The certainty in Aelia's voice drew a dollop of courage forward. Not enough, however, to stall the lowering of his ears as they fell to a place atop his crown. The darkness was smothering, and the beating of wings had become suffocating. But the gentle rumble of his twin's words, encouragement, and trust would ultimately ease the tension in his chest, the strangled mess that was his lungs, and ultimately, bring forth a steady inhale as he finally breathed.

With the tapering of rumbles that exceeded past the cave walls, Amaris found the courage to stand, peel his body from his Twin's side, and stare off into the passages that lingered before him.

He did not feel great about it, but he had not felt great about stepping forth into this cave in the first place. It appeared their adventure was nowhere close to ending despite his now drifting hopes and dreams. Whatever pull the twins had felt toward this dark and musty entrance, a part of him wished they had never felt it in the first place.

They could be in bed, asleep, drifting to the enchanted world of dreams right now. Well, maybe not Amaris, but a boy could hope.

Amaris would steel his spine, even despite the chill that lingered. Three choices lay before them, each as cryptic and ominous as the next. Be it his anxiety or fear, Amaris could not see beyond the terrifying darkness that lingered like a promise within each. Though the far right had spoken to him before, it now lay as empty and dark as the sky. The middle, which brought a flicker of his gaze, would shift beyond his attention. As though a light had switched beneath its veiled curtain and beckoned him forward. A shadow shifted within, one he could presume only his eyes could perceive. But the last, and furthest left, drew his attention like a moth to a flame. Another moment of shifting darkness appeared to him as the shadows within played tricks on his already fragile mind. Something was in that one, too.

He could feel it.

And just as his eyes would connect with that path, Amaris would feel the dizzying weight of his sister beside him. It was for Aelia that he became strong. A force that would don a false armor atop his skin and forge a path in his twin's name. He glanced at her, eyes now expressing a shadow of concern as a voice drifted like a spell between them. Uh-huh, he murmured in a whisper, I see something in it. He couldn't explain it, for his eyes could deceive, but his intuition could not. But the one on the left, he whispered, There is something in that one too. Something, he recognized, that he had only felt when both their skin and eyes had connected.

Do... The yearling would clear his throat. Be strong, Amaris. Do you want to go in that one... He lifted a muzzle to the left, And I...I go in the other...?

A part of him hoped she would say no.