Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

Jude turned to another advancing statue, focusing the flame once more. This time, he didn't wait for it to attack, he charged forward, his hands glowing as he pressed them against its torso. The heat surged outward, and in a matter of seconds, the stone form cracked apart, crumbling to the floor in a heap of glowing embers.

The remaining statues hesitated for a brief moment, as if they could sense the shift in power. Lyara took advantage of their pause, darting between them and slicing through their joints with precision. Though her blades couldn't shatter them outright, she was able to weaken them, slowing their movements enough for Jude to finish them off.

One by one, the statues fell, their forms dissolving into dust and fading light. The chamber trembled slightly, as if exhaling after a long breath. The oppressive energy that had filled the air moments ago was now dissipating.

Jude lowered his hands, his breathing heavy but steady. He glanced down at them, still feeling the faint warmth from the flame. He was beginning to understand. This power, it wasn't just something he had been given. It was a part of him now, and it responded to his intent.

Lyara sheathed her blades, rolling her shoulders. "Well, that was a workout."

Jude let out a breathy chuckle. "You're telling me."

A slow clap echoed through the chamber.

Jude and Lyara immediately turned, their bodies tensing as they faced the hooded figure, who had remained still throughout the entire battle.

"You learn quickly," the figure mused, stepping forward. "The flame accepts you."

Jude narrowed his eyes. "You knew this would happen."

The figure tilted its head slightly. "It was necessary."

Lyara scoffed. "Necessary for what? Testing if he can survive?"

"In a way." The figure gestured toward Jude. "The cycle is not something that can be broken by mere defiance. It requires understanding. Control. Strength."

Jude held his ground. "And if I failed?"

The figure was silent for a moment before replying, "Then you would not have been ready."

Lyara's jaw tightened, but Jude placed a hand on her arm, a silent gesture that he was fine.

The figure continued. "The path ahead will only become more treacherous. You must learn to wield what you have been given. The world does not wait for the unprepared."

Jude met the figure's unseen gaze. "Then tell me how."

The air around them shifted slightly, as if the chamber itself was reacting to his words. The figure was quiet for a long moment before finally speaking. "Follow me."

Without another word, the figure turned and walked toward a section of the chamber that had once appeared to be a solid wall. But as it approached, the stone shimmered, revealing a hidden passageway that stretched into darkness.

Jude exchanged a glance with Lyara.

She sighed. "Of course there's a secret passage."

Jude couldn't help but smirk. "Wouldn't be an ancient mystery without one."

Together, they followed the figure into the unknown.

The passage was narrow and dimly lit, the walls lined with markings that pulsed faintly as they walked. Jude felt a strange sensation as he moved forward, like the very air around them was charged with energy. He wasn't sure if it was the flame reacting to something, or if this place itself was alive in some way.

After what felt like minutes but could have been hours, the passage opened into another chamber. This one was different from the last, smaller, but filled with a quiet intensity. At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and upon it, a single object: a small, blackened fragment of stone, pulsing with a faint golden light.

Jude's chest tightened as he looked at it. He didn't know why, but something about that fragment felt familiar. Almost as if it was calling to him.

The hooded figure gestured toward it. "This is what remains of the first flame."

Jude hesitated. "The first flame?"

"The origin. Before the cycle. Before the beginning."

Lyara folded her arms. "And why does he need it?"

The figure's voice was calm. "Because it is the key."

Jude stepped closer, feeling the heat intensify as he neared the pedestal. He could hear something, a whisper, faint but insistent.

He reached out.

The moment his fingers brushed the fragment, a wave of energy pulsed outward, and the world around him disappeared.

For a brief moment, there was nothing. No sound. No light. Just emptiness.

Then, a voice.

"You have come far, but the path is not yet clear."

Jude's vision swam, and suddenly, he was standing somewhere else. Not in the chamber. Not in the temple. Somewhere… timeless. A vast expanse of golden light stretched before him, endless and boundless.

And in front of him stood a figure.

It was him. But not him.

The same face. The same eyes. But the presence was different. Stronger. Wiser.

The other Jude spoke.

"What will you do when the choice is before you?"

Jude's throat was dry. "What choice?"

The other him smiled, but it wasn't a comforting expression. "The choice that decides everything."

Jude felt something shift inside him. A pull, deep and undeniable.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the vision shattered.

He was back in the chamber, gasping for breath.

Lyara was by his side in an instant. "Jude? What happened?"

He steadied himself, gripping the pedestal for support. His heart was racing. The warmth inside him was stronger than before, but so was the weight of something else.

He exhaled, looking at the fragment now resting in his hand.

"I think…" His voice was quiet, but certain. "I just saw the end."

Jude stood in silence, his breath still uneven as he stared at the fragment in his hand. The golden light within it pulsed faintly, almost as if it were breathing along with him. His fingers tingled where they touched the stone, and the warmth he had felt earlier now coursed through his entire body. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was constant, like a fire smoldering just beneath his skin. Lyara's eyes flicked between him and the fragment, her concern barely masked beneath her usual sharp expression.