Following in Talik's footsteps, you proceeded together, careful to look anywhere but down. You could feel the air on both sides of you rising from below but not underneath you. Each step was a test of your confidence in your belief that everything was going to be okay, while your brain was telling you that there was nothing there. You exhaled as you reached the end and stepped onto solid—no, you mean, visible ground.

The bridge was invisible, and Talik had seen water vapor moving around the structure, droplets of water rising and sitting for seconds on the bridge's surface before evaporating, sitting on it and giving away its camouflage. If you could go the rest of your days without crossing another invisible bridge, you’d count yourself lucky.

Talik moved forward, approaching the third crystal pedestal. It stood clean and shining, water-covered from condensation.

"This is the last," Kiva said. "Once it's activated, the tower will be completely restored."

Talik pressed her hand onto the indentation. Light shone around her fingers and engulfed the pedestal. The ground rumbled, and the crystals in the cave shone brightly, the etheria around you growing and blooming with renewed vigor. 

"Wait a second," Talik muttered, pulling her hand back. "I'm a fire mage and this is not working right. This... might not be a good idea."

You stepped forward, feeling a pang of frustration. "I'm an earth mage. Not exactly helpful here either."

Talik's eyes darted around before locking onto Alster. "Alster, your flask. Throw it to me."

Alster fumbled for a moment before tossing his flask over. Talik caught it, uncorked it, and began to pour the water onto the pedestal. As the liquid touched the surface, the pedestal reacted, sparking and then energizing, allowing a visible flow of energy from around the room into the pedestal.

"You sure about this?" you asked, eyeing the now glowing pedestal.

"No choice," Talik replied, her voice tense but determined.

Haden, standing off to the side, quipped, "Well, if this goes wrong, at least we'll have an interesting story to tell."

"Oh, it'll be more than interesting, as the healer of the group I will describe how I put you two back together better than new," Alster chimed in, his eyes wide with a mix of excitement and fear. "Just saying."

"That's not helping," you say to Alster even though you know he was just trying to lighten the tension. 

The energy flowed into the pedestal, growing brighter and brighter forming a geometric shape above it.  The ground beneath your feet shook with increasing intensity, and the crystals in the cave pulsed with light. 

"Everyone, hold on!" Talik shouted over the growing rumble.

As the pedestal reached its peak of energy, a final surge of light erupted from it, spreading throughout the room. The etheria around you surged with life, the very air crackling with newfound power.

"It's working!" Kiva exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.

The light began to settle, the rumbling subsided, and the crystals' glow softened to a steady, radiant shine. The tower was restored, its power renewed.

"Well," Alster said, breaking the silence, "that was better than patching you up."

"Yeah," you replied, a small smile forming. "Let's not do that again anytime soon."

Talik laughed, the tension finally releasing from her shoulders. "Agreed. Let's get out of here." 

But as you all turn to make your way back, the invisible bridge didn't seem quite as daunting but something else was happening.  You feel yourself lifted off the ground, and the world around you disappears in a blinding whiteness. You realise that you've stepped into a room that is another light gate. The tower is transporting you somewhere else, just like before.

When the world finally materialises around you and your eyes adjust, you find a girl towering over you.

A girl of light.

The boy's sister.

Answer a question and make a prediction to continue.  What role does the boy's sister, the girl of light, play in the restoration of the tower, and how will her presence affect your journey?

Next: E3Q1 Lava and Light