Mela's heart raced as Eli stood before her, his blue-glowing eyes empty and unfamiliar. His lips curled into a sinister smile, but there was something... wrong. His voice had changed so cold, so far away.
"Mela," the voice that wasn't his whispered. "You are the last one who can stop this."
She took a step back, trembling. "Eli? Please, fight it. It's not you!"
Eli's body swayed slightly, the crystal's dark power rippling through him. "You shouldn't have touched the crystal. Now you must face the consequences."
Mela's chest tightened. She reached for the glowing half of the crystal she held, feeling its warmth grow colder. A decision had to be made. A choice. She could try to save Eli but she wasn't sure if it was even possible now. Or... she could do what the map said. Continue the journey alone.
She couldn't. Not without Eli.
"I will save you," she said, her voice firm, even as doubt whispered through her mind.
Eli's lips twisted into a grin, and then, before her very eyes, his body seemed to split the blue glow swirling inside him like smoke, separating into two distinct entities. One side of him remained Eli, but the other, the dark side, became a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes.
"I warned you," the dark version of Eli hissed. "Now you will face the Trial of Trust."
The trees surrounding the clearing began to grow twisting and stretching until they formed a dome of thick, tangled branches above them. The air thickened with magic, and the world became a blur of shadows.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Mela trembled, and the stone table in the center of the clearing cracked open. Emerging from it was an eerie figure a woman cloaked in shadow, with glowing golden eyes and hair that flowed like liquid starlight.
"The Keeper of Trials," Mela whispered, recognizing the legend.
The woman stepped forward, her voice a soft, commanding echo. "To pass the Trial of Trust, you must choose. Will you protect what is still your friend, or will you abandon him and continue alone?"
Mela's heart shattered at the thought of leaving Eli behind. He was her best friend. They had made this journey together, and she had promised him she would never let go.
But the darkness inside him… it was too powerful. Would she be able to save him if she stayed?
The woman raised her hand, and the ground beneath Mela's feet split open. A path appeared one leading to the darkness of the forest beyond. "Choose wisely, Lightbearer. Only one path will lead to salvation."
Eli's voice, now a mix of his own and something dark, reached her ears. "Go, Mela. Leave me."
Tears filled Mela's eyes. She wanted to trust him, wanted to believe this was the real Eli speaking. But she couldn't risk it. Not now.
With a final look at Eli, Mela stepped forward.