Beginner's luck

 Zaria’s POV

I love this game. Nova bounced excitedly. I hope we are on the same team. The temple is an illusion; yet the air inside is thick with the scent of old incense and something wilder, almost metallic, like storms brewing underground. Colored light flickers across enormous carved pillars, and phantom wind chills my arms as it slides between shadowy statues. The traps feel real: we hear the low hum of ancient magic, see quick flashes of shifting walls, and our footsteps echo sharply on cold stone. Fact: my team never won.

You know, maybe you should choose someone with skills, I told her.

Noctis approached me, and Nova stood between us. Back off, what is with you? Can’t you give her a break?

Oh, I am, we’re on the same team, Master Malacar sent me, he turned to me. Try not to slow me down; I will not lose. As a matter of fact, I get angry when I lose.

Wow, Nova said, applauding," you’re getting well at theatrics, Noctis.

Thank you, Nova, he bowed to her. Chill, Zaria, it's just a game.

The fourth person was Valira, the she-wolf. Her perfect hair gleamed, and she walked like a princess, chin up and eyes focused on an invisible horizon. But behind that grace, I caught the tense flicker in her gaze and the way she sized everyone up, as if daring them to challenge her. She kept her distance, guarded, almost as if she believed no team could be trusted with her fate. Great, so many personalities.

Human in my team, great, already smell the failure.

Oh, chill, Valira, Nova said stop sending negative vibes.

Malacar raised his hand. Remember, it's a game. I do not want anyone hurt. Solve the puzzle, avoid the traps, and bring the relics. Go! he shouted.

Nova grabbed my hand, and we entered the temple and walked together, while the teams entered through different entrances. Stay close, she whispered. Noctis stopped.

First riddle: walk with shadows, never light

I looked around the large walls, then at our shadows as the light projected them. There, I said, we need to turn here.

Valira was reluctant. Why should I trust you?

Noctic got close to her. Move, or I will make you move, and I shudder. He sounded scary, but then again, I didn’t know him well.

We turned into the dark tunnel, and this time Nova suddenly pulled me back. I smell magic… she whispered, her eyes darting around. My skin prickled too; the air was thick and humming faintly, like a low current running beneath our feet. Sometimes when magic is strong, you feel it before you see it, tingling in your bones, a strange taste in the air. It made the shadows seem alive, Nova continued.

Valira sniffed. " Come from here she pointed, we need to trigger it without falling into the trap.

I looked around, picked up a small rock from the floor, and hit the wall with it. Green arrows flew on the opposite wall.

Well done, human, Noctis said, smiling. Weird, his stern face looked different. As we continued through the tunnel, Noctis dropped to the floor and touched it. Hugg my body, now, he said as he grabbed me to his chest and Nova, then Valira on his back and levitated, large snakes slithered underneath us.

His face looked down at me, his brows furrowed. I felt my chest so close to his, the coolness of his skin sipping onto mine.

He lowered us, and I pulled away. Let’s keep moving, Valira said, and the tunnel was getting darker. Interestingly enough, the dark never bothered me. I closed my eyes for a second, and something brushed my shoulder. Then I heard that whisper again: betrayed…

My body stiffened, and Nova looked at me. Noctis took my other hand. Stay behind me, Zaria, he said as the tunnel turned darker than the abyss. My hand was touching the wall, and I felt it alive, weird to explain. Then I felt rough wedges, stuck my hand in, and when I pulled it out, the relic glowed in my hand.

Nova yelped. "Yes…," she said, kissing me on both cheeks.

Beginner's luck, Valira said. Now, let’s go back.

The other teams were already outside. Let’s see the outcome. Team 1 got the relic but failed two traps. Team 2 got the relic and failed three traps. Team 3 paused, and his eyes were on me. I got the relic. Didn’t fail the traps.

Congratulations. Nova was jumping up and down, dancing in front of Astrid, who looked furious at us.

We walked back to the dorms, and I took a shower, then went to dinner. On the way back, I was exploring the hallways, which led me to another painted wall. The same warrior is on the throne, with a very large man beside her, both holding hands.

But the figures behind them seemed carved from darkness—demons and strigoi, shadows and bone crows, so powerful—their black crowns with red rubies, the throne of skulls. I paused, staring at the mural. Somehow, every time I saw it, I felt a chill, a sense that it was warning me or trying to tell me something about what was happening here. I wasn't sure why it mattered to me, but the images tugged at something hidden, like a memory I couldn't quite recall.

My attention drifted as I saw a door ajar, light sliding in the hallway. Walked slowly as I approached it and peeked inside to see a bed. The couple was naked, intimate, and she was on all fours as the large man behind her slammed into her with an animalistic force. He bent, and his large canines dug into her neck as she screamed in pleasure.

A hand went over my mouth and my waist, and I felt lifted off the ground. I knew that scent. Master Malacar.

He sat me down, his lips brushing my ear. Let’s not disturb their mating ceremony, he whispered. Then turned me around, caging me with his arms, his face so close, as the breath fell on my cheek.

Zaria, why are you wandering the corridors? he asked, and his arm never left my middle.

Master …Malacar…I…didn’t mean…I was stuttering as his body heat felt too right on me.

He took a step back, his eyes intense on mine. Go back to the dorm, now, he said firmly. I turned and bolted, didn’t look back until I got inside. Sat on the bed, catching my breath. Nova was out sleeping.

I lay down, thinking of his lips touching my ear, and fell asleep.