"What if this is the heart of our power?" Kairon heard a voice ask as he regained consciousness. "What happ-" but he felt a painful buzz inside his head that made him scream in pain before passing out.
"He's finally awake," a soft voice alerted the group while tracing her fingers along the pulsating energy beneath his head as he came to. The veins of light shimmered, as though alive, and his voice trembled with the weight of his realization.
Somehow, each group had gone through a similar door-portal just like them. And each door somehow led all the groups to the same loaction. All but Solari's group. Ynara was tending to Kairon at the time when he regained himself.
"How did you—?" but she signaled him to remain calm and not panic as the others gathered. "Is everyone okay?" he finally managed to say, seeing they were all there.
"There was a sudden light and the ground beneath us gave in before we knew what was going on." Cael stated.
"Apparently, you guys weren't the only ones that went through that." Vael chipped in, his voice plain and pensive. He could see he was not the only one who was out after going through the door. Nareth and his group and the others only watched Kairon as he tried to regain control of himself. From the look on their faces, Kairon could see their concern, like he was their unanimous leader.
It bothered him.
That and the fact that everything around them seemed to emit energy. Standing and taking a piece of the earth, which throbbed with energy in his palms, to examine it, he muttered so few could hear him. "This could hold everything we desperately need to know. Find out what you can about this place, guys, and watch your backs too."
"Way ahead of you." Cael spoke next. "I'm not the expert here but this place reflects realities like illusions, I-I can't seem to understand it."
"You must have had a pretty tough fall. That explains why you're saying things that don't make sense." Nareth murmured under his breath. Cael simply smiled before adding, "Including you squidy."
"Hey!" Nyra cut in. "What's that over there?"
Vess and Vael replied almost in sync as the rest turned to see what they were looking at.
"I think I see it."
A collective breath passed amongst them as if planned, an unspoken bond of shared curiosity and caution. They had fallen into a wide opening that was illuminated by a skylight, and hums of energy beamed in colorful hues as far as their eyes could see. The ground has odd engravings and symbols. As they ventured deeper into the expanse, the air shimmered with raw energy, whispering to their souls. Images flickered in the shifting light—a vision of an ancient culture flourishing in harmony, weaving together strength and vulnerability, their power flowing with abandon.
In the heart of this radiant realm stood an enormous tree, its towering branches reaching outward like an embracing spirit. Ancient symbols, familiar from those in the ruins of the arena, swirled across its bark, seeming to beckon them closer. Parts of it looked like it was a machine well synchronized and blended with its overall look of brown and silver.
"Look!" Cael said, stepping toward the tree, his eyes wide with unyielding curiosity. "It's the same symbols from the arena! They connect!"
The soft hum of energy filled the air as they approached, vibrating through their bones and binding them to a shared purpose. It was as though the very tree resonated with them, its energy alive in a symphony that whispered of power yet to be discovered.
"Do you feel it?" Vael murmured, awe coloring his words. "It's like I can sense the energy flowing through the air... It's... alive!"
Nyra stepped forward, determination flaring in her eyes. "We should touch it. If this holds the essence of our power, we can learn to harness it."
"So much for training to understand our powers." A rather disappointed Ynara added. One of the teenagers beside her tapped her on the shoulder reassuringly.
Kairon nodded at Nyra in agreement, his heart thudding with a connection he couldn't fully explain.
"We need to do this carefully since we don't know what we're dealing with. It may strengthen us or break us. What matters is that we find out why we are here and how to get out." The rest agreed.
As if rehearsed, they reached out. As their fingertips grazed the ancient tree, a rush of blinding white swallowed the world.
Fragments — not stories — slammed into their minds.
An old figure bent over a loom, weaving strands of something not entirely human.
A council seated in shadow, heads bowed — strange glints at their crowns.
A scream cut through the void — a woman tearing at her hair as something unseen consumed her mind.
The arena, half-built, littered with forgotten bones, while machines clawed at the earth.
And the wigs...
They danced in firelight — beautiful and grotesque, crowning heads with unseen chains.
Then darkness flooded everything.
Kairon staggered back, gasping for breath. Around him, others reeled, hands clutching heads, faces pale.
No clear answers. Only terror.
Somewhere deep inside, the tree pulsed — as if laughing.
Then, their powers started to blend together—lightning, earth, fire, and shadows all intertwined. It wasn't just that they had these powers, but they were working together to create something much stronger than they were alone. The energy was intense, filling them and pushing them.
They yelled, their voices shaking the tree walls. Their combined cry seemed to change the air around them. Suddenly, they were flooded with visions—memories of their ancestors and glimpses of their own futures coming together. They saw both triumphs and losses and how their shared destiny could unfold. It was a heavy moment, full of history and potential.
"What the hell was that?" Vess gasped, backing away from the tree.
"Visions," Nareth said tightly. "Or nightmares."
Kairon rubbed his temples. His scalp itched — where the wig had merged.
"The wigs..." he began, then trailed off.
Ynara finished for him, voice low. "They weren't just decorations. And there's more."
Nyra scoffed, crossing her arms. "Oh come on. You're telling me bad hairpieces are our enemy now?"
"You saw it!" Ynara snapped. "The fire, the screaming — the way they clung to people's heads—"
"Visions lie," Nareth interrupted. His eyes flicked sideways — almost too fast. "Maybe it's ancient propaganda. Maybe it's nothing. Besides, wigs weren't the only things I saw."
"I suppose you saw candy too, cos I definitely saw those." Cael responded amidst chuckles.
"Nice try." Said an indifferent Nareth. "I see what you're trying to do, I'll give you an E for effort." The rest only watched with some smiling.
"I don;t want to believe this." Vael shook his head slowly. "No. What monster builds monsters? The wigs... They felt wrong."
A heavy silence fell.
Kairon clenched his fists. He didn't want to believe it either. But when he closed his eyes, he could still feel something moving in his blood — a tug, a whisper, a push.
"I don't know what's happening," he said. "But whatever it is... it's inside us now." He paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "If you're here, somehow, you survived the first fight and that means a relic of some sort, I'm guessing wigs, has been bonded to you."
Nyra hesitated, looking around the group. For the first time, real fear flickered in her eyes.
"If the wigs are alive," she whispered, "then maybe we're already losing."
Above them, the ancient tree creaked — almost as if it agreed.
The world beyond the doorway expanded into an ethereal landscape, woven with threads of light and shadow, as if they had crossed not just a physical threshold, but a line in time—a passage to echoes of a forgotten era.
"But where are we really?" Nyra whispered, her voice full of awe, her gaze wide as they took more steps away from the tree, towards the landscape beyond. A step into this new reality.
"I think we're in a realm connected to a sort of past," Vess replied, her voice steady despite the overwhelming energy in the air. The ground beneath them shimmered with an unearthly glow.
Vael was really impressed. "Maybe this place is where our powers comes from," he said, feeling something pulse beneath them. "This spot might hold the answers we need!"
Suddenly, the peace broke. A deep rumble, like thunder, shook the ground. And it felt like something was waking up.