The obelisk loomed before them, radiating a disquieting silver glow. Lumis stared intently at its surface, alive with shifting symbols that morphed with each passing moment. They seemed to move under invisible hands, weaving and unraveling patterns—a language striving to reveal itself yet withholding its full meaning.
“This isn’t just a trial,” Lumis murmured, his voice heavy with thought. “It’s a key. If we can decipher it, we’ll see more than just a path forward.”
Eili regarded the obelisk with suspicion. In her mind, it resembled the heart of this strange place, the source of its power. Her shard glimmered faintly but steadily, as if anchoring her amidst the surging tension.
“What if it’s a trap?” she asked, clutching the shard closer. “They want us to unlock something. But are we prepared to pay the price?”
Lumis didn’t reply. His focus was fixed on the symbols. Suddenly, one caught his attention—a curved line echoing the shape of the pendulum. Its glow was familiar, and yet it called to him with a strange urgency.
“The pendulum,” he said, running his hand over the symbol. “They want us to understand how stopping it has altered everything. But what comes next?”
The walls pressed inward, their shifting forms casting shadows that stretched like grasping hands. Eili stepped back, only to hear the arch’s voice reverberate in her mind once more:
“Every motion has its consequence; every choice, its price. What will you leave behind to move forward?”
She glanced at Lumis. His hand trembled around the shard, but he steeled himself and touched the symbol. Light poured forth from the obelisk, and the chamber began to shift, its form rearranging as though the room itself were alive. The symbols ignited, releasing streams of energy that spiraled into a whirling vortex.
“We have to act together,” Eili said, catching the rhythm of the unfolding transformation. She raised her shard and touched the obelisk alongside Lumis. Their lights merged, igniting a burst of brilliance that scattered the surrounding darkness.
For a moment, everything stood still. The space froze; the walls ceased their encroachment, and the obelisk began to change. Its surface became a reflective mirror, showing their faces—but twisted, distorted, as though seen through a fractured lens.
Lumis saw himself without his shard, his gaze hollow, the image of someone who had lost all purpose. Eili saw her shard vanish, leaving her isolated among the encroaching shadows.
“These are our fears,” Lumis said, though his voice wavered. “They want us to surrender.”
“We can’t,” Eili replied firmly. “This isn’t a test of strength. It’s a test of faith.”
The obelisk vibrated, and the arch’s voice resonated once more:
“Only those who embrace truth without fear will find the path. The rest will be lost forever.”
Lumis and Eili exchanged a glance. Their shards flared with renewed brilliance as they stepped forward in unison, pressing their hands against the mirror’s surface. The world erupted into blinding light, and their shadows dissolved into infinity.