Page 88 of My Wild Pet

The obstacle course tests pets and trainer alike.

We move forward in sync. As we reach the starting line, I can see Briar’s hands trembling slightly.

“Briar,” I whisper, “Look at me.”

Her eyes meet mine.

“Trust me,” I say. We must win today. She cannot falter now.

She nods, barely perceptible, but it’s enough.

The signal blares and we launch into motion.

The first obstacle is a series of shifting platforms suspended over simulated fiery hot lava pits. The heat radiates upward, the air shimmering with distortion. I jump first, landing solidly on the first platform. Briar follows.

“Keep your pace steady,” I say in Imperial. “Don’t rush.”

We move as one, timing our jumps perfectly, until we reach the edge of the platforms. The next section appears ahead, a mirrored maze designed to twist perception.

This part will be hell.

As we step into the maze, the air immediately becomes cooler and the light bends unnaturally around us. The mirrors stretch endlessly in every direction. Every surface reflecting distorted images.

In one mirror, I see myself as I used to be, young, hopeful, unscarred by the reality of pet life. In another, I’m an old man and still Aefre’s pet. It’s a cruel trick.

“Ignore them,” I say over my shoulder to Briar. “It’s only a trick. The computer is dipping into our subconscious to find things to confuse and unsettle us.”

The maze shifts with every step, the reflections rippling as if they’re alive. At one junction, the mirrors show something meant to slow us to a dead stop.

Illusions of Earth and of freedom.

Then in another, a child of two years old with Briar’s pink-streaked hair and my eyes, the toddler’s collar gleaming faintly in the light.

Briar gasps. “Gabriel, is that…?”

“No,” I say sharply, refusing to look at the child for too long. “It’s a lie. This isn’t thing doesn’t tell the future. Keep moving.”

The sight of the child unsettles me more than I let on, but I can’t let it stop us. I grab Briar’s hand, pulling her forward as the maze shifts again, the reflections turning darker and crueler.

Finally, the exit comes into view, the light beyond a welcome relief from the maze’s illusions. We step through together, the air immediately warmer, the noise of the crowd crashing back into focus.

The final challenge awaits, a rotating platform suspended high above the arena floor.

I look over at Briar before we climb up the ladder to the platform. She’s visibly shaking.

“You won’t fall,” I tell her before we begin the climb. “Trust me.”

She nods, but she’s still shaking.

There’s nothing I can do about that. “Let’s go.” I climb first. It’s about a hundred steps up. “Don’t look down,” I call to Briar. I forgot to mention the climb. Aefre never practices this on theLuminous Arcand I don’t know why. It’s terrifying.

Once we reach the top the obstacle begins moving. Briar and I must move according to Aefre’s commands or we risk being pushed off the platform to our deaths. And if Aefre is wrong or too slow we will also be pushed off the platform and die.

Aefre’s voice comes through the speakers, issuing rapid commands in Imperial.

“Ember, step left. Ash, move forward.”

We obey, our movements controlled as the platform tilts beneath us. The glowing markers shift faster now, testing our reflexes. Briar stumbles once, her foot slipping off her marker, but she catches herself before the platform tips too far.

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