"What's the test?" Liam asked again, his voice low but hard, like stone grinding against stone.
His older self didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head, gazing out of the illusionary window across the vibrant palace gardens. Birds chirped. Flags waved lazily in the warm breeze. The sound of distant laughter drifted on the air, so soft it felt like memory.
When he finally spoke, the older Liam's tone was thoughtful—almost admiring. "When the queen said only two should enter to complete your mission… she wasn't just being cautious. She was wise. Clever, even. I've got to give her that."
Liam narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"She must've suspected the truth… at least part of it," the older version continued. "Because if all of you had come into that tomb, trying to get the treasure together—if even three or four of you had entered this place—the odds of anyone surviving would've dropped to nearly nothing."
