ARIANNE POV
I suddenly found myself standing on a long, narrow bridge, swaying precariously over a chasm so deep that I couldn't see its bottom. A biting wind howled in my ears, carrying with it the sharp sting of icy air that numbed my skin and tugged violently at my hair. The ropes on either side of the bridge were frayed, barely holding together, and some of the planks beneath my feet were missing, leaving gaping holes that seemed to taunt me.
I glanced around, trying to orient myself, but the landscape was shrouded in an eerie mist that seemed alive, curling and twisting like ghostly fingers. The only source of light came from an ominous glow far in the distance, its amber hue beckoning me forward.
"The trial," I muttered under my breath, clutching the ropes for balance as the wind nearly knocked me off my feet. "This has to be it."
