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Verena stepped through the glowing doorway, her boots landing on cool, obsidian stone. The oppressive heat of the previous arena was replaced by a crisp, eerie stillness. The chamber ahead stretched wide—circular, like an ancient amphitheater, except this one wasn't designed for an audience. It was designed to break you.
Above her, the vaulted ceiling shimmered with shifting constellations, the stars pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The entire space thrummed with quiet, celestial energy—the kind that made the hairs on her arms rise.
Saphira stirred along her wrist. Trial Three, the snake familiar hissed, her voice low and coiled with tension. This is where most of them fall apart.
Verena exhaled, forcing the lingering adrenaline from her limbs. "Yeah… figures."
The Trial of Water.
