Hammer blows burst through the Voidcryst sealing the chamber, and light and crystal scattered across the floor. Kar’s vision was fading—his pulse slowing as blood seeped from the stump of his left arm.

  “Oh Source…” someone said faintly.

  Kar blinked, disoriented by the sudden light streaming from the hall.

  Hands grabbed him. A belt cinched tight just below his left shoulder. He heard a sharp moan—then realized he was the one who had made it.

  “Stay with us, okay, Kar?” Lore said, her face appearing before him. It was strangely blurry, her voice a distant echo.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood,” someone else said.

  “We don’t have a healer, but I could cauterize it.” Kiya said.

  Something was shoved between his teeth. The taste of old leather. Kar gagged on it, too weak to spit it out. Lore’s face was joined by Kiya’s.

  With both of them there, side by side, the resemblance was undeniable. Kar frowned.

  Then his stump flared white-hot.

  His eyes widened, and Kar tried to jerk away. The hands holding onto him only tightened their grip, pinning him in place.

  To her credit, Kiya didn’t seem to enjoy searing him alive; Kar would have expected her to. The sudden pain shocked him to his senses, gave him temporary clarity. He checked the shards at his waist. All drained.

  He lifted his Voidcryst hand up to pull the leather strap from his mouth. “Does. Anyone. Have. Charged shards?”

  Derek dragged an unconscious Aldwin over and laid him down, then reached into a pack and pulled out a pair of small shards. Seeing the state Aldwin was in, Kar changed his plan. “Bring. Aldwin. Here.”

  Derek shoved the shards to Kiya, then ran back to drag his uncle. He eyed the fallen shadowcryst cautiously as he came. “Is that thing really dead?”

  Kar didn’t even have the strength to nod, just clenched his teeth. Erio stumbled into the chamber then, dragging his battered and fissured body in a halting stagger. His right arm was a mangled mess of crystal, his armor dented and rent all over.

  Derek laid Aldwin down next to Kar.

  Kar took the shards from Kiya, drawing their Energía in sharply. His voidcryst arm pulsed hungrily, demanding he convert and feed the power to it. Kar shoved that urge away, and instead imbued the unconverted Energía into Aldwin, healing what he could. The man’s breath strengthened, but his wounds were more extensive than Kar had the capacity to deal with. He didn’t wake.

  The shards went quiet, drained. Kar felt himself fading.

  Lore twisted back and forth, panicked. “Any more shards?” She asked.

  There were none. But Kar had one last idea. “The other—basin,” he choked out, gesturing with his head toward the back of the chamber, still shrouded in darkness.

  Kiya ignited a flame above her hand, lighting the way, while Lore and Derek grabbed and lifted Kar. The chamber wasn’t overly large. In fact, it looked exactly like the first trial chamber had, only without the alcoves in the circular walls. Kar’s left stump was agonizingly painful, his breaths, short and shaky. Blood still dripped from the charred flesh of his arm, leaving a trail behind them.

  On the far side of the room, they found the portal door to this trial’s essence basin. It had been torn open, the ancient stone gouged and sundered.

  The basin stood empty.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “No…” Erio said softly.

  The Elder shadowcryst had Absorbed the Essence here too, then. Kar found himself laughing brokenly. Lore peered down at him, worried. The Essence that was supposed to be in this basin had been Kar’s last hope.

  “Where is the Source?” Erio whispered.

  “Where does this door lead?” Derek asked, pointing to the portal door resting behind the empty Basin.

  “It’s supposed to lead back to wherever you entered from.” Erio responded.

  “The Archives?” Kiya asked incredulously. “How is that possible?”

  Erio didn’t answer. But that gave Kar one other desperate idea. If this door led back to the Archives, then there may be Energía there he could use to heal himself… even if that meant placing themselves back in Destry’s hands.

  “The. Door.” Kar struggled to say, his words slurring together. Lore and Derek shared a look, then hoisted him over toward the arched frame and the impression where Kar had to activate it. He tried to lift his right hand but couldn’t. Lore helped him.

  There was no response.

  Was it because he was trying to use his Voidcryst hand? Kar leaned closer, resting his sweaty forehead against the impression in place of his hand. That did something.

  The lights around the door and within the chamber behind them flickered weakly, then went dark again. Besides that, nothing happened. The door still didn’t budge.

  “Why isn’t it working?” Kiya asked.

  “Something is wrong with the Source,” Erio answered, now leaning against the empty Essence basin behind Kar. The Valorcryst sounded dejected. Defeated.

  With a last, desperate effort, Kar butted his head against the door frame one more time. He willed it desperately to open, fearing for both his life and Aldwin’s, who lay still back on the floor of the trial chamber behind them.

  Again the lights flickered, stronger this time, and then a deep, resonant voice spoke, fainter and weaker than Kar ever remembered hearing it.

  you…survived. I had lost hope…

  The voice went in and out, the next words indistinct.

  “Please!” Kar begged. “Open the door!”

  —empowering this vault, has consumed what is left of my strength. I am fading…

  Kar didn’t think it was listening, if it even could.

  you must find a way… on your own.

  Defeat the shadow…restore Valor—

  I have done all I can…

  With that, the door began to roll slowly aside. It had opened not even halfway when it stopped again, the lights going out one final time.

  Kiya’s flame cast flickering shadows across everyone’s faces, illuminating disturbed and confused expressions. Kar’s head lolled to the side, the adrenaline keeping him going wearing off.

  He didn’t realize he’d passed out until he was shaken awake.

  Derek tapped the side of Kar’s face rapidly, “Hey, don’t pass out now. We’re almost there.”

  “Stay behind me,” Kiya muttered, stepping toward the partially opened portal door. Erio was staring lost into the basin, trembling, and Lore had a sick expression on her face.

  Kar blinked groggily, then forced himself to focus on the bobbing light above Kiya’s hand.

  She paused at the threshold, her left hand on the curved archway. “What in the Rift… I thought we left you for dead.”

  Kiya was abruptly thrown back, bent doubled. Her Focused light winked out. They didn’t remain in darkness, however. Something bright, round, and multi-faceted appeared where Kiya had stood.

  Bathed in that light was Natalie, Kar’s aunt. Held aloft in her hand—the Prism.

  Ember.

  It had been months for Kar, since he’d last seen the Prism. He’d gained experience with Energía in that time. Enough to recognize that Ember held an enormous amount of the power within its small form. Only, it wasn’t like any of the different forms of Energía Kar had become accustomed to. This felt alien, yet pleasant. Calm and serene. Like a melody.

  Despite everything, Kar smiled. He tried to reach his left hand out. But it was gone. The reminder of that loss wounded him. He needed that hand, didn’t want to be without it.

  From where she lay on her back—behind them now—Kiya cursed. But Kar paid her no mind. He had a desperate idea.

  “I need. Your help. Ember.” Kar wheezed out. He anticipated to hear the Prism’s familiar voice in his head. No response came.

  “He says… he can’t sense you, Kar,” Nat said. There were tears in her eyes, as she looked with equal parts horror and sorrow at her broken nephew. She muttered something, too quietly for Kar to hear. She was speaking to Ember, he realized.

  Kar’s Voidcryst arm trembled. But not in hunger. It was afraid, Kar realized. Terrified of… Ember, of all things.

  A moment later, Nat stepped over to Kar. Lore and Derek laid him down up against the basin, and Natalie knelt down.

  Another familiar face he hadn’t expected to see poked her head across the threshold—Isa. The hopeful expression on her face died, and she gasped. The next moment, she was there beside Nat, a determined expression on her face.

  “Wait, just… wait.” Isa said, pulling a lightly glowing blue shard out. She pressed it directly into Kar’s chest. He realized then there were still broken bits of armor attached to him in a few places. His shirt had been ripped to shreds. He felt the Energía flowing as Isa Imbued it into him.

  It was Kar’s turn to gasp, as he felt ice creep slowly through his veins. Isa drained one shard after another healing him, until Kar finally spoke up, “Stop. Don’t waste any more. Aldwin needs you.”

  Natalie and Isa’s eyes both widened as Lore and Derek dragged the still unconscious man over and laid him down beside Kar.

  “What happened in here?” Nat cried, shifting towards Aldwin.

  “Aunt Nat,” Kar said softly, drawing her attention back to him. “I need Ember. Can you place him on my chest?”

  Kar suspected he knew why the Prism couldn’t sense him any longer. And it had everything to do with the ugly black crystal growing from his shoulder.

  She nodded warily, then gently placed Ember on Kar’s exposed chest.

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