with twin lights—hers and Zion's souls, finally balanced.
Sylvia's reflection shimmered inside a mirror of illusions, solid yet shifting.
And Axel's pedestal—dark at first—suddenly lit with all their colors combined.
"It's like... we're being gifted the final key," Enzo said quietly.
Athena narrowed her eyes. "Or lured."
Before anyone could respond, a low hiss echoed from behind.
They turned.
Delphi stood in the shadows.
Alive.
And not alone.
Beside her—Sylvia.
But not their Sylvia.
Not anymore.
Her aura was different. Twisted. Dark.
"Finally figured it out?" Sylvia smirked. "Keitha's magic doesn't come free. It's fueled by sacrifice. And someone had to play the long game."
"No," Blair whispered. "No way..."
Zora stepped forward, voice sharp. "You're not her. You're... something else."
Delphi laughed. "Not something else, dear. Someone more. You think Keitha just let you win? This was all part of the filtration. Sylvia was chosen to test you."
Ace stepped between Zora and Sylvia. "She was with us from day one."
"And that's why it worked," fake-Sylvia purred. "You trusted me. You gave me pieces of your power, your choices, your souls. And now..."
She reached toward Axel's pedestal.
A surge of magic jolted the room—Axel's colors flickered.
"No!" Zora lunged forward, fire flaring from her pendant.
Athena and Blair moved fast, backing her up.
But it was Axel—still barely standing—who shouted: "I felt her doubt, you know. Even before the gate. I knew someone was off."
Delphi smiled. "And yet, you didn't stop it."
"Because I believed in her," he said through gritted teeth. "Like we all believed in each other."
The room shook again—Keitha reacting not with pain, but fury. The true city spirit—the real Keitha—began rising from the chamber walls.
A glowing figure. Ancient. And angry.
It looked at Sylvia. "You do not belong."
Sylvia snarled, trying to flee, but Zora hurled her pendant forward—light cracking the air like a whip. It lashed across Sylvia's chest, and she screamed, dissolving into smoke.
Delphi backed away. "You don't understand what you've done. Keitha's magic needs a vessel. Without her—"
"We'll be enough," Zora said firmly.
Keitha's spirit hovered, glowing brighter. "The trial is complete. One betrayed. One resisted. And one... paid the price."
It turned to Axel.
A beam of light poured from the city's heart and into his chest.
His body jerked—then steadied.
Stronger.
He stood straighter, eyes sharp, scars fading.
Keitha had restored him.
Because he'd proven worthy.
The city had tested them all. And now... it would decide what came next.
But first—
They had to choose:
To return home.
Or remain.