The monsters were collapsing on Keldric; his time was running short. He didn''t know how much longer his defense would hold. Desperation and despair began to creep at the fringes of his mind, shadows threatening to overcome his iron discipline.


    Then, something remarkable occurred—every person in the room began to move as one.


    Their strength and stamina increased exponentially, fear entirely suppressed. Their movements became incredibly coordinated, as if the group shared a single consciousness. Humans descended on the darkness, shouts of courageous valor breaking through the sickly creature''s laughter.


    Keldric felt the connections forming—threads of intent binding him to every defender in the room. He could sense their positions, anticipate their movements, guide them without speaking. The sensation was unlike anything he''d experienced before—a tactical awareness that extended beyond his own body to encompass everyone fighting alongside him.


    "HOW?" the corrupted entity cried. "Humans should not possess such strength. This measly congregation was on the verge of collapsing only moments ago. What happened?"


    The horn! Keldric realized, understanding flowing through him like a current. It creates unity of purpose, shared strength through shared intent.


    Beyond the incredible coordination and enhanced strength of the mundane human army, Keldric spotted another odd object materializing—a beautiful silver mirror in the hands of a young woman. It was Rehala''s artifact.


    The acrid smell of decay and death gave way to the scent of a fresh spring day. Light emanated from the beautiful mirror; a warm, comforting embrace descended upon them all. The light wrapped around every person''s head like a blindfold over their eyes. Suddenly, everyone involved could see glowing orbs in different places on the infected behemoths.


    One of the security officers lashed out at one of the orbs, piercing it with a long piece of shrapnel he had been using as a makeshift sword. The improvised blade cut the orb in two, and the corruption began to collapse. The crystal structure fractured and broke, revealing sickly, decaying flesh and bone beneath.


    Weakness points, Keldric realized immediately. Her artifact reveals vulnerabilities.


    His thoughts went out to the rest of the soldiers fighting the infected.


    The group of humans—bolstered by the mysterious horn and guided by the ornate mirror—began to quickly vanquish the squad of monsters. Their hands moved with practiced precision and coordination, cutting and destroying orb after orb. Corrupted began to fall at a rapid pace.


    It wasn''t so much a fight at this point as a massacre. Keldric led the assault with precise mental cues, moving defenders to exploit every advantage, maintaining a coordinated defense that seemed impossible given their disparate backgrounds.


    It was a sight to behold, a group this large united by a single purpose. All driven to accomplish the same goal—not just survival, but protection of each other.


    After several more minutes of fighting, the monster that could speak fled the scene, avoiding its impending doom, and vanished into the darkness. "We will meet again, human scum."


    With the last of the monsters twitching as a corpse on the floor, Darius turned to Keldric, a bewildered look on his face. The others also looked to him with quizzical expressions, seeking answers.


    "How?" Darius asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "I knew what everyone was thinking, where they were, what they were doing. I felt stronger and faster than ever before. I moved in ways I had never moved before." He was staring down at his hands. "What did you do?"


    Keldric held out his ornate, curved bone horn. "This is the Commander''s Voice. It doesn''t make any sound that we can hear, but you''ve already experienced its effects." As he spoke, the horn transformed into a swirl of sparks that orbited his neck before solidifying into a beautiful silver chain with a small bone amulet in the shape of a horn.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "It connects those who share a purpose," Keldric explained, feeling the knowledge within him. "It makes us stronger together than we could ever be alone."


    "Rehala, that artifact of yours was pivotal in this battle. You saved several lives, no doubt." Keldric gave the girl a look of pride and approval. She nodded in return, her face even flushing a little at the straightforward compliment from the stoic soldier.


    "The Truth Mirror," she said, examining the silver object in her hands. "It... shows the true nature of things. I could see where the corruption was weakest, where the human still remained beneath."


    Keldric nodded thoughtfully. "Together, our artifacts complement each other. Yours reveals truth, mine unites purpose."


    As the group secured the security center, sweeping for any remaining threats, Darius was trying to pry open one of the few closed and locked lockers on the far wall. Unlike the panic or entitlement he''d shown earlier, now there was focused determination in his movements.


    "Darius, what is it?" Keldric asked as he approached, noticing the change in the noble youth''s demeanor.


    "I don''t know, there is something in this locker. I think it may be something like that horn, or your sword, or her mirror. An artifact, or whatever you called them." Darius was using a piece of shrapnel as a lever, attempting to pry the locker open. "I can feel it calling to me, like it''s been waiting."


    "Stand back." Oathkeeper flared to life, the blue flame and white glow of the steel reflected in Darius''s eyes as Keldric effortlessly cut through the lock.


    Inside the locker was a small shortsword. The blade was obsidian with swirls of emerald patterned on the flats. The hilt was made of ivory, inlaid with gold, the double edge so sharp that the air itself seemed to be cut as it breezed by.


    Darius reached out and took it into his hand. "Truth Seeker." The name came to him unbidden, as if the weapon itself had whispered it to his mind. He gave it a few quick swings through the air, his inexperience with such weapons obvious in his grip and footwork.


    As Keldric watched, something changed in Darius. The entitled noble was gone, replaced by someone with purpose in his eyes. The blade seemed to straighten his posture, square his shoulders, give him a gravity he''d lacked before. For the first time since entering the Maw, the young noble looked like someone who might survive the trials.


    Keldric examined the blade—it was quite beautiful. The swirling patterns reminded him of the marks that had appeared on their skin before they entered the Maw. He felt drawn to it, as if there was some sort of resonance between the young noble''s blade and Oathkeeper. These mystical weapons were clearly much more than they seemed, the two swords emanating something similar to recognition of each other.


    "If you want, I''ll teach you to wield it. At least, if we make it out of here." Keldric offered, seeing both the weapon''s potential and Darius''s need for guidance. "A blade like that should be wielded with pride and precision."


    "Really? That would be amazing!" Darius replied with sincerity in his voice, which surprised them both. It was perhaps the first genuine statement the noble had made since they''d entered the trials.


    Suddenly, the air locks that were once lit up on the wall started to turn off one after another.


    "Looks like our other group came through for us!" Several excited shouts came from the rest of the crew. There was only one emergency pod left, which had room for only two.


    Keldric looked toward the remaining crew members, mentally calculating their best chance of survival. Two elderly researchers sat against the far wall, exhausted and injured but alive. Their knowledge might prove vital if humanity was to learn from this disaster. He nodded at them, decision made.


    "Take the last pod," he told the researchers. "We will continue to the bridge."


    As the researchers stepped into the final escape pod, Keldric felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He''d been a leader before—captain of his Sentinel unit, responsible for dozens of lives—but this was different. Here, in this historical nightmare, his fight went beyond survival. He was fighting to understand what had gone wrong, what humanity had failed to learn the first time corruption appeared.


    The corruption moves with purpose, he thought, remembering the coordinated attack they''d just repelled. If Tavin was right before he died, it''s hunting specific things—or people—on this ship. We need to understand why.


    "Rehala, Darius," he said, turning to his fellow chosen ones. "Let''s head for the bridge. Captain Markov may have answers we need before this ship goes down."


    As they worked their way toward the bridge, Keldric found himself pondering what had happened to the others—Elias, Maren, and whoever else had survived this far. Were they finding their artifacts as well? Learning the same lessons about corruption''s true nature?


    The ship trembled around them, another section lost to the scuttling sequence. Time was running out.


    But for the first time since entering the Maw''s embrace, Keldric felt a flicker of something beyond determination, beyond duty.


    Hope.