The next floor was different. There was no grand arena, no endless army, no beautiful trap. The portal from the gray plain of silence took them to a single, circular room made of smooth, polished black stone. It was about the size of a large temple, and completely empty. In the very center of the floor, there was a circle of glowing white runes. In the very center of the ceiling, directly above it, was another circle of runes, glowing with a dark, deep blue light.
The air here was still and heavy, like the moment before a lightning strike.
"This is it," Alex said, his voice quiet in the huge, quiet room. "The last guardian."
Saeko felt her heart beat faster. This felt final. "What is it?" she asked, her hand on her katana.
Before Alex could answer, the two circles of runes—the white one on the floor and the blue one on the ceiling—flared with a light so bright it hurt their eyes. Beams of pure energy shot from both circles and met in the middle of the room.
