Two other passages led out of the cavern. From the way they’d entered, one was on the left side where they’d seen Lyle and Torrin, and another was on the far right side of the room.

  Since Lyle’s group hadn't crossed through the center of the cavern during the fight, they must have gone out of the left passage. Otter was tempted to give chase, but decided they should check out the other exit first.

  Erin found traces of blood. Not nearly as much as they’d seen back in the trapped hallway, but enough to confirm that they needed to continue that direction.

  After five minutes of following the corridor which seemed to loop slowly downward, they found themselves staring at an enormous stone door, carved with intricate reliefs of winding paths, strange symbols, and four evenly spaced recesses.

  Jasper ran a hand along the smooth, cold surface. “No handle. No hinges.” He sighed. “Great. It’s a puzzle.”

  “Of course it is,” Erin muttered.

  Milo stepped forward, eyes scanning the inscriptions that framed the door. “I can’t read any of this,” he admitted. “But it’s definitely not gibberish.”

  “I might be able to help with that,” Sage said, stepping beside him. “Divine Conduits sometimes learn ancient texts as part of their training, but I’d need time to piece it together.”

  Otter frowned. “Do we have time?”

  “No,” Milo answered. “But I have a shortcut.” He flexed his fingers and cast Understand Languages, his irises flashing briefly with golden light. When he blinked, his pupils refocused as if seeing the symbols in a new way. He exhaled sharply. “Got it.”

  He skimmed the carvings, muttering the words under his breath before reading aloud:

  "To pass beyond, the path must be traced,

  The lost found, the weight embraced.

  Four marks reveal the final way—

  But mind the order, lest you stray."

  Jasper crossed his arms. “Could that be any more vague?”

  Otter stepped closer, tracing his fingers over the engraved reliefs. “The path traced,” he repeated. “There’s a maze carved into the center here.” He tilted his head. “This part moves.”

  At the base of the door was a circular indentation, a stone dial with a miniature labyrinth etched into it. A small metallic slider rested at the entrance of the maze.

  Otter’s pulse quickened. He cracked his knuckles. “I think I know what to do with this.”

  He crouched, studying the etched labyrinth. The grooves were narrow, and convoluted. He could feel his Navigation skill at work. It took a few moments, but finally, the correct path lit up. This time, the correct path was illuminated in a soft silver glow instead of blue. That was interesting. Now confident, he gripped the slider and guided it through the maze.

  The moment he reached the center, a soft click sounded. The slider locked into place, and a small section of the wall next to the door swung open revealing four indentations of a peculiar shape.

  Otter ran his fingers along the freshly revealed recesses, his brow furrowing. “These aren’t just marks. Something fits in here.”

  Jasper folded his arms, eyeing the recesses. “Great. And what exactly are we supposed to put in them?”

  Sage examined the edges of the slots. “They look mechanical—like something was meant to slot in.”

  Otter’s eyes widened as realization clicked into place. “The construct.”

  The others turned to him.

  “The thing we fought,” he clarified. “It was built like clockwork—gears, cogs, mechanical joints. What if—” He spun on his heel, dashing back the way they came.

  “Otter?” Erin called after him.

  “We need to check the wreckage!”

  They followed him to the remains of the construct, which still lay in a heap on the stone floor. Though it was severely damaged, it was largely intact.

  “Let’s see if we can’t uncover the innards of this thing.”

  Together, Otter and Jasper began prying pieces of metal off its midsection, doing their best to steer clear of the fire nozzle. No sense in tempting fate.

  After several minutes, they had a hole large enough to reach a hand through. Carefully, Otter reached in and began removing parts. Soon he had a pile of assorted gears and wires.

  “You think these will fit?” Jasper asked.

  “There are four indentations,” Otter said, breathing heavily. “And I’m counting four big gears in this mess.” He grabbed one and wiped the grime off its surface. “They’re about the right size.”

  Milo nodded. “It makes sense. The inscription said, ‘The lost found.’ Maybe this thing was originally part of the door mechanism.”

  “One way to find out,” Erin said, already picking up another gear.

  They returned to the massive stone door and, one by one, slotted the gears into place. Each fit snugly into its recess, clicking into place with a satisfying thunk.

  Nothing happened.

  “What are we missing?” Sage wondered aloud.

  “The next bit says the weight must be embraced,” said Milo. “Anybody see anything heavy around?”

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  They spread out to search. Jasper ran his hands over the door. “Hey, I think this slab protrudes a bit. Maybe it needs to be pushed in. It’s pretty heavy.”

  “Do it.” Otter said.

  Jasper heaved on the protrusion and it slid smoothly into the door. Four runes on the corners of the door lit up. Two at the bottom, and two way up high. “Ha! That wasn't so hard.”

  Then the slab slid back out and the runes went dark.

  “Oh. I guess I need to hold it in place.” Jasper pushed on the slab again, leaning into it. The runes lit up again.

  “Those must be the marks revealing the final way,” Milo said.

  “I guess we need to touch them in a certain order. Any idea what that order is?”

  Milo shook his head.

  “Um, guys,” Jasper grunted. “This thing is pushing back. Hard.”

  Otter wiped his palms on his tunic, eyes scanning the runes. Now that they were glowing, he could make them out more clearly—a towering mountain, a flowing river, a rising sun, and a crescent moon. He frowned, something about them tugging at his memory.

  “The path must be traced…” Milo murmured, rereading the inscription. Then, his eyes widened. “The maze!”

  Otter blinked. “What?”

  “The maze you solved earlier—it wasn’t just to reveal the indentations,” Milo said quickly. “It might show us the order of the runes.”

  Otter rushed back to the stone slab he had worked on, retracing the winding paths with his fingers. As his eyes moved along the twists and turns, he noticed something—tiny, faded carvings etched into the route. His heart pounded.

  “There are symbols in the maze,” he called back. “And they match the runes on the door.”

  Jasper, still holding the slab in place, gave a strained growl. “Any time now.”

  Otter swallowed and called out the sequence. “Sun first. Then river. Then mountain. Then moon.”

  Sage moved first, pressing the rising sun rune at the bottom. It pulsed with light. Jasper’s feet started to slip on the floor, so Sage placed her back against his and helped him push.

  Erin ran up, reaching for the flowing river on the other corner. Another pulse.

  Jasper gritted his teeth. “Hope this works.”

  Milo jumped up as high as he could, but couldn’t reach the top of the door.

  “Who’s got the best climbing skill?” Otter asked.

  Erin looked at him. “I have a 4.”

  Everyone else shook their heads.

  “I guess it’s up to you, then.”

  “Hurry up, please,” Jasper growled through clenched teeth. “I’m not sure I can hold this much longer.”

  Erin considered the door for a moment. Then, “Otter, give me a boost. There aren’t any good handholds down low. But I see some about halfway up.”

  Otter knelt down and clasped his hands together, giving Erin a sturdy place to place her foot. “On the count of three. One…two…three…” Erin jumped and Otter put all his meager strength into heaving her upward. It was enough. She grabbed hold of the top edge of the protruding border of a rune with her fingertips, and began pulling herself up. Her feet scrabbled before finding purchase, and she began to climb. It wasn’t incredibly high, but it was high enough that if she fell, she would take some damage to her Life Force for sure.

  Jasper panted and grunted. His arms were shaking violently from the strain of holding the stone in place.

  Erin reached the Mountain and tapped it. I lit up like the others.

  With the door as wide as it was, she couldn’t simply reach across and touch the other symbol. She had to climb sideways, which proved tricky.

  Otter gasped as her foot slipped from a toe hold and she lost her grip with her right hand. He positioned himself beneath her, hoping to break her fall as she dangled from the top of the door by one hand.

  “Hurry up!” Jasper called. “It’s pushing harder!”

  Like a pendulum, Erin swung herself back and forth once, then grabbed another handhold.

  Time seemed to slow. Otter felt every heart beat in his chest as Erin found her footing and crossed the rest of the distance before slapping the crescent moon. A deep, echoing thud reverberated through the chamber as the stone slab finally locked into place.

  Jasper stumbled forward as the force resisting him vanished.

  Erin lowered herself to a safe distance, then dropped the rest of the way to the floor.

  The gears they placed earlier turned. Dust rained down as the massive door shuddered and slowly began to part, revealing a yawning darkness beyond.

  Otter breathed a heavy sigh, adrenaline fading. “Well… that was intense.”

  Milo clapped him on the back. “Good call on the maze.”

  The stone door groaned as it slid open, revealing a wide passage beyond. Unlike the crumbling ruins they had navigated so far, this corridor was pristine—its walls smooth, carved with faintly glowing glyphs that pulsed softly, as if reacting to their presence. The air was cold and dry.

  A dim light flickered ahead.

  Cautiously, the team stepped inside, weapons at the ready. Otter’s heart pounded as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. The source of the light became clear—a small campfire, or at least what was left of one. The embers smoldered weakly, casting long, flickering shadows across the chamber.

  Seated near the fire was a woman and what appeared to be a sleeping man with his head resting in her lap.

  She didn’t react to their approach at first. Her head was bowed, long strands of chestnut hair falling over her face. She wore the tattered remains of a Scout’s uniform, though her cloak was smeared with grime and dried blood. Her arms trembled as she cradled the motionless figure.

  The team exchanged wary glances before Sage stepped forward, her voice gentle but firm. “Miss? Are you injured?”

  At the sound, the woman stiffened, her head snapping up. Her eyes were hollow, ringed with exhaustion. But beneath the grief, there was sharp awareness—her fingers twitched toward the knife at her belt.

  Jasper immediately lifted a hand. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

  She stared at them for a long moment before exhaling shakily, as if realizing just how tense she’d been. “Who are you?”

  “We’re students from the Academy. Sent to rescue you,” said Erin, taking another step forward.

  The woman hesitated, then gave a tired nod. “I am Alisha.”

  Otter took a cautious step forward, eyes flicking down to the still figure in her arms. A man—older, maybe in his forties—his chest slick with darkened blood. Not sleeping. Dead.

  “I take it… he was one of your team?” Otter asked quietly.

  Alisha’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. “He was our leader.”

  Milo shifted uncomfortably. “How did you get through the door? We had to solve a puzzle to open it.”

  Alisha blinked, glancing back toward the stone threshold. Her brows furrowed. “It was already open when I got here.”

  Jasper scowled. “And it closed after you passed through?”

  She nodded. “I thought it was safe. A place to rest… to mourn.”

  Otter shivered. Something about that detail unsettled him. If the door had been open, then who or what had closed it?

  Erin crouched beside her, eyes filled with quiet understanding. “Can you tell us what happened?”

  Alisha exhaled, the weight of exhaustion pressing into her shoulders. “It started when we found the relic.”

  “What is it?” Milo asked, leaning forward.

  Alisha shook her head. “We never figured it out. But we weren’t the only ones looking for it.”

  Jasper narrowed his eyes. “Meaning?”

  Her lips parted to answer—

  Then a blood-curdling scream tore through the corridor. It was a scream of pure horror. And maybe pain.

  Alisha’s head snapped up, her eyes suddenly clear. “What was that? Blackwood! Something is wrong.”

  Every member of the team exchanged quizzical glances.

  Then, as one, their wrisplays buzzed.

  They all had the same notification.

  New Objective: Rescue your fellow students from the Kaosborn.