By: OddCoupleChronicles
The air felt heavier as they descended deeper into the temple, the oppressive weight of ancient magic pressing down on them with every step. Yunan led the way, her sharp eyes scanning the narrow corridor ahead, but even she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over them since the shifting pillars. Behind her, Sasha's footsteps were loud in the echoing silence, each thud a reminder of how close they had come to disaster. Olivia, ever quiet and composed, trailed behind, her gaze flickering over the walls, still glowing faintly from the shifting symbols.
"Is it me, or is it getting harder to breathe down here?" Sasha muttered, her voice laced with frustration. She rubbed the back of her neck, her discomfort growing with every step. "This place is seriously messed up."
Yunan didn't respond. Her focus was on the walls, on the way they seemed to close in just slightly as they moved deeper into the passage. She couldn't tell if it was an illusion or if the temple itself was shifting again, but either way, it was unsettling.
"Stay alert," Yunan warned, her voice sharp. "We don't know what's coming next."
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for that. Super helpful."
But even Sasha's usual sarcasm felt muted here, in the claustrophobic silence of the temple. The weight of the unknown pressed down on them, the air thick with unspoken tension.
Without warning, the ground beneath them rumbled, a low, ominous sound that sent a chill up Yunan's spine. She froze, her hand flying to her sword as she glanced over her shoulder. Olivia had stopped as well, her eyes wide, while Sasha had a scowl plastered across her face, her hand twitching toward her weapon.
The walls around them shuddered, and then, slowly, they began to move.
"Not again," Sasha growled, her eyes narrowing as she watched the walls shift. "What now?"
The walls began to inch inward, grinding against the stone floor as they moved closer together. It was slow at first, almost imperceptible, but the sound of stone scraping against stone was unmistakable. The corridor was shrinking, and fast.
Yunan's eyes darted around, searching for an escape. "Move! Now!"
They bolted forward as one, the space around them closing in with alarming speed. The once-wide passage had become dangerously narrow, the walls now close enough that Yunan could feel the cold stone brushing against her shoulders as they ran. The sound of the temple groaning under the strain echoed in their ears, the space behind them disappearing into darkness.
"Any ideas on how to stop this?" Sasha shouted, her voice strained with effort.
"Keep moving!" Yunan barked back, her mind racing. But even as they sprinted forward, the walls continued to close in, leaving them with less and less room to maneuver.
Olivia's voice was calm but tinged with urgency. "The symbols on the walls—there must be a way to stop them."
Yunan cursed under her breath. Of course it had to be some ancient riddle or trick. She skidded to a halt, her back pressed to one of the rapidly approaching walls, her eyes scanning the glowing symbols.
Sasha stopped beside her, her face flushed with frustration. "We don't have time for this! We're about to get squashed!"
"I know that!" Yunan snapped, her voice edged with tension. But even as she spoke, her eyes caught something—a pattern, buried in the chaos of the shifting symbols.
"There!" Yunan pointed to a series of symbols etched into the stone just above their heads. "That pattern... it's different from the others. It's... a lever or switch."
Olivia's eyes lit up with realization. "You're right! It's a mechanism!"
Sasha's frustration bubbled over. "Great, a magic lever. How do we reach it?"
The walls were nearly upon them now, the grinding sound of stone growing louder and more menacing. They had only moments before they'd be crushed. Desperation gnawed at them, the weight of their predicament sinking in.
Olivia, quicker than either of them expected, pressed herself against the wall, her hands brushing over the symbols Yunan had pointed out. "There's a catch—something we have to..."
Her fingers found a small indentation, and with a sharp twist, a soft click echoed through the corridor. The walls stopped for a split second, then began to retract slightly, enough to keep them from being crushed but still closing in too close for comfort.
Yunan released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, but it was short-lived. The walls hadn't stopped completely.
Olivia's face was pale as she looked at them, the strain of their near-death experience evident. "There's more to this," she said, her voice quieter now. "It's not just a lever. It's a trial."
Yunan clenched her fists. "What kind of trial?"
Sasha groaned, pressing her back against the wall as she tried to breathe. "This place really knows how to push my buttons."
Olivia was silent for a moment, her hand resting on the wall as she studied the shifting symbols. Then, softly, she said, "The temple wants something from us. It's feeding off more than just our strength. It's testing our will, our trust... even our emotions."
Sasha blinked, caught off guard by Olivia's words. "Emotions? You're telling me this ancient death trap wants to get inside our heads?"
Olivia nodded slowly. "It's part of the magic. The walls aren't just closing in physically. They're forcing us to confront something within ourselves."
Sasha's face twisted in disbelief, her frustration mounting. "This is ridiculous."
But even as she spoke, the air around them seemed to thicken, the pressure intensifying. It wasn't just the walls anymore—it was something deeper, something that gnawed at them from the inside. Yunan felt it, too. The weight of years of battle, of loss, of unspoken fears she'd buried long ago. The temple wasn't just a physical challenge—it was an emotional one.
The walls crept closer again, and Yunan felt her pulse quicken. She didn't have time for this. She was a soldier, a warrior, and emotions were a weakness she couldn't afford.
But the temple didn't care.
Sasha's voice broke the silence, and when Yunan looked over, she saw something in her eyes she hadn't seen before—vulnerability.
"This is insane," Sasha muttered, her voice softer now. "Why does this place want us to... feel things? What kind of sick joke is this?"
Olivia stepped closer to Sasha, her gaze steady. "It's not a joke. It's testing our bond, our ability to trust one another. Maybe even... how honest we can be with each other."
Sasha snorted, though it lacked her usual bite. "Yeah, well, honesty isn't exactly my strong suit."
"We're not getting out of this unless we give the temple what it wants," Olivia said, her voice hard. "And if that means talking about things we'd rather not, then so be it."
Yunan's grip tightened on her sword, though for once, it felt useless in her hand. She'd been through countless battles, faced impossible odds, but this—this was different. The temple wasn't looking for strength or strategy. It was digging for something deeper, something raw and exposed.
Sasha, her usual bravado cracking under the pressure, let out a bitter laugh. "Fine. You want the truth?" She glanced between Yunan and Olivia, her blue eyes hard but edged with something vulnerable, something she hadn't allowed to surface before.
Yunan narrowed her eyes, unsure where Sasha was going with this. "Sasha—"
"No, I'm serious," Sasha interrupted, her voice strained but filled with a dark, self-deprecating humor. "We're not getting out of here unless we spill our guts, right? So let's do it. I'll go first."
She took a deep breath, her jaw clenching as if the words themselves were a battle she had to fight. "You want to know why I didn't go back with Anne and Marcy? Why I stayed behind in Amphibia even after the war was over?"
Yunan and Olivia exchanged glances, neither of them saying anything, but both waiting for Sasha to continue.
Sasha's face twisted into something close to a grimace. "I didn't go back because I can't. Earth sucks. I hate everything about it—the people, the place, the life I had there. Here, in Amphibia, I'm someone. I'm strong. I'm in control. Back on Earth, I'm just... I'm just another messed-up kid with nowhere to go. And you know what? Maybe that's why I like it here. Because at least here, I can be who I want to be. I can fight. I can survive. And I don't have to face all the crap I left behind."
Yunan's lips thinned, but she didn't speak. There was nothing to say. She understood Sasha more than she cared to admit. Amphibia had given them both something—purpose, a place where they could matter.
But Sasha wasn't done.
"And then there's you two," she said, her voice dropping lower, her eyes flicking between Yunan and Olivia. "I... I think about you a lot. More than I should."
Olivia frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in her expression. "What do you mean?"
Sasha's face flushed slightly, but she forced the words out. "I mean... when I'm alone. When I need... release."
Yunan's eyes widened slightly, realization dawning, but she didn't interrupt. Olivia, on the other hand, looked taken aback.
"Sasha..." Olivia started, but Sasha held up a hand, stopping her.
"No, let me finish. You wanted honesty, right?" She hesitated for just a moment, then continued. "When I'm alone, I think about you both. A lot. I picture us together—fighting, working, but also... other things." Her voice dropped lower, a dark blush creeping up her neck. "I... I touch myself to those thoughts. To you."
The confession hung in the air like a weight, the truth of it stark and raw in the confined space of the shrinking corridor.
Yunan's jaw tightened, but she didn't look away. She had seen Sasha at her strongest and her weakest, but this—this was something else entirely. There was no battle to be fought here, no enemy to strike down. Just the ugly, messy truth of their lives.
Olivia's face had gone pale, her eyes wide as she processed Sasha's words. "You... imagine us?"
Sasha nodded, her voice rough, barely above a whisper now. "Yeah. A lot."
Yunan exhaled sharply, her gaze shifting to the walls that were still closing in on them, but more slowly now, as if the temple itself was waiting for them to unravel.
"I didn't expect that," Yunan admitted, her voice low and controlled, though there was a flicker of something else beneath her words—surprise, maybe, or something more complicated.
Sasha laughed again, though this time it was bitter, almost self-loathing. "Yeah, well, I didn't exactly plan on telling you either. But I guess the temple had other ideas."
There was a beat of silence before Olivia, still clearly unsettled by the confession, spoke softly. "Sasha, we all have things we hide. This temple... it's forcing us to confront those things, but that doesn't mean they define who we are."
Sasha shook her head, her voice harsh. "Maybe not, but it's still the truth. I'm messed up. I don't know how to have normal feelings or deal with them the way other people do. And sometimes, the only way I can make sense of any of it is by imagining things I shouldn't."
The walls around them halted, the grinding noise stopping suddenly as if the temple had decided it had gotten what it wanted. The oppressive weight in the air seemed to lift just slightly, but the tension between the three of them lingered like a dark cloud.
Sasha's eyes darted between Yunan and Olivia, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "So, that's it? I'm the only one who has to bare my soul to this freaky place, and now it just stops? How convenient."
Yunan's brow furrowed, her stance tense but calm. "Sasha, it's not—"
"Not what?" Sasha cut her off, her voice rising with anger. "I'm the only one who spills my guts and admits to everything. All my messed-up thoughts, my feelings, my..." She trailed off, her cheeks flushing red. "And you two just stand there, not saying a damn thing. How is that fair?"
Olivia's mouth opened as if to protest, but she hesitated. The weight of Sasha's confession still hung in the air, and she hadn't expected Sasha to explode like this. Olivia's hands trembled slightly, her composure slipping as she tried to find the right words.
"Sasha, this isn't about fairness," Olivia said, her voice soft but strained. "The temple... it's testing us all in different ways. It chose to focus on you first, but that doesn't mean we're not going to face our own truths."
Sasha scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Oh yeah? When? After I've already laid out all my dirty little secrets? It's always me, isn't it? I'm always the one who's got to deal with all the crap first, while everyone else just watches."
Yunan stepped forward, her expression hardening. "We're not just watching. We're all part of this, Sasha. The temple wants us to confront things we don't want to face, and you did that. But don't act like you're the only one with things to hide."
Sasha's eyes narrowed, her temper flaring. "Then prove it. Why don't you two share something? If this is supposed to be some bonding moment, then let's make it fair. You both have your own secrets—don't act like you're above this."
Olivia looked down, her hands trembling slightly as Sasha's words struck her. She wasn't used to being called out like this, especially not by someone like Sasha, who always wore her emotions on her sleeve. Olivia had built her life on control, on maintaining a perfect facade, but here, in this ancient temple, she couldn't hide forever.
Yunan, on the other hand, stood firm, her jaw tight. She had fought too many battles to let emotions sway her easily, but she could feel the weight of Sasha's challenge. The temple had stopped for now, but it was only a matter of time before it demanded more from them—more than just confessions.
Sasha's voice cut through the silence again, raw and filled with anger. "I'm sick of being the only one who has to open up. I want to hear something from you two, something real. Not just some 'we're in this together' crap. I want the truth. What's so hard for you to admit, huh?"
The silence that followed was heavy, the air thick with unspoken tension. Neither Yunan nor Olivia moved, but the pressure in the room seemed to mount again, as if the temple itself was waiting for the next revelation.
Yunan exhaled sharply, her hand flexing on the hilt of her sword as if she could cut through the tension with a blade. "Fine," she said, her voice low and measured. "You want the truth? Here's mine."
She locked eyes with Sasha, her expression hard but tinged with something deeper, something that wasn't so easy to admit. "You're not the only one who hides behind a tough exterior. I've spent my entire life building a reputation as a warrior, as someone who doesn't let anything get to her. But the truth is, I'm tired. I'm tired of the battles, of always having to be the one in control. I don't know how to stop being a soldier because it's the only thing I've ever known. And maybe, just maybe, I'm afraid of what happens when the fighting is over."
Sasha blinked, caught off guard by Yunan's sudden confession. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, the weight of Yunan's words sinking in.
Yunan continued, her voice quieter now. "You think I don't have things I try to bury? Every time I take up that sword, I wonder if it's the last time. And sometimes, I'm not sure if I'd care if it was. That's the truth."
The air seemed to still again, Yunan's words hanging heavy between them. Sasha, for once, didn't have a quick retort. She just stood there, staring at Yunan as if trying to process what she had just heard.
Olivia's voice broke the silence, softer than before. "We all have things we don't want to face," she said, her gaze fixed on the floor. "You think because I'm a princess, I don't have any of my own burdens? I've spent my life trying to live up to everyone's expectations, trying to be perfect. But I'm not perfect. I'm just... tired of pretending that I am."
She looked up, meeting Sasha's gaze. "I've made mistakes, and I'm terrified of making more. But what scares me most is that I don't know how to be myself without disappointing everyone who's ever looked up to me."
Sasha stared at her, her anger slowly ebbing away, replaced by something more complicated—understanding, maybe. The room was silent for a moment, the three of them standing there, the weight of their confessions settling in.
"So," Sasha said quietly, her voice devoid of its earlier bitterness, "we're all messed up, huh?"
Yunan gave a short, humorless laugh. "Seems like it."
Olivia nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "We are. But maybe that's okay."
For the first time since they had entered the temple, the tension between them eased. The walls, though still ominous, no longer felt like they were closing in, and the oppressive weight in the air had lifted just enough to breathe.
Sasha sighed, running a hand through her hair, the exhaustion clear in her posture. "I guess we're all in this together, after all."
Yunan nodded, her expression softening. "Yeah. We are."
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Sasha froze for a moment, her brow furrowing as she noticed the change. "What the hell is that smell?" she asked, her voice suddenly uncertain. She shifted again, but this time the friction between their bodies felt different—smoother, easier.
Yunan's face burned with embarrassment, though she tried to keep her voice steady. "It's... something newts can do. A natural... lubricant. It happens when..."
"When what?" Sasha asked, her tone sharp as she tried to push past the discomfort, though Yunan could hear the underlying confusion—and curiosity—in her voice.
"When we're turned on," Yunan admitted, her voice tight. "It's a mating response."
Sasha's eyes widened, and for a moment, there was silence, the weight of the confession hanging between them. The heat of their bodies, the close proximity, the pheromones—it was all crashing down on them at once.
"You're telling me," Sasha said slowly, her voice low and incredulous, "that you're... turned on right now? And so is Olivia?"