They had to make it now or die.

The storm cloud behind them had grown more aggressive, its speed increasing with every passing second. The howling wind chased them like a living nightmare, and the monstrous shadows spilling out ahead showed no signs of slowing.

They were running for their lives—and it was clear now that not all of them would make it.

Everyone gave it their all, cutting down the shadow beasts while pushing forward.

Every swing, every blast of magic, was made mid-sprint. There was no time to stop.

"When is this going to end?!" Korrum roared, sweat streaking down his face. He surged forward with a bellow, fist glowing with energy. The impact shattered the path ahead, blasting a hole through a wall of shadow fiends.

Everyone shared his sentiment.

The gate—still humming, still glowing—wasn't getting any closer.

It was as if the bridge had stretched.

As if the light was always just out of reach.

Were they being deceived?

Was it a ploy to get them to burn through all their reserves?

Alex felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Then his earlier thought returned.

Maybe… maybe someone had to fall for the trial to move forward. Maybe it wasn't a test of strength—but sacrifice.

His eyes drifted backward.

Kaelen.

The elf's face was pale, lifeless. His steps were sluggish, barely more than instinctive. There was no magic left in him—just grit, pride, and the will to keep going. A will that was fraying with every second.

Alex hesitated.

Earlier, he'd placed a seal on Kaelen—a detonation disk meant as a last resort.

And now?

That option was back on the table.

If he triggered it, Kaelen would be erased before the cloud caught up. Quick. Clean. No suffering.

But that also meant killing someone based on nothing more than suspicion.

Kaelen wasn't his friend—but after everything he'd endured, he didn't deserve that.

He'd already killed a demon, drawing the group's animosity. If Kaelen's elimination was traced back to him, he'd just be stacking enemies.

And yet, if Alex did nothing… he might be the one who fell.

He shook his head. This was brutal.

But before he could make the call—

He felt it.

That gaze.

The demon was watching him.

Even now, with the chaos and danger surrounding them, the demon's focus never wavered. His eyes locked on Alex with chilling intensity.

His goal hadn't changed. He wanted Alex dead. That was the only thing that mattered.

Alex clenched his jaw.

This was bad.

The demon was inching closer, step by step, even as shadow beasts tried to claw at him. They disintegrated against his burning aura.

Alex fought to keep his balance—slashing, ducking, dodging—trying to keep pace while also keeping the demon in his periphery.

He was being boxed in.

Taking out Kaelen still made the most strategic sense… but Alex didn't even need to.

"ARGH!"

A scream came from behind, and Alex eyes narrowed to see the elf had fallen.

A shadow beast had latched onto his leg, dragging him down. His staff slipped from his grasp and clattered across the stone.

"No!" Kaelen shouted, his voice breaking. He kicked frantically, panic rising in his chest. "No, no, no!"

Even if he got back up, there was no way he could outrun the storm now—not with the way it was accelerating.

He knew it.

He was in last place.

The worst of the bunch.

Eliminated before the actual Legacy Trial even began.

He couldn't accept that.

"Use the token!" Adam shouted over his shoulder, glancing back. "It's better than dying!"

Kaelen didn't reply.

*Who are you to tell me what's better?*

"Use it!" Adam roared again.

But Kaelen bared his teeth and growled, "Never."

The cloud was nearly upon him.

Shadow creatures leapt onto him, trying to tear him apart before the storm could reach him. Kaelen screamed and let out one final blast of light—weak, unstable—but it scattered the fiends just enough.

He looked up, one last time.

And then the darkness swallowed him.

He didn't teleport out.

He didn't use the token.

He was gone—consumed by the storm in a flash of white light.

Adam cursed under his breath as he saw the elf vanish. "Stubborn bastard."

Korrum didn't say a word.

He understood.

If Kaelen had returned to his clan as the first one eliminated—before the trial had even begun—he would've been branded a disgrace. An outcast. Maybe even executed.

Better to disappear with pride than crawl back in shame.

Alex saw it too.

He'd considered killing Kaelen himself… but the elf had made the decision for him.

Still, the real question was—

Did it change anything?

The answer came fast.

With Kaelen's fall, the bridge suddenly responded. The gate began pulling closer—no longer distant, but rapidly approaching, as if the world itself had snapped forward.

Everyone noticed.

The energy shifted.

And just like that, they were filled with new vigor.

They were almost there.

Alex surged ahead, eyes narrowing. The demon, realizing time was running out, struck.

A burst of flame exploded from his blade as he slashed sideways, aiming straight for Alex's spine.

But Alex was faster.

He activated **Aegis Arcane**, a translucent barrier blooming around him as he launched himself forward. The demon's blade grazed him—just a scratch—but it slid off the shield harmlessly.

Alex's boots slammed against the bridge. He was almost at the gate.

A grin broke across his face.

One more push.

But then—

Something shifted again.

The shadow creatures began to converge in front of the gate, their forms slithering and wrapping around each other. They fused—merging into one massive creature. Hulking. Thick. Covered in armored plates of black ichor.

A last line of defense.

A wall of moving flesh and rage.

Alex's expression darkened.

His legs didn't stop moving, but his hands tightened around the handle of his weapon.

All the frustration—the endless running, the endless shadow creatures—it surged through him like electricity.

He was done running.

He neared the monstrous, hulking shadow—and drew Doomslayer from his inventory.

Its black edge shimmered with condensed fury.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

Alex growled, low and guttural.

And with a roar, he leapt forward, right into...