As dusk approaches, Paedyn trudged off the sand and onto the rocky path of the Sanctuary of Souls, reflecting on her late guardian—acknowledging he was not her biological father but had earned that title through love. Gripping her dagger and a steel ring, she advanced warily through the bandit-claimed land, unsure which cave hid the crypt she sought.

She entered several caves in near-total darkness, using her hands to feel along rock walls and floors, but each attempt ended in fear, cuts, and retreat to the fading light. In one cave, a sunbeam illuminated her severed, bloodstained silver hair—remnants from her past captivity—stirring emotion; she collected the strands, then left them where they lay, treating the space like a tomb of an old self.

Night fell as Paedyn felt her way into another cave with packed dirt underhand, igniting hope that she was close. The tunnel narrowed claustrophobically, and a flutter and squeaks overhead escalated into a violent swarm of bats that slashed at her with claws and wings. She struck back blindly with her dagger, sustaining many cuts until the bats suddenly rushed out into the night.

Backing away toward the entrance, Paedyn plunged through a rotten wooden trapdoor, crashing into a hidden chamber. Dazed in absolute darkness, she felt along a large, smooth wooden rectangle and realized she was beside a coffin—Mareena of Dor’s, the first queen. Gripped by the palpable presence of Death and her own terror, she nevertheless determined to complete her task.

She wedged her dagger under the coffin lid and forced it open with a cracking snap. Feeling the remains inside, Paedyn confronted the desecration with regret, recognizing the humanity and peace she was disturbing. Still, she searched the decayed bones methodically—pelvis, spine, ribs, fractured skull—until her fingers found the cold, jewel-studded metal she sought.

With trembling resolve, Paedyn lifted the crown from the queen’s body, claiming the Trial’s objective from the crypt she had literally fallen into, despite the fear and the weight of what she had done.