The Hall of Refractions yielded at last.

As [b]Sa’Saori[/b] moved to correct the crystal’s position and [b]Alicia[/b]’s gravity magic took hold, the great prism answered with a long, resonant hum. It dipped just enough, settling into the lower line glimpsed within the false mirror, and at once the wandering beams drew into order. Light lanced outward in clean, deliberate paths, striking one hidden sigil after another along the wall beside the sealed archway. Each glyph flared to life in turn, silver first, then violet, then a pale blue-white that spread through the crystal plates like veins of moonlight.

For a brief moment the entire chamber shone. The mirrors around the room caught the completed pattern and reflected it back upon itself until the whole hall seemed wrapped in a single luminous design. Then came a clear chime, far softer than any alarm, and the interlocking plates of the sealed door folded inward with smooth, soundless grace.

Beyond lay a narrower passage of translucent crystal, its floor suspended over the same quiet void as before. The calm of the first room lingered only until the group crossed the threshold.

The next chamber was broader, circular again, but built for a different lesson. The floor was divided into raised rings and shallow channels of light, giving it the look of an arcane dueling floor. [b]Four humanoid constructs[/b] stood motionless around the arena, each formed of pale lacquered metal and etched with geometric runes. They were slender rather than bulky, shaped like disciplined practice guardians rather than soldiers.

The moment the Magenta group entered, the runes along their bodies ignited.

Heads lifted in perfect unison. Limbs unlocked with crisp mechanical clicks. One by one, the constructs turned toward the new arrivals, and the chamber’s light dimmed just enough to make the arena feel smaller than it was.