Chapter 174: The Trial (31)
The archway pulsed with an otherworldly glow, the air thick with residual magic as Verena and Vivienne stepped through. The stone beneath their feet shifted subtly, the labyrinth rearranging itself in response to their progress, as though the entire structure was one massive, living puzzle still toying with them.
For a brief moment, they were met with silence—no more serpentine beasts, no immediate death traps, just the faint hum of astral energy lingering in the corridors.
"That wasn’t so bad," Vivienne whispered, arms folded behind her back, still practically skipping along like they weren’t seconds away from potentially dying not long ago.
"You say that now because you weren’t almost digested by a cosmic snake," Verena muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.
Vivienne hummed, utterly unbothered. "You made a cool plan! I believed in you."
"You screamed."
"That’s called being supportive."
Verena rolled her eyes, but despite the sarcasm lingering on her tongue, her chest felt... lighter. A small, reluctant grin tugged at the corner of her lips. It wasn’t often someone told her they believed in her—even if that someone was the literal embodiment of a forgetful, clumsy heroine archetype with far too much optimism for this cruel world.
The corridor ahead stretched into darkness, broken only by faint constellations flickering across the ceiling like stars trapped beneath stone. The walls were engraved with shifting sigils—symbols that responded to their Zodiacal signatures.
Verena traced a finger along the carvings, the markings glowing faintly in recognition. "We’re getting close."
"To the exit?" Vivienne tilted her head, wide-eyed.