Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 115: You saved our hides

The flames weren’t done yet.

Though the group had found a small safe spot, the fire, hungry and relentless, continued to creep toward them, licking higher and hotter with every second. The stone walls around them radiated unbearable heat. Sweat poured down their faces. Sera and Mariel were the first to break—they began to cry uncontrollably, the heat scalding their skin even though the fire hadn’t reached them yet. Their sobs were lost under the roaring of the inferno, but Liam could feel the despair rippling through the group.

The air itself seemed to boil in their lungs.

Sophia crouched protectively in front of Mariel, shielding her as best she could. Borik had his back pressed so hard against the wall it looked like he was trying to merge with it. Even Von, unshaken by most things, was visibly rattled, shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot.

Jason clenched his teeth, his knuckles white around the staff he still held.

Without warning, he planted his feet and swung the staff into a wild, sweeping arc. A sudden gust of wind blasted out from him, powerful enough to push the nearest tongues of fire backward. Everyone turned to look at him in shock as he spun the staff again, faster this time. Another fierce blast of wind howled from the staff’s tips, holding the flames at bay.

He wasn’t just waving it around—there was skill in every motion, a controlled fury that forced the heat and smoke to veer away from their corner.

The immediate relief was almost dizzying. The temperature dropped just enough for the group to breathe without feeling like their throats were burning. Liam, for the first time in minutes, allowed himself to exhale properly, watching Jason with a mixture of gratitude and awe.

But it couldn’t last.

Jason’s arms began to tremble. His face turned red from the effort, veins bulging in his neck as he continued to spin the staff, trying to keep the fire from closing in. His breath became ragged. Every few seconds, the force of the wind weakened just a little more, and Liam could see it—the wall of fire was pushing harder, eager to reclaim the space Jason was fighting to protect.

Sophia noticed it too. She stepped forward instinctively, ready to grab Jason if he collapsed, but Liam held out a hand to stop her. They had to trust him... just a little longer.

Jason gritted his teeth and gave another desperate spin, but his arms were starting to give out. The gusts became weaker, sloppier. His staff dipped lower each time, his body sagging.

"Hang on, Jason," Liam muttered under his breath, willing him to endure.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime balanced on the edge of disaster, the roaring of the fire began to die down. The inferno, having devoured every drop of oil in the hall, sputtered and dwindled, the flames retreating into angry embers that smoldered across the cracked stones.

Jason spun the staff one last time, weaker than before, then stumbled backward into Sophia’s waiting arms. His staff clattered to the floor. He leaned heavily on her, chest heaving, his shirt drenched in sweat.

But the danger had passed.

For now.

The group remained pressed against the wall for a few more heartbeats, unwilling to trust their eyes just yet. Slowly, cautiously, they peeled themselves away from the stone. The once-beautiful hall was now blackened and scorched beyond recognition, the air heavy with the stink of burnt flesh and smoke.

Jason wiped his forehead with the back of his shaking hand and managed a tired, lopsided grin.

"Someone owe me a drink after this," he said hoarsely.

A weak chuckle rippled through the group. Even Liam couldn’t help but smile grimly. They had survived... barely.

But this was only the beginning.

The palace still had many traps left.

After some minutes, when they had caught their breath and the lingering heat had finally begun to fade from the stones around them, Liam pushed off the wall and gestured for the others to follow. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Let’s move," he said, his voice low but steady.

Slowly, warily, the group edged away from the corner that had saved their lives. Their boots crunched on brittle bits of burnt debris scattered across the floor.

When they reached the center of the hall again, they paused—and a cold shiver ran through the group.

The dried bones and corpses they had seen when first entering... most of them were gone now. Only a few blackened remains were left, clinging stubbornly to the edges of the room. The ones that had appeared fresher, maybe just a few months old, were still there—but they were almost unrecognizable now. Charred so completely that their bodies had fused to the stone floor, blackened teeth bared in permanent silent screams.

Sophia drew closer to Liam, instinctively reaching for the comfort of his presence. Even Marcus, who usually had a quip for everything, fell uncharacteristically quiet.

After a heavy silence, Marcus finally broke it, his voice dry and grim.

"Guess those poor bastards who ended up here before us replaced the old ones... Now it’s their turn to be dust."

He kicked at a stray, scorched bone with his boot, sending it skittering across the floor.

Borik, who had been silent until now, turned to Liam, his expression unusually serious.

"If not for you noticing the oil... we would’ve walked right into that," Borik said, nodding solemnly. "Wouldn’t have stood a chance."

Sophia and Mariel both echoed the sentiment, their voices soft but full of emotion. Von gave a grunt of agreement, crossing his thick arms over his chest. Even Gorr clapped Liam lightly on the shoulder, a small gesture of thanks from the usually gruff warrior.

Liam gave a small, almost uncomfortable shrug.

"Don’t thank me," he said, his eyes scanning the charred ruins of the hall. "Thank Jason. He’s the one who kept the fire off us when it counted."

At Liam’s words, all eyes shifted to Jason.

The young man, still pale and sweat-soaked from the effort he had spent spinning his staff, blinked in surprise. Then he gave an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"Well... I wasn’t planning on roasting tonight," Jason said sheepishly. "Seemed like a good idea to blow the fire away."

Sophia smiled warmly at him. Even Marcus clapped him on the back hard enough to nearly knock him over.

"You saved our hides, kid," Marcus said gruffly. "Ain’t no two ways about it."

Jason’s ears turned pink under the praise, but he grinned all the same.

The moment gave the group a brief, needed lift. For just a second, the fear and tension loosened their grip. In this dead, haunted place, the small victories mattered.

Still, as Liam looked around at the blackened bones and the looming shadows ahead, he knew better than to think it would stay that way for long.

The palace was not done with them yet.