“The Temple.”

“We all start one at a time, got it?”

Jorvain says cautiously.

“Well, who goes first?”

Maelis asks, stepping back.

“You’re clearly not volunteering.”

Emrys says dryly.

“Well, why doesn’t Roba go first to prove himself?”

Dain says cruelly.

“No. I’m the leader; I’ll go first.”

Jorvain says, glaring at Dain.

“Dain, “

Jorvain says with a sigh as he steps forward.

“I understand you’re upset, but if you—

“I’m just doing what you asked. I’m giving him a chance to be a part of this team.”

Dain says, taking off his helmet and holding it at his side.

“Looking in his direction as you put it.”

With his helmet off, it’s clear to see the disdain written over his scarred face and crooked nose. He’s glaring right at me.

Jorvain sighs and takes a step forward, carefully placing his foot onto the gaps between the panels

“So good so far, keep a steady pace.”

Jorvain says, signaling for the next person to start.

Emrys takes a deep breath, stands on her toes, and makes her way to Jorvain, who soon enough crosses to the other side.

“Oh, this isn’t so bad.”

Emrys says with a chuckle.

“As long as no one makes any sudden movements, we’ll be fine!”

She exclaims, elegantly leaping and stepping through the traps with poise

“Well, that’s not fair; only you can do that!”

Maelis whines.

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

Emrys says, smiling haughtily, as she crosses over to Jorvain with an elegant bow.

“Nicely done, Emrys.”

He says with a chuckle.

“Hmph”

Maelis exclaims as they take several steps back with their staff in hand—they rush forward, using it to fling themselves over the traps—midair, Emrys rushes forward, catching them.

“Whoa! What was that?!”

Emrys exclaims, eyes wide with shock.

“Ha! It worked! “

Maelis shouts in joy, pumping their fist—Emrys drops them to the ground

“Nicely done.”

She says sarcastically

“Ow.”

Maelis mutters.

“You two go ahead and cross over.”

Emrys says with a wave.

“You wanna go first, Dain?”

Jorvain asks, his voice laced with caution. Keeping his eyes stern on Dain.

“Hm, no, I say let Roba go first.”

Dain says with a sharp grin. Crossing his arms.

“Floor's yours, hero.”

He spits, his voice laced with venom.

“Dain, please—

“It’s fine, Jorvain... I’ll go first.”

I say through gritted teeth.

I step forth, slowly placing my feet between the pressure points.

“Hey Emrys, you said these pressure points trigger multiple things, right? Darts, arrows, fire.”

Dain says ominously.

“Uh, well yes, I did say that...”

She answers, a subtle unease in her voice.

“Once heard Maelis explain how flammable slime gel is; ought to be careful, Roba.”

Dain says mockingly.

I clench my fist, sweat beading on the temples of my forehead.

“Hey, I’m talking to you, Roba. You heard what I said, right? One wrong step and you're charred.”

Dain shouts out at me as he starts to cross over.

“I heard you!”

I shout, now shaking.

“Cut it out, Dain!”

Maelis shouts.

“You’re almost there.”

Emrys shouts.

But Dain catches up to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

“Let’s cross together.”

He says aggressively, shaking me.

With a shaky gaze, I glance into his eyes, cruel and cold.

“What’s with the look? Don’t you wanna be a team?”

He mocks.

I can’t take this

“Get off of me!”

I erupt, shoving him off of me—

“Dain! “

Maelis shouts

But as he falls back, he grabs hold of my shirt, yanking me down with him—I stumble forward, wobbling as I catch myself, which allows him to catch himself.

“You piece of filth! “

Dain barks

“Hurry and cross over right now!”

Jorvain exclaims, his brows furrowed with fury.

“I didn’t—

“Didn’t mean to, right? It was an accident.”

Dain mocks, bitterly, shoving past me to the end of the trap floor.

I follow along with him.

My face furrows, a sour feeling welling up in my chest.

“Let’s carry on.”

Jorvain growls, moving on.

***

We walk on through long dark halls, walls covered in old art, lined with broken vases and discarded cloth.

To think this place was once dedicated to worship.

I walk slowly behind the others, my head low.

I made a mistake; I know that. I didn’t act like a hero, but I did it because I wanted to be acknowledged as one. It was shameful, and I am ashamed. But do I really deserve this? I doubt Dain ever liked me to begin with; now he has a reason to express it openly.

It’s not fair…why am I so unfit in their eyes… in my own eyes. Why aren’t I good enough to be a hero?

I’m not a saint like Jorvain, or as talented as Maelis, or as loyal and skilled as Emrys, or as strong and perseverant as Dain. So what do I have that makes me a hero?

Maybe this whole time I convinced myself that anyone can be a hero, as long as they have the heart. And if that’s true, then what is it that makes it false for me?

Could it be I don’t have a hero's heart and am instead just lusting after the one in Jorvain’s chest? Beating brilliantly with purity I don’t possess?

“Roba? “

Jorvain says, glancing back at me.

“Come on, according to the map we’ve still got some way to go.”

He says, turning back ahead.

Soon we come to a stop in a seemingly normal hallway.

“Why’d we stop?”

Maelis asks.

“The tiles.”

Emrys says cautiously.

“It’s just a bunch of pressure points.”

She explains, pointing to the subtly lifted tiles.

“Then how do we cross it?”

Jorvain asks, scratching the back of his head.

“Someone could cross as a test, Roba maybe—

“Enough! “

Jorvain barks back at Dain.

For a moment there’s slience.

“How about this?”

Maelis steps forward, reaching out their staff; they press the bottom onto the temple tiles.

“Huh, well that didn’t do anything.”

They say with a shrug.

“Look closer; the walls are closing in. My guess is they go faster the heavier the weight on the tiles.”

Emrys says observingly.

“Then we’ll all cross one at a time, lightest to heaviest. We’ll toss our weapons to the other side first so they don’t weigh us down, and take off what we can of our armor.”

Jorvain instructs.

“Maelis is the lightest of the bunch, right?”

He asks, not quite sure.

“With my robes weighing me down and the way Emrys can walk on her toes, she should probably go first.”

Maelis adds.

“That is, if her heavy set doesn’t weigh her down.”

They mutter under their breath.

“Hey! I heard that! “

Emrys exclaims, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“I’m just saying! I mean, aren’t you an elf? “

Maelis asks, holding back a laugh.

“HALF! I am a HALF elf; my father was a human like the rest of you! “

Emrys barks, pointing her finger aggressively at Maelis, who backs away, sheepishly flinching.

“I’m just teasing.”

Maelis responds, holding their hands up in defense.

“Hmph, I will go first!”

Emrys says stubbornly.

Taking a deep breath, she readies her stance, arms up, right foot in front of her left.

She shoots forward with poise, cartwheeling on her hands, crossing the pressure points in one graceful bound, the walls staying still.

“Bravo! “

Jorvain exclaims with a giggle as Emrys finishes with a bow, throwing a wink his way.

“Bleh.”

Maelis says, feigning disgust as they ready their staff.

“Just cross over the normal way; you’ll snap your staff in two like that.”

Emrys scolds, her hands on her hips.

“Fine, but I’ll have you know, my staff is not that flimsy. “

Maelis retorts, walking forth with a roll of their eyes.

They spread out their arms, placing their staff in their forearms, walking slowly, one foot after the other.

The wall creaks and begins to move, albeit very slowly.

“That’s genius, Maelis, you're equally distributing your body weight with your staff!”

Jorvain exclaims with awe.

“Impressive, I know.”

Maelis says dryly, a small smirk on their face.

“What do you think, Dain, impressive?”

They ask, glancing back at him.

“Hurry it up.”

He responds bluntly.

“Don’t be a grump, Dain; you're handsome when you smile.”

Maelis teases. It’s clear they’re trying to lighten the mood; it’s a shame their efforts are going in vain.

Dain rolls his eyes before putting his helmet on, but the faint color that came to his cheeks before doing so didn’t go unnoticed on my end.

He likes the others... just not me.

Soon, Maelis passes, mimicking Emrys' bow, nudging her with a cheeky grin.

“Maelis! Cut it out.”

Emrys says with a sheepish pout.

I don’t think she liked the imitation, but it makes Jorvain laugh.

“Jorvain! “

Emrys exclaims, feigning betrayal.

“Well done, Maelis! “

Jorvain claps, then he turns back to me.

“You wanna go ahead next?”

He asks with a small smile.

“Sure...”

I mutter, stepping forward.

“I’ll hold your sword and armor and throw it over afterward.”

He says, holding out his hands.

I hand over my sword and take off my upper armor.

“My armor's light, so it shouldn’t weigh me down too much.”

I say, handing it over to him.

“Yeah, I’m worried about Dain though; he’s the biggest out of us, and his armor weighs a ton.”

Jorvain adds, glancing at Dain, who now, with his helmet back on his head, has an expression that's a mystery.

“I’ll cross over now.”

I mumble, taking a deep breath.

“Quick on your feet, friend; wouldn’t want you getting flattened.”

Dain says, his voice laced with sarcasm and ill meaning.

“Worry about yourself, big guy.”

I retort, rolling my shoulders.

Maybe I’m not a pure-hearted hero... maybe I’m not a hero at all, but someone like Dain- is he all that better than me? With cruelty like his? No way.

I walk onto the tiles, and the walls begin to stretch out to me at a steady pace.

“Don’t panic, just cross over.”

Maelis shouts, reassuring me.

“Got it.”

I shout back, carrying on, quick on my feet, careful not to stumble or fall.

Suddenly, the walls close in, rapidly closing in.

“What the—

“Hurry!”

Emrys shouts.

I rush forward, stumbling as sweat rolls down my back; the faster I run, the more the walls begin to hug me—until it feels like they’re crushing my arms into my torso—

“I got you!”

Maelis shouts, grabbing hold of me—yanking me forward off of the tiles and onto the temple platform.

I slam into them, struggling to stay on my feet. I hold my arms in pain.

“G-gah...”

I exclaim, trying to ignore the aching pain in my arms and ribs.

“Roba! Roba, are you okay? Your arms...”

Maelis says, their voice full of worry.

I wince in pain, rolling up my sleeves; my arms are already bruising.

“D-Dain, your foot…why would you…”

Emrys mutters in disbelief.

And my eyes follow hers to his foot.

My heart sinks, eyes widening with disbelief.

“You’re sick! “

I shout, erupting with rage as Maelis tries to hold me back.

“Are you so terribly bitter and hateful towards me you’d go out of your way to—

“To harm you?!”

He barks back. I flinch

“What? It was an accident, get over it. The blame doesn’t fall on me, does it, Jorvain?”

He spits, turning to Jorvain, who hangs his head low. He doesn’t reply.

“I made a mistake! “

I shout, my voice cracking

“I just…I don’t know why I did the things I did; it was reckless and—

“An accident, we know, Roba; it was an accident. And you’re so special and important; we should all just let it go and put more effort into making you feel like you belong on this team, when you don’t!”

He yells, his fist clenched with rage.

Slience fills the air, and no one says anything, not even Jorvain.

I look away, sinking the front of my teeth into my bottom lip.

“I’ll take your armor and axe…”

Jorvain mutters, his head still low.

“No need.”

Dain growls. Shoving past him, he steps onto the tiles.

“Dain! You’ll get crushed!”

Emrys exclaims.

But he doesn’t stop; instead, he walks forward, and as the walls come caving in, he holds his arms out—allowing them to slam into the palms of his hands.

He trudges through, straining against the pressure of the walls.

“Dain, please! “

Jorvain pleads.

Suddenly, Dain stops, straining with all his strength; he begins to push the walls back

Letting out a deafening roar, with one more push—the walls are flying away from him, slamming back into themselves. Shaking the structure of the temple and the ground beneath our feet.

He walks forth, shaking out his arms. He steps off the tiles and onto the platform.

“That’s one way to do it... Well done, Dain...”

Jorvain mutters, trying to muster up a smile.

Jorvain passes over, the walls still, no longer active. Once he reaches us, he hands me my sword and armor.

“Dain, are your arms okay?”

Maelis says gently, their brows furrowed with worry.

“I’m fine, Maelis.”

Dain responds harshly.

“B-but your hands are bleeding! “

Maelis exclaims, trying to reach out to him

“I said I’m fine.”

He growls, snatching his hand away.

“They’re just trying to check on you; don't snap at them.”

I say sternly, glaring at him.

“I’d worry about yourself if I were you.”

He replies with a scoff.

“Why's that? You gonna try and sabotage me again? “

I spit

“Why don’t you tell me to my face without hiding yours behind your helmet?”

I mock.

“How about this: you say one more word, and Jorvain won’t be able to defend you when I bash your face in.”

He retorts through gritted teeth.

“Both of you, cut it out! You’re behaving like children! “

Emrys exclaims with furrowed brows

“We need to move forward; what happened is over, Jorvain said to himself so let’s just—

“You’d really do anything if Jorvain asked, wouldn’t you? Is there a thought you think of without asking him first?”

Dain says coldly, pushing past her.

“W-we all would, and you’re no different, Dain. Of course, I have my thoughts and opinions, but Jorvain’s our leader, and we wouldn’t all be together if it weren’t for him, so quit acting like a mega jerk!”

She retorts, but I can tell he hurt her with what he said.

He doesn’t respond to that, and we all carry on in silence—until the gentle sound of Jorvain humming fills the air.

The tune is now one familiar to my ears, the tune of blue skies.

And the rage that once washed over me slowly loosens, allowing me to breathe.

***

“We’ve got one more room to cross; we’re almost out.”

Emrys says, mustering as much excitement as she can.

“Everyone, I’ve got something I’d like to say.”

Jorvain says softly.

We all pause.

“I’ve got no great advice or commands to follow; I’ve done enough of that for a bit...”

He says with a bittersweet chuckle.

“Jorvain...”

Emrys whispers.

“No, it’s okay, let me finish, please.”

He asks with a small smile.

She nods gently.

“I want everyone to take a moment and just remember our reasons. For being here, together, as a team…as people who love each other, all working towards a goal. But also who we are, not just as Sol Viridis, but as individuals. If we lose sight and touch, we end up letting the little things start to matter too much. And ask yourself if those little things are how we all fall apart. I think I know the answer to that…but what does it matter if we aren’t all on the same page?”

He finishes with a small frown.

“That was advice, you know.”

Maelis says lightheartedly.

“Heh, yeah, I guess it was.”

Jorvain says softly, a smile spreading on his face.

“I’ll take it to heart, Jorvain.”

Emrys adds. Holding her hand to her chest.

But I’m silent, and so is Dain.

“Alright…”

Jorvain sighs

“Let’s move on.”

We walk through more halls and pass more traps until we reach the final room, which starts and ends with a giant staircase leading to an opening with light shining through.

I’m gonna take Jorvain’s advice to heart.

And talk to Dain.

End.