The chamber's eerie hum seemed to grow louder as the two groups stood facing one another. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to make Damon's shoulders stiffen. Zara's group, though clearly battle-worn, exuded a quiet strength. Her sharp gaze shifted between Damon and his group, as if weighing their worth.
"Alright,"
Zara said finally, breaking the silence.
"If we're doing this, I need to know what you bring to the table. The Maze doesn't leave room for dead weight."
Kai bristled, stepping forward.
"Dead weight? We've made it this far without you."
"Barely,"
Zara replied, her tone sharp.
"And from what I see, you're down a member. Am I wrong?"
Kai opened his mouth to retort, but Damon raised a hand, cutting him off.
"She's right,"
Damon said, meeting Zara's eyes.
"We're still figuring things out, but we've got potential. I'm Damon. This is Julie, Kai, and Liam. And yeah, we lost someone. Emma."
Zara's expression softened, but only slightly.
"I'm sorry for your loss. We've lost people too. But this place doesn't care about our grief. If we're going to make it out of here, we need to be smart. Careful."
"And what about you?"
Julie asked, her voice firm despite the tremor in her hands.
"What does your group bring to the table?"
Zara gestured to the people behind her.
"This is Wade, Amara, Celia, and Locke. We've been holding our own. Found a few things that might help, and we've figured out some of the Maze's tricks."
"Tricks?"
Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The Maze adapts,"
Zara explained.
"It tests us, pushes us to work together. But it's not unbeatable. We've learned to read some of its patterns, figure out when a trial is coming."
"A trial?"
Liam asked, his voice shaking.
"Like what?"
Before Zara could answer, the chamber began to shift. The glowing patterns on the walls flared brighter, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. A low rumble echoed through the air, growing louder with each passing second.
"Like that,"
Zara said grimly, drawing a slender blade from her belt.
Damon glanced at the others.
"Stay close. Whatever's coming, we face it together."
The floor beneath them split apart, revealing a deep chasm that stretched into darkness. A series of narrow stone platforms rose from the abyss, each glowing faintly. At the far end of the chamber, a massive door loomed, its surface etched with intricate patterns that pulsed with a rhythmic light.
"Looks like a puzzle,"
Wade said, stepping closer to the edge of the first platform.
"But those gaps… one wrong step, and we're done for."
Zara nodded.
"This is what I mean by a trial. The Maze forces us to work together. We'll have to figure out the pattern and move as a group."
"Great,"
Kai muttered.
"No pressure."
Damon studied the platforms, his mind racing. The glowing patterns on each one seemed to shift, some fading while others grew brighter.
"It's a sequence,"
he said.
"The glowing platforms… they're the safe ones. We just have to figure out the order."
"And how do we do that?"
Liam asked, his voice rising in panic.
"Carefully,"
Damon said, stepping onto the first platform.
It held firm beneath his weight, the glow intensifying slightly.
"Alright. This one's safe. Next?"
"Wait!"
Zara called out, her voice sharp.
"Look at the walls."
Damon turned, his eyes following her gaze. The patterns on the chamber walls had shifted, forming a series of symbols that matched the platforms.
"It's a clue,"
he realized.
"The symbols show the order."
"Smart,"
Zara said, a hint of approval in her voice.
"But we'll have to move fast. These trials don't wait for anyone."
One by one, the group followed Damon's lead, stepping onto the platforms in the order shown by the symbols. The glowing patterns pulsed with each correct step, but the tension was palpable. Every time someone moved, the platforms trembled slightly, a reminder of the abyss below.
"Almost there,"
Damon said, his eyes fixed on the final platform.
He reached it first, turning to help Julie across.
But as she stepped forward, the platform beneath her foot began to crack.
"Julie!"
Damon shouted, reaching for her hand.
She grabbed onto him, her eyes wide with terror.
"I'm slipping!"
"I've got you!"
Damon grunted, pulling her onto the platform just as the one behind her crumbled into the abyss.
They both collapsed in a heap, breathing heavily.
"You okay?"
Damon asked, his voice laced with concern.
Julie nodded, though tears streamed down her face.
"Yeah. Thanks to you."
Zara and her group reached the final platform moments later, their expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion.
"Good work,"
Zara said.
"But we're not done yet."
The massive door before them began to glow, its intricate patterns shifting and rearranging. A deep voice echoed through the chamber, cold and emotionless.
[Unity has been proven. The path forward is earned.]
The door creaked open, revealing a new passage bathed in soft, golden light. Damon glanced back at the chasm, the shattered platforms a stark reminder of how close they'd come to failure.
"Let's keep moving,"
he said, his voice steady despite the lingering fear in his chest.
"We're not stopping until we figure out what the hell this place wants from us."
As they stepped through the glowing doorway, the group found themselves in a vast, open room unlike any they had seen before. The walls shimmered with golden light, and in the center of the chamber stood a pedestal bearing a new, glowing artifact. Damon's eyes narrowed as he approached, the faint hum of energy in the air making the hairs on his arms stand on end.
"This feels… different,"
Julie said, her voice tinged with unease.
"Yeah,"
Damon replied.
"Let's hope it's not another death trap."
Behind them, Zara's voice rang out, cutting through the tension.
"Don't touch it yet."
Damon paused, turning to face her.
"Why? What do you think it is?"
"A test,"
Zara said, stepping closer.
"Everything in this place is. That artifact could be the key to something... or it could kill us all."
"So what do we do?"
Kai asked, his arms crossed.
"Stand around and debate until another monster shows up?"
"We need to think,"
Zara snapped.
"Rushing in is what gets people killed. Damon, you've led us this far. What do you think?"
Damon hesitated, his gaze shifting between the glowing artifact and the expectant faces around him. The Maze had thrown them into chaos, but it had also forced them to rely on each other. Whatever came next, they'd face it together.
"We test it,"
Damon said, his voice steady.
"But carefully. No unnecessary risks. Let's figure this out as a team."