The darkness of the pit stretched endlessly before them.
Chains hung from the walls and ceiling, swaying slowly in the air.
Clink...
Drag...
Clink...
Drag...
The sound echoed through the chamber.
The Scythe remained suspended above the raised platform ahead of them.
It hadn't moved.
But Ethan could feel it watching.
Alex tightened his grip on his sword.
"Stay close."
Vile crouched beside one of the chains.
"It's reacting to our movements."
Mya frowned.
"Again with the puzzles?"
Vile nodded.
"Except this time..."
He watched another chain swing past.
"...it's not about solving something."
Kira studied the movements.
"It's about timing."
Liam swallowed.
"Timing?"
Kira nodded.
"Watch."
A chain swung across the path.
She waited.
Clink...
It moved away.
She stepped forward.
Drag...
Another chain moved.
Kira stepped again.
"There's a rhythm."
Vile's eyes widened.
"She's right."
Alex looked at the others.
"Then follow it."
They moved together.
Clink...
Step.
Drag...
Step.
The chains moved around them without striking.
Mya smiled.
"Okay..."
She stepped forward confidently.
"That's actually pretty easy."
A chain suddenly swung toward her.
Mya jumped aside.
"HEY!"
Ethan laughed.
"You broke the rhythm."
"I did not!"
"You definitely did."
"I was distracted!"
"By what?"
"By you!"
Ethan grinned.
"Sounds like a you problem."
Mya glared at him.
"Keep talking."
Lyra quietly covered a smile.
Liam tried not to laugh.
Even Alex's expression softened slightly.
For a moment, the tension disappeared.
Then the chains suddenly stopped.
Everyone froze.
The Scythe pulsed.
THUM.
A wave of energy moved through the chamber.
The chains began moving again.
But faster.
Kira immediately focused.
"Keep moving."
The group continued.
This time, there was no room for mistakes.
Liam struggled to keep pace.
One chain passed directly beside him.
He flinched.
"Don't look at them," Lyra said gently.
"What?"
"Listen instead."
Liam closed his eyes for a moment.
Clink...
Drag...
He breathed slowly.
Then stepped.
The chain moved past him harmlessly.
Liam opened his eyes.
"I did it."
Lyra smiled.
"I knew you could."
Liam smiled back.
Meanwhile, Ethan moved effortlessly through the chains.
His movements were almost instinctive.
Step.
Turn.
Duck.
Move.
The chains never touched him.
Vile noticed.
"Ethan."
"What?"
"How are you doing that?"
Ethan stopped.
"...Doing what?"
"You aren't following the rhythm."
Everyone looked at him.
Ethan glanced around.
The chains had stopped moving around him.
He frowned.
"I thought I was."
Kira shook her head.
"No."
She watched him carefully.
"You're moving before they do."
Ethan stared at the Scythe.
He hadn't noticed.
He wasn't reacting to the chains.
He was anticipating them.
Almost like he could feel where they were going.
Ethan slowly walked toward the platform.
The chains moved aside.
Not in front of him.
For him.
Vile whispered:
"It's responding to him again."
Alex watched carefully.
"Ethan, don't rush."
Ethan stopped.
"I know."
He looked at the Scythe.
"I don't think it's trying to stop me."
The Scythe pulsed.
A faint vibration traveled through the floor.
Ethan stepped forward.
The chains opened a path.
Everyone followed.
They finally reached the platform.
The chains formed a perfect circle around the Scythe.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the weapon slowly rotated.
Ethan stared.
The strange pull inside his chest became stronger than ever.
He reached toward it.
His fingers stopped inches away.
The moment before he touched it
BOOM!
The entire chamber shook.
Everyone staggered.
Alex immediately raised his sword.
"What was that?"
Vile looked toward the darkness beneath the platform.
"Something's moving."
A deep rumble echoed below them.
The chains began tightening.
One by one.
Around the platform.
Around the Scythe.
Around Ethan.
Mya raised her weapon.
"Uh..."
She looked at Alex.
"Is that supposed to happen?"
"No."
The platform cracked.
Ethan looked down.
A faint red glow appeared beneath the stone.
His expression changed.
"...That's not the Scythe."
The glow grew brighter.
Something was beneath them.
Something that had been trapped there long before they arrived.
The Scythe suddenly stopped rotating.
Its blade pointed directly at Ethan.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
Not from the Scythe.
From beneath the earth.
"Prove yourself."
Ethan's eyes widened.
The chains exploded outward.
The platform shattered.
And the final trial began.