Aji poured his mana into the dice, his eyes locked onto it as it tumbled forward. Every inch of him willed it to land on a safe square, somewhere free of serpents and venom. The dice spun in the dim light, glowing faintly as it finally slowed, then stopped—three.
“Finally,” he muttered under his breath, relief flooding his body. Three squares ahead, a safe zone shimmered invitingly.
“See?” Xavier called from behind, still standing on the ladder square that had boosted him ahead. “Told you luck comes in waves.”
Aji scoffed, shaking off the remnants of pain still lingering in his arm from the snake’s bite. “Yeah, well, let’s hope it’s a long wave. I’m not ready to be snake food again.”
He stepped forward, reaching the safe square, and the glow from it enveloped him like a soft blanket. A
