As always, when Lucius was faced with a problem, it was time to thoroughly analyse the situation and define possible solutions to the said problem. In such endeavours, it is always best to start with the most obvious option, and in this case, that was using the path to reach the fortress, and then… What? Fight all the minotaurs that were guarding it?! Of course, that was immediately out of the question, because doing something like that would be akin to committing suicide. Lucius would simply get overwhelmed, and that would be the end of it. Maybe, just maybe, with a lot of luck, and even then barely, he could use the narrowness of the path and the water that surrounded it to his advantage and take down all the minotaurs, but the chances of doing something like that were so slim that, if he could pull that off, he could also transform a demon into an angel!
There was also the problem of not knowing whether the path forward was located behind the little fortress or in the little fortress itself. He was fully occupied with the idea of getting behind it, constantly forgetting the fact that doing so could prove to be for naught if there's nothing on the other side! That was a possibility on which he had to count until he proved himself otherwise, and to do that, he had to get to the other side anyway. And he didn't even want to think about needing to sneak inside the little fortress, for he was sure that doing so was simply impossible. There were too many minotaurs in it for even a fly to enter it unnoticed.
Now, getting behind the little fortress unnoticed was a bit more likely, but still nearly impossible to do. Stalactites and stalagmites were on the edges of the cave itself, and they were thick, and there was so much of them that one couldn't walk around them, almost as if somebody had placed them there, so Lucius couldn't use what presented itself as the best and safest way forward. That leaves the water.
To even get to the water, he had to walk in the light, and the minotaurs would immediately spot him, but just for the sake of the idea, let's give it the benefit of the doubt and say that he could manage to get into the water without being seen. What then? He couldn't simply swim to the other side, even if he kept to the edges of the water that surrounded the little fortress. The light that that crystal was providing was too bright, and he could be easily spotted, especially from the walls of the little fortress.
If swimming was out of the question too, then only diving remained. Again, presuming that Lucius could even get to the water unseen, there was no way he could keep his breath long enough to get to the other side in one go. That meant he had to emerge to get some air. The walls of the fortress could somewhat offer him protection, so he could emerge there and follow the wall to the other side. Then he had to dive again and make it to the other side. This was all presuming that Lucius could dive well (which wasn't true; he could swim all right, but he had absolutely no experience with diving) and that the water is deep enough to allow diving in the first place and that it's not that transparent to make him clearly visible.
Besides, Lucius didn't trust this water one bit, simply for the fact that it was present at all. He doubted that it's here just as a decoration. It was safe to presume that something dangerous and not friendly at all could very well be lurking in it for an unsuspecting and unwary victim. Yes, the water was not just an obstacle; it was also a potential serious threat, which made any kind of plan featuring it possess a certain possibility of danger.
Even if Lucius had some way to bypass all the obstacles in front of him, there was still a possibility that there's nothing on the other side, which meant that Lucius has to get inside the fortress. With no way to scale the wall, Lucius could as well knock at the gates and ask to be let in, because there were simply no other ways to enter.
In other words, Lucius's possibilities were limited, to say the least. He saw no way out of this situation. That reminded him of a recent point in time when he felt the same in the cell of the fortress's dungeon. He basically gave up, and Old Nigel appeared out of nowhere and decided to help him get out. But there was no Old Nigel this time, and if someone was going to get Lucius to the other side of this little fortress, it would be either him or God himself. And Lucius had a feeling that this time the former would have to be the one responsible. God rushed to his help once, and that was one too many times.
If only he had his powers right now. Then he could have at least tried to blind the minotaurs and take them down. Even that was better than trying to best them without any kind of advantage at all, counting on pure luck more than skill. Thoughts like these made him start asking himself the same question he always asked himself. Why wasn't he more powerful? He could be so much more useful, both to himself and to others, if it were so. God undoubtedly knew that as well. Then why is he denying his pleas for more power?! Like humans who can't fathom why God is allowing all the horrible things to happen, completely forgetting about that part about free will, Lucius was also failing to see God's plans for him, and he felt abandoned and alone.
Lost deep in his unhappy thoughts, Lucius took the black sword that was on his lap and turned its blade in front of himself, tapping the steps with its point. He looked like a boy who spent so much time playing with his imaginary sword (that was actually a stick) that he got bored and now didn't know what to do with himself, so he sat on the steps and tapped them with his weapon. More unaware than aware, Lucius played with the hilt of the black sword, and in doing so, he passed with his fingers over the hilt's main decoration, a black gem. And then two unexpected things happened that managed to get Lucius's attention.
The first thing that happened is that the black gem slightly went inside of the hilt as he passed with his fingers over it, like it was some kind of button that he accidentally pressed. The second thing that happened confirmed that that gem was actually a button and that it had its function. And what a function it was! Because Lucius pressed the gem so slightly and for a short time, the effect was barely noticeable, but he still managed to see it! When he pressed the gem, the light in front of him seemed to be drawn to the sword and disappeared, just before quickly returning to its place as he released the gem, and it went back to its original position!
Wanting to be sure that he hadn't imagined it, Lucius repeated the action as closely as he possibly could. He wasn't imagining it! Even the slight push of the gem started draining the nearby light inside of it and released it back as soon as he let go of the gem. Of course! It made perfect sense. Old Nigel could do it too! If angels can produce light, then it only makes sense for the demons to be able to extinguish it. And since the black knights didn't have any powers except their physical strength, which came from the armour they wore, it wasn't surprising that their sword held the secret that allowed them to do what most other demons could do naturally. It's a miracle he didn't accidentally discover it earlier.
This discovery was exactly what Lucius needed, and he jumped to his feet, excited like a child who had a new toy to play with. He had no doubts that he could make the whole cave as black as the blackest night with the help of this sword! But then he stopped in his excitement and became serious again. He again sat down on the staircase and started thinking. What if minotaurs can see in the dark? It was a simple yet possible problem that could ruin his whole plan. During his final exam, after killing a horde of imps, he fought with one minotaur. The imps could see in the dark without a doubt. They were watching him when he illuminated the darkness, and Old Nigel himself confirmed that. But minotaurs? Could they also see in the dark? When he fought the minotaur, his light was still shining above them, which prevented him from learning this valuable piece of information that could very well save his life right now. But that wasn't the only problem. Even if minotaurs couldn't see in the dark, Lucius also couldn't.
That was true. But Lucius somehow had a feeling that he could make this work for him. He just needed to figure out how…