Theo’s breath caught, his throat tightening as though an invisible hand had gripped his neck. The pressure wasn’t unbearable—yet—but with every step closer to the monolith, it intensified.

So there’s no guardian, but they’ve set up this cursed trap?

Theo scowled, his frustration mounting. Yet his irritation wasn’t just from the suffocating atmosphere; it was from the sheer unfairness of the situation.

With a guardian or enemy, there was at least the chance to fight back or evade. But this? There was no opponent, no spell to counter, no battle to be won. It was pure, unrelenting oppression—a trial of …