Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

Lyara was beside him, her brow furrowed. "Jude?"

He let out a shaky breath, his fingers tightening around the stone. "I'm fine."

But he wasn't sure if that was true.

The hooded figure watched him closely. "You saw."

Jude swallowed hard. "I saw."

Lyara frowned. "Saw what?"

Jude exhaled. "Something I don't understand yet."

Lyara studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then I guess we keep moving."

Jude nodded, slipping the fragment into his pocket. The warmth within him had grown stronger, but so had the questions swirling in his mind.

Whatever lay ahead, he knew one thing for certain.

This was only the beginning.

Jude's grip on the fragment tightened as he steadied himself. The sensation of falling still lingered in his bones, but he was standing firm now, the chamber's dim glow surrounding him. Lyara was watching him closely, her eyes filled with both concern and curiosity, but she didn't press him for answers. Instead, she simply nodded, a silent agreement that they would keep moving forward.

The hooded figure stepped toward them once more, their presence almost blending into the darkness. "You have taken another step, but the path is still long. The next door awaits."

Jude exhaled and exchanged a glance with Lyara before nodding. They followed the figure as they led the way deeper into the ancient corridors, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone floor. The walls here were even more intricate, the carvings more detailed than before, as if they were reaching the heart of something sacred.

As they walked, Lyara broke the silence. "That vision… it shook you."

Jude hesitated before answering. "It was different. It wasn't just memories or possibilities. It was… someone else. Someone who knew things I don't."

Lyara's brow furrowed. "Someone else?"

Jude nodded, his thoughts still tangled. "They said I was late. And that power comes with a cost."

Lyara frowned but didn't say anything right away. Instead, she studied the walls as they passed. "This place… it's ancient, older than anything we've ever seen. If there's knowledge hidden here, maybe that's what they meant. Maybe this power isn't just something you take, it's something you earn."

Jude let her words settle. She was right. Whatever he was stepping into, it wasn't just about taking fragments of power. It was about understanding them. And that, he suspected, was going to be harder than anything else.

Ahead, the corridor widened into another chamber. This one was different from the others. There was no pedestal, no fragment waiting for them. Instead, at the center stood a large stone doorway, its surface covered in intricate patterns that shimmered faintly.

The hooded figure stopped before it. "Beyond this door lies the next trial."

Jude ran a hand over the smooth stone, feeling the energy thrumming beneath it. "And what exactly is this trial?"

The figure's voice remained calm. "Understanding."

Jude frowned but didn't argue. He turned to Lyara, who gave him a small nod.

"Let's do this," she said.

With a deep breath, Jude pressed his hand against the door.

The moment his palm touched the surface, a pulse of light spread outward, illuminating the carvings. The door rumbled, then slowly began to slide open, revealing darkness beyond. But it wasn't empty.

Shapes moved within the shadows, shifting like living echoes. The air felt heavier, as if they had stepped into a place that existed between time itself.

Jude and Lyara stepped forward, their movements cautious. The hooded figure did not follow.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the world around them shifted.

They were no longer in the chamber.

Instead, they stood in a vast open space, the ground beneath them smooth like polished stone but stretching endlessly in every direction. Above, the sky swirled with colors, deep blues, purples, and golds, like an eternal sunset caught in motion.

And then, the whispers began.

Jude turned sharply, searching for the source, but there was nothing, only the shifting sky and the endless horizon.

Lyara tensed. "Do you hear that?"

Jude nodded. The whispers weren't just sounds. They were words. Thoughts. Memories. But not theirs.

As he focused, the voices grew clearer. Some were fragmented, barely more than echoes. Others were sharp, precise.

He saw flashes, people he had never met, places he had never been. A battlefield under a crimson sky. A tower standing alone in a vast desert. A city of golden light, its streets filled with figures draped in flowing silks.

And then, a voice.

"Choose."

Jude's breath caught. The voice was everywhere and nowhere, surrounding them like the air itself.

Lyara stepped closer to him. "Jude, what is this?"

He didn't have an answer.

Before them, the space shifted. Three paths formed from the nothingness, each leading in a different direction.

One was lined with fire, its edges flickering with golden embers.

The second was shrouded in mist, its end hidden in the haze.

The third was bathed in light, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.

Jude swallowed hard. "I think… we have to pick one."

Lyara studied them carefully. "They each mean something. But what?"

Jude's gaze flickered between them. Fire. Mist. Light. They weren't just elements. They were something more.

The whispers around them grew louder, pressing against his thoughts. He could feel the weight of the choice before him.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, letting instinct guide him.

When he opened them again, he knew.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward.

And the world changed again.

The moment he set foot on the path, the ground beneath him shifted, and the endless space around them shattered like glass.

He blinked, disoriented.

They were no longer in the vast void.

They stood in a grand hall, its ceiling stretching impossibly high. Massive pillars lined the sides, each carved with intricate symbols. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and something else, something electric.

At the far end of the hall, a figure sat on a raised platform. They were cloaked in white, their face obscured by a golden mask. In their hands, they held a book, its cover glowing faintly.