They stepped inside, the air shifting at once — cooler, still, touched with the scent of old stone and long-faded magic.
Nova moved ahead of them, pausing only when a fractured slab of stone caught her attention. She bent, lifted it, and the instant her fingers brushed its surface, a rune flared to life across it — sharp, bright, and violently reactive.
They walked only a few minutes deeper before Nova stopped so abruptly that Fin, Rex, and Jax felt the jolt in the matebond before they heard her voice.
"Wait."
Panic and urgency threaded through the single word.
All three men froze at once, instinct locking every muscle. Fin's hand went to his sword. Jax stepped half a pace closer. Rex shifted his weight, ready to launch himself in any direction.
Hyran and Aeron, blissfully absorbed in studying the frescoes along the walls, halted at the sound of her voice — but neither had yet grasped the danger pressing in on them.
Nova lifted her hand and drew on Fin's magic with a clean, instinctive pull. She tossed the rune-stone forward just as gold rapidly formed a shield around the group.
The moment the stone crossed an unseen threshold, the tunnel erupted.
Arrows exploded from the walls in a storm — at least two hundred, flying from every angle, ricocheting, slicing through the air in a lethal cascade. They were not laced with magic, but the sheer number alone would have slaughtered an entire battalion.
The arrows that struck Nova's shield dissolved instantly into motes of harmless dust. Those that missed embedded themselves into the stone with enough force to crack it.
The barrage lasted only seconds, but the echo of it shook the tunnel like thunder.
When it finally ceased, the silence that followed was absolute.
Nova turned back to the group, concern written plainly across her features. None of them truly understood what awaited them. They had no grasp of the scale, the danger, the cost. And if anything happened to even one of them… she would not accept that. She would not allow it.
Aeron spoke before she could give voice to the warning forming in her mind. "I have fought in a war, Nova." His tone carried a note of defiance — irritation, even — as though he already anticipated she was about to suggest he remain behind on the very day he was experiencing the greatest academic thrill of his life.
Hyran straightened, adopting the dignified posture of someone determined to be regarded with the utmost seriousness. "I have also fought in a war," he said. Then, with immaculate dryness, he added, "and I have saved your life. I am absolutely staying given your track record."
Rex let out a low breath that was half a laugh, half disbelief, shaking his head as if the entire scene were both maddening and endearing. Her worry, her instinct to shield them, was undeniably adorable.
"Nova," he said, his voice warm with restrained amusement, "I am Master Commander of the Ironclave Army and the Draken Forces. I have fought in two wars and led the siege that ended the Frostbound Rebellion." His tone held no arrogance — only quiet truth, stated like one might recite a weather report. "If you fear for our safety, I promise you… we are far more difficult to break than we look."
"Jax and I are not going anywhere," Fin said, tone flat, leaving no room for debate. Her concern — so earnest, so misplaced given she was the only one among them who had not fought in a full war, only a single battle, and yet she carried herself as though she should be the one shielding them.
He arched a brow, a slow grin forming. "Besides… what if you need to throw a dagger?" His eyes gleamed with teasing triumph. "You will require one of us, based on this morning's performance."
Nova laughed softly and inclined her head in acknowledgment, the sound easing the tension in the air.
Rex's gaze flicked sharply to Fin at that comment, a crease forming between his brows — concern, immediate and instinctive. Fin met his eyes with a brief, pointed look that conveyed precisely what words could not: I will tell you later.
Rex understood at once.
They continued deeper into the corridor, debris crunching beneath their boots. As they passed the scatter of shattered arrows, Nova bent to retrieve the same rune-stone she had thrown moments earlier. They had walked only a few minutes more when she halted again — sharp, abrupt, instinctive.
"Wait." The word came out taut, panic spiking through it despite her effort to remain composed.
She hurled the stone forward.
The illusion broke instantly. The floor beneath the stone shimmered — the image of solid stone rippling like disturbed water — and the moment the rock should have touched ground, the surface dissolved. A churning expanse of quicksand opened where the path had appeared to be moments before.
"I have this," Hyran said at once, stepping forward. With a decisive sweep of his hand, he tore a portal open to the far side of the trap.
Nova's brows rose, curiosity flickering across her features. He had not been to the opposite side; yet he had opened the portal flawlessly. He caught the question forming in her mind and answered before she could voice it.
"If it is within visual range," Hyran said, tone clipped, "I can create a portal even if I have not set foot there myself."
Nova nodded once and stepped through the portal. The others followed, and they continued down the dim corridor. Moments later, a deep rumble echoed behind them — low, grinding, like stone dragging against stone. They quickened their pace. At a glance, it looked as though the walls were collapsing inward, but the sound itself did not match a cave-in. It was too controlled. Too deliberate.
Nova exhaled, a quiet sigh that carried more resignation than fear.
"It begins," she murmured under her breath — meant for herself, though the entire group heard it, and not one of them felt reassured.
They broke into a run. The passage split into several branching corridors ahead, and Nova veered sharply to the right without hesitation. None questioned it; they followed immediately. The rumbling ceased the moment they committed to the turn.
"Is this a maze, Nova?" Aeron asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.
"Correct," she replied. "But it will shift constantly. Marking the path is useless."
She stopped and turned to face them, her expression composed despite the relentless pounding behind her eyes.
"It is going to attempt to separate us. Remain close to someone who can create a portal at all times. If you reach a puzzle you do not know how to solve — do not attempt it. Each one is designed to kill upon failure. Create a portal back to this hall and begin again. The maze will assign you a different trial."
None of them reacted with panic — a silent, collective assurance that they were fully capable and she did not need to fear for them.
"Stay close to us," Fin said, his tone low and edged with concern meant only for her. "You lead. We will follow."
The rumbling ceased as abruptly as it had begun. Nova slowed to a cautious walk, every sense sharpened, eyes scanning each shifting line of stone. The corridor seemed still — deceptively so.
Then the wall beside her rippled.
Before any of them could react, the stone surged outward and pulled Nova through, swallowing her in a single, fluid motion. The surface sealed behind her at once, returning to its original unbroken form as though she had never stood there at all.
"Nova!" Jax roared, slamming both palms against the stone. It did not yield. Not even a tremor.
Fin stepped forward, jaw clenched. "I tried the mindlink — no response." He paused, inhaled once, grounding himself through the bond. "But I can still feel her. She's calm."
Rex exhaled sharply, something murderous flashing in his eyes, but he said nothing. There was nothing to say. No path backward. No way through the wall. No option but forward — unless they intended to open a portal and abandon the trial entirely.
They continued.
A moment later, the rumbling began again, louder than before. The walls behind them convulsed, grinding, shifting, caving inward as though the corridor itself meant to hunt them.
"Move!" Jax barked.
They broke into a run once more as the stone rearranged itself in violent waves, sealing paths behind them and forcing the maze to change shape around their every step.