Wade stood at the edge of the final platform, staring at the massive central column before him.
It rose from the abyss like a monument created by gods. Wide, towering, and crowned in a glow of brilliant white light that shone through the surrounding gloom.
The glow reflected off the endless dark below, turning it silver for a fleeting instant.
He exhaled, steadying himself.
His body ached all over, with every muscle screaming for rest, but his mind was alive with grit.
This was it. The last test.
"All this for more money," he muttered under his breath, half laughing, half wheezing.
All around the central column, dozens of smaller platforms floated.
They were of the same familiar colors of red, yellow, green, and blue scattered like chess pieces around a king.
They shot off in all directions, as if telling him that even if he hadn't come through this route, this was where he'd have ended up.
He glanced once more at the endless abyss surrounding the column.
