bit."
Maia let out a small laugh, this time more genuine. "I hope so. I wouldn't want to face the hardest test of my life feeling this exhausted."
The cueronix screeched one last time, and after a few minutes of silence, we realized it was gone. The tension in our bodies eased a little, but we knew we still had a long road ahead. The cave had giveny leave, I began to imagine what the exam would be like. I knew it would be tough, that we would be competing against people far more prepared than us, but I also knew we h one last effort, we threw ourselves inside just as the cueronix's claws slashed through the air where we had been only a second earlier. I crashed onto the cave floor, gasping for air as Maia collapsed beside me, just as exhausted as I was.
"Are you okay?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling with adrenaline.
Maia nodded, unable to speak for the moment. We crawled deeper into the cave, tryinng into anything, which surprised me.
