Danio, already tense, sucked in a sharp breath. "Did—did anyone else hear that?" His voice was high, uncertain. "Or am I—am I actually hallucinating from the lack of air?"

"Who's there?" Raelyn called out, her voice echoed slightly, bouncing back at her as if the chamber itself were answering.

There was a pause, then the voice returned. "That is not for you to ask. You are the intruders. How did you find our entrance, and why have you come to Grythenwald?"

Benji let out a sudden gasp, his eyes widening. "We did find Grythenwald," he whispered, almost in awe. His voice laced with barely contained energy. "I can't believe it. We actually made it."

Zypher perked up as well. His antennae twitched, and for the first time since they had descended into the chamber, his trembling seemed to ease. "I knew it!" he exclaimed, unfurling from the warmth of the cloak and stepping forward despite his weakened state. His wide eyes darted around the room. "I knew the markers would lead us here."

Raelyn turned her attention back to the chamber, her brow furrowing. The voice seemed to come from nowhere, yet it carried so clearly, as if its owner stood right beside them.

"Zypher?" The voice was no longer addressing them all—it was focused, questioning. "Is that really you?"

Zypher straightened at the sound of his name, his small frame visibly tensing. He lifted his chin. "It's me," he answered. "I've been freed. I've come home."

A pause.

Then, a quieter, almost hesitant reply. "You look... different."

Zypher's antennae twitched again, this time lower, there was an aura of shame surrounding him regarding his appearance. "I was in Khazrundar for a long time," he admitted. "The heat..." He glanced down at his bare arms and his smooth skin. "It changed me."

Benji nudged her lightly and pointed toward the reflective wall. "Look—there," he whispered.

Above the glassy surface, nearly blending into the metal, were three small holes. They were subtle, no bigger than the tip of a dagger, but once seen, they were unmistakable.

"Vents," Benji guessed. "Probably where the voice is coming from." He shifted slightly, lowering his voice even further. "And judging from the line of questioning they can probably see us too."

Raelyn stiffened. The thought sent a prickle down her spine. She forced down the tightness in her throat. and turned back toward the reflective wall.

Zypher took a step forward, his movements still sluggish from the cold but determined nonetheless. "Raelyn, here, freed me from the dwarves," he said. "She didn't have to. She could've left me to my fate in Khazrundar, but she didn't. She asked for nothing in return except that I guide her here—to see my people, to seek their aid in her quest." His antennae quivered as he took a steadying breath. "That's why we're here."

Then the voice's tone hardened once more. "You claim you've been freed," it said sharply. "Yet you brought a dwarf to our doorstep."

The air in the chamber tensed.

Thomrik shifted his weight, his expression unreadable, though his grip on his warhammer tightened slightly.

Raelyn immediately stepped forward, her pulse spiking. She had anticipated this the moment she knew they'd reach Grythenwald—but still, hearing the accusation out loud sent a wave of unease through her.

"He's not one of them," she said quickly, her voice firm but careful. "He's not with Khazrundar. Thomrik was exiled before the gremlins were taken. He has no loyalty to those dwarves."

The silence that followed felt suffocating.

Raelyn turned her head slightly, catching sight of Thomrik in her peripheral vision. The dwarf opened his mouth, as if to speak, but Raelyn subtly lifted a hand—silently urging him to let her handle this.

Nothing he could say would convince the gremlins. He knew it as well as she did.

She turned back toward the glass wall, her voice steady. "I vouch for him."

She let the words hang in the air. There was nothing more she could say—no long explanation, no speech that would change what he was in their eyes.

The room remained silent.

The voice lingered in silence, stretching the tension in the room as if testing their resolve. Then, with a calm yet deliberate edge, it spoke again.

"You entered our hidden passage. You trespassed upon the threshold of Grythenwald," the voice said. "Tell me, what is this quest that has led you here?"

Raelyn tightened her grip on the locket, feeling the pulse of its glow in her palm. She swallowed against the dryness in her throat before stepping forward, her voice steady despite the nerves clawing at her chest. "We seek the weapon of the gods," she said, lifting the locket slightly. "This was crafted by a gremlin named Mechit. We believe it holds the key to finding the weapon, but we need answers—answers only Mechit can give us."

The chamber fell into stillness once again.

Raelyn could hear the faint, shallow breathing of Zypher, the shifting of boots against metal as Benji and Hovan exchanged glances. She sensed something shift in Zypher's posture, his antennae twitching. When she turned to glance at him, she caught the flicker of hesitation in his face, the way his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were weighing whether to say something. But he said nothing.

The voice returned, sharper this time. "Zypher."

He stiffened. "Yes?"

"Do you trust them?"

A quiet beat passed between them. Zypher's gaze flicked to Raelyn first, then swept across Hovan, Benji, and Danio before settling back on her.

"I trust Raelyn," he said simply, his voice carrying more certainty than he had ever spoken with before.

Raelyn felt warmth rise in her chest, a flicker of reassurance. She gave Zypher a small, grateful smile, mouthing a wordless thank you.

The voice was unrelenting. "And the others?"

Zypher hesitated. His gaze lingered on Hovan, Benji, and Danio before he nodded. "They have done me no harm," he admitted, though his voice was softer this time. "And they followed Raelyn here. I believe in her intentions. If she trusts them, I—" He exhaled sharply, as if forcing the words out. "I will extend them the same trust."

The warmth in Raelyn's chest faltered when the voice shifted its attention.

"What about the dwarf?"

The air in the chamber thickened. Zypher's expression soured instantly as he turned toward Thomrik. For a moment, neither of them spoke, staring at one another, the unspoken weight of history pressing between them.

Finally, Zypher inhaled slowly, shaking his head. "No," he said, his voice cool. "I can't say the same for him."

Thomrik let out a slow breath, nodding once in understanding. Then, he turned to Raelyn. "Go on without me," he said calmly. "I'll stay here. Get what you need. I'll wait."

Raelyn's lips parted to protest, but the voice cut in first.

"You assume we will let you wait," it said, the previous neutrality slipping into something far more dangerous. "You are a dwarf—the same as those who enslaved our kin, the same as those who forced Zypher into labour, the same as those who steal what we create and claim it as their own."

Raelyn's stomach twisted.

"We will not allow you to walk away and tell your kind how to find us," the voice continued. "You will be treated as our people have been treated in Khazrundar. You will be a prisoner."

Tension snapped through the group like a live wire.

"What?" Benji burst out, stepping forward. "You can't—he hasn't done anything!"

"Are you serious?" Danio scoffed, momentarily forgetting his own growing anxiety. "The guy can't go anywhere without someone throwing him in a cell. You'd think he was some notorious outlaw instead of just an unlucky dwarf."

Hovan's expression darkened, his muscles tensing, but he kept his voice measured. "We're not here to cause you harm," he said, his jaw clenched. "But we won't stand by and let you take one of our own."

Raelyn turned sharply to Zypher, desperation rising in her voice. "Zypher—say something. You know Thomrik isn't one of them. He's not the enemy."

Zypher's antennae twitched. He hesitated, his hands clenching the fabric of the rag around his tiny body as he cast a conflicted glance toward Thomrik.

Raelyn pressed forward. "You owe him, Zypher," she reminded him. "He saved your life. If not for him, you would have been eaten by that troll."

A heavy silence fell over the chamber, stretching unbearably. Raelyn locked eyes with Zypher, her breath caught in her throat. His large, expressive eyes stared back at her, unreadable in the dim glow of her locket. She silently pleaded with him, willing him to see reason, to understand what was at stake.

Raelyn knew that no words from her, from Hovan, or from Benji would change the gremlins' minds. Strangers vouching for a dwarf meant nothing. But Zypher? Zypher was one of their own. If he spoke for Thomrik, it might be enough.

Still, he hesitated, his grip trembling. His lips parted as if to speak, then closed again, his brow furrowing in conflict.

Raelyn's heart pounded as she watched him wrestle with his decision.

Then, finally, Zypher let out a slow breath, his shoulders sagging. "It's true," he admitted. His voice was strained, as if each word cost him something. He looked toward the ceiling, then down at his trembling hands before slowly shaking his head. "Even though it pains me to say it... I do owe my life to him."

The voice didn't respond immediately. The air hung heavy, waiting.

"You hesitated," it finally said. "Are you certain they did not force you to say that?"

Zypher scoffed. "No one makes me say anything," he snapped. He turned to Thomrik, and though there was still coldness in his expression, there was also something else—a grudging acknowledgment. "I cannot trust a dwarf," he said, his voice laced with bitterness. "Not after what they did to me in Khazrundar. I never will."

Thomrik met his gaze steadily. He nodded. "I understand."

Zypher's throat bobbed as he swallowed. He looked back toward the mirrored wall, lifting his chin slightly. "But despite that," he said slowly, "I trust Raelyn. And she trusts Thomrik. That should be enough."

Raelyn's breath left her in a rush, her chest loosening with relief. A deep sense of gratitude settled in her chest, loosening the tension in her shoulders. She offered Zypher a small, wordless smile—one filled with thanks, with understanding. He had every reason to hate the dwarves, every reason to refuse. And yet, despite it all, he had chosen to stand by her.

She turned slightly, her gaze flicking toward Thomrik. The dwarf stood still, his fingers tightening briefly around the handle of his warhammer before relaxing again. For a moment, there was something unreadable in his expression—something that flickered between surprise and something far heavier. He exhaled softly, then gave Zypher a small, measured nod. Not an apology, not a plea for trust, but an acknowledgment. He understood how much it had cost Zypher to say those words. And though it changed nothing about their past, it meant something all the same.

Zypher's voice was quieter now, but it didn't waver. "Raelyn didn't come here for selfish reasons. She came because she wants to save our world from Baragor's demons."

Silence pressed down on them again.

"We will deliberate," the voice finally said. "Wait here."