Tower of cours

Here's Chapter 7: Shadows of Betrayal:

Chapter 7: Shadows of Betrayal

The air inside the seventh chamber of the Tower of the Curse was thick with an oppressive silence. Beyond the ornate iron door, the walls shimmered faintly, pulsating with an eerie blue glow. Every few moments, tendrils of shadow slithered across the floor like restless spirits.

Elara tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. "This place is alive," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Beside her, Kain's breathing was labored. The blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his arm were proof of the harrowing trial in the previous chamber. Yet his resolve hadn't wavered.

"The seventh level," he muttered. "This is where they say the curse feeds on your mind, not your body."

Elara glanced at him. "You sound like you're afraid."

"I'd be a fool not to be," Kain shot back, his tone laced with tension.

At the center of the chamber stood a pedestal, atop which rested a black orb swirling with silver streaks of light. Surrounding it, carved into the floor, was a circle of runes that seemed to pulse in time with the orb.

"Is this it?" Kain asked, his voice low.

"No." Elara stepped closer, her instincts screaming danger. "This is a test. The real artifact is still ahead."

Before she could say more, the shadows on the walls began to coalesce, pooling into a humanoid figure. Its form was featureless save for glowing red eyes, and when it spoke, its voice seemed to echo from every corner of the room.

"Who among you holds the greater burden?"

Elara froze.

"What kind of question is that?" Kain growled.

The shadow stretched, elongating its limbs as it moved toward them. "You cannot ascend unless the truth is laid bare. The one who lies will face oblivion. The one who speaks the truth will carry the burden."

"Burden?" Elara asked, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound steady.

The shadow laughed—a low, guttural sound that made the hair on her neck stand on end. "The burden of betrayal. Tell me: which one of you seeks to betray the other?"

---

For a moment, silence reigned. Kain's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing at the shadow, then at Elara.

"This is a trick," Kain said. "A cursed illusion meant to turn us against each other."

But Elara's mind was spinning. She thought of the pact they'd made at the base of the tower: to climb it together, to share whatever treasure or curse awaited at its peak. She thought of the way Kain had hesitated when the creature in the fourth chamber had offered him the chance to take a shortcut in exchange for abandoning her.

And then, the truth hit her like a blade to the chest.

"It's you," she said softly, her voice trembling.

Kain's head snapped toward her. "What are you talking about?"

"You were going to leave me behind in the last chamber," she said, her words gaining strength with each syllable. "When the creature offered you the deal, I saw the look in your eyes. You considered it."

"That's not—" Kain started, but the shadow cut him off.

"The truth has been spoken," it said, its voice dripping with satisfaction.

Before Elara could process what was happening, the shadow lunged toward Kain, wrapping him in its tendrils. He screamed, his body convulsing as the darkness seeped into him.

"Kain!" Elara shouted, rushing forward, but an invisible barrier threw her back.

"It is done," the shadow said, retreating into the walls. "The burden is his to bear."

When the chamber fell silent again, Kain was on his knees, trembling. His eyes, once a warm hazel, now glowed faintly red.

"Elara," he rasped, his voice hollow. "I… I didn't mean to…"

She knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "What did it do to you?"

Kain looked up at her, and the guilt in his expression was almost unbearable. "It marked me," he said. "For betrayal."

Elara's heart sank. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew one thing: the tower wasn't finished with them yet.

"Then we'll face it together," she said, helping him to his feet.

Kain hesitated, then nodded. But as they moved toward the exit, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.