Phoenix's POV

  The horns of the Dark Citadel sound before the sky begins to burn.

  The sound rolls across Hell like distant thunder-low, ancient, and impossible to ignore. Every creature within the Citadel stills as it echoes through the towers and courtyards.

  The summons has come.

  I already know what it means.

  The third trial.

  I stand in the central arena with the others, black stone stretching beneath our feet, still scarred from the violence of the previous trials. The air feels heavier today, thick with something waiting to unfold.

  Solis stands beside Lyra, calm as ever, his posture straight and composed.

  Kael rests a hand on the hilt of his blade while Asteria watches the elders with wary eyes.

  Azrith stands slightly apart from the group.

  Not far enough that I cannot feel the pull of him.

  Our eyes meet briefly.

  Neither of us speaks.

  Above us, the elders rise slowly from their thrones.

  "The second trial has ended," one of them declares, his voice echoing across the arena.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "The Trial of Truth."

  Fragments of light flicker in the air above us-brief, painful reminders of the illusions we faced. Mothers. Memories. The lives we almost chose.

  Then the images shatter like glass.

  "You chose reality," the lord of darkness says.

  "But truth alone does not determine balance."

  The ground beneath us begins to tremble.

  A deep crack splits through the center of the arena, jagged and widening. Flames burst upward as the stone tears apart, revealing a vast chasm below. Darkness churns beneath the surface like something alive.

  "The third trial begins now."

  The devil's voice lowers.

  "The Trial of Bonds."

  Chains erupt from the chasm.

  They move like living things, metal glowing with ancient runes as they lash upward through the air.

  Before anyone can react, they snap around our wrists.

  One chain locks around Solis's arm, the other coiling tightly around Lyra's. Silver light flares between them as the magic seals.

  Another pair lashes outward.

  Kael barely has time to curse before it snaps around his wrist, the other end binding Asteria.

  The final chain rises slowly.

  Almost deliberately.

  It circles my wrist.

  Cold.

  Heavy.

  Then the other end shoots across the arena-

  And locks around Azrith.

  For a moment the chain glows a deep, violent crimson.

  Fire meeting shadow.

  The elders watch carefully.

  Three pairs now stand bound.

  Solis and Lyra.

  Kael and Asteria.

  Azrith and me.

  The chasm below us roars as the arena begins to shift. Stone platforms rise from the darkness, forming three separate paths stretching toward the center.

  At the heart of the abyss stands a single pillar of black crystal.

  The elders' voices echo again.

  "Each pair must cross the abyss."

  Solis studies the platforms with a strategist's eye.

  "And the objective?" he asks calmly.

  The King of Light answers without hesitation.

  "To reach the center."

  Kael glances toward the other paths.

  "And if more than one pair makes it?"

  The devil's expression does not change.

  "Only one pair will remain standing."

  Silence falls over the arena.

  The meaning settles slowly.

  This trial is not just cooperation.

  It is competition.

  The platforms begin to tremble as stone breaks away at the edges and disappears into the abyss below.

  "You claim loyalty," the elder continues.

  "You claim unity."

  His gaze sweeps across all of us.

  "Now prove which bonds are strong enough to survive."

  The trial horn sounds.

  Azrith's grip tightens on the chain between us.

  "Stay close," he mutters.

  I glance at him.

  "I was planning on it."

  Across the arena, Solis nods once to Lyra before stepping onto the first platform. Kael pulls Asteria after him as their path begins to form.

  The abyss roars louder.

  The platforms start collapsing.

  And the Trial of Bonds begins.