The air in the temple was heavy. Cold light from the floating crystals above made everything look pale and strange. Harvie stood beside Edna, both of them quiet after the Trial of Reflections. The others still looked shaken, but no one said anything.
Harvie's hands were trembling. He hid them behind his back.
I saw her die again. So many times... he thought.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the temple. One of the mirrored walls shattered. Everyone turned.
From the broken mirror stepped out something massive.
A Shardbeast Alpha.
It had jagged armor made of glass, glowing red eyes, and six long legs. Each step it took left a trail of dust and small quakes.
"Get ready!" Edna shouted. Her voice brought everyone back to their senses.
Caelia Rimeborne moved first, sending sharp wind blades, but the creature's body reflected the attack. It let out a high-pitched scream.
Harvie narrowed his eyes. Magic bounce... just like before.
They had to be careful.
"Wait!" Harvie said. "Don't use magic directly! It reflects spells!"
Edna looked at him, surprised. "How do you know—?"
He didn't answer. He just ran forward, pulling a broken weapon from the ground.
[Volt Rend – Activate]
Blue lightning sparked from his fingers, running down the blade. It was a skill he copied from a small lightning beast earlier.
The Shardbeast lunged at a young mage. Harvie jumped in, slashing its leg with Volt Rend. Sparks flew. The beast screamed, staggering slightly.
"It's working!" someone yelled.
Harvie didn't stop. He rolled under the beast and slashed again, this time hitting a weak joint under the belly.
Then, fire erupted.
Edna cast a flame wall to protect the others. The heat hit Harvie's back. He looked up. Her eyes met his.
For a second, they moved like one.
He jumped right as she launched a flame spear. The spear hit the wound he made, and the Shardbeast howled in pain.
It turned to her, angry.
"No!" Harvie shouted. He threw his blade and tackled the beast's side. It crashed into the wall.
Cracks formed on its mirrored armor. Black smoke leaked out.
"Now!" Edna screamed. She threw one last fire spell—small but sharp.
Harvie used Volt Rend again.
The attack broke through. The beast fell, its body breaking into glowing shards.
Silence.
Then, cheers.
Harvie fell to his knees, breathing hard. His whole body ached.
Edna walked up to him, offered a hand. "You alright?"
He nodded slowly, then smiled. "We did it."
She looked at him for a moment. "You're... full of surprises."
He didn't answer. His mind was full of one thought:
I've seen her die to that thing... more than once. I wasn't going to let it happen again.
But he only said, "You're strong too."
She turned away, face red from heat—or maybe something else.
From behind them, Caelia crossed her arms. "This isn't over."
The temple began to rumble. The floor shifted. A door at the end opened slowly, glowing with silver light.
The final part of the trial was waiting.
Harvie stood up, hiding the fear in his heart. He couldn't die again. Not now.
He walked forward, Edna close behind.