The air in the stone chamber was cold and heavy. The patterns covering the walls flickered faintly in the torchlight. An unknown pattern system that couldn't be read by standard geomancy—Elara traced the complex web of lines with her eyes while feeling anew how different the air in the temple's depths was from the world outside. The sensation of her feet touching the ground felt distant. The stone's chill crawled up from the soles of her feet. The core of Arathun's seal. She had come this far. When Elara braced herself to face the third trial, Arius didn't move. With his back to them both, he stared at a single point on the wall. His long silver hair swayed in the faint air current. Elara already understood that the translucent quality of his skin wasn't merely an effect of the stone chamber's light. It was after a long silence that Arius finally spoke. A low, quiet voice. Ancient pronunciation with unfamiliar sounds wove through modern Eldorian. "...The trials are over." He sa