The crackling of flames and the dull thud of blows resonated in the training arena. Caelum, his face streaming with sweat, narrowly dodged a flaming sword strike launched by Kaela. The heat was suffocating, the air vibrated around them, creating mirages that danced at the periphery of their vision.
"Come on, Caelum!" shouted Kaela, her sword surrounded by dancing flames. She executed a series of rapid movements, each stroke of her blade leaving a trail of fire in the air. "You think the labyrinth will be more lenient?"
Caelum grunted, tapping into his energy reserves to maintain his magic shield. Kaela's flaming sword struck the translucent barrier, the flames seeking the slightest flaw to infiltrate.
"If it is," he panted, dodging another attack that skillfully combined swordsmanship and fire magic, "I'll ask for a refund."
A few steps away, Dorian was frantically leafing through an ancient grimoire, his glasses sliding down his nose due to perspiration.
"I found something!" he suddenly exclaimed, drawing the attention of his companions. "The ancient Solarians used a special breathing technique to regulate their body temperature in extreme conditions."
Raven, who had been observing the training from the shadow of a pillar, let out a sarcastic laugh. "Great. We're going to combat heat by hyperventilating. It promises to be a hilarious spectacle."
Kaela shot him a dark look. "You have a better idea, perhaps?"
"Yeah," Raven replied with a smirk. "Not participating in this suicidal trial."
Caelum sighed, dropping his shield. "That's not an option, Raven. We all have to participate."
"Speaking of participation," Dorian suddenly said, frowning, "this is the second trial that Sir Alden and Lyanna have missed, isn't it?"
The others exchanged worried glances.
Caelum nodded gravely. "You're right. They weren't there for the previous trial either. It's more than strange now, it's alarming."
"Two trials in a row," Kaela murmured. "It can't be a coincidence."
Raven crossed his arms, his usual smirk replaced by a serious expression. "You think something happened to them?"
"Or maybe they discovered something," Caelum said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Something about the tournament, or about the true stakes behind all this."
A tense silence settled, each reflecting on the implications of this unexpected absence.
"Whatever the case," Kaela finally said, breaking the silence, "we can't afford to let ourselves get distracted. The trial starts in a few hours, and we need to be ready."
The others nodded, regaining their focus. They spent the following hours perfecting their techniques, Dorian teaching them the Solarian breathing method while Kaela pushed their physical limits.
As the moment of the trial approached, they headed towards the designated location, an immense dome-shaped structure that stood at the center of Selenopolis. Crowds of spectators had gathered, excitement and apprehension palpable in the air.
In front of the dome's entrance, a tournament organizer greeted them, his face grave.
"Participants," he announced in a solemn voice, "you are about to enter the Labyrinth of the Burning Sun. This trial will test not only your physical endurance, but also your mental strength and adaptability. May the Ancients protect you."
With these words, the doors opened, revealing a gleaming corridor that seemed to absorb all the surrounding light. Caelum exchanged one last look with his companions before stepping forward.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, a wave of heat hit them full force. The air was so hot it burned their lungs with each breath. The walls, floor, and ceiling were entirely covered with mirrors, reflecting and amplifying the blinding light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Stay together," Caelum shouted, but his voice seemed muffled, as if absorbed by the mirrors.
They advanced cautiously, their steps echoing strangely in the labyrinth. Each turn brought its share of challenges: troubling illusions in the mirrors, sudden heat waves, corridors that seemed to warp before their eyes.
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet. Walls of mirrors surged from the floor, abruptly separating the group.
"Caelum!" Kaela cried, her voice already muffled by the barrier that had just risen between them.
"Keep going!" he replied, fighting against the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. "We'll meet further on!"
Isolated, Caelum took a deep breath, applying the technique Dorian had taught them. He had to stay calm, remain focused.
He advanced into the labyrinth, each step a challenge against the crushing heat. The mirrors around him seemed alive, showing images that defied reality. He saw his companions in danger, scenes of ancient battles, and even glimpses of what appeared to be his own future.
"They're just illusions," he repeated to himself, struggling to maintain his sanity.
As he turned a corner, something caught his attention. In the middle of a wall of mirrors, a small section seemed different. The surface was duller, as if it had been spared by time.
Intrigued, Caelum approached. Looking closer, he distinguished inscriptions engraved in the metal. They were ancient, in a language he didn't recognize, but a symbol in the center was familiar: it was the same one he had seen in the ancient temple, linked to the artifact that the king of Lunaris was seeking.
Heart pounding, Caelum tried to memorize the inscriptions and the symbol. It might be the key to understanding the true stakes of the tournament.
A sudden crack made him jump. The mirror was beginning to fissure under the effect of the intense heat. Caelum stepped back hastily, just in time to avoid a shower of glass shards.
He resumed his journey, his mind bubbling with questions. How had this symbol ended up here? Was it a coincidence or had someone intentionally placed it?
His reflections were interrupted by a cry of pain. He recognized Kaela's voice and rushed in her direction, momentarily forgetting caution.
He found her kneeling in a corridor, her hands clenched on her temples. Flames danced around her, seeming to react to her distress.
"Kaela!" he shouted, approaching despite the intense heat.
She raised eyes filled with pain towards him. "I can't control them," she moaned. "The heat... it's too much..."
Caelum understood immediately. Kaela's power over fire, usually her greatest strength, was turning against her in this overheated environment.
Without hesitation, he placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing on his own power to create a bubble of coolness around them. The effort was immense, each second a struggle against the surrounding furnace.
"Breathe," he whispered, guiding Kaela through the Solarian technique. "Focus on my voice."
Gradually, the flames around them diminished, reducing to mere sparks. Kaela caught her breath, gratitude shining in her eyes.
"Thank you," she said weakly. "I thought that..."
"Don't say anything," Caelum interrupted with a smile. "We're a team, remember?"
Together, they resumed their progression through the labyrinth. The heat was still as intense, but they advanced with renewed determination.
Around a corner, they ran into Raven, who seemed strangely at ease despite the extreme conditions.
"You took your time," he said with his usual smirk. "I almost started the party without you."
Kaela rolled her eyes, but Caelum noted the relief in her voice when she replied: "Glad to see you haven't melted, Raven."
"Me? Never. I'm too cool for that," he retorted, before adding more seriously, "I found something interesting a bit further on. I think it's the exit, but there's a catch."
They followed Raven through a maze of mirrored corridors, until they emerged into a vast circular room. In the center stood a column of light so intense it was almost solid.
"The exit is on the other side," Raven explained, "but this... thing is blocking the passage. I tried to go around it, but it seems to follow my movements."
Caelum carefully observed the luminous column. It pulsed gently, as if animated by its own life.
"It seems to react to our presence," he murmured. "Maybe..."
He was interrupted by the arrival of Dorian, who emerged from an adjacent corridor, his clothes singed and his glasses askew.
"By all the grimoires," he panted, "I thought I'd never make it."
Quickly brought up to speed on the situation, Dorian examined the column of light, muttering to himself.
"It's fascinating," he finally said. "This magical construction is based on ancient Solarian principles. If my deductions are correct, it requires a specific combination of energies to be deactivated."
Caelum looked at his companions, an idea forming in his mind. "A combination of energies... Like our different powers?"
Dorian nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Kaela, your fire; Raven, your affinity with shadows; my arcane energy; and Caelum, your... well, whatever it is exactly."
"Great," Raven grumbled. "And how do we do that without getting carbonized?"
"We do it together," Caelum simply replied.
They positioned themselves around the column, forming a perfect circle. On Caelum's signal, they extended their hands and released their powers.
Kaela's fire rose in ardent spirals. Raven's shadows danced between the flames. Dorian's arcane energy crackled in the air. And Caelum's power, this force he was just beginning to understand, burst from his palms in silver waves.
The energies converged towards the column of light, intertwining in a complex dance. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, suddenly, the column began to waver, its light weakening.
"Hold on!" Caelum shouted, feeling his strength diminishing.
With a final surge of energy, the column of light collapsed on itself, disappearing in a blinding flash.
Silence fell back in the room, broken only by the panting breaths of the group. Before them, a door had materialized, marking the end of the trial.
"We did it," Kaela murmured, incredulous.
They crossed the door together, emerging into daylight. The cheers of the crowd assailed them, but Caelum barely heard them. His mind was focused on everything they had experienced in the labyrinth: the mysterious symbol, the way their powers had combined...
As they were led to the rest area, Caelum caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Sir Alden stood apart, observing the scene with an indecipherable expression. Their gazes met briefly, and Caelum was certain that the knight knew more than he let on.
The Trial of the Burning Sun was over, but Caelum felt that it was only the beginning of a much vaster mystery. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together, and the image that was forming promised to shake the very foundations of the tournament.