Chapter 43 #2
I knew that many powerful mental mages bonded with companion creatures to help absorb the strain of their abilities. Almost any animal willing to form that bond could become one.
What I couldn't understand was why, out of every creature in existence, Taylor had chosen a scorpion.
I had absolutely no desire to ask.
With a silent nod, I returned my attention to the map, locating Point B.
Turning it a few times, I compared its markings to the terrain around us.
Fortunately, my mother had loved camping trips, hiking trails, and scavenger hunts.
I'd grown up learning how to survive in unfamiliar places.
Reading maps felt almost like reading my native language.
"We're heading north," I said, noticing the three small markers indicating the third fork ahead.
"So fate sent you to me because I can't make sense of maps to save my life," Taylor said as he fell into step beside me.
Thankfully, the scorpion remained on the shoulder farthest from mine.
"Just try not to slow me down, darling." I winked as I picked up the pace, silently appreciating the outfit Madame Zhivorzhinette had chosen for my trial.
"Are we actually being timed?"
"Why not try to finish first?"
The truth was...
I just wanted to find Ria as quickly as possible.
Yes, we'd changed her dress.
But it hadn't made me feel any safer.
That strange, unsettling feeling still refused to let me go.
We reached Point B surprisingly quickly.
Honestly, it felt almost too easy.
Two transparent spheres floated in front of us, each hovering at eye level.
There were no instructions.
But somehow...
none seemed necessary.
The answer looked obvious.
I raised my hand, preparing to release a stream of magic toward the sphere in front of me.
Before I could, Taylor caught my wrist.
"Let's not make any sudden moves."
I frowned.
"Do you know what it's made of?"
"What difference does it make?" I asked. "We're obviously supposed to channel our magic into it."
The mental mage let out a long sigh.
"A specific amount of power," he said slowly, as if explaining something to a child, "aimed at a specific point."
A tiny part of my pride bristled.
I chose not to dwell on it.
"And what makes you think that?"
I looked back at the spheres.
They were completely empty.
No markings.
No hints.
Just two enormous crystal-clear orbs.
"It's not ordinary glass," Taylor explained.
"Kallist."
"It's made from sand mixed with opal and turquoise—the two most fragile natural gemstones in the world."
He spoke with complete certainty.
"Our magic isn't supposed to shatter it."
"So how am I supposed to know how weak the spell needs to be?" I asked. Then another thought struck me. "And how do you even know all this?"
"Kallist glass is famous in the Realm of Dreams and Illusions. That's where it was created."
Silently, I listened.
I'd completely forgotten that every realm held some kind of advantage during this year's Selection.
And suddenly, I felt incredibly lucky Taylor had landed here with me.
"A tiny spark is enough," he continued. "Imagine you're trying to light the wick of a candle."
Then he demonstrated.
A faint current of air brushed against the surface of the glass.
The sphere absorbed the tiny spark.
Moments later, Taylor's map began to glow, revealing two new destinations.
Point D.
Point K.
I drew in a deep breath before slowly letting it out, relaxing every muscle in my body.
The calmer I became, the easier it was to connect with my magic.
Separating energy from raw power—the way Tarven had taught me—I released the smallest pulse I could manage.
The sphere filled with a soft green glow.
A heartbeat later, my own map shimmered to life, revealing two new markers.
Point C.
Point I.
"It worked." I grinned, waving the map triumphantly in front of Taylor's face. "We're actually a pretty good team."
Then I glanced toward the scorpion on his shoulder.
"Just... stay on the side without him."
"Oh?" Taylor smirked. "Not interested in getting to know him better?"
"He might get offended."
"I hope he understands that, deep down..." I let out an exaggerated sigh.
"...I really am sorry."
With that, I lowered my eyes to the map again and started planning the quickest route to our next destination.
Illariana Arden's POV
Part of my map was burning.
Tiny sparks danced across its surface, as though I'd released my fire into the parchment instead of the sphere.
The shards that had struck me stung against my skin, but the panic rising inside me left no room to care.
I had no idea what I was supposed to do now.
I couldn't even imagine where the remaining checkpoints were.
Had I really failed...
before I'd even begun?
I could blame Airis for this.
For the way he'd shattered me only minutes earlier.
But instead, Tarven's words echoed in my mind.
His verdict about my way of making decisions.
My strategy.
And I realized I'd just proved every single one of his points.
I really did act on impulse.
I needed to think before I acted.
The only problem was...
I had no idea whether thinking would help me now.
Giving up wasn't an option.
It simply wasn't who I was.
"What do I do now?" I asked the map quietly. "Where am I supposed to go?"
My fingertips brushed over the charred section of the parchment.
Strangely...
it wasn't even warm anymore.
Maybe the fire had been nothing more than an illusion.
I waited.
The map continued to pulse with light, but not around any specific marker.
I couldn't tell whether it was broken...
or whether this was another clue.
Even so, the remaining markers were still visible—
G.
I.
Q.
V.
And finally...
Point Z.
"So... which checkpoint am I supposed to go to next?" I asked the map aloud. "One of the ones that's actually reachable?"
I hadn't expected an answer.
But I got one.
The marker labeled I lit up, skipping over G, which should have come first if the checkpoints followed the alphabet.
Maybe we weren't meant to visit every marker.
Maybe some of them were nothing more than decoys.
"Please guide me to Point I."
The map responded immediately.
A detailed route appeared across its surface, a crimson line tracing the exact path I needed to follow.
The next checkpoint was surprisingly close to the previous one.
But there was... nothing.
Well, nothing except the dense vegetation surrounding me.
Nothing that even remotely resembled another trial.
"Did you trick me?" I asked the map.
It remained silent.
Or rather...
the marker I had reached continued to glow.
Not in the same way as before.
Its light matched the steady shimmer Point B had shown once I'd arrived there.
So that was how I could tell I'd reached the correct location.
I needed to pay closer attention to the details.
"What is the trial at Point I?"
No answer.
With a quiet sigh, I began studying my surroundings, searching for anything unusual.
The ground looked perfectly ordinary.
And that thought made me lift my head.
Directly above me floated a small violet balloon.
Around it hung four transparent tubes, each about the same width as the balloon itself. They twisted around one another, weaving between several trees and forming something that looked remarkably like one of those elaborate hamster playgrounds.
At the far end stood a mirror.
Because the tubes crossed over one another so many times, there was no way to tell which one actually led to it.
Was I supposed to rely on intuition this time?
I glanced at the unhelpful map once more before looking back at the balloon.
It floated perfectly centered between the tubes.
I couldn't tell whether something physical was holding it in place...
or whether it was suspended by magic alone.
But how was I supposed to move it without being an air mage?
If I used fire, I'd burn it instantly.
And there was no way I could reach it by hand.
How would a mental mage solve something like this?
Every trial had supposedly been designed for every type of magic.
One last glance at the balloon...
Then my eyes dropped to the ground, searching for anything that might help.
They settled on a cluster of short trees with long, bare branches.
Perfect.
At least for what I had in mind.
I looked closer.
Several branches ended in dry, withered twigs.
Choosing one of them, I snapped it off—
silently hoping that trees in the magical realms weren't capable of feeling pain,
and that I hadn't just hurt someone.
I hadn't exactly excelled at physics in school, but even to me, this seemed painfully logical.
Lighting the dry leaves at the end of the branch, I slowly reached toward the balloon, hoping to warm it...
not burn it.
At the same time, I couldn't stop wondering what this trial was actually meant to test.
Which realm was I honoring by completing it?
And which realm had caused my map to burn?
The tiny flame stayed a safe distance from the balloon.
I waited.
Hoping my reasoning had been right.
It had.
The balloon rose slightly—
and was immediately sucked into the side entrance of the tube on the left.
Inside the transparent maze, it shot forward like a bullet.
My eyes barely managed to follow its violet blur before a loud crack echoed through the clearing.
Damn.
The balloon smashed straight through the glass tubing and slammed into the mirror at the end.
Instead of bouncing off...
it disappeared into it.
I stared, waiting.
Nothing happened.
It looked as though the trial was over.
My gaze dropped to the map.
It, too, seemed frozen.
Then a heavy thud sounded only a few feet away.
The mirror had fallen to the ground.
Its surface began to glow, as though inviting me to come closer.
So I did.
And froze...
the moment I looked into it.