The stone field didn’t end, it only rose more.

Layers upon layers of uneven slabs, stretched forward forming natural ridges and uneven elevations that forced any path onto inclines and sudden drops.

The deeper they moved into the island, the more the terrain seemed to have been intentionally made that way.

Fallen pillars, broken walls lay in between rocks showing it had once been inhabited.

Curiosity was killing Atheline but they weren’t there for the history.

"Did you take the crystals on the corrupted?" He asked her while skipping over another high rock.

She was quiet for a moment then nodded.

"Mmh."

"Aren’t they corrupted since they had been inside their bodies?"

She shook her head.

"They aren’t, it’s quite bizarre actually. The corrupted seem to have been artificially created, " she said lost in thought, " they seemed to have been forcefully corrupted. But I’m not sure on that."

Atheline glanced at her.

"Maybe they..."

A roar broke through cutting him off.

More figures gathered along the higher ridges their hollow eyes fixed on the intruders. Lilith stepped forward without hesitation but they parted.

The flash of intelligence showed that they knew who to attack and who not to.

Her smile sharpened.

"Still trying."

She was about to move again, her hand raised...

"Wait."

Atheline’s firm voice cut through the quiet. For the first time since they had arrived on the island, she stopped.

Her head tilted slightly, gaze shifting towards him with quiet curiosity.

"What is it?"

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stepped forward, moving past her for once, his eyes scanning the terrain.

They had been moving too fast and he hadn’t gotten the chance to fully map it. His wind only provided a sort of direction.

"Give me a minute. "

His foot stepped against one of the stones, testing its angle.

Then moved to the next wind aiding him.

Then he turned, looking towards the far distance, past the corrupted and the stone-filled fields.

"There."

She followed his gaze. At first, there was nothing, just more stones and elevations then she saw it.

A thin line, cutting through the horizon, the storm visible on the other side.

"A bridge," she said.

It stretched from the highest ridge of the island outwards into the distance, barely visible through the haze, but unmistakable nonetheless. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

It was made of stone, narrow but still passable, connecting to something far beyond. It was clear that it was the next island.

Her smile returned, softer this time.

"So that’s the exit."

They had seen the bridge from below while on the first island but it didn’t mean they knew exactly where it was for Lilith to teleport directly there.

"Not just the exit," he replied.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the movement around them. The corrupted circle, observed them but they didn’t cross a certain line.

"Do you notice it?" He asked.

She did. Of course she did.

"They are confined, " she said quietly.

Her gaze drifted across the terrain, more observant now.

"They don’t leave the inner fields."

Even the ones positioned closer to the ridge, with full opportunity to cross the bridge, did not leave.

It was as if something invisible held them in place.

"It’s a boundary, " he said," it seems nothing from the other islands can enter another."

"Yes," she answered after some thought, "interesting. "

For a moment, silence settled between them again.

Atheline exhaled softly.

"We shouldn’t clear them all."

That made her look at him properly. She had been farming them and now they couldn’t kill them.

"Explain. "

He gestured slightly behind them, towards the now-empty pathway they had curved through the corrupted.

"If they manage to enter and follow us here... they’ll pass through without resistance."

His tone remained calm, but there was a quiet sharpness in it.

"We’ve already made it easier. "

Her eyes flickered with understanding then amusement.

"You want to leave them alive."

"Some of them," he corrected, " enough to slow anyone who tries to reach the bridge."

He turned back towards the distant stone span.

"If this is the only way off the island... then it becomes a choke point."

Her smile deepened, pleased with his proposal.

"Practical, " she said, then softer," and a little cruel."

He didn’t deny it.

"It’s effective. "

For a brief second, she said nothing, just watched him. Then a quiet genuine laugh slipped from her lips.

"I like that."

This time her gaze didn’t sweep through all of them, just a selected few.

A flick of her fingers and several of the ones closest to the path behind them collapsed instantly, their bodies sinking into the darkness.

Others further out, remain untouched as they watched their actions.

The remaining were among the strongest in the group of the corrupted.

"That should be enough," she said lightly," anyone weaker than them will die."

Atheline smiled, in amusement.

"And anyone stronger will be delayed, " he added.

Her eyes shifted back towards the bridge.

"And if they make it across," she murmured to herself, " they deserve to try."

He shook her head slightly, though there was no disappointment, just indulgence.

"You’re assuming they’ll survive the crossing. "

’Except for the protagonist and his group that is’

Her gaze lingered on the distant structure. The stone bridge spread from the highest ridge but was surprisingly intact for something that old.

Her gaze narrowed slightly.

"Their survival depends," she said quietly, " on what’s waiting outside. "

The corrupted around them stirred again, but this time they remained within the invisible boundary Lilith had set when clearing the path.

"Let’s go."

The two began to move towards the bridge. The uneven terrain rose further now, forcing a sharp climb but neither of them stopped nor were they tired.

Halfway up the ridge, he glanced back once. The corrupted remained where they were.

Like a prison.

"Definitely locked in," he muttered.

"Yes," she replied, " which means something locked them in."

Her gaze lifted towards the end of the bridge, towards the unseen island. Only light could be seen from the outside just like the one they were in.

It had only been darkness from the outside.

And for the first time, there was something in her expression that wasn’t boredom or irritation towards the island.

Something close to excitement.

"Let’s see if it’s worth the effort."