As the last of the phantom warriors dissolved into nothingness, the chamber fell silent, save for the low hum of the Ether still pulsing through the temple walls. Ethan stood in the center, his Radiansaber still glowing brightly in his hand, his chest heaving with exertion. He had passed the first trial, but the battle had taken more out of him than he'd expected.
The whispers had grown quieter, but they were still there, lingering in the back of his mind like a distant memory trying to surface. He could feel the weight of the temple pressing down on him, as though it were waiting for him to take the next step.
Suddenly, the chamber shifted again. The walls began to move, the stone rearranging itself in a fluid, almost organic manner. The floor beneath him seemed to ripple, the very fabric of the temple changing shape around him. The lights in the walls dimmed, and a low, resonant voice echoed through the space once more.
