The Echoes Of The Abyss
Chapter 12: Teamwork

Lian looked at Eris with mixed feelings. He was impressed by Eris's extraordinary abilities, but also felt suspicious of her. Even so, Lian knew that they had to work together to deal with the obstacles that were in front of them.

"Eris, we have to work together to complete this mission. What do we do?" ask Lian.

Eris nodded and took out a map from inside her robe. "This is a map of the labyrinth. I think we should follow this path," Eris said as she pointed at a red line on the map.

Lian looked at the map closely. He saw that the red line was pointing towards the third door. "Alright, let's try to follow this path" Lian said.

They walked along a dark and narrow corridor. Despite the gripping atmosphere, Lian felt relieved that she was not alone. He was comfortable with Eris by his side.

A few minutes later, they arrived in a different room from the previous rooms. In the middle of the room, there was a huge statue of a dragon. The dragon's eyes looked alive and lit up with a red light.

Lian and Eris were feeling a little nervous. They knew that there was danger in front of them. Suddenly, the dragon's eyes flickered and began to speak.

"Welcome, adventurer. I am the doorman of this door. To open the third door, you must answer my three questions correctly. If you fail, you will face dire consequences. Are you guys ready?" asked the dragon in a thunderous voice.

Lian and Eris looked at each other. They know they have to answer those questions correctly.

"I'm ready" Lian said steadily.

"I'm ready too" said Eris.

The dragon began to read his first question. "What can be held, but cannot be seen?"

Lian and Eris thought for a moment. Finally, Eris replied, "Wind."

The dragon smiled. "Your answers are right. The second question is, what can be destroyed, but cannot be held?"

Lian and Eris thought for a moment. This time, Lian replied confidently, "Time circle."

The dragon nodded. "Your answers are right. The last question, what is always in front of you, but you can't reach it?"

Lian and Eris looked at each other. They thought hard to answer that last question. After a while, Lian let out a hesitant-sounding answer, "I want to go home to my family."

Eris nodded in agreement, "I also want to go back to where I came from."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lian decided to step first into the portal. Eris caught up to him quickly, and in an instant, the two of them vanished from the room.

A moment later, Lian felt a strong urge within her body, and she was pushed out of the portal violently. He fell to the ground and felt pain all over his body.

"Eris, where are you?" shouted Lian, while trying to get up from the ground.

But there was no answer from Eris. Lian panicked and searched around, but she could not find Eris anywhere.

Lian was disappointed and sad. He knew he had to try to get out of the labyrinth and come back to the surface, but he didn't want to do it alone. He misses Eris, and hopes to see her again.

With a heavy heart, Lian stood up and started walking, looking for a way out of the labyrinth. He had no idea what awaited him up front, but he knew he had to remain persistent and fight to survive.

Lian's adventure has just begun, and she has no idea what's coming next. But he felt ready to face all the obstacles that lay before him, because he knew that his courage and determination would help him cross the danger and reach his goal.

"I think we should combine our strengths" Lian replied steadily. "I know we have different abilities, but if we can complement each other, we can beat anyone."

Lian was relieved that they had finally found a deal. However, they still had to pass the final exam of the Crystal Guard. The Crystal Guard smiled in satisfaction at them, and opened a huge portal in front of them.

"You guys have passed this test successfully," said the Crystal Guard. "This mortal will take you out of the underground world and back to the surface. But remember, you still have many future tests and obstacles. You must keep fighting and never give up."

Lian and Eris nodded in homage to the Crystal Guard, and walked towards the portal. They held hands as they passed through the portal, sensing the magical energy that filled their bodies.

After passing through the portal, they found themselves inside a large cave located above the ground. The sunlight penetrated through the gaps in the roof of the cave, giving them a little light to look around.

Lian and Eris turned to say goodbye to the dangerous underground world. They know that their adventure is not over, and they must remain alert to the obstacles to come. However, they also knew that they had each other, and with shared strength, they could overcome all the obstacles that lay before them.

Eris smiled with satisfaction at Lian's reply. "You're right, Lian. This portal can take you to the surface. However, you must be careful. I've been trying to get through this portal before and I've been trapped in there for quite some time before I made it out."

Lian nodded in understanding. "Thank you for telling me, Eris. I'll be careful."

Eris reached out her hand and grabbed Lian's hand. "Come, let's get out of here together."

Lian felt warm in her heart. She feels grateful to have met Eris and become her best friend. Together, they walked towards the portal and passed through the winding passageway. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in front of the portal.

Lian looked inside the portal and felt astonished. He saw a bright light at the end and felt like he had seen the sky open after being inside the cave for a few days. He turned around and looked towards Eris.

"Eris, thanks for everything. I won't be able to get out of here without your help."

Eris smiled gently. "We help each other, Lian. I wouldn't be able to survive here without you either."

Lian nodded, feeling moved by Eris' words. He then stepped into the portal and felt himself trembling as he crossed dimensions. After a while, he arrived in front of a cave located on the edge of a forest.

Lian was relieved to be able to see the sunlight again and felt a fresh breeze on her face. He felt like he had passed a great test and made it out of the underground world filled with darkness and danger.

However, he cannot forget Eris and the promise they made to each other. He must return to the underworld to find Eris and help her get out of there. Lian stared at the cave with determination in her heart and got ready for her next adventure.

Finally, Eris nodded and the two of them stared at the portal with great caution. Lian felt a little scared, but she took a deep breath and stepped into the portal, followed by Eris.

They felt a strange sensation as they crossed the portal. Like their entire bodies were enveloped by blue clouds. But then, when they came out of the portal, they felt that they had arrived somewhere completely different.

They were in a large, brightly lit cave, with crystal lights scattered throughout the cave. They see that they are not alone. In that cave were many people, creatures, and strange beasts moving around them. But what surprised them was that they were inside the world-famous surface mountain.

"We made it!" lian exclaimed, looking around in wonder.

"But how did we get here?" eris asked, shaking her head.

Lian walked over to a strange creature walking nearby. The creature looked at Lian kindly.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt. Can you tell us where we are?" ask Lian.

The creature nodded and replied in a loud and clear voice. "You are in the Forbidden Mountain. This place can only be accessed through a special portal, and you two are very lucky to find it."

Lian and Eris looked at each other and smiled, relieved that they had made it out of that deadly underground world. They walked out of the cave, and as they came out to the surface, they felt a warm sun on their faces and fresh air inside their lungs. They thanked the creature and walked away from the mountain, towards their new adventure.