"Sorry I took so long, Brother. Jiya proved tougher than expected, boasting about being the granddaughter of the strongest Phizen. Must be referring to their Patriarch, huh? I almost had to use that in order to win." Zelek`s robe fluttered behind him, its edges slightly ragged.

　　"While you were on your date, I had quite an experience with these two. They remind me of our younger selves before the Patriarch bestowed his wisdom upon us," Enril remarked.

　　Zelek followed the path of the whip in Enril`s hands to the tied twins. "I`m sorry, if I had been here you wouldn`t have had to reveal that secret."

　　"I had no choice. They employ strange techniques where one acts as a shadow of the other. I don`t quite understand it, but I would`ve lost without using the Technique Token," Enril reported.

　　"Good thing you learned how to construct them. It`s my fault, though. Let`s finish this and be on our way," Zelek growled, and Enril nodded.

　　Enril and Zelek each balled a fist, slamming it into the midsection of a twin. Crem and Croll lost consciousness and faded before their eyes. The whip in Enril`s hand faded, and the stone he held crumbled to dust.

　　"To the temple," Zelek shouted as he skipped away toward the ball of light high in the sky. After a short trek through the windswept field, they caught a glimpse of the temple`s edge. Stark stone adorned the foundation. Each wall was etched with various symbols and mysterious runes. At the peak, the ball of light bobbed up and down. "I think we might be first, let`s rush in," Zelek exclaimed.

　　"Hold on, couldn`t there still be benefits to reap outside? If we rush into the temple, we might end up trapped inside."

　　Zelek held his head in his hands. "How could I forget, you`re right. Thank you for making me think before I act, Brother. There`s a treasure staring us down as we speak." He turned to Enril with a toothy grin.

　　"Whenever you give me that look, it`s never a good sign. What`s on your mind?" Enril sighed.

　　Zelek raised a finger straight up, "The ball of light. Use your Maneuver to snatch it."

　　Enril raised an eyebrow at Zelek. He walked to the wall and ran a finger along it. A thin, transparent oil coated it. "Brother, I`m not sure you`ve taken everything into account. I`ll slip if I take more than a single step. This temple must be three hundred meters tall, maybe more."

　　"I thought your WindWard Step was greater than some temple wall?" Zelek furrowed his brow and pouted. Enril stood in silence, kicking at the dirt. He glanced up at the ball of light. "If you align yourself with the temple wall, why wouldn`t it be possible? I`ve seen you push your limits and bound four hundred meters in one stride before." Zelek tapped his foot and folded his arms.

　　"Alright, I`ll give it a try." Enril took a slow breath, his gaze fixed on the top of the temple. He placed one foot against the edge of the wall. In a rush of riken, he propelled himself with his Maneuver.

　　With an unceremonious slide, he ended up at Zelek`s feet. "Brother, what was that? You moved thirty meters at most. I think I can jump that high. What`s wrong?" Zelek asked.

　　"Excuse me for being nervous. I`ll try again." Enril picked himself up and assumed his position. He focused on the peak as he roused his riken. Whipping winds wrapped around him as he unleashed his Maneuver. His foot met the temple centimeters from the apex. He clamored to wrap his arms around the top.

　　"Great job! Grab it and come back down," Zelek cheered.

　　Easy for you to say, your feet are still on the ground&` Enril shook his head of errant thoughts and raised a hand toward the ball of light. His fingertips grasped something solid in the middle. He controlled his descent down the temple`s wall with the object in hand. The ambient lighting around the temple remained unchanged despite the loss of its glowing beacon.

　　"I knew you could do it," Zelek pumped a fist in the air. "So, what is it?"

　　Enril handed the object over to Zelek and then rubbed his eyes. "I don`t know. I`m blind from staring at that damn thing." He tried to blink the stars from his vision.

　　"Seems like just a bright rock. Nothing happens if I pour riken into it. Here, it`s your treasure, Brother." Zelek tossed the stone, and Enril snatched it from the air.

　　Squinting, he looked at the stone in the center of the field of light. It was a plain, pure-white stone. "It must do something that we don`t understand. We can figure it out later. Shall we head in?" Enril stashed the stone in his pouch.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　They walked around the temple until reaching its entrance. A magnificent and lustrous red-stoned archway sat at the entrance. The depths of the temple beyond the archway were shrouded in darkness, exuding an ominous aura. After crossing the temple`s threshold, they delved deeper. The outside light waned, their path dimming with each step. Enril retrieved the glowing stone from his pouch. Holding it high, the tunnel`s oiled walls glistened in the luminescent white light.

　　"Look at that, I told you it was a treasure," Zelek chuckled. The labyrinthine layout of the temple led the boys to meander for hours. Each hallway and every corner looked identical. Until they came upon a plinth with a stone tablet resting atop. Behind the plinth were two paths, one leading left, the other right.

　　The Ruler leads steadfast and true, they seek the path to glory.

　　 The Servant is doomed to reside in the shadow of greatness, they choose obedience and follow.

　　 The Recluse is unwilling to trust others, they quake before those in control of their destiny, for theirs is less than nothing.`

　　"A riddle? It doesn`t provide much direction, does it?" Enril rubbed his chin, tilting his head as he examined the stone tablet with greater scrutiny.

　　"I have a feeling this must be meant for me. It mentions rulers, and my Schema has king` in the title. It must be divine providence. C`mon Enril, let`s go this way." Zelek dashed down the path on the right.

　　Enril began to follow but stopped after five steps. "I-I`m going to take the other path, Brother."

　　Zelek had just begun to round the corner of the path, but stopped and asked, "Are you sure?"

　　"There are two paths. If we split up, that means twice the treasure, right?" Enril`s cheeks flushed as his eyes darted to his feet.

　　"You`re always thinking ahead, Brother. Your mind is brilliant. We`ll meet up later." Zelek disappeared around the corner.

　　Enril`s slow steps led him to the left hallway. It was silent. As he strode deeper, he realized the temple was strangely immaculate. Not a cobweb in sight, nor any derelict dust or debris graced the halls. The light of his stone bounced down the oil-walled hallway but revealed nothing but emptiness. With each step down the hall, Enril`s shoulders relaxed. Four corners later, nothing had been amiss. He began to think the temple may be willing to expose its secrets.

　　Until a tile depressed under his foot. Flames erupted from the ceiling and ignited the walls. He stumbled and fell back as the flames began to consume the hall. He swiveled his head and saw the hall behind him still free of flames. Some smoke began to trail down but had yet to ignite the walls. His mind raced, Retreat and meet with Zelek. Warn him of the impending traps. Together, we can advance and-

　　A hand struck his face.

　　"You coward&" He lamented as the faint outline of his hand faded from his cheek. Enril dashed into the heart of the flames and reached the trigger point. He pushed farther as the black smoke began to cloud his lungs. A hot drip of oil cascaded past his eyes while he rushed forward. He swore at himself for rushing headlong into a storm of fire. His white enhancement blossomed into vibrant blue. He danced between drops of fiery oil and pillars of flames and dodged occasional balls of flame which sputtered from the walls. The graceful movements helped him navigate the fiery obstacles but offered no solution to the choke of the smoke. The end of the hall was in sight; a framed doorway leading to a dark abyss.

　　Rousing his riken, he Maneuvered to the doorway. Relief washed over him as he passed the threshold. He gave a short, silent cheer, but tumbled forward, his foot never finding solid ground. The fall lasted three breaths of time before the ground greeted him.

　　Enril pulled himself up, wincing as he rubbed his back, and raised the light-stone high. A plain room with no exits surrounded him. The walls were bare stone, with no oil, and void of the symbols from before. His attention was drawn to a pedestal at the edge of one wall. A tiny, gold bead, carried by a thin, leather strap, sat atop a cushion. Enril walked over and snatched the bead, fastening it to his wrist before he heard a scuffle behind him.

　　A familiar voice spoke, "I didn`t think I`d run into anyone because of that labyrinth."

　　"It`s good to see you, Adrik. I`m glad you made it this far," Enril said. He hid his wrist behind his back.

　　Adrik shielded his eyes as he walked toward Enril, "Quite the bright light you have there, Enril. Mind toning it down? And what was on that pedestal behind you?" Adrik pointed a finger.

　　"Oh, someone must`ve beat me here. It was empty." Enril lowered the light. "How did you get in, Adrik? Zelek and I never saw anyone else at the front entrance."

　　"I didn`t. Outside the temple, some of the ground crumbled away, thrusting me into the middle of a maze. After wandering for three hours, I ended up here." Adrik turned and looked around the room.

　　"Adrik, would you like to team up with me? We can split anything we find."

　　Adrik turned and narrowed his eyes. "Where`s Zelek? You two would never split. You must be trying to trick me." He stepped back, fists raised. His eyes darted to each corner of the room one after another.

　　"We wanted to cover more ground so we separated. My offer stands, and I know Zelek would be happy to have you. What do you say?" Enril swapped the light to his hand with the bead and extended his free hand.

　　Adrik took another step back. "No. If we meet later, consider us enemies." Adrik dashed back in the direction he came, down a corridor that hadn`t been present before.

　　"Adrik wait," Enril called out, but the corridor sealed itself before he could give chase. He sighed, sat on the ground, and pondered Adrik`s appearance and the strangely sentient walls. He began to pace the room. Running a hand along the walls as he walked, the ice-cold stone urged him to pull his hand back.

　　"Why am I trapped here?" he shouted, and his voice echoed until the sound faded away. "Wait&" he jerked his head skyward. There was no ceiling. "I hope Heaven has mercy on me&" Laying on the ground, he aligned his feet with the pedestal. With a hesitant breath, he stepped forward and activated his Maneuver.