Chapter 12

Chapter 8: The Last Dance

The four of them stood in the grand hall, their faces lit bya harsh spotlight. The air felt thick, heavy, as if the very walls werewatching them, waiting for something.

Rey and Kriya exchanged a quiet glance. She could feel hisgaze on her, intense but filled with something she couldn’t quite define — wasit love, or something darker?

Swayam and Sharon flanked them, their hands clenched. Therewas no time for words, only an unspoken understanding that this was it. Thefinal test. The voice came again, deep and chilling, echoing through the room.

“The Inferno awaits. You have onechance to prove your loyalty, your strength. Dance. And let the truth revealitself.”

The music began — haunting, like a death march. The beat wasslow, methodical, building an inevitable tension. The floor beneath them seemedto tremble with each step.

Rey’s body moved first, as if pulled by an invisible force.His dance was fierce, raw, each movement filled with emotion. Kriya followed,mirroring him, their steps fluid but filled with a desperation neither couldhide. Their past intertwined through every twist and turn, their bodiesfighting for a connection that had once been lost.

Swayam and Sharon moved next, their style more synchronized,controlled, yet there was an edge of bitterness in their every step. Theunresolved tension between them was palpable.

The room felt like it was closing in. The music becamelouder, faster, as though the very walls were pushing them forward. They dancedin perfect harmony, despite the internal chaos, pushing through the layers ofhurt, betrayal, and fear.

But then, as the music reached its peak, the lightsflickered, and the screen above them flashed a message:

“One must fall. One must rise.”

The music stopped abruptly.

Kriya froze, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

The voice came again, almost mocking. “The truth is… someone must sacrifice for the others to survive.The dance is over.”

They stood still, breathless, not knowing who would have tomake the ultimate choice.

Rey reached for Kriya’s hand. "Not without you,"he whispered. But deep down, he knew — the true test was yet to come.