Aloysius closed his eyes and gripped the shard.The instant his fingers touched its surface, a searing light erupted, blinding everyone in the chamber.Elyon's barrier shattered under the force, flinging her against the wall. Kaelis shielded his face, teeth clenched as the pressure forced him to his knees.
In the heart of that light, Aloysius found himself standing alone in an endless expanse no floor, no sky, only swirling fragments of moments. He saw himself as a child, his first victory, his greatest betrayal, and his deepest regret. Each fragment spun faster, merging into a cyclone of memory.
A voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere."You have taken me. You are bound to me. Now your eternity begins."
When the light faded in the labyrinth chamber, Aloysius was still standing but his eyes were no longer his own. A faint silver glow pulsed in them, the same as the shard now embedded in his palm.
Elyon struggled to her feet. "Aloysius… what did you do?"
"I made sure we win," he said, but his tone carried an unfamiliar weight.
The cloaked reflection was gone, yet its shadow lingered in the air like a cold wind. The labyrinth's walls shifted, corridors rearranging themselves into a spiraling descent.
Kaelis grunted. "The way out just closed behind us. The labyrinth's forcing us forward."
Elyon glanced at Aloysius's glowing palm. "Not forward… deeper. Toward something it wants you to see."
Somewhere below, a sound like a thousand chains dragging over stone echoed upward and with it, a laugh that didn't belong in any living throat.