The cold wind howled furiously, swirling snow that blinded them even more. Yet the smoke ahead stood stark, a beacon in this frigid hell. Anyone would subconsciously draw closer, lured by the promise of warmth in this frozen hell... but not these three participants though. Lucian's brow furrowed, his gaze darting between the smoke and the shadows. The braided beauty's lips pressed into a tight line, eyes narrowed. The big one stared ahead, his jaw clenched.

  'Why is there a fire in the middle of a snowstorm? Did one of the others start it? Or is it something else? Maybe it's just the nature of trials. It is the Crucible of Lies and Flames after all.' Lucian thought, trying to make sense of the situation.

  "So," the braided beauty's voice cut the momentary silence that permeated the place—and just in time no less. They had almost forgotten the lethal consequences of silence. "Do we go in or…?" she continued, not bothering to complete her sentence as she was sure they understood.

  Lucian's gaze flickered between the smoke and the rocks. 'Too dangerous,' he thought, shaking his head. 'The mysterious voice did say this whole place is against us.'

  "No."

  "Yes."

  Lucian frowned when he heard this, while the braided beauty's brows lifted slightly as she placed a hand on her waist, equally surprised. They both turned to the big one, who wore a contemplative expression.

  "It's probably a trap," Lucian said, voicing his thoughts. The big one stared ahead, uncertainty clear in his gaze. Nonetheless, he gave a reply. "There's a chance, of course, no denying that. But what if it isn't?"

  Lucian's eyes narrowed, frown deepening further. "We might die if it's a trap."

  "We'll never know unless we look. Let's just... see what's in there," the big one pressed. Lucian, of course, didn't budge and turned to the braided beauty for her thoughts. She noticed but kept staring at the smoke a moment longer, head tilting slowly, lips tight, expression distant. Eventually she sighed, bright blue eyes focusing on him as she shook her head. Lucian sighed too, turning back to the big one, thoughts a mess.

  "This is crazy and risky. I'm not keen on dying to a trap here after surviving that bastard back there,” Lucian said, staring intently at the big one. The meaning was clear. They would proceed with utmost caution and turn back the moment they noticed even the slightest thing off.

  The big one nodded solemnly. “Don't worry—we'll retreat at the first sign of danger. I was a soldier before I died, so I'm perceptive to these things,” he said, nodding as he turned back to the rocky plain.

  Lucian shook his head. 'Not like it'll help much. Anything we're facing holds the power to crush mortals. We are little more than souls… I think? A single mistake would be all it takes.' He thought sarcastically. His gaze hardened as he continued inwardly, 'Not like something so trivial could deny me my goal.’

  The big one stared ahead, unable to see Lucian's expression—but she could. The braided beauty, standing beside him, noticed the cold glint in his sunlit brown eyes. Her brows furrowed, lips pressing into a thin line—a deep, unreadable thought crossing her mind. But it passed quickly—her eyes gleaming with a sharp glint.

  After reaching agreement, they took their first steps onto the wide rocky plain.

  …

  Before long, they stood before a cave, smoke drifting from its mouth. The rocky ground crunched underfoot, wind whipping their faces, but otherwise the walk felt eerily silent—anticlimactic, even. They had prepared themselves for the most ruthless of situations, mentally at least, awareness razor-sharp, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. But until they reached the cave, they noticed nothing that could endanger their lives, quite to their surprise and relief. They had really been on edge all day because of having to speak or make noise constantly, and that without telling any lies. Of course, they never lowered their guard—only prepared for the worst.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  A soft tune hummed in the cold night as the braided beauty stared into the cave, the other two doing the same. A dim, orange glow pulsed from the cave's depths, promising warmth and the scent of burning wood. A flicker of eagerness crossed her face as she listened to the two men.

  "A cave? Perfect spot for a trap. Just great,” Lucian said loudly, not bothering with caution in case something lunged from the shadows. In fact, he wanted something to pop out, if there was something, now. Better here than deep inside, cornered. At least they'd have a chance to escape. AsAt least they'd have a chance to escape. He didn't even consider the possibility it could be faster and stronger than the tongue-eater—after all, as the big one said, trials were somewhat fair, no matter how brutal. And if something like that really did exist here, they'd die either way, so…

  "Doesn't matter. I'll take a look myself," the big one said with a serious expression. Lucian sighed heavily with exhaustion; the braided beauty shrugged—a dismissive flick that said she couldn't care less. At their unenthusiastic responses, the big one's seriousness melted into a wry smile. Shaking his head, he continued, "I'll be back soon. If I'm not back in five minutes, you guys should just leave."

  'You don't have to tell us that.' Lucian thought, rolling his eyes but nodding at the big one. The big one nodded back before turning to the cave. He stood for a moment—breaths heavy, hands trembling slightly, broad shoulders tense. Lucian could have sworn he even heard the giant man's heartbeat. Just as Lucian pondered that heartbeat, the big one clenched his fists and exhaled raggedly.

  "Here goes nothing."

  With that, he stepped into the cave. The cave had ice crystals on the ceiling, courtesy of the chilling environment; hence, his figure was still somewhat visible. But it was soon swallowed by the darkness within, and Lucian had no choice but to wait.

  Losing sight of him, Lucian soon found fatigue assailing him. The first thought that came to mind was to immediately slump to the floor and recuperate his strength. Who knows, maybe even take a short nap... or a long one. It wouldn't really matter. He'd been through hell today, and the floor looked insanely inviting right now. It wouldn't hurt if he just let himself…

  'The hell am I thinking? I should be especially more vigilant now. Who knows what sort of ancient horror he might awaken.' Lucian reprimanded himself, his gaze refocusing with a sharp glint as he bit his tongue to fight back the fatigue. But as he did, his vision blurred for an instant.

  "Hm?" Lucian hummed in confusion, his brows arched as his gaze wandered, trying to make sense of what just occurred. Unfortunately, he didn't get time to ponder much as he soon felt the weight of another pressed against his back. His frown faded, replaced by a questioning look.

  "What are you doing?" he asked, raising a brow. There was a short pause, then her reply came. "I was getting a little sleepy and saw that you were too, so I thought resting back-to-back would give us a little rest, even if it’s not much." She replied, her head tilted back, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lucian's reaction.

  Lucian went quiet. He searched for traces of mischief in her voice, but he couldn't find any. It seemed she just genuinely wanted to rest, and back-to-back was the best way to stay alert... but she wasn't being completely honest.

  With a sigh, "If that truly were the case, wouldn't you be resting against my back too? Why am I the only one actually resting?" Lucian said with reprimand laced in his voice. He felt her body tremble a little. He rolled his eyes at how easily he deduced her intentions.

  She'd noticed his fatigue and offered back-to-back rest—ostensibly for both, but really just to let him recover—at her own expense. After all, he wouldn't say he was weak, but he couldn't support her weight for long.

  Shaking his head, he turned and took hold of her hand. She was surprised—doubly so when Lucian lowered himself to the floor, pulling her along, using her surprise to his advantage. She didn't resist, curiosity getting the best of her. They got down, and Lucian had her sit on the floor. Moving closer, he gripped her shoulders and gently pushed her down. She looked bewildered at first, then embarrassed—cheeks flushing red as she ended up resting on his lap.

  "What are you doing?" she threw his question back at him, her deep blue eyes searching his.

  Lucian barely held a neutral expression as he replied, "Letting you rest, like you did for me earlier."

  She shook her head. "But you're also tired. It isn't fair..."

  "What isn't fair is me sleeping on your back and not returning the favor,” he cut in, staring intensely down at her—those beautiful blue eyes, fluttering lashes, parted red lips, cute nose, perfectly shaped face framed by her dark skin. Keeping his composure, he looked up, staring at the cave entrance.

  His mind was a mess, though.

  'Curses! Why is she so beautiful? Her eyes are messing with me.' Lucian lamented inwardly. Clenching his fist, 'It's a trap—I know it. But damn, she's distracting.' His thoughts halted when she asked, "Aren't we putting ourselves in danger, staying this vulnerable?"

  Nodding, "Indeed we are. But does it really matter? If something were to really come out, if the few seconds it'd take to stand would be an issue, then there'd be no difference even if we stood." The braided beauty stared at him a moment longer, then a small smile graced her lips. Eventually, she closed her eyes and got comfortable. Lucian smiled too, not realizing when he'd started stroking her hair. Her smile widened as she snuggled against his other arm.

  As he stroked her hair, staring at the cave entrance, her voice came again. "Hey, do you think it would be possible for more than one person to pass the trial?"

  Lucian stayed silent a moment, as clueless as she was. But he soon let out a sigh. "I wouldn't know," he answered. The braided beauty nodded, expecting an answer like this.

  "But," he continued, "If there's even the slightest possibility, I'll try to get as many of us out as possible." Her eyes stayed closed, but a smile curved her lips again. But Lucian wasn't smiling this time.

  'As many of us as possible, yes… but I'll sacrifice whoever I need to for my survival,' he thought, staring down at the braided beauty. 'No matter who it might be.'

  He turned back to the cave with a cold gaze. 'Two minutes more.'

  …

  Barely two minutes later, as he hummed softly, a figure rushed from the cave. He noticed it was the big one and was already waking up the braided beauty, possibly to run for their lives. But the big one's expression confused him.

  Excitement plastered a

  cross his face as he ran up to Lucian and the slowly waking beauty.

  "We've hit jackpot!”