Chapter 71 - Cracks beneath the skin

  “Ugh…”

  Lilia groaned.

  She’d known the pain would be bad once the adrenaline wore off. She’d prepared herself for that much.

  However she hadn’t prepared for this.

  Agony flooded in all at once. Sweat gathered at her brow as another sound slipped from her throat, half-groan, half-whimper, her body curling in on itself despite her efforts to stay still.

  Ariel knelt beside her.

  Blood dripped from her lips, speckling the ground as she held her arms out, hands trembling violently. Light gathered at her palms.

  Lilia squeezed her eyes shut as the warmth reached her.

  Bones shifted.

  Cracks pulled tight.

  The pain spiked—then slowly, mercifully, began to knit itself together, flesh and bone stitching back into something whole again.

  Lilia gasped, breath hitching.

  And Ariel stayed kneeling, shaking, forcing the light to hold.

  As her pain dulled, the cost shifted elsewhere.

  Onto Ariel.

  “Ariel… I’m fine,” Lilia whispered. “You can stop.”

  Lilia reached out.

  Ariel pushed her hand away.

  The light flared brighter.

  Lilia’s injuries knitted together faster, bone locking into place, torn flesh sealing, forced to obey.

  Ariel groaned, shoulders shuddering as blood slipped from the corner of her mouth.

  Lilia’s hand remained suspended in the air.

  She slowly lowered it

  ***

  With the suns returned to full brightness, the light felt almost too harsh—too clean after the darkness they’d just survived. It reflected off pale stone and scorched ground alike, making everything feel exposed.

  Ariel slept beside them, curled in on herself. Healing Lilia had taken what little she had left. Even now, exhaustion clung to her, her breathing shallow but steady.

  Lilia gently brushed the hair from Ariel’s face.

  Ryn let out a slow breath and shook his head.

  “That was reckless.”

  Lilia didn’t argue.

  “It worked.”

  Ryn looked away, then shook his head again.

  “Never again.”

  Lilia gave a small laugh—but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her hands curled unconsciously at her sides.

  “You’re right,” she said softly. “We can’t do that again.”

  Her gaze drifted to Ariel… then to the fractured stone at the temple entrance, where claw marks still scarred the rock. Sunlight glinted off her silver hair as her fingers pressed into the ground.

  “But I don’t think—” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, “—I don’t think we’ll have a choice.”

  Ryn didn’t interrupt.

  “It’s only the first day,” Lilia continued. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

  She swallowed.

  “And whatever that thing was… I don’t think it was the exception. I think it’s the rule.”

  Her eyes lingered on the broken ruins beyond the entrance.

  “Thats the trial,” she said quietly, “thats it’s challenge”

  “It’s how many nights we can survive.”

  The sunlight kept shining.

  Ryn nodded, lifting his gaze toward the suns.

  “…Right.”

  The wind stirred his black hair, carrying dust and the faint scent of scorched stone.

  “Oh yeah,” Lilia said suddenly. “Before I forget.”

  She reached into one of the straps of Ryn’s armor and pulled out a familiar black ring.

  “I should probably give this back,” she said, turning it between her fingers. The metal looked wrong against her skin. “But… I was wondering why you still have it.”

  Ryn glanced at the ring—only briefly—then looked away again.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  After a pause, he added, “I should probably just throw it away.”

  Lilia studied it more closely, unease creeping up her spine.

  “…You probably should,” she said quietly. “It’s creepy.”

  The three of them sat in silence as the suns stayed high.

  Ryn worked, checking their supplies.

  Lilia sat nearby, slowly unbuckling the armor straps. Each piece she removed revealed newly healed scars, She winced as the metal chest plate came off, revealing bruises.

  She set the armor aside carefully, breath hitching.

  "Thanks," she said quietly, nodding toward the plate.

  "It kept me alive."

  Lilia managed with a small smile.

  Ryn nodded, eyes still on the supplies

  "That's what it's supposed to do."

  Ariel still slept.

  Or maybe pretended to.

  Her breathing had changed, too controlled, too careful. But neither of them called her on it.

  After a while, Lilia stood, testing her weight.

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  "I'm going to scout the temple," she said. "See if there's anything useful we missed."

  Ryn glanced up from the supplies, one eyebrow lifting.

  Lilia gave a small, breathless laugh.

  “It’s probably perfectly safe during the day.”

  Ryn nodded once.

  “Sure.”

  She walked slowly toward the temple entrance, one hand pressed against her side.

  Ryn watched her go, then turned his attention back to the sword. The blade was chipped in three places. He should have told Lilia to get a new one from the temple

  He sighed.

  Behind him, Ariel stirred.

  The soft rustle of fabric broke the silence.

  Ariel pushed herself upright.

  She braced one hand against the stone, When she finally stood, she swayed slightly.

  She didn’t look at Ryn.

  Her right arm throbbed—not the sharp agony of before, but a dull, persistent ache that pulsed in time with her heartbeat.

  The golden cracks were still visible beneath her skin, faint now, like veins of gold.

  Ryn glanced back at her.

  "You should rest more."

  "I'm fine."

  "I'm fine now." She repeated

  Ryn turned back to his sword, running his thumb along the damaged edge.

  Ariel remained looking away.

  For a long moment, there was only the sound of wind moving through the ruins.

  Then she spoke.

  "For the next night…" she began quietly.

  "I have an idea," she continued.

  Ryn set the sword down and turned to face her fully

  Ariel tried to meet his eyes.

  She continued "Since we know its coming”

  “llI use my power again," she said. "But this time, I hit it at full strength from the start, before it can even reach you or Lilia."

  Ryn sighed.

  "Thats ridiculous"

  Ariel's jaw tightened.

  "How so, it ends the fight faster—"

  "It won't."

  Ryn shifted slightly, his expression tired.

  “That creature last night was Faded. Maybe stronger. And you hit it with everything you had—yet it survived.”

  He met her eyes.

  “So what makes you think the next one will be weaker?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Ariel said quickly. “If it survives, I’ll just hit it again.”

  Ryn didn’t raise his voice.

  “And if you can’t?” he asked. “If you collapse after one strike—where does that leave us?”

  Ariel opened her mouth.

  Closed it.

  “I…”

  She swallowed, then tried again.

  “I won’t. It won’t happen again.”

  Ryn didn’t hesitate.

  “That’s the issue,” he said quietly. “You don’t know.”

  A beat.

  “None of us do.”

  He stood slowly.

  "Which is why we can't rely on you burning yourself up every single night."

  "Then what do you suggest?" Ariel asked, a faint frustration threading into her voice.

  She pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly.

  "Every time you fight—every time Lilia bleeds—it's because of me. Because I dragged you into this."

  Ryn studied her for a long moment.

  Then he sighed.

  "You're right," he said.

  Ariel blinked.

  "What?"

  "It is your fault" Ryn continued. "This trial is yours. You dragged us here"

  He stepped closer.

  “But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re here now.”

  "What—"

  "Let me finish."

  His tone was strangely calm.

  “I can’t—and probably never will—understand why you dragged us here,” he said. “But I’m certain of one thing.”

  He looked at her.

  “You want to protect us,” he said. “I get that.”

  “But you’re not the only one who gets to decide.”

  He glanced toward the temple entrance, where Lilia's silhouette moved slowly through the shadows.

  "She chose to ride on my shoulders. She chose to stab that thing in the back"

  His gaze returned to Ariel.

  "And I chose to finish it."

  Ariel looked down at her hands.

  The golden cracks pulsed faintly.

  “But if we can avoid all of it—if I can—”

  Ryn shook his head. “You can’t. Thats one thing im certain of”

  He sat back down..

  "So we need a real plan"

  Ariel stood there, silent, the suns burning overhead.

  Finally, she whispered:

  "What if we can't do it? What if we arent enough?"

  Ryn looked up at her.

  “We’ll find another way.”

  "And if there isn't one?"

  He didn't answer right away.

  Then, quietly.

  “Then we fail together,” he said. “That was also a choice you made.”

  Ariel's breath hitched.

  "I don't want that."

  "I know," Ryn said. "But it's not just about what you want anymore."

  There was a long stretch of silence

  Then Ariel whispered.

  “I don’t get it,” she said quietly.

  “I really don’t.”

  Her fingers curled in her lap, then loosened again.

  “Why do we all have to get hurt?”

  “Wouldn’t it be better if it was just one of us… so why—”

  Ryn exhaled slowly.

  “Yeah,” he said, voice low. “You really don’t.”

  He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

  “This isn’t for your sake, Ariel.” he said quietly.

  “It’s for hers.”

  ***

  Lilia returned a few minutes later, carrying a small bundle wrapped in torn cloth.

  "Found some things," she said, kneeling beside them.

  She unwrapped the bundle carefully. Inside were three journals—old, pages brittle—and a handful of tools and weapons. One of them looked like it might work as a replacement.

  "Most of it's useless," she admitted. "But this might help."

  She handed the sword to ryn.

  He nodded in thanks.

  Lilia sat down

  "Did I miss anything?"

  Ryn spoke

  "We were talking about tonight,"

  Lilia's expression shifted, just slightly.

  "We need a plan," Ryn continued. "A real one."

  He gestured toward the temple.

  "We can't fight in the open again. We need cover, something to limit the creature's movement."

  Lilia nodded slowly.

  "The temple could work. The entrance is narrow, it'd have to come at us head-on."

  Ryn nodded

  "But if it's stronger than last night…" lilia whispered

  "Then we adapt," Ryn said. " don't commit everything at once. find weaknesses, then strike."

  He looked at Ariel.

  "And we use your Blessing strategically. Not as a first resort."

  Ariel's hands curled into fists.

  Lilia nodded

  “None of us are watching,” Ryn said.

  “We’re fighting together.”

  Ariel looked away.

  “That’s how we survive the challenge.”

  ***

  Lilia and Ryn walked out together.

  This time, Ryn wore his armor. Lilia walked beside him, her grip tight around the hilt of a sword.

  They stopped in the middle of the field as the light of the six suns began to slowly drain away, their glow thinning until the world dulled into shadow.

  “Sometimes I forget how stubborn Ariel can be,” Lilia said, faint amusement threading her voice.

  Ryn nodded.

  Lilia looked at him.

  “Are you ready?”

  Ryn glanced back, toward where Ariel was hiding.

  His expression didn’t change.

  “Always.”

  Lilia followed his gaze.

  After a beat, she spoke again.

  “Ryn?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Good luck.”

  Ryn didn’t answer right away.

  The six suns light thinned , bleeding slowly into gold and rust. Long shadows stretched across the ruined field, pulling the world apart into light and dark.

  Then Ryn nodded.

  “You too.”

  Lilia smiled—small.

  The wind rose, sudden and sharp, sweeping ash and dust across the field in low, spiraling waves. The ruined stones groaned softly as it passed, like something exhaling.

  Somewhere in the distance—

  Something moved.