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Chapter 16: The Flooded Door
The chamber shuddered the moment Silvia and I stepped inside. The air carried a biting chill, not from Silvia's magic this time, but from the dungeon itself—as though the stone walls had grown wary of us, like a beast realizing its prey might actually bite back.
A hollow laugh echoed through the chamber.
>AHHH, MY RESILIENT LITTLE GUESTS. YOU'VE SURVIVED SO MUCH ALREADY! TELL ME...ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR 'VISIT'?<
Silvia's brow twitched. "If by 'visit' you mean a deathtrap disguised as architecture, then sure. Five stars."
I groaned, splashing a boot into the shallow pool of water that had just begun to creep across the floor. "I'd leave a review after, but I'm not sure if I'll still be alive to write it."
The voice chuckled like someone dragging nails across glass. >THAT'S THE SPIRIT! NOW THEN, LET'S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE… THIS.<
With a thunderous grind, stone shifted above us. Jets of water burst from the ceiling, splattering like endless rain. Within moments the chamber was ankle-deep in icy water. And rising.
"Kelvin…" Silvia's eyes darted to the far wall where a single massive door loomed, sealed shut by glowing runes. "We can't brute-force that."
"Of course not," I said, drawing closer. Strange sigils shimmered faintly across its surface—symbols far older than any rune stone I'd ever seen. They pulsed in a rhythm, like a heartbeat, demanding something.
Silvia pressed her palm to the wet surface. Her eyes glowed faint blue. "It's… not just mana. This seal is asking for something different. A balance. Qi and Mana woven together."
"Great," I muttered. "So, you want me to juggle two different energies, perfectly synchronized, while the room tries to drown us?"
She smirked faintly. "That's the gist of it."
I stared at her, then at the rapidly rising water that was now halfway up my calves. "Lovely. Why couldn't the last trial just be, I don't know, a polite chess match?"
The voice crackled again. >BECAUSE POLITE CHESS DOESN'T END WITH YOU GASPING FOR BREATH. NOW HURRY! I'D HATE FOR MY GUESTS TO RUN OUT OF AIR.<
"Obnoxious clown," Silvia muttered, flicking her fingers as threads of icy mana danced across them.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Qi flowed through my meridians, warm and fierce like liquid fire. While Silvia poured her Mana into me. Unlike Qi which was warm and fuzzy inside the body as it is formed by reflecting Aurora through ones taught,Mana on the other hand takes from of the strongest affinity of the mage. In this case, was cold, slippery, and restless—eager to spill free at the slightest mistake. Mixing the two was like trying to braid a raging river with a flame.
Still, I pushed forward sweating as if in an oven.
"Focus," Silvia urged, her own hands weaving sigils in the air. "Start slow. Let the Mana wrap around the Qi. Think of it as something like… silk around steel."
"Silk and steel," I echoed, gritting my teeth. The water sloshed higher, now reaching my waist. "If this doesn't work, I'm blaming you in the afterlife."
"Noted."
Bit by bit, I wound the two separate energies together. Qi sparked golden inside me, while Mana spiraled icy blue around it. At first they clashed violently and I feelt as if my mind tearing in two—every misstep sent jolts of pain through my arms and my mind spliting headache as I nearly fainted—but then… something clicked.
The two forces intertwined, vibrating in harmony. And for a moment, I felt it: a thread of something higher. Not just Qi, not just Mana, but a sliver of divine force.
"Got it!" I shouted. "Door, get ready to be unlatched!"
The sigils on the door flared as I pressed my hands against it, channeling that fragile sliver forward. Divine energy seeped into the runes, and the door groaned like an ancient giant waking.
The voice boomed again, mockingly slow. "Ohhh, very clever. Mixing mortal forces to tickle the divine. You must be so proud. How are you enjoying your visit now?"
I snarled. "I'd enjoy it more if you drowned in your own sarcasm."
"Add me to that list," Silvia snapped, her hair damp and plastered to her cheek as she continued reinforcing my flow.
The water had nearly reached our shoulders when the last rune blazed bright. With a thunderous crack, the door split down the middle and swung open, sucking some of the floodwater into the dark corridor beyond.
I staggered forward, gasping, as Silvia pulled me through. Behind us, the water surged hungrily into the new chamber like a beast unleashed.
When the door slammed shut, we collapsed onto the dry stone floor beyond, panting.
For a moment, silence.
Then the voice returned, dripping smug satisfaction. >MARVELOUS. SIMPLY MARVELOUS! MY LITTLE MICE SCURRY WELL WHEN THE FLOOD RISES, DON'T THEY?<
I sat up, glaring at the empty air. "One day, mystery voice, I'm going to find your real body. And when I do, I'll introduce your face to my sword. Repeatedly."
Silvia actually chuckled at that, brushing strands of wet hair out of her eyes. "Not going to lie, I'd pay to see that."
I grinned despite myself, though the exhaustion weighed on me. "Guess that's one room down. How many more?"
Silvia's expression sobered as she gazed at the hallway stretching ahead, faint flickers of light marking another chamber beyond. "Three-room trial, remember? That was just the beginning."
I groaned. "Why can't it ever be just the beginning of a nap instead?"
The voice purred, pleased with itself. "Rest is for the weak. Forward, my brave little guests. Let us see if you can outwit the next puzzle before the clock runs out."
Silvia and I exchanged a look, unspoken agreement passing between us. No matter how smug this dungeon got, we weren't backing down.
Not now. Not ever.
And so, dripping wet and bone-tired, we pressed on into the second room—where the real game of the dungeon's madness awaited.
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