Jonathan's face took on an unpleasant expression: "What happened to the rest of your team?"
Feldin's face was grave, and he remained silent.
A team member sobbed from behind him, "They're dead, truly dead. We couldn't even retrieve their bodies."
A chill went through the group.
"For some reason, our souls were all sucked into an illusion.
If you die in that illusion, you're truly dead," Feldin said, his voice low and lips barely moving, the shock evident on his face.
"You probably haven't heard this news yet; it was bought with the life of my brother."
His face was stricken, lips turned white, clearly deeply traumatized.
Jonathan let out a deep sigh, "We've known about it for a while."
Owen spoke up, "Now's not the time for reminiscing. Tell us about the teams you've encountered."
Feldin glanced at Owen, realizing that the trial had taken a deadly turn and that survival now depended on banding together.
