"Excellent!" exclaimed Ando when the temple stopped, hovering a few meters above the ground—now low enough to enter through the arches.


    "Let''s go," Nika quickly moved toward her entrance. "The temple won''t stay open forever."


    They hurried to the arches. Ando stepped into his entrance with some trepidation and found himself in a corridor made of dark metal with bluish veins that seemed to glow from within, creating soft lighting.


    The corridor led to the center of the temple, where the travelers met again in a large circular hall. In the center of the hall was a pedestal on which hovered a hologram—a miniature copy of the temple itself, showing its internal structure.


    "Look," Nika pointed to the hologram. "The temple has four wings extending from the central hall. Each wing has its own trial."


    "Do we need to pass all four?" asked Ando, examining the intricate passages and halls on the hologram.


    "Exactly," Kir nodded. "Only after successfully completing all trials will we gain access to the treasury."


    "So we''ll have to split up," Hop noted. "Four wings, five people."


    "I can go alone," offered Mark. "I''ve been in similar temples before."


    "No," Nika shook her head. "Better if Ando and I go to one wing, Hop and Kir to another, you, Mark, to the third. We''ll leave the fourth for last and go through it together."


    Hop frowned, clearly not thrilled with the idea of splitting up, but remained silent.


    "Before we separate," Nika touched her weapon symbol on her arm and extracted four small glowing stones from the appearing cloud, "take one each. These are binding stones. If you get into trouble, just squeeze the crystal in your palm—the others will change color, and we''ll know you need help."


    Ando took the crystal—warm to the touch, slightly larger than a coin. Hop, after hesitating, also accepted hers.


    "Meet back here in an hour," said Nika. "If someone doesn''t return, the rest will go help. Good luck to everyone."


    The group split up. Ando followed Nika to the eastern wing, Hop reluctantly went with Kir to the western wing, and Mark headed alone to the northern wing. The southern wing remained waiting for their return.


    The corridor that Ando and Nika walked along gradually widened, turning into a spacious hall. The floor here was not solid—instead, multiple floating platforms of different sizes were positioned above an abyss. Some hung motionless, others slowly moved in circles.


    "The trial of balance," said Nika, carefully examining the hall. "Apparently we need to cross it by jumping from platform to platform."


    "That''s not difficult," Ando remarked, assessing the distances between the nearest platforms.


    "Don''t rush to conclusions," Nika pointed to the far end of the hall. "See that pedestal? There''s a key on it that we need. There''s some kind of pattern here; apparently the platforms only activate under weight."


    "So what?"


    "So we have to move synchronously," she explained. "When you jump to the next platform, the one you were standing on disappears. If we move without coordination, at some point we''ll be trapped—with no possibility to move forward."


    Ando carefully studied the arrangement of the platforms. Now he noticed that they formed a kind of labyrinth, and some paths clearly led to dead ends.


    "You''ll have to trust me," said Nika. "I''ll lead first, you follow me step by step. When I jump onto a platform, count to three and jump onto the one I just left."


    "What if I make a mistake?"


    Nika silently looked down, where something faintly glimmered in the darkness of the abyss—sharp spikes, ready to impale anyone who fell.


    "Awesome," Ando swallowed. "Okay, I''ll trust you."


    They stood on the first platform—a round disc about two meters in diameter. As soon as their weight was on it, bluish lights flashed around the edges.


    "Ready?" asked Nika. "I''m going."


    She easily jumped to the next platform. Ando mentally counted to three and followed her, landing exactly where Nika had just stood. At that moment, the platform he had jumped from dissolved into the air.


    "Excellent," Nika approved. "Let''s continue."


    They began to move across the hall, jumping from platform to platform in a precise rhythm. Nika chose the path, sometimes pausing for a few seconds to evaluate options. Ando fully trusted her, focusing on following her exactly.


    "How long have you been a Seeker?" he asked after another jump, trying to ease the tension with conversation.


    "Almost three years now," replied Nika, balancing on a particularly small platform. "My first artifact was similar to this one—white, with strong energy."


    "And how did you find it?"


    Nika jumped to the next platform, waited for Ando to follow her, and continued:


    "It found me. I was visiting my boyfriend''s place for the first time, and he had some old figurine, like a Buddha, on his shelf that was glowing. No one except me noticed its glow. I touched it and... ended up in the artifact."


    "Were you alone?"


    "Yes. It was scary," she admitted. "But then I met other Seekers. They helped me understand what was happening, taught me how to survive. Since then, I''ve been going into artifacts."


    They had already covered more than half the distance. The pedestal with the key was visible ahead.


    "What about you?" Nika suddenly asked. "How did you get into your first artifact?"


    "Just by accident," Ando replied. "I was running from a dog in the forest, came across a strange glow in a tree hollow. Touched it and... well."


    Nika smiled:


    "What a long story. Many Seekers find their first artifact in a moment of danger or severe stress. It''s as if artifacts sense when a person is most... receptive."


    They were approaching the goal. Only a few platforms remained, but they were positioned further apart from each other, requiring longer jumps.


    "Final push," Nika prepared to jump. "Be especially careful."


    She jumped, landing on the edge of the penultimate platform. Ando, after waiting three seconds, followed her. But at that moment, the platform he landed on unexpectedly tilted. He lost his balance and began to fall.


    "Ando!" shouted Nika, turning sharply.


    At the last moment, he managed to grab the edge of the platform. Now he was hanging over the abyss, feeling his fingers slowly slipping off the smooth surface.


    Nika, risking her own safety, returned to the edge of the platform and extended her hand to him.


    "Hold on! I''ll pull you up!"


    Ando looked into her eyes and saw genuine concern. Not a shadow of doubt or calculation—only determination to help. Gathering all his strength, he pulled himself up and grabbed her hand.


    With Nika''s help, he climbed onto the platform, breathing heavily from the fear he had experienced.


    "Thanks," he exhaled. "You saved me."


    "We''re a team," she replied simply. "I wouldn''t leave you."


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    These words, spoken so sincerely, made Ando reconsider his attitude toward the older Seekers. Perhaps Hop was wrong. Perhaps they could really be trusted.


    Together they made the final jump and reached the platform with the pedestal. On it lay a key—a small metal object of strange shape.


    "You take it," Nika offered. "You earned it."


    Ando carefully picked up the key. It glowed in his hand, as if recognizing its new owner.


    "Trial of balance completed," announced a disembodied voice that echoed throughout the hall. "Path opened."


    On the opposite side of the hall, an arch appeared, leading back to the central hall of the temple.


    "Let''s go," Nika pointed to the exit. "Let''s see how the others did."


    Returning to the central hall, they found that Mark was already waiting for them, holding his key.


    "How did it go?" he asked, seeing them.


    "Fine," replied Nika. "And you?"


    "A labyrinth with changing walls," Mark shrugged. "Nothing special."


    A few minutes later, Hop and Kir appeared. Each had a key in hand.


    "How are you?" Ando immediately asked, noticing that Hop looked a bit pale.


    "I''m fine," she nodded. "It''s just that our trial was... emotionally challenging."


    "The room of opposites," Kir explained. "We had to simultaneously activate ice and fire symbols. It required complete mutual understanding and trust."


    "And did you work well together?" Nika asked with a smile.


    Hop unexpectedly smiled slightly:


    "Surprisingly, yes. Kir turned out to be not as much of a jerk as he seems."


    "I''ll take that as a compliment," Kir smirked.


    The atmosphere in the group had noticeably changed. The initial tension had disappeared, replaced by something resembling team spirit. Even Hop, usually wary, seemed more relaxed.


    "One last trial remains," Nika pointed to the southern corridor. "Shall we go together?"


    The group headed to the southern wing of the temple. The corridor led them to a spacious circular hall with a high domed ceiling. In the center of the hall was an unusual pedestal with four recesses for hands. The walls were covered with strange symbols that glowed faintly in the dim light.


    "Hall of Sacrifice," Mark said quietly, looking at the symbols. "I can read part of the inscriptions."


    "What do they say?" asked Ando.


    "''Only through sacrifice is power gained,''" Mark slowly translated. "''Each must give a part of themselves.''"


    "What does that mean?" Hop approached the pedestal.


    "Four types of sacrifice are indicated here," said Mark, examining the symbols around each recess. "Blood, memory, energy, and emotion. Each must choose one, but all four types must be represented."


    "And what happens after we... sacrifice?" Hop crossed her arms over her chest.


    "If everything works, we''ll gain access to the vault with the Fragmented Blade," replied Nika. "But the choice must be voluntary. No one can force another to give something against their will."


    Silence fell. Each contemplated what they were willing to sacrifice.


    "I choose blood," Nika said first. "It''s the simplest."


    "I can give energy," offered Kir. "It will restore over time."


    "Memory," nodded Mark. "Not the first time I''ve encountered something like this."


    Everyone looked at Hop and Ando.


    "Emotion remains," Hop said quietly. "But I''m not sure..."


    Ando thought. Something about this trial seemed wrong to him. Why should they sacrifice individually? After all, the entire path to the temple had taught them to act together.


    "Wait, what if we do it differently?" he unexpectedly suggested.


    "What do you mean?" asked Nika.


    "Well, why should anyone sacrifice something major? Maybe we all give together, but just a little bit?" said Ando. "A small amount of blood, an insignificant memory, a little energy and emotion from each person."


    "Could this actually work?" Kir looked at Mark.


    Mark studied the symbols again.


    "The inscription doesn''t say that the sacrifices must be individual, only that all four types must be represented," he said slowly. "It''s... an unconventional solution, but it might work."


    "But for this, we''ll have to completely trust each other," added Nika. "Probably all five of us should touch the pedestal simultaneously."


    "Why?" Hop grew wary.


    "I don''t know, maybe then we''ll all be somehow connected," suggested Mark. "Possibly, we''ll temporarily feel what others feel."


    Hop looked uncertain.


    "I don''t know, Ando. This is too... personal."


    "It''s our only chance to get a weapon against the Guardian," he said quietly. "And maybe it''ll even be better this way—no one loses anything important."


    Hop looked at him for a long time, then shifted her gaze to the three older Seekers waiting for their decision.


    "Okay," she finally said. "Let''s try your method."


    They stood around the pedestal—five Seekers forming a circle. Each placed their right hand on the surface of the pedestal and with their left hand, held the hands of those next to them.


    "On the count of three," said Nika. "Just open yourselves to the process, don''t resist."


    "One... two... three!"


    At the moment when they all touched the pedestal, Ando felt a strange warmth spreading through his arm. Then the sensation intensified, turning into a flow of energy circulating between them. He felt something leaving him—a drop of blood, a glimpse of memory, a spark of energy, a surge of emotion.


    But in return came something greater. Suddenly, fragments of others'' memories appeared in his consciousness—bright, fleeting images of the lives of four other people. He saw Hop''s childhood, her loneliness in a large house with perpetually busy parents. He felt Nika''s determination when she first encountered an artifact. He shared Kir''s excitement at the moment of his first victory over a boss. He sensed Mark''s calm wisdom, accumulated over years of research.


    Among this stream of memories flashed something strange—a cozy home, the laughter of some children, playing in the yard. The memory didn''t belong to anyone specifically, like a fragment of something shared.


    Before he could examine the image more closely, the connection broke. The pedestal glowed with bright light, then slowly transformed. Its surface melted away, revealing four metal swords floating in the air.


    "It worked!" Kir exhaled.


    Each sword was unique—with different patterns and shades, but they all glowed with the same bluish light. Ando noticed that the hilts had special attachments allowing the swords to be connected together.


    "The Fragmented Blade," Nika said reverently. "A legendary weapon capable of piercing any defense in this artifact."


    "And how do we use it?" asked Ando, carefully taking one of the swords. The weapon was surprisingly light, as if made of solidified light.


    "Each of us will take one fragment," Nika explained. "In battle, they can be used separately or combined into one whole. When all four parts are united, the blade''s power increases manifold."


    They took the swords. Ando received a fragment with a wavy pattern on the blade, Hop—one with straight lines resembling rays of light. Nika took a sword with a spiral pattern, and Kir—one with a zigzag pattern.


    "Now we just need to learn how to use them," Ando remarked, making a test swing with his sword. The movement left a trail of glowing mist in the air.


    "We''ll have time for that," said Nika. "First, let''s return to the shelter. The temple is beginning to collapse."


    Indeed, the walls and ceiling around them trembled. Small metal fragments began falling from above.


    "Quickly, to the exit!" Mark commanded.


    They ran down the corridor leading to the central hall, and from there to the nearest exit. Behind them, the temple began to fold up like a giant puzzle, returning to its original position.


    Getting outside, they managed to run away from the temple just in time as it rose into the air and again hovered high above the ground, becoming inaccessible.


    "That was close," Ando exhaled, looking at his sword. "The important thing is we got what we came for."


    The return journey to the shelter took place in a completely different atmosphere than their morning journey. The wariness that had previously divided the two groups of Seekers was gone. After completing the trials together, and especially after the ritual in the Hall of Sacrifice, where they momentarily gained access to each other''s memories, something resembling genuine trust had emerged.


    Hop, previously the most suspicious, now calmly conversed with Kir about the peculiarities of various artifacts. Mark gave Ando advice on handling the new weapon, showing techniques best suited for such swords.


    "Hold the hilt firmly, but without tension," he explained. "These swords are lighter than normal ones, so beginners often overdo it and make too wide a swing."


    Ando listened attentively, trying to remember every piece of advice. The new weapon felt like an extension of his arm, even more natural than his club.


    "What about the Guardian?" he asked. "When will we go after it?"


    "Tomorrow," replied Nika, walking ahead. "Today we''ll rest and practice. The Guardian isn''t going anywhere."


    "What if it gets stronger?" Hop remarked. "I heard that artifacts become more complex over time, especially if they can''t be completed and people die."


    "True," Kir nodded. "But rushing would only lead to mistakes. Better to be fully prepared."


    When they reached the shelter, the artifact''s sun was already setting toward the horizon. Mark lit a fire using unusual glowing stones, and all five gathered around it, discussing the upcoming attack on the Glass Guardian.


    "It''s strong," Nika drew a diagram of the upcoming battle on the ground. "Its main defense is invulnerable glass armor. But even with our swords, we need a strategy."


    "We attack simultaneously from different sides," suggested Kir. "Distract its attention, look for a weak spot."


    "And where is this spot?" asked Ando.


    "Center of the chest," replied Mark. "That''s where its heart is—a glowing crystal. But reaching it isn''t easy."


    The discussion continued until late at night. They developed a detailed attack plan, assigned roles, and even practiced synchronizing their movements with the new swords.


    "The Guardian is finished," Kir confidently declared, raising his blade fragment. "With such weapons, we''ll definitely defeat it."


    Hop and Ando exchanged glances. After everything they had been through today, the possibility of defeating the artifact''s boss seemed much more realistic.


    Before sleep, Ando went outside the shelter and looked at the artifact''s night sky. Unlike the real sky, it was purple, with large, slowly drifting stars of unusual shapes. On the horizon, in the direction of the Guardian''s lair, a strange glow was beginning—as if the artifact was preparing for the final test.


    Ando looked at his sword, thoughtfully studying its glowing blade. Just a few days ago, he was an ordinary teenager, exiled to a remote village for bad behavior. Now he stood here, preparing for battle with a fantastic creature from another world, in the company of other Seekers.


    What adventures we had today, he thought. But I like it.


    "Can''t sleep?" a quiet voice made him turn around. Hop was standing at the entrance to the shelter, her silhouette outlined against the glowing interior.


    "Just thinking," replied Ando. "About what happened today."


    Hop came over and stood beside him, looking in the same direction.


    "Do you trust them?" she asked.


    Ando pondered. This morning he would have hesitated to answer, but now...


    "I think so," he finally said. "After today—yes, I think I do. And you?"


    "I don''t know," Hop answered honestly. "During the ritual, I felt their sincerity, but... something still troubles me."


    "What troubles you?"


    "I can''t explain it. Just be careful, Ando. Tomorrow everything will be decided."


    She gently squeezed his shoulder and returned to the shelter. Ando stood outside for some time, reflecting on her words.


    Whatever happened tomorrow, he was certain of one thing—after this battle, nothing would be the same. And he was ready for change.