The courtyard shimmered and shifted, the glow of radiant glyphs twisting the surrounding space like melting glass. The golden and crimson arches flared with blinding bursts of light before collapsing into shimmering gateways. Beyond, what might have once been the structure of the estate courtyard now spiraled into something alien.
The Solaris Crucible stretched before the competitors: an endless, shifting maze of jagged terrain, glowing paths, and large, pulsating glyphic platforms hovering over a dark abyss. Throughout the arena, flickers of light danced like wraiths, drifting through the air and surging erratically toward the glowing symbols beneath them.
This wasn't just a battlefield. It was chaos given form.
The Rules Outlined
The Herald stepped forward, his voice cutting into the silence of the competitors.
"The Solaris Crucible is woven from radiant constructs," he announced. "It is alive, adapting to each of you. Within, your assigned teams will face the challenges demanded by Lumina herself: unity, precision, decision-making, and survival. Tasks engineered to test your very limits. Fail, and your path ends here. Succeed... and you may claim your place among the chosen."
He gestured broadly toward the two teams now standing by their respective gateways.
"The Crucible pits your teams not only against its trials but against each other. Gather radiant glyphs scattered throughout its expanse to earn points. The glyphs are rare, guarded, and cost dearly to claim—but necessary to win. Defend the glyphs you collect while sabotaging your rivals. But be warned: the Crucible will not remain still. Movement, timing, discipline... and trust in your team will determine your survival."
The Herald stepped back. Lord Cael Solaris remained seated at the dais, his golden gaze sharp as he looked over both groups and offered the only words he would say to carry them into the trial:
"The light will show you who you are."
When the signal was given, both the Crimson Glyph and Golden Glyph teams stepped forward into their respective gateways. The feeling of crossing the arch was disorienting—the vibrant light twisted the senses, and for a moment it felt as though the weight of their bodies shifted sideways. Then they were inside.
The Crimson Glyph team emerged on a narrow platform, surrounded by jagged cliffs of luminous stone. The air buzzed faintly, charged with radiant energy, while glowing bridges connected floating arenas and vertical paths—some stable, others precariously moving like shifting tectonic plates. In the far distance, glowing orbs of radiant glyphs flickered, suspended midair, each pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
The moment their feet hit the platform, the Crucible began to respond. Sections of the arena around them moved—walls rose, platforms descended, pathways twisted—and faint flashes of radiant energy darted across their vision, forming roaming projections of light that seemed ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Something about the Crucible felt alive. Watching.
"We're wasting time already," Lux snapped, breaking the momentary pause of awe and unease. "We need to move!"
Lux took the lead immediately, her body tense and brimming with frustration from the previous trial with Merir. Her voice cracked sharp in the air as she turned to the others.
"We need two people to scout ahead for paths. The rest of us stay close enough to guard the glyphs if we find any. Fallon"—she jabbed her finger toward the nervous branch family member clutching their faintly glowing shield—"you stick to support. And you—" Her glare fell on Merir, who stood further back, arms crossed.
"You do not mess this up," she growled, her voice low but venomous. "You've been lucky so far, but this isn't about showing off anymore. Stay out of my way."
The others shifted awkwardly, the tension between the siblings spilling out into their makeshift team. Fallon glanced nervously from Lux to Merir, as though debating whether he should intervene, but wisely decided against it.
To everyone's surprise, Merir simply nodded.
"Fine," he said flatly, his tone cool but sharp. "You're the leader. Lead. Just don't waste my time."
Lux stiffened, her jaw tightening at the faintest hint of defiance in his voice, but she didn't press it. Without saying more, she began striding across the first platform.
Merir, meanwhile, hung toward the back of the group, his sharpened senses darting across the Crucible's chaotic terrain.
It didn't take long for the first trial to manifest. As the team crossed a glowing bridge, a faint hum resonated beneath their feet. The luminous stones began to shift, breaking apart into smaller sections that wavered like thin threads over the abyss below.
"We need to move faster!" Lux barked, already several steps ahead.
But the hum grew louder. A series of radiant projections surged from the abyss below—forms of blinding golden light that twisted and pulsed like living creatures. They floated just above the bridge's surface… and began to attack.
One of the radiant projections shot forward, slamming into the shield borne by the branch family noble nearest the front. Fallon let out a sharp yelp, barely managing to hold his ground as the force of the impact radiated in waves across the bridge.
"It's targeting the weak links!" Lux shouted, her whip snapping into place as she lashed out at the nearest projection. The radiant coil struck the creature, scattering it into faint motes of light. She turned back to the others, her eyes flashing. "Keep up. If you fall behind, you'll pull us all down!"
A second radiant figure surged toward the group, aiming directly for Fallon again. This time, Merir moved.
He surged forward, his narrow Solaris Blade appearing smoothly in his hand. With precision honed by relentless training, he slashed the projection diagonally, breaking it apart before it could reach the weaker fighter.
"Fallon, stay closer to me," Merir commanded firmly, earning only a wide-eyed nod from the other fighter. Merir glanced toward Lux but said nothing, his focus on the task at hand.
The radiant projections continued to materialize as the team made their way across the bridge. Lux darted ahead, her whip snapping furiously to clear a path forward. Behind her, the others struggled to keep pace while Merir held the rear, his smaller blade carving through any projections that approached from behind.
The challenges came faster now: a series of shifting platforms moving at varying speeds, forcing the team to time their jumps precisely; an ambush of radiant creatures that scattered the group momentarily before Merir and Lux, working separately but in sync, managed to fend them off; and a climbing wall of glowing glyphs that required perfect coordination to ascend.
Merir found himself slowly taking on more responsibility—not by design, but because Fallon and the others deferred to him during critical moments.
"Merir, what's the path through here?" Fallon called nervously as the next stretch of the Crucible revealed a chaotic swarm of radiant figures guarding a glowing glyph suspended over a cliff.
Merir scanned the scene quickly, his mind piecing together the safest—but fastest—course to the glyph.
"Split into two," he said calmly. "Lux pulls them toward her with ranged attacks while we go for the glyph. I take the lead, you back me up. If they switch focus, we retreat. Simple."
Fallon hesitated but nodded, his shield glowing faintly as he prepared to follow Merir's lead.