Dawn stretched across the white peaks of Mount Kairavan as the trio descended the stone path. Aryan walked at the front, the faint gleam of the ring still tucked inside his fist. His clothes were torn from the collapsing chamber, streaked with dust, but his steps were steady.
Abhi eyed him from behind. "You're scaring me, bro. You haven't said a word since you came out."
"I'm… processing," Aryan replied quietly. "The way the chamber reacted… it felt like it was reading me. Like it already knew who I was before I stepped inside."
Ahaan frowned. "And that ring… you sure it didn't do something to you?"
Aryan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he opened his fist slightly. The ring looked completely ordinary—smooth metal, no engravings, no aura, nothing divine or extraordinary about it. And yet, both Abhi and Ahaan felt a strange pressure whenever they looked at it. A whisper of… something.
"Whatever it is," Aryan said finally, "it chose me. The monk said every artifact chooses its bearer."
Ahaan huffed. "Yeah, and yours tried to bring the whole mountain down during the choosing."
They walked on until the ridge gave way to a plateau. The air grew warmer, the wind shifting. Abhi looked out into the distance—past the layers of hills, far to the east where clouds dipped low and thick mists hid the horizon.
"That's where we're headed next," he said, pointing. "The submerged ruins of Vayushmaar. The old palace under the lake."
Ahaan raised a brow. "You're seriously okay going second? Your location looks like a death trap."
Abhi grinned. "Bro, I grew up in Mumbai. Flooded roads are my entire childhood. A sunken palace is just… level-up version."
Aryan shook his head, but the tension broke. For a moment, the three laughed.
By afternoon, they reached the foot of Mount Kairavan. The path led through thick deodar forests, twisting down toward the plains. As they walked, Aryan explained everything he had seen inside the chamber—
the illusions, the shifting maze, the collapsing stone jaws, the final blinding light that revealed the ring.
Ahaan listened intently.
"So your trial was all about perception," he summarized. "Seeing through the trick."
Abhi tapped his chin. "Which means mine might be something else entirely… water, breath, pressure?"
Aryan nodded. "The artifacts are meant to test what each of us lacks. That's what the monk said."
Abhi swallowed. "Great. I'm gonna drown."
Ahaan smacked him lightly. "You'll be fine. You're not dying before me."
By dusk, they reached a cliff overlooking a vast lake. The water stretched endlessly, still as glass, tinted silver by the fading sun. Mist curled along its surface, swallowing the far end of the lake entirely.
But beneath the water…
shadows shifted. Shapes. Towers. Angled rooftops. Stone pillars reaching toward the surface like frozen screams.
The drowned ruins of Vayushmaar.
Ahaan whistled softly. "Dude. Your trial literally sank."
Abhi's breath caught. "Whoa…"
Aryan placed a hand on Abhi's shoulder. "You ready?"
Abhi nodded slowly—though his eyes didn't leave the submerged palace.
Ripples spread across the lake.
A soft hum vibrated through the air. The mist parted, swirling upward into a giant, spiraling shape—like a vortex made of air itself. Slowly, it compressed and solidified into the form of a tall, robed figure.
An apparition.
A monk—but not one of flesh.
His eyes shimmered like the surface of the lake.
"You who seek the artifact of Vayushmaar," the apparition said, voice echoing as if spoken from underwater, "step forth."
The figure's gaze settled directly on Abhi.
Aryan and Ahaan stepped aside.
Here it was again—the rule of the trials.
Only the chosen challenger could enter.
The lakeside stone cracked, shifting. A narrow platform extended over the water, glowing faint blue, like moonlit ice.
Abhi inhaled sharply.
Ahaan grinned. "Your turn, scuba boy."
Aryan gave an encouraging nod. "Whatever happens, trust yourself."
Abhi nodded—and stepped onto the glowing platform. The surface rippled, but held his weight.
The apparition raised a hand.
The water beneath him split silently, parting to reveal a descending staircase of light leading into the depths below.
Abhi whispered, "Holy sh—"
And the staircase pulled him down.
The water closed over him with a soft whoomph, sealing him from view.
Aryan and Ahaan watched the water settle, both holding their breath.
"What do you think he's facing there?" Ahaan murmured.
Aryan stared at the lake, expression unreadable. "Something only he can survive. Something only he can understand."
Ahaan crossed his arms. "You scared?"
"A little," Aryan admitted. "Abhi doesn't show it, but… he fears being powerless the most. This trial will target that."
Ahaan exhaled. "And you're sure we shouldn't jump in?"
"The chamber won't allow it," Aryan replied. "Just like mine didn't. We'd only get trapped—and make things worse."
Silence.
The lake glimmered under the rising moon.
Ahaan finally said, "Then we wait."
Aryan nodded. "We wait."
The water remained still…
but deep below, something stirred.