It was dark except for the light that Flame Princess and Finn's sword gave off. Finn held up his sword as it began to glow brighter and brighter until it finally eclipsed the light Flame Princess emitted. His hand glowed a faint red from the light that shone through his flesh.

"No need for a torch," Finn said casually. Still, his words reminded her of the last time they went dungeon crawling. Flame Princess never thought she would feel so jealous of an inanimate object. Still, the way he held it afforded her first close look of the weapon. Despite not having a single embellishment, it was strangely beautiful. Besides the wrapping on the hilt, the entire sword was a brilliant white. There was not a single chip, discolouration or scratch on any part of the sword including the double edged blade. It was perfect. She also saw that the hilt allowed the use of two hands but the dimensions of the sword allowed Finn to use one hand comfortably.

Finn pressed the side of the tunnel they found themselves in. The walls and ceiling were made of precisely fitted stones, each one looking exactly the same as the last. Flame Princess thought it was quite apparent that this place was meant to last. She couldn't even guess how old it was.

"Finn, what is this place?"

"A very old dungeon with loot at the end that I need," he said as he walked further ahead. He stopped at a wall and stared at it in thought. Flame Princess looked to where he was staring and noticed an inscription:

Ahead lie trap(s) and trials.

One for sword,

one for mind

and one for soul.

"Told you there are traps. You're going to want to keep a couple of steps behind me. After all, I said you could come with, not that I'd make use of you," Finn said as he turned away and started to walk deeper into the tunnel.

Though most of the dungeon was just straight passageways, it wasn't long before Flame Princess lost track of the direction they were travelling in. Seemingly random turns made telling direction beyond forward and back a nightmare.

The footsteps echoed through the halls as they walked deeper into the mysterious place. Finn, as Flame Princess had seen him do on the surface, scanned the tunnel for anything that seemed out of place. She began to wonder if Finn even remembered she was there.

Flame Princess heard a faint click from the ground and a louder click still from the wall to her left. Before she could register what was going on, she felt something grab her hand, catching her off guard. When she turned to see what caught her, she saw Finn with his back to her. He had grabbed her hand with his left and held his sword with his right.

A spear of ice flew directly at the human. She had not even noticed it until she had felt Finn touch her. Flame Princess could only watch as it got closer and closer to the human. Instead of striking Finn, the spear struck the flat of his sword and instantly a cloud of steam rose. A large crack rang out, followed by smaller pings on the ground. She could hear the echo travelling through the hallways and see small shards of ice that weren't vaporized by Finn's sword now decorated the ground.

Finally her mind caught up with events. "Finn, are you alright?" were her first words.

He turned to face her. "Fine. Just this time try stay behind me instead of getting lost in your thoughts. That's why I go first." Despite the weight of his words, he didn't sound angry or upset. He didn't sound much of anything just as before. No emotion shone through. Still, his facial features somehow seemed softer. "You can let go of my hand now, FP."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she finally released his hand. She did her very best to contain her blushing, though she couldn't read on the humans expression if she had succeeded.

"Don't move," he said as he went up to the wall and slashed the wall with his sword, revealing the trap mechanism in an explosion of stone. He slashed once again, disabling it.

He turned around. She watched as he patted his chest with his right hand, revealing that a series of small scratches now decorated his right hand and arm. A small rip on his shirt was also present, allowing a metallic sparkle to be seen. Though they didn't look serious, Flame Princess felt guilty. They were caused by her not paying enough attention. "Finn, your arm," she said. It was all she could get out. He on the other hand, just took a quick look and continued like it was nothing.

"Well, that surprised me. Don't worry; I try to not make the same mistake twice."

Immediately after, he began to scan the ground. He knelt down and picked up a small red stone she hadn't noticed before. As he did, she could swear she saw it give off a pulse of light before being concealed by the humans closed hand. He sighed. It sounded like he almost laughed. "The prices I pay," he whispered to himself, but not quietly enough to prevent her from overhearing. Confused, she decided it was best to ask later when they weren't in a dangerous place. Quickly, he put the stone and a silver chain he removed from his neck into his pack without saying a word.

"Wait here for a second," he said. He walked further up and somehow knowing exactly where the next trap was, slashed the floor triggering the trap. The ice spear flew from left to right and smashed into the wall. The wall was completely undamaged from the impact, making Flame Princess wonder even more about the sword Finn now wielded. Finn disabled one more trap before motioning for her to catch up.

They walked in silence. Finn was now constantly a few steps ahead of Flame Princess. The way he walked, Flame Princess couldn't see the scratches on his arm. Though she knew they were still there, not having to see them made her feel slightly better.

Finn stopped and slashed the wall of their current path, leaving a mark. He stepped forward into what appeared to be a small room with Flame Princess right behind him. Ahead of them lay two paths and behind him lay two more. Following his eyes, she saw another inscription:

Two paths lie ahead of you.

One path leads to death.

One path leads to life,

if only for a fraction longer.

Before she even had a chance to ask, Finn had made a decision. "We go right," he said as he started to walk into the darkness of the right path.

"Are you sure?" Flame Princess asked.

"Of course."

She looked back and saw two paths behind her. The path they had come from was on her left as she stared back.

Flame Princess walked right behind Finn, though part of her still doubted his choice. She couldn't understand how he could know the correct path. Still, her logic couldn't stop her from feeling guilty. Not only was she the reason he was hurt, as insignificant as the injury may have been, but she also doubted him. She couldn't help but feel part of that doubt came from how they had parted ways.

By the time Finn stopped again, Flame Princess's doubts were gone. She was happy that she had the chance to think and reflect, especially with how Finn had a way of scrambling her thoughts, but Finn's silence was starting to worry her as it did when she first saw him after his fight with Varisen.

Finn started walking again. It didn't seem that there was anything of note at the place they had stopped but Flame Princess decided it was probably Finn being careful and checking for more traps. They walked through more identical looking pathways and hallways, making Flame Princess feel more and more lost and out of place. Finn, however, looked like he knew exactly where he was going. He looked right at home, raising more questions for the fire elemental that walked ever so slightly behind him.

Finally, after more identical looking twists and turns the hall finally widened to form a room. As light filled the room, she noticed something standing by the other wall. As it rose, she got a chance to see it. Standing at its full height, it was a head taller than Finn. The skeleton's six arms each held a curved sword. Its head seemed to be staring right at Finn.

Still holding his sword, Finn looked at Flame Princess. When she did nothing but stand there, Finn began to approach the skeletal construct. Even when the skeleton flourished its swords, Finn showed no fear. Suddenly, Finn took several steps forward and thrust his sword. She could see that his hand held the end of the grip and pommel, allowing the human extra reach. As the sword touched the skeleton, Finn covered his face with his other arm. The skeleton creature exploded into dust that filled the entire room. Finn gave a few second for the dust to settle while Flame Princess just watched. It was obviously no challenge for him.

Finally, Finn moved. He coughed. He patted the dust from his hair, shoulders and front before finally turning to Flame Princess. As soon as he did so, he felt the need to say something. Flame Princess guessed that this was likely caused by the expression she worse. "The trouble with using more than one sword at once is that they get into each other's way. The wizard who created that thing probably didn't understand or it was part of the test." He paused as he scanned the room. "You must like watching me fight. I would have thought you'd take the first chance you got to roast that thing."

It took Flame Princesses a moment to summon the strength to respond. "My...powers never returned after the poison."

Those words forced Finn to jerk his eyes back onto Flame Princess. "Your hair should have been my first clue." His voice betrayed no surprise. She wondered if he had known before he asked her or if it was simply his constant tone that made it sound like he knew.

At the other end of the room, where only solid stone could be seen, a doorway now glowed. Its colour and brightness was exactly the same as Finn's sword. Finally, the doorway exploded into dust as well, revealing more passage. Before Flame Princess could say a word, he was there, examining the area and checking for traps. He then waved for her to follow.

They walked through more and more tunnels and hallways. She was starting to get sick of the never ending walking and lack of landmarks in the seemingly never ending dungeon. Finn, on the other hand, looked like he was taking an afternoon stroll. She wouldn't have been surprised if that's what it felt like to the human, after seeing him dispatch the skeleton so easily.

Luckily, it wasn't long until the passage expanded. This time, there was no skeleton. However, there were no discernible features what so ever. It simply looked like a dead end. Still Finn walked around the room, looking for anything of note. Flame Princess simply stood there, not wanting to set off another trap.

"I haven't found anything," Flame Princess said.

"Me neither."

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?"

"Don't think so, though I do have an idea." As soon as Finn finished speaking, sparks flew off from his sword. When they hit the ground, they grey into a fire emitting pure white light. The flames climbed up the wall and spread across all of the walls, making the walls glow a blinding white. Just as suddenly, the flames started to gather on the wall directly across from the entrance. As the flames shrunk, shapes began to emerge on the wall. As the flames shrunk even more, words began to appear. Flame Princess didn't have a chance to read the message before Finn began to speak.

"What is the price to touch the Sun?" His voice rang and echoed through the room. Where before it was emotionless and restrained, now it was commanding. The only word Flame Princess could use to describe it was kingly. As he spoke, the words on the wall brightened. He had spoken every word the flames spelled out. Still, Finn continued to speak. "To be frozen by space and burned by the stars." The words once again faded as the flames expanded, this time revealing the shape of a door made from pure white flame. Slowly, the flame receded from the centre until only a thin outline of the doorway remained.

Through the outline of white no longer lay stone. Instead, a room could be seen. Unlike any of the other rooms, this room had light. Strangely, there was no source of light she could see. There were no torches. The room was simply lit.

"See that white line? No matter what happens, do not cross it," Finn said as he pointed into the room. His voice no longer held a commanding tone. "Understood?"

"Yes."

They walked into the room and both stopped in front of the line. The grandeur of the room compared to the rest of the dungeon was stunning. The walls weren't made from identical interlocking stones but instead looked like a single piece carved out of stone. There were no seams to be found. Where before they were lucky to get decent head clearance, here the ceilings were extremely high and decorated by a mural. Despite the age of the place, the colours shined beautifully and not a single crack tarnished the image it displayed.

Six seemingly human people knelt in two lines with their polearms, topped with curved blades, raised high into the air. In between the two lines sat a seventh upon a simple looking throne. Nine steps separated the throne from the ground level.

The throne was a burning white colour and like the figures seemed to emit light. Though the throne had no elaborate detail, its simplicity and radiant light make it a beautiful sight to behold, even if it was just an image engraved into a ceiling. The brightest of the figures sat on the throne and held a sword in its right hand, allowing its point to touch the ground and prop it up. The position it was in gave Flame Princess a good look at it. It looked exactly like the sword Finn now held and seemed to give off light in the exact same way. It matched the style of the throne perfectly as well.

The light that they emitted made it very hard to identify who they were or what they wore. Still, it did not detract from the splendour and awe of the sight.

Breaking her eyes from the art, she looked around the room. Just like in the image on the ceiling, two lines of three kneeling figures decorated the room. With their backs against the wall, the statues stayed out of the way of the room but reminded the ruler of an honour guard. The fact that these statues emitted no light made it much easier to identify the armour that they wore. Conical helmets were worn on their heads. Armour made from small plates covered their torsos. Metal strips protected their fore arms and their legs below the knee. Everything else was protected by armour made from what appeared to be interlocking rings.

At the far end of the room stood a stone slab with what appeared to be a box on top. The distance made it hard for the fire elemental to pick out the exact details. When she turned her attention to the human, she noticed that he was scanning the place just as intently as her. The sense of wonder she remembered on Finn's face from their last dungeon trek was not present.

"Remember, no matter what happens," Finn said before crossing the line. Flame Princess watched intently as he walked past the statues. With every step he took, his shadow grew longer and longer before he stopped right ahead of the last pair of statues. Still, despite Finn not taking a single step more, his shadow grew longer until it touched the far wall. She could swear it looked like the shadow disconnected from Finn and began to shrink in the direction of the far wall.

The shadow grew a third dimension. When it stopped, it looked exactly like Finn. It had the same clothes and the same sword in its hand. The only difference was this Finn seemed to be completely made of shadow. She could see neither Finn cast a shadow.

The two beings approached each other and with sword confidently held in one hand swung their sword at each other. With every impact, dark and bright sparks flew into the air before touching the ground and winking out. Neither took a step back. They used the exact same movements. It was like watching someone fight a mirror image.

Both gripped their swords with two hands. Even more sparks flew with every impact but still the pace of their attacks never slowed. Dodges and counter attacks were observed on both sides yet neither took a step back. Finally, the two broke combat as they both stepped to the side and faced each other, now in line with the statues. Flame Princess could feel her heart racing.

They both stepped towards each other until they were in sword reach and for a moment just stood there. The shadow thrust his sword towards Finn. All the real Finn did was step towards the far wall, slightly turn his body and hold his sword out. She knew he could have stepped farther. She knew that if he did, the shadow's sword wouldn't have touched him.

He didn't and the sword did touch him. She could see the tip stuck through his left shoulder. However, with the way it had attacked and its sword now stuck, the shadow couldn't defend itself and instead impaled itself on Finn's sword. In a cloud of darkness, it sunk to the ground and reformed at Finn's feet.

Part of her wanted to run to him, but she still clearly remembered his words and instead waited patiently. However, it didn't stop her mind and heart from racing.

Finn put his left hand behind his back and walked towards the stone slab, sword still in hand. Using his sword, he opened the box that lay on top and placed the sword on the slab beside it. He removed what to seemed to be a piece of paper and read it before placing it into his pocket.

With one quick movement, he picked up his sword and slashed the box. The box and its contents exploded into a shower of sparks. He put his sword back on the slab and walked back to Flame Princess, who stood stunned.

"Are you okay? The shadow it..."

"I'll be fine. Shadows aren't exactly real. No damage done," he said while pointing at his left shoulder.

"I thought you said you needed the loot that lay at the end," she said genuinely confused.

"Yes, I needed to destroy it. Come on, it's time to backtrack."

"Why are you leaving your sword behind?" She had a thousand questions, but tried her best to pick out the most important.

Finn paused for a second before answering. "The sword will find its way back to me."

"What if you need it on our way back?"

"Then it will be there for me. It always is."

They walked back through the doorway. When Flame Princess looked behind her, she saw that the doorway of light was gone.

They back tracked even further until they were in the room with two paths forward and two paths back.

"We go right," Finn said.

"What? We came from the left path." Flame Princess remembered it clearly when they left the room.

"No, we came from the right path. Some dungeons have a way of reorganizing themselves or using illusions to catch the unsuspecting." He started to walk down the right path. Flame Princess followed. After a few steps, she saw the mark Finn had left in the wall with his sword.

Finally, they made it back to the entrance and walked through. Seeing the outside world brought a smile to her face. When she turned around to check on Finn, he was tapping the rock face with his right hand, making sure it was closed. When he was satisfied, he turned and started to walk towards the fire kingdom, his left hand still behind his back.

They didn't talk as much on the return trip, though truthfully Flame Princess didn't need to. She was strangely happy just walking with the human. She also had her fair share of questions thanks to Finn that she had to maul over.

Before she knew it, the two of them entered the Fire Palace. Inside, Cinnamon Bun was waiting. As soon as Cinnamon Bun saw them, he began to walk towards them.

"Unharmed as you asked, Sir Cinnamon Bun," Finn said. A loud thud was heard. When Flame Princess turned to look for the source of the sound, she saw Finn collapsed on the ground.

Sorry for taking so long. Life snuck up on me. Anyway, I hope it lives up your expectations and that you enjoy the read. Not much orb in this chapter but there will be in the next one.

Gold Testament: I'd have to agree, assuming everything is as it seems.

valdezn: Thank you and don't worry, I will.

Ooobserver: Well, now we know what the place is...kinda. Not so much of Finn's thoughts in this one, at least directly. Also, thanks for the kind words. After seeing your skill in your stories, it means a lot.

Luciana Light: Thank you. Always great to know people enjoy my writing.

I am The7: Hearing that makes me want to do even better. Thank you.

Writingsterner: The next chapter should come much sooner.