Members of Sentina Erideae was sprawled in a different part of the arena, save for the distant clash of steel-on-wind echoing from one end of the chamber.
Farrynelle's boots screeched faintly as she pivoted again, her heels digging into the stone floor. The chakrams in her grip were an extension of her being now. Twin rings of sharpened steel spun in her hands, slicing through the air with a high-pitched hum that only came when a Skyrover was near mastering them. She had been practicing for hours with the obsessive, exhausting, soul-draining repetition of a warrior trying to reach the edge of perfection.
"Step, twist, back, draw, rip, arch... again..."
Her chest heaved. Her arms trembled. Her legs screamed. The forms of the Skyrover Techniques wasn't about speed. It was about control and keeping it caged behind perfect form. Her ankle rolled slightly on the final pivot. Pain lanced up her leg. Her knee wobbled. Her body swayed mid-turn. The left chakram slipped from her hand and clattered across the floor. She barely had time to mutter.
"Ah... dammit—"
Her legs gave out but she didn't hit the floor.
Two arms swept in at the last second and pulled her close before gravity could finish the job. She collapsed into a broad, familiar chest, her limbs gone completely limp. Xander caught her like it was instinct. His fingers gripped her back just as a burst of radiant blue light erupted from her chest. Everyone jerked upright. The arena was filled with a sharp ozone smell, like the air after a lightning strike. She has passed her First Sacred Trial and was at the beginning of her Second Enlightenment.
Farrynelle opened her eyes lazily. Her body ached like it had been crushed by a mountain but she was smiling. Her eyes were glassy with exhaustion. Her lips were twitching at the corners. Her words were slurred slightly from fatigue.
"I did it... hah... Before the year's end."
She blinked again, looking up at Xander, who hadn't said a word yet. His arms were still around her like she'd break if he let go.
"I love you. You already know that though so I won't say it again."
And with that, she passed out cold in his arms. Peroncerea folded her arms and looked toward them. Narisva had her head cocked, quietly impressed.
Natalis was the first to speak.
"She pushed past her threshold. Her soul is shifting to match the new Divinity stage."
Denisia walked up beside Xander and knelt briefly to examine Farrynelle, brushing her fingers above the unconscious girl's brow.
"She's fine, but don't heal her. Forcing restoration might disturb the progress she just formed. Let the Enlightenment settle. That's part of the process."
Xander didn't say anything for a while. His expression was neutral, looking on the woman sleeping in his arms. Then he shifted slightly, tightening his grip.
"She's resting now at least."
He gently lifted her, cradling her like she weighed nothing at all and made his way toward the arena seats to lay her down properly.
______
In the heart of Nyramith Island's volcanic core, the air itself shimmered with lethal heat. Lava bubbled and surged around Adelasta, its glow painting her figure in a hellish hue. Her crimson hair clung to her face, drenched in sweat and steam, and her breath came in ragged gasps. She only had two minutes left to endure the searing six-hour crucible. She was knee-deep in molten death, her skin practically radiating crimson light but she didn't scream or cry. She endured. Yet even someone like Adelasta was at her brink. Her consciousness fluttered like a candle on its last breath of wax. Her body was beginning to betray her.
"Adelasta!"
Elyonari's voice cut through the inferno, full of warmth and serenity despite the intensity of the heat. She was perched safely above on a stone ledge near the lava lake, close enough to see Adelasta's figure wavering like a mirage.
Adelasta's lips trembled. Her vision blurred.
"Don't fall now. Just two minutes. That's all. You've done harder things. You married Veneri, remember?"
Half a scoff and half a laugh escaped Adelasta's throat. Her legs buckled slightly.
"That was easy..."
"Liar."
Adelasta's teeth grit against each other as her legs sunk an inch deeper into the magma. Every second was eternity. Her skin pulsed with pain, her veins alight. Even her Aeterium resilience was cracking. If it wasn't for her Body Reconstruction, she would have been roast meat ages ago. Still, that didn't fight away the pain and the extreme heat. However, that voice kept her tethered. Elyonari never stopped speaking. She spoke of flowers blooming, rivers, even her rebellious phase in Mintheris. She reminded Adelasta she was not alone and that this wasn't for nothing.
The moment ticked into the final second. Then, a beam of crimson light surged down from the sky, cutting through the volcanic vent. It struck Adelasta squarely in the chest and the lava rippled around her as if in reverence. It welcomed her now.
The pain vanished. She had passed her First Sacred Trial.
Adelasta staggered out of the lava, her legs barely holding together. Her body steamed like fresh-forged steel as the open air rushed her all at once. Her vision faded into a haze of red and black.
But she didn't fall because Elyonari caught her.
Despite the heat of thousands of degrees radiating off her, Elyonari held her tightly. Ever since she resonated with all elements of the world, her Nature Divinity shielded her from the extreme temperature. She didn't even flinch.
"I'm done... I did it..."
"You did..You stood in a sea of fire and never looked away."
Adelasta tilted her head, resting it against Elyonari's shoulder, too weak to lift her arms.
"And... Veneri?"
"He's doing his alone,"
Elyonari summoned a sphere of water and pouring it over Adelasta's skin. Steam hissed violently into the air the moment it touched her, cloaking the two of them in a cloud of fog.
"Technically... his is worse than yours."
Adelasta didn't argue. She didn't have the strength and besides, she believed it. More steam billowed as another wave of water washed over her, turning into mist before it even made it to her legs. Elyonari didn't falter once, continuing to cool her friend's superheated skin.
"It's only the First Trial."
Adelasta nodded faintly against her as her skin cooled down.
"Yeah... I know."