Mentor
TRIVIA
Midas was the last person in all the realms Trivia expected to be her key to escaping Pandora’s box.
But from what she knew about him, he was skilled in magical training. He was an alchemist and magesmith, and one of the few male witches in existence.
He knew much about power and how to train one’s mind.
But that didn’t mean Trivia had to like him.
“Clear your mind again,” Midas ordered for the tenth time.
Trivia let out a low growl. “I am.”
“No, you aren’t. I can still sense your rage. It’s flowing carelessly around you.”
“I wonder why,” Trivia grumbled, then closed her eyes.
The same murky darkness from before still surrounded them, but her feet were on the ground, and her hair was no longer floating around her.
For hours, she and Midas had been training together, and she felt solid enough to stand on her own two feet.
She considered that proof that he was telling the truth. At least partially.
In her mind, she pictured the sea. The rolling waves.
The sand sparkling in the sun. The warmth against her skin.
She inhaled deeply, and released all the tension in her muscles and thoughts.
With a long, slow, exhale, she emptied her mind of everything.
She only focused on those waves surging in and out. In and out.
In. And out.
Her breathing slowed. Calmness settled into her bones.
“Good,” came Midas’s soft voice. “Now, project that blank slate to your surroundings. Spread that awareness farther than just your body.”
Trivia’s brows knitted together, but she forced herself to focus on the waves. This was the part that always snapped her out of her focus. When she had to empty her mind but also think about her next task, it was almost impossible to move forward.
During her last three attempts, she had gritted her teeth and concentrated so hard that she got frustrated and lashed out at Midas.
This time, she would go about it differently. Instead of thinking about her next move, she focused on the ocean’s waves for a few more beats.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then, slowly, she envisioned the tide coming in.
The water lapped over the sand, inching closer to the grassy hill just beyond the shore.
Inch by inch, the waves moved in. The sand slowly vanished underneath the swell.
The cerulean waters sparkled in the sunlight, easing Trivia’s nerves and cooling her temper.
She felt nothing but peace. She merely watched the sea surge higher and higher until it reached the bottom of the hill, covering the sand completely.
“Gods above,” Midas murmured.
Trivia’s eyes fluttered open, and she stifled a yelp.
She stood on a veranda overlooking the very sea she’d been picturing.
What had once been nothing more than her imagination was now a reality before her.
But it wasn’t quite the same. There was no grassy hill.
And these waves were more turquoise than bright blue.
Gleaming white pillars supported a dome-shaped ceiling that towered over her.
The walls were adorned with gold geometric patterns that gleamed in the sunlight.
Trivia swallowed hard, trying not to panic at this change in scenery. “What—What is this place?”
“It’s Pandora’s construct within the box,” Midas explained. “This is the home she built for herself.”
Realization struck Trivia, and her eyes widened. This looked just like Elysium. In fact, she was almost certain she’d been on a similar veranda in the palace during her stay there.
The minute differences could be attributed to how much time had passed since Pandora lived in Elysium. The ocean and beach were nothing more than an illusion. It was likely the enchantment had changed over the years.
A sharp sting of sorrow pierced Trivia’s heart as she considered how long it had been since Pandora had been home. She probably missed it terribly.
Trivia knew firsthand how potent that feeling was. She had lived with it her entire life. Not just from Pandora’s memories, but her own.
Trivia had never had a home before. Not truly.
Not until she’d met Sol.
“Whatever you did that time is the key,” Midas said, startling Trivia from her thoughts “Focus on that every time.”
A lump formed in Trivia’s throat, and a sour taste filled her mouth. She hated thinking of the beach.
It always reminded her of Sol. Gods, she missed him.
“All right.” Her voice shook slightly. “What now?”
Midas crossed his arms. “You’ve pushed yourself a lot today, Trivia.”
Today. Trivia nearly snorted at the word. There was no concept of time in this place. How could Midas possibly know how long they’d been training?
But he was right. Her bones were weary, and her head throbbed with fatigue. She needed to keep her mental shields up for when Pandora sought her out again, and her mind was getting weaker with each passing moment.
“I can handle it,” she insisted, knowing she would need to work harder if she hoped to succeed.
“Very well. Shields up,” Midas warned, and then his awareness pressed forward, creeping toward her like a snake.
Trivia’s eyes closed, and she pictured a stone wall settling into place between herself and Midas.
He pushed against it, and the stone cracked and crumbled.
With a grunt, she imagined a brick wall in front of the stone.
Piece by piece, she assembled the wall, layering more and more bricks to keep him out.
Midas kept pushing, and the wall trembled.
But it held. He could not get through.
“Very good,” said Midas, and Trivia let out a long breath, her heart racing in her chest. When her eyes opened, the veranda had disappeared, and the black void surrounded her once more.
Despair twisted in her chest. She hadn’t realized how much she loathed the darkness until she had escaped it.
Midas seemed to notice her crestfallen expression. “It’s difficult to concentrate on two things at once. Especially when you’re inexperienced. You’ll get there, Trivia. For now, accept the victory that you were able to access Pandora’s construct and shield your mind against my attack.”
Trivia nodded, but her brow was furrowed.
How much longer would this take? If she had no idea how much time was passing, then there was no guarantee she would get out of Pandora’s box in a week, a month, even a year.
What if Sol wasn’t there when she returned?
What if he’d died? What if he’d moved on with someone else?
What if there was nothing left for her to return to?
“How do you do it?” Her voice sounded hollow.
Midas blinked at her. “Do what?”
“Live on and on, beyond those you love, beyond everything and everyone? How do you leave it all behind?”
Midas’s expression dimmed. His eyes shuttered, and his face hardened into something firm and unyielding. “I told you before—priorities. I could waste away, losing my mind to sorrow and regret. Or… I could move on and live. When I gave myself the choice, it was easy. I chose survival.”
Trivia shook her head. It wasn’t that simple. She had willingly given herself up to let Sol live. Her will to survive was gone because she had expected to stop living.
But she hadn’t truly died. In a way, this fate was worse than death. She had to live with her decisions and her anguish. She had to accept what could never be.
She had to keep living… even when she didn’t want to.
Midas’s expression softened. “I recognize that look. You want to end it all. But there’s no way to do it.
” He sighed. “I wish I could say I’ve never been there, but I have.
Many times. You have something I never did, though.
A choice. If you don’t want to return—if you don’t want to live—then I won’t force you to.
We can stop. I can find my own way out of here. ”
Trivia met his gaze, her heart feeling so heavy that it dragged her down. She wanted to let it pull her under, to carry her into oblivion. To a place where she didn’t have to think or feel.
She realized Midas was waiting for a response, so she shook her head slowly. All she could think about was Sol’s look of utter devastation when she gave herself over to the darkness.
Even if he wasn’t waiting for her. Even if there was nothing left. Trivia had to at least try. She needed that second chance, if only to prove that she could lead another life. That she could do things right this time.
“I’m just tired,” she said at last. “You’re right. I need a break. But I want to keep going.”
Midas nodded slowly, his eyes full of pity.
The sight made Trivia want to retch. Her anger rekindled, and she turned away from him.
It didn’t matter that this man was her mentor. He was still horrible, and she despised him.
She hated this situation. She hated that she was relying on him, of all people, to escape. Any other person in existence—except for maybe Apollo—would have been preferable.
But, for now, Midas was her only hope. Her only chance.
And he understood what she was going through.
She hated that, too—how similar they were. She had betrayed everyone; she was no better than Midas.
Trivia’s eyes closed, and she pictured the ocean once more. Not to empty her mind, but to escape. She let her body float away on those waves, imagining her fears and regrets drifting off into a sea of nothingness.
She would try again soon. She would get better and better until she was strong enough to face Pandora and break through her magical construct.
But for now, there was nothing but her and the sea.