The door clicked shut behind Kaelen, plunging him into darkness. He stood still, his breaths shallow as his eyes adjusted. A faint green glow began to pulse from his pocket, casting eerie shadows along the jagged walls of the maze. The blue stones added a sharp clarity to his senses, heightening the low hum of the Noxflare energy coursing through him.

  Jess’s face filled his thoughts, her emerald eyes burning brighter in his mind than the glow of his crystals. He clenched his fists, willing himself to focus. Survive. Her whispered word replayed in his mind like a mantra.

  A sudden grinding noise jolted him back to the present. The walls shifted, stone grinding against stone as the path behind him sealed shut. The air grew heavy, and the sound of distant, guttural growls reached his ears. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the dagger tucked into his belt.

  This isn’t just a test—it’s a game of survival, he thought grimly, stepping forward into the unknown.

  ---

  Jess leaned against the cool stone wall, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She’d barely evaded the swinging blade that had emerged from the ceiling a moment ago, its edge slicing through the air with lethal precision.

  The maze was relentless, its traps designed to test not just her physical endurance but her mental acuity. She glanced at her wrist, where a faint shimmer of Noxflare from her bracelet had shielded her in the nick of time.

  Kael, she thought, his name a balm to the fear gnawing at her resolve. Her mind drifted back to the banquet, to the way his eyes had met hers, as if they’d known each other for a lifetime. She shook her head, forcing herself to concentrate. What was overtaking her? When in all her years had she been the girl to swoon over a boy at first glance. But he was a man. His dark eyes were burning embers to her heart and soul. The way each of his glances pierced right into her…

  “Focus Jessalyn this isn’t a tea party,” she whispered, pressing onward. “Danger’s calling and you are daydreaming?” She chided herself.

  The corridor widened into a chamber, its floor tiled with alternating black and white squares. A faint hum filled the air, and she froze, analyzing the pattern. A puzzle. Of course.

  Taking a deep breath, she stepped cautiously onto a white tile. Nothing happened. Then she moved to a black one. A sharp hiss erupted from the walls, and she dove backward as a burst of flame scorched the tile she’d touched.

  “Wonderful,” she muttered. “A chessboard of death.”

  She looked over her battlefield. The white stones gathered in clusters and large clusters of black tiles blocked the best paths forward. It required planning. As she watched one of the white stones flipped over and became a black tile. She also had to be quick. Her agility and quick wits would get her through this. She took and deep breath and rocked up on her toes. She just had to keep her focus.

  Despite the fear swirling in her chest, she couldn’t help but wonder if Kael was facing similar horrors. She clenched her fists and leaped forward, the thought of seeing him again driving her more urgently to finish this he had to be… Don’t finish that thought. She jumped across a group of black tiles and her heal grazed a black tile. She dropped down into a crouch as a blade swung out from a slot in the wall.

  ---

  Renik strolled through the maze with an almost casual air, his steps deliberate but unhurried. The red crystal in his pocket pulsed warmly, fueling his body with bursts of strength that made each obstacle seem like a minor inconvenience.

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  He whistled softly as he navigated a narrow corridor lined with dart holes. When the inevitable click echoed through the air, he dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way with the ease of someone who had long since stopped fearing danger.

  “Well, that’s rude,” he muttered, brushing himself off.

  Ahead, the corridor opened into a room filled with shifting platforms suspended over a bubbling pit of liquid that glowed a sickly green.

  “Acid,” Renik mused, tapping his chin. “Because why not?”

  He sized up the platforms, their movements erratic and unpredictable. A grin spread across his face. “Alright, you want me to play hopscotch? Let’s play.”

  With a burst of speed, he launched himself onto the nearest platform. It wobbled under his weight, but he crouched low, balancing easily. This isn’t much different than fleeing from an enforcer he chuckled, only now I can leap higher and feel like I could run up a wall.

  As he leapt to the next platform, his thoughts drifted to Kaelen. Hope he’s not taking this too seriously, Renik thought with a smirk. Stress will kill you faster than the traps will. Kaelen should have kept a red stone.

  And then there was Talia. Her icy glares at the banquet had been a source of endless amusement. He couldn’t wait to see her face when he made it out of this maze alive.

  ---

  Talia stood at the edge of a dark chasm, her sharp eyes scanning the narrow stone ledges that crisscrossed the abyss. The air here was damp and cold, and the faint sound of water dripping echoed ominously.

  Her breath was steady, her mind calculating the angles and distances. Unlike some of the others, she didn’t rely on raw power. Her strength was in her precision and intellect.

  “Balance and focus,” she murmured, stepping onto the first ledge.

  The stone wobbled beneath her foot, but she adjusted, her movements fluid and deliberate. As she crossed, her thoughts wandered to the other students. Many of them would fail, she knew.

  Her lips pressed into a thin line as she thought of Renar. He was infuriating, but there was a cleverness beneath his swagger that she couldn’t ignore. And Kael... there was something about him, a quiet intensity that set him apart.

  Talia reached the other side and paused to catch her breath. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist, its faint glow a reminder of her own worth. No one will take this from me, she vowed, pushing forward.

  ---

  Kaelen rounded a corner and froze. The path ahead was blocked by a massive, lumbering creature, its hulking form illuminated by the faint glow of crystals embedded in the walls. Its skin was mottled and rough, its eyes gleaming with malice.

  Wonderful, Kaelen thought, gripping his dagger tightly.

  The blue stones in his pocket pulsed, sharpening his focus. He crouched low, analyzing the creature’s movements. It didn’t seem to have noticed him yet, its attention fixed on a pile of bones in the corner.

  Slow, but strong. Avoid a direct fight, he decided.

  Kaelen reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, round device—a distraction tool he’d crafted during his preparations, in case they discovered him early on and he needed a quick escape. He activated it and tossed it to the far side of the chamber.

  The device emitted a shrill whistle, and the creature turned, lurching toward the sound. It raged and stomped the offending device. Kaelen darted past it, his heart pounding as he slipped through a narrow opening in the wall.

  Once he was clear, he allowed himself a brief moment to breathe. His thoughts immediately returned to Jess, the memory of her voice grounding him. Why was she flashing into every thought?

  “What spell have you put on me Jess?” He whispered, pushing forward.

  ---