"Split Paths in The Obelisk: Sweet Dreams"

Right Side— Audaxor & Helwin 

Audaxor stood with his hands glowing, bits of smoke rising from his scorched sleeves. Across from him, the massive mother spider had pulled herself to the ceiling, her limbs twitched erratically.

"I think that's the mother spider," Audaxor muttered, narrowing his eyes. "She won't let us leave now."

Helwin, calm and focused, crouched down and touched the frost-covered floor. "I have a plan," he said. "I’ll freeze the ground and her legs. You charge a fireball and hit her when she's stuck."

Without wasting a second, Helwin pressed both palms to the cold stone. Frost exploded outward in jagged spirals, Ice bloomed up and froze her limbs.

Meanwhile, Audaxor summoned a swirling orb of fire. Heat pulsed through the chamber as the fireball grew in intensity.

Sensing the danger, the mother spider shrieked and leapt to the ceiling. Two of her legs snapped off as she tore free from the ice. The limbs fell and shattered.

"It got away!" Helwin shouted, voice echoing. "Shoot it!"

Audaxor hurled the fireball with pinpoint precision. It soared like a comet, hitting the spider squarely. Flames erupted on impact, engulfing her body in a searing explosion.

The spider plummeted to the ground, landing on the jagged ice spikes Helwin had prepared.

But she wasn’t done yet.

Her bloated abdomen pulsed violently.

BOOM.

The explosion of venom was sudden, coating the room in green mist and acidic fluid. The walls hissed. The ground cracked.

Helwin and Audaxor shielded themselves as best as they could. Though their clothes were scorched, their higher resistance minimized the damage.

"Tch... it exploded," Audaxor said, coughing from the fumes.

Before either could fully recover, a deep rumble shook the floor.

"The spiders were holding up the room with their webs," Audaxor realized grimly. "Now that they’re gone, it’s all falling down!"

Cracks raced across the ceiling. Dust and stone rained down.

The two darted into a sprint, the corridor crumbling behind them. They didn’t stop to look back. Chunks of the ceiling crashed just inches from their feet.

And then—

They made it.

Before them stood a massive, ancient door, faintly glowing.

Right Side— Bezkon & Jovino 

Near the upper spiral of the dungeon, Jovino and Bezkon stared down a nightmare.

A giant serpent—scaled, fanged, and winged—emerged from the shadows. Its eyes glowed gold. Its tongue slithered.

"Now that's a big snake," Bezkon said, tightening his grip on his thunder spear.

Jovino pointed beyond it. "The exit's right behind it... We need a plan."

Bezkon nodded once. "Jovino, protect me. I’ll figure out a way to kill it."

But Jovino already had a grin.

"Bro, I have a plan! Charge up your spear, and I'll launch you straight at the thing!"

There was no time to argue.

The serpent lunged, slithering at blinding speed. Jovino raised a stone wall from the floor.

It shattered instantly.

"Run!" Bezkon shouted.

They bolted down the staircase, descending to the lower platform. Their landing was rough, Bezkon winced from the impact.

"Launch me from the floor—as hard as you can!" Bezkon shouted.

"Got it! Go!" Jovino shouted.

Bezkon crouched low, lightning crackling around him. The moment Jovino launched him, he soared through the air like a thunderbolt.

Mid-flight, Bezkon condensed all the thunder energy into his fist.

Then struck the serpent’s skull with full force.

BOOM!

The impact sent shockwaves through the entire staircase. The serpent collapsed, unmoving.

"You good, bro?" Jovino called, jogging over.

Bezkon, panting, offered a weak grin. "Yeah... just a scratch."

They bumped fists and turned toward their destination.

Another massive door awaited.

Middle— Shin'ō 

Shin'ō stirred in his sleep.

His mind wandered.

He stood in the middle of a boundless, frozen continent, or a planet? The snow was endless, the cold biting. Storms howled across the skies, and the ground was riddled with jagged ice formations.

He trudged on, step after step, drawn to something.

At the heart of the continent/planet, among a raging storm of wind and shards, stood a giant pillar of ice.

Inside it—motionless—was a man.

A man frozen in time...

There eyes met.

And suddenly, he woke up.

He jolted upright with a start, breath sharp.

"What...?” he mumbled. "Oh... right. I collapsed. That was one weird dream."

He rubbed his face and stretched. Despite the dust and cold, his body felt rested.

"Well, that was a good sleep," he muttered.

He stood up and walked forward.

And as if by fate, there it was before him.

A giant door—quiet, mysterious, and waiting.