The Chamber of Shadows was a vast, cavernous space, its walls adorned with ancient symbols and runes that seemed to pulsate with a faint, eerie light. Alaric, still catching his breath from the intense battle with the guardian, scanned the room for any clues or hints about the next trial. His companions gathered around him, their expressions a mixture of relief and concern.
"Are you alright?" Thalia asked, her voice laced with worry as she approached him.
Alaric nodded, though he could feel the exhaustion weighing heavily on him. "I'm fine. We need to keep moving. The guardian said the path to the next trial is open."
Lyra, who had been studying the runes on the walls, turned to face them. "The runes here suggest that the next trial will involve confronting illusions of our past. It's meant to test our ability to discern reality from illusion."
Adrian's brow furrowed. "Illusions of our past? That sounds like it could be mentally and emotionally taxing."
