The tower stretched tall above their heads. It gave off a strange impression, especially the thick woods around it. Solution stood beside him in silence as he examined his surroundings. Previously, he was focused on the guiding light that he didn't notice how the forest stretched unyielding and majestic before him. It was enchanted. It called out to all souls into the depth.
With a light heart, he listened to the forest beckoning him to come deeper into its pulsing heart. There was a strange ballad in the air, making the feeling eerier. The trees bent down their giant leaves in plushness and opulence. There were a lot of violet flowers shaped as circles cut in half to create two petals. It was a flower of two petals.
"You shouldn't gaze upon the dark deepness of the forest. You shall be lost if you don't have a guide and the Lost shall never be recovered. These are the woods of echoes and shadows. You mustn't dream of its life or it would swallow you. Come, follow me, we shall have a discussion over a cup of tea."
It took them two hours of slow walking to reach a different hut. It didn't seem like she took the same path he came from, instead, she chose to lead him to another path where they would be alone without any disturbance. She didn't like the company he had with him. They smelled of betray and disloyalty; they would never side with the apprentice mage completely. If they followed him into the Tower of Knowledge, they wouldn't come out alive and they would create chaos in it.
Her hut deep into the forest was different; it didn't have talismans or dolls. It was a normal abode with a single table with two chairs and a warm cozy chimney. He took a seat as she prepared her tea cups carefully. She put her basket away after emptying the content on the rough surface of the table. Her hands trimmed the petals leaving only the neat ones. After washing them and using a strange spell to dry them, she made two cups; a large one for her and a small one for him.
"This hut only shows what you need to see. I don't sense any fear from your heart, I only get the curiosity of your mind. Go ahead, ask me whatever you seek answers for. I shall answer truthfully."
"You said that my master came to you, what does it mean?"
"Oh yes! I said that. She came to me. We had such a nice chat as we usually do. She is one of my rarest guests. No one knows how to find my real abode better than her. I believe she sent you on a journey," he wanted to object but she shook her head. "You need not to lie to you or hide secrets. I can see you are a foreigner from Masmoenia, from the same land as the white-haired mage."
"What did she tell you?"
"Not much yet a lot. There is a reason why you went through all those trials. This world is one that do not obey the rules of the Earth. You shall not believe in everything you see. 'Do not judge a book by its cover'; it was her saying to you. However, I have my own enquiries about you. I have been watching you since you set foot into these lands, since you met Gilbert."
As he studied her eyes, he shuddered. His trembling eyes met Solution's carefree eyes repeatedly. Sometimes, he forgot himself and felt as if he was talking to an NPC, but she broke that impression repeatedly with her unexpected words. She knew who he was and his master came to her to ask for something and supposedly paying the price to get into the tower.
There was no need to feel afraid or strange. He had questions he sought the answer for and she was Solution as in the riddle. 'In my being, I hold all solution' was based of the woman in front of him. Her way of talking reminded him of creatures that lived a long time. Therefore, she had to be one of those rare ones that got to see a lot. If she knew who he was from the beginning, it meant that she was brought to the test like how Aurora came to be in it.
A shell as an NPC but because of the close ties with the one that existed outside, it allowed for the present one to come and influence the events of the world; the butterfly effect. She must be one of those that still kept their lives even in the Plaguelands.
"What's the point of this whole test? Getting access to the secret passages is an easy deal, why go to such length for little reward?"
"I believe you already feel it. This quest is for you to learn about secrets from your past and your step into this world. There is a reason for everything in this world, even your baseless thoughts. Do not think a lot and focus on yourself, what do you want to be? You have been walking as a lost one for days, following the will of another one. What do you aspire to be? Do you want fame, power, wealth or maybe something else?"
"I don't know," he scratched his head. "I have been walking because of the test, wanting to get an advantage to escape the bandits' cruelty and also to finish the two quests; getting rid of all the bandits and acquiring the Ultimate sceptre of the Priestess, but this whole thing has been going for so long so I don't know what I want anymore. I am just going with the flow."
"What you mean to say is that you don't know who you are exactly. It's normal. 'He is a child who has been a price for a deal'; that's what she said. Before knowing it, you already belonged to her," his eyes widened considerably. What was she talking about?
Solution downed the rest of her cup and stood up. "It's already time. Let's go! I will have the portal ready for you. I am sure you will be able to find what I can't tell you because of the short time."