CAELYNN
"I think we can take a break now, sister," she said, slightly breathless. "We've lost them."
Caelynn and Nivara had been fleeing through the corridors at maximum speed, wanting to put as much distance between them and the Sylph girls as possible. They didn't want them to catch up and kill them as they surely would.
"Are you certain?" Nivara asked, glancing back with a nervous expression.
"Truth be told, I'm not sure they were ever following us," Caelynn admitted, sounding perplexed. She then raised her eyebrows at Nivara. "Did you see them?"
Nivara shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Weird."
"Not that weird," Caelynn replied. "They have other priorities. Priorities more urgent than dealing with us."
"The Trident," Nivara guessed.
"I think so," the other girl replied as she and Nivara rounded another corridor.
Caelynn looked around, having no idea where they were or how they had ended up there. But she didn't feel too terribly about their situation because they had escaped the Sylph girls.
However, at that moment, she suddenly paused, sensing dark, malignant presences nearby.
She grabbed Nivara's shoulder. "Nivara, stop. Temple spirits up ahead."
Nivara immediately stopped and followed her sister's lead as they turned back into another corridor, an angry frown forming on her face.
"Damn it, sister," she suddenly muttered.
When Caelynn glanced at her curiously, Nivara continued, "We've spent too much of our time in this temple on the offensive. We need to do something to locate that Trident, and we need to do it now."
"Well, I'm open to ideas, Nivara," Caelynn said dryly.
At that moment, Nivara paused, a smile slowly forming as an idea came to her.
"Glad to hear you say that because I've actually just thought of a plan," she said triumphantly. "You play a large role. Although you might not like it."
Caelynn looked at her cautiously. She wondered what reckless plan her sister had come up with this time.
"Okay?" she said calmly enough, although she looked mildly alarmed. "What exactly does your plan involve besides me?"
Nivara looked at her nervously.
"The temple spirits we've just avoided for fear of them killing us."
Caelynn stopped and gave Nivara a look that told her that she was crazy.
"Just listen to the rest before you say no," Nivara said. "You'll change your mind."
Caelynn looked doubtful.
******
Minutes later, they were off to carry out Nivara's plan. And although Caelynn agreed, she still had her doubts.
"I think we should think about this again, sister," Caelynn said as they retraced their steps.
"There's nothing to rethink. Trust me," Nivara replied.
"But…"
"Caelynn, the temple spirit probably knows where the Trident pieces are. Just use your powers to read its mind and find out where it is."
"You make it sound so easy, Nivara, but I don't even know if I can do it," Caelynn argued. "I can usually read thoughts, but they're surface thoughts from a living person, not a spirit."
"Well, we won't know if you can do it if you don't try," Nivara said dismissively.
Caelynn groaned. "But they spirits seem so strong. This is extremely risky…"
She stopped speaking when, at that moment, the giant temple statue of a diviner they were walking past suddenly began moving.
Caelynn's eyes widened as the statue started reaching toward them. She immediately grabbed Nivara and shoved both of them out of the way.
As the statue moved to attack them again, Caelynn and Nivara reacted simultaneously, blasting the thing with dark energy beams.
The statue crashed down in front of them, exploding into uneven pieces of stone all over the floor.
Nivara breathed heavily, staring down at the detached head that had rolled to a stop in front of her boots.
"Okay, what the hell?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I think we found one of the temple spirits you were looking for," Caelynn answered.
At that moment, fear filled Nivara's body, but she forced herself to swallow it down. This was part of her plan, she reminded herself.
"Good," she said, although a hint of nervousness remained in her voice. "Where is it now? Don't tell me we destroyed it already?"
Nivara got her answer when black smoke began rising out of the shattered statue pieces and gathered in front of them, forming into a dark, distorted figure. They couldn't tell if it was male or female, only that it wanted to cause them harm.
"You will not get the Trident of Axis," it said.
Both girls flinched at its voice, which sounded like a combination of thunder and lightning.
Nivara let out a deep breath.
"Here's the plan," she whispered to Caelynn. "I'll distract it. You go ahead and try to read its mind."
"But—"
Caelynn's words were interrupted as the spirit suddenly sprinted toward them, letting out a terrifying growl.
Nivara shot into the air, meeting it head-on.
Caelynn watched her go with worry, but remembering that she had a job to do, she turned her attention toward the spirit. She closed her eyes, and waves went out from her toward it as she tried to reach into its mind.
As Caelynn focused, Nivara dodged the energy spheres the spirit launched at her, moving as speedily as she could.
She quickly grew frustrated with only dodging and went on the offensive, stretching out her hands and blasting a wave of dark energy at the creature. The spirit formed a black shield to block the attack, but Nivara refused to let up, blasting it over and over again.
"How's the mind reading going over there, sister?" she asked through gritted teeth.
Caelynn's mouth tightened. "I'm trying, but the spirit's thoughts are different from humans. They're scattered. I'm going to have to go deeper."
As she said this, the spirit suddenly vanished from where it stood and appeared behind Nivara.
Nivara turned to it, but a second too late.
A blast of energy struck her shoulder, sending pain through her body.
She landed on the floor, hissing.
"Caelynn, whatever you're doing, hurry," she called out.
Shaking off the pain, Nivara forced herself back up and continued attacking the spirit. Though she suspected she couldn't keep it up for long.
Meanwhile, Caelynn tried to ignore the fight happening around her. It took all her concentration, especially because her instincts were telling her to protect herself and Nivara, but she knew that she had to do this. It was their only chance.
Inside the spirit's mind was mostly darkness, a darkness so pure it hurt Caelynn to look at. She concentrated harder, ignoring the headache it gave her.
Luckily, there were also a few memories in the spirit's mind, and they were all connected to the temple and the Trident.
She saw the moment the spirit, formerly a man, died as he tried to assemble the Trident. She saw the moment the Trident rejected him, leaving him as an aggrieved spirit, cursed to remain in the temple forever.
But where did this all happen?
She searched deeper, seeing corridors. Yes, and a room filled with... dead Diviners?
Then suddenly, she knew.
She knew where the Trident of Axis was.
Her eyes snapped open, glittering with excitement and triumph.
"I've got it, Nivara," she said. "I know where the Trident is."
"Uh, Caelynn," Nivara choked out loudly. "A little help. Getting strangled over here."
Caelynn looked over and froze.
The spirit had wrapped its hand around Nivara's throat and was squeezing so hard that Nivara's eyes were bulging.
Nivara struggled, trying to pull its fingers away, but it was too strong.
Seeing this, Caelynn's eyes widened.
She quickly looked at one of the longer pieces of the broken statue and floated it into her hand.
Then she rushed forward with it and hurled it toward the spirit's head with all her strength.
But the stone passed straight through its body as if it were made of air.
Caelynn froze in shock.
She had thought that since the spirit was able to choke Nivara, physical attacks could work on it.
The spirit turned toward her, unharmed but clearly furious.
It released Nivara, who collapsed onto the floor, and focused completely on Caelynn.
A cruel smile appeared on its face, one that Caelynn herself had often made when she was about to kill someone.
It seemed to enjoy the scared expression on her face.
Nivara used that distracted moment.
She raised her hands and blasted the spirit with every ounce of power she had left, which was still considerable.
The creature threw its head back, screaming.
Its body flickered.
Then suddenly, it faded out with a small explosive sound, leaving no other sign of its absence.
The moment it disappeared, Nivara collapsed to the floor with a pained groan.
"Nivara!" Caelynn shouted, rushing toward her. "Are you okay?"
Nivara managed a weak smile through her pain.
"You said you got the location?"
"I did. Your plan worked," Caelynn replied. "Though it almost cost us our lives."
"The point is that it worked," Nivara said. "Now help me up and let's go get that Trident."
Caelynn sighed but wasted no time, helping her sister back onto her feet.
"Let's hurry," Nivara said. "I have a feeling the others are already ahead."
"Yeah," Caelynn agreed with a sigh. "Me too."
*****
REONE
If it wasn't for the map, he was certain they would have been completely lost by now.
The temple seemed determined to make every corridor look identical, every other path twisting into another dead end. Without something guiding them, they could have spent hours wandering through the endless halls without ever getting near the Trident.
"We're close, guys," Anika said, her voice breathless with excitement. "I can actually feel it."
Reone looked at her.
After everything they had gone through, he wanted to believe her.
"This way," Mickey said, focused on the map in his hands.
He walked ahead confidently, following the markings, until he suddenly stopped.
"Actually... no."
Everyone stared at him.
Mickey looked down at the map again before turning around.
"That way leads to some kind of pool reflection room."
He gave them an apologetic smile.
"The Ancestral Funeral Chamber is actually this way. Sorry."
Anika only smiled reassuringly at him.
"It's okay, Mickey. You're doing great."
Primi rolled his eyes, looking glum. Being a little bit of a control freak, he was never comfortable being led by someone else.
Unlike him, Reone felt no misgivings about stepping back and letting Mickey take the reins. He knew for a fact that Mickey was competent and careful. And it helped that they finally had direction, a map to the Trident.
It was all he could ask for.
Well...
Almost everything.
If only a certain Sylph whose face he hopelessly longed for wasn't gone, he would have been completely satisfied with the state of things.
Reone sighed quietly, forcing himself to accept the reality of the situation.
Lyrian was gone.
And she probably wasn't coming back.
At least, not to him.
Whatever they had before was over.
He had to accept that.
Stop thinking about it, he told himself.
Focus on the mission.
Unfortunately, the universe seemed determined to undermine his efforts.
Because just then, he heard her bell-like voice.
Reone's heart gave a leap.
For a moment, he wondered if he had imagined it.
After all, he had spent so long thinking about Lyrian that maybe his mind had started creating things that weren't there.
But then he looked ahead.
And there she was.
Lyrian.
Along with the rest of the Sylph girls.
And Mia.
They hadn't noticed them yet. They were talking amongst themselves, their voices too quiet for them to make out.
For several seconds, Reone, Mickey, Anika, Sire, and Primi could only stare.
None of them moved.
None of them spoke.
They had all been forced to convince themselves that it might be a while before they saw the girls again,if they ever did. Seeing them again felt surreal.
Then Mickey finally broke the silence.
"Is this temple making me hallucinate?"
He looked toward Nova.
"Because I swear I'm seeing Nova."
The girls immediately turned at his voice.
"Mickey?"
Nova's voice was filled with disbelief.
The shock on their faces mirrored that of the other group.
Then, before anyone could react, Diamond let out an excited sound and rushed forward.
"Sire!"
Sire's expression immediately softened.
He ran toward her, meeting her halfway.
The moment they reached each other, Diamond jumped into his arms, and he lifted her off the ground with a happy expression.
The others followed their example, but made their way to each other with slightly more restraint.
After everything, after being separated in a place like this, they could barely believe their luck in seeing each other in one piece.
For a moment, the temple, the Trident, Damon, and everything else disappeared as they reunited.
Mickey smiled as he approached Nova.
Then he hugged her tightly, the map held to one side.
The others smiled at the sight.
Except Reone, who was barely noticing.
Because he was looking at Lyrian.
She stared back at him then too.
The others faded away around Reone as Lyrian slowly walked toward him.
And Reone saw something on Lyrian's face that surprised him.
Nervousness.
He understood it completely.
He felt it too.
Reone wanted to rush forward, to grab her, check every inch of her for injuries, make sure she was really okay.
He wanted to kiss her, hold her, and tell her never to leave him like that again.
But he didn't.
Because he didn't think he had the right to do that anymore.
They were still at odds. They were still not okay, and Reone suspected that they'd never be so again.
"Are you okay?" Lyrian asked softly.
Her concern gave him a bittersweet feeling.
Because it was exactly the kind of thing she would ask if she still loved him.
But that didn't mean it meant what he wanted it to mean, he told himself.
She was simply asking because she cared about him as someone important to her, not necessarily someone she wanted to be with.
"I'm okay," Reone managed to say, his voice deep.
He hesitated.
"Are you?"
Lyrian nodded.
"Yeah... I'm good."
"Good," he repeated.
And then silence returned.
A painful, awkward silence.
Reone's heart started beating fast because he knew that this was the moment.
She was officially going to call things off between them. It was the only thing left for her to do.
Which was a problem because Reone didn't think he could take it, not now when he was barely holding himself together.
So, like a coward, he rushed to change the topic entirely.
"How did you guys find us?" he asked her.
*****
LYRIAN
Lyrian blinked.
For a moment, she was completely thrown.
That was not what she had expected him to say.
And she had spent the entire walk here imagining this moment.
Imagining seeing him again.
She had thought he'd still be angry.
Maybe they'd fight again.
But this?
A question about how they found them?
Unexpected, but okay.
"Uh... luck?" she answered him with a small, sheepish expression.
"In this temple, there's no such thing as luck," Sire said, who was eavesdropping on them.
Diamond, who had also been listening in, elbowed him for interrupting the couple.
Sire just shrugged at her.
Primi, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's a little negative, Sire, considering we literally found a map to the Trident."
Everyone immediately turned.
Lyrian's eyes widened.
"You found a map?"
"And then we solved the scroll riddle," Primi explained. "Well, technically Anika solved it."
Anika immediately looked away shyly, suddenly very interested in anything except the spot where Primi was standing.
Lyrian smiled at them.
"Guys, that's amazing."
"Looks like we weren't the only ones who found something important," Reone said.
His eyes moved toward Mia.
The moment their eyes met, Mia's expression became ashen.
Her voice was really low when she spoke.
"Hi, Reone."
"Hey."
The awkwardness around them was immediate.
Before it could become uncomfortable enough to break something, Mia suddenly burst out speaking.
"I'm sorry, everyone. For... how I've been acting."
Everyone looked at her.
"Well, you should be," Primi said dryly. "You've been causing quite a hassle."
Mia immediately looked guiltier.
"Primi," Lyrian said, frowning at him.
"Can you just relax?" she said. "She's apologising."
"And she's been through a lot,"Diamond added.
"Yeah," Seren said, her voice hardening. "And it's not like you helped us when we were trying to save her."
"Primi does have a point guys,"Reone couldn't resist saying.
Lyrian scoffed at him, getting mad at him again.
"Wow, you two are just unbeliev—"
"Alright, enough everyone!"
Everyone turned to Nova, who was wearing an impatient expression for once.
She sighed.
"Can we deal with all of this later, after we're done in this temple?"
"Nova's right," Reone said, his eyes briefly meeting Lyrian's. "Let's find the Trident first. Then we can deal with any... grievances we might have."
Lyrian's mouth tightened slightly.
She wondered if Reone had said this deliberately.
If he was trying to avoid talking about them. About Damon.
His face was expressionless,as Lyrian looked at now, completely unlike the adoring look he usually gave her.
Had he given up on them? Lyrian wondered.
Stars, she hoped not.
Because despite everything...
She wanted them to be with him. Lyrian realised that she couldn't stop him if he really wanted to execute Damon. It was his decision in the end. She'd done all she could.
But still, she hoped that whatever happened in this temple, they would be able to find their way to each other again.
"Alright, fine," Primi said, interrupting her thoughts. "We'll focus on the mission."
The others slowly agreed.
Lyrian more reluctantly than the others.
She wanted more than anything for her and Reone to talk this out, to be alright again.
But clearly, this wasn't the time. Would there be time after this? She wondered.
"So where is this Trident?" Nova asked when everyone had gone silent, studying the map Mickey was still holding.
"In a room in this corridor," Mickey replies. "It's called the Ancestral Funeral Chamber."
Nova smiled.
"Cool. Let's go there then."
The group began moving,Mickey focusing on the map again.
And as they walked, Reone suddenly stopped and looked back suspiciously.
Lyrian noticed.
"Reone, is everything okay?"
He continued staring at the empty corridor for another moment.
"I-I thought I heard something but... it looks like I was mistaken."
"Forget it," he said, walking past her without even looking in her direction.
A pang went through Lyrian.
It almost seemed to her that Reone was attempting to put some distance between her and him.
She watched him rejoin the others, trying to ignore the pain in her heart and starting to wonder if the rift between them could really ever get closed.