The final chamber was unlike the others. No illusions, no shifting landscapes, no enemies waiting to strike. Just a vast, empty hall—silent, sacred, untouched by time.
At its center stood a stone altar, and upon it lay four objects, shrouded in light.
The temple whispered one last time.
"Faith is the final bond. To walk forward despite the unknown, to trust in what has not yet been proven—that is the heart of all journeys. Are you willing to take the final step?"
The four exchanged glances. Every trial before this had tested them brutally, revealing their limits. But this? This was different.
There was no test.
No instructions.
Only the altar, and the promise of something beyond.
Jaxon was the first to move. He stepped forward, reaching out, letting his fingers brush against the radiant glow. The moment he made contact, the light flared—
And the stone beneath him crumbled.
---
The Leap into the Unknown
The floor vanished.
Jaxon, Kade, Elias, and Reed plunged into the abyss.
Wind roared past them, the darkness swallowing everything. There was no bottom, no end, only the sensation of falling—faster, deeper, into something they couldn't see.
A voice echoed. "Faith is trust without certainty. Will you let go?"
The instinct to fight back kicked in. Jaxon's symbiote flared, reaching for something to latch onto. Kade's chains snapped out, but they found nothing. Elias flicked a card into the void—only for it to vanish instantly. Even Reed's healing domain pulsed uselessly in the darkness.
They had no control.
No power.
Nothing but the fall.
Jaxon's breath hitched. Kade clenched his jaw. Elias cursed. Reed's fists tightened.
Then—
One by one, they stopped resisting.
They let the fall take them.
And as soon as they did, the darkness exploded into light.
---
The Final Gift
They landed—softly.
The abyss was gone. They stood in a warm, sunlit glade, the ruins of the temple now far behind them. Before them, resting atop golden pedestals, were four eggs.
Each one radiated a power unlike anything they had ever felt.
Jaxon stepped forward first. His egg was deep crimson, veins of molten gold pulsing through the shell like living fire. It radiated heat, strength, endurance.
Kade's egg was black as the void, shifting like smoke and chains intertwined. A quiet pulse of raw, overwhelming presence emanated from it.
Elias's egg shimmered in a thousand hues, colors shifting like cards mid-shuffle. It crackled with energy—unpredictable, wild, untamed.
Reed's egg was soft golden, with streaks of silver like lightning trapped beneath the surface. It hummed with life, renewal, and an unshakable, steady pulse.
The temple whispered one last time.
"You have proven your strength, your loyalty, your courage, and your faith. These creatures will walk with you as your bond—for they, too, will need you as much as you will need them."
The eggs glowed in response to their touch, warmth spreading through their fingers.
The trial was over.
And their journey to the kingdom's capital had truly begun.