A brown-haired boy with green eyes and a proud gaze approached him. The red-haired youth observed him carefully, waiting for him to speak. While they stared at each other, a man sitting on the roof of a house began to speak.
«Once the trial is finished, reach the end of the path.» He said, without adding anything further.
«If you're lucky, we'll meet again at the end.» The brown-haired boy said to Herega before leaving.
The youth paused for a moment. "They didn't even tell us what the trial consists of." He thought. However, there weren't many options. He began to see other people entering the houses that lined the long path, so he decided to do the same. After a few minutes of walking, he finally entered one of them. As soon as he took his first step, the door slammed shut. On one of the walls, numbers appeared, carved by fire: 2:00.
"A countdown," He thought.
In front of the youth, a figure that looked like a clone of him appeared, but it was violet, almost like a ghost infused with the same energy emanating from the Nustia library's book. The ghost charged at him. Unable to predict it, Herega blocked the blows, relying on his reflexes. Finding an opening, the sorcerer managed to strike it on the side, forcing it to retreat. However, the pain inflicted on it was also transferred back to his own body.
«If I hit it, I'll take the same damage. But this doesn't apply to it, otherwise, it wouldn't have attacked me with such skill.» Herega thought.
He tried to generate a chain to trap it, but he couldn't fully control it; it seemed to have a mind of its own. When he was struck by it, he realized that the ghost was able to influence his spells. Meanwhile, only thirty seconds had passed, and Herega wasn't sure what that time meant.
«Should I resist until it runs out?» He thought, evading the chains of his opponent.
They continued fighting, but the youth decided not to strike, to minimize the damage taken. As soon as the time hit 1:00, Herega used a chain to strike the number 1, extinguishing the flame. Now, only 00 remained. The ghost vanished, leaving behind a piece of a puzzle. From its shape, he realized he needed two more pieces to complete it. Obtaining 3 pieces would lead him to a potential second trial. As he exited the house, he was captivated by the graceful movement of a girl accompanied by a crow. However, he decided to keep going.
♦️
He entered the second house. Once again, the door slammed shut. In front of him were two chests and, to their right, a skeleton holding a scroll. This was written:
I am the master of your life, but I make you believe you have your own will. Open the chest you believe is right, and place this scroll inside.
Both chests had a scroll as well, each with different writings:
Fortune
Destiny
As soon as he finished reading, the same girl who had distracted him moments before made her sudden entrance. Again, the door slammed shut. It seemed to frighten the girl, but not the crow that followed her. She had long black hair, with violet reflections, contrasting with the crimson color of her tired eyes. She wore a black dress, with some golden details just above the short skirt. The upper part of the dress and the long sleeves were semi-transparent, barely revealing her skin color. High black stockings and long dark boots completed her outfit. Only a red rose, placed on her left chest, matched the color of her eyes. She appeared somewhat embarrassed in that situation. After a few seconds of standing still, she approached the skeleton with the scroll and then positioned herself close to the youth. They both knelt, resting on their legs.
«Which one do you think is the right answer?» Herega asked her, without looking her in the face.
She didn't speak immediately, likely due to the embarrassment, but she managed to gather courage.
«Fortune... I don't think it exists.» She replied, also avoiding eye contact.
«Since time began, everything has been decided. Humans call what happens by fate with the name of fortune or misfortune. Do you mean this?» Herega asked, trying to interpret her words.
«Yes... let's say yes.» She replied, pausing for a moment, «Moreover, it is something subjective. A fortunate event for one person may be unfortunate for another. Destiny, however, is the same for everyone. If your death is written in the universe's design, you will die. Therefore, it is the master of our lives. Only by knowing the future, and thus destiny, we can change it.» She added.
Herega looked at her with admiration. Whether what she said was right or wrong, it came from a well-thought-out reasoning. This girl was truly clever. The way the youth looked at her made her blush, and she turned away.
«If you're sure about your answer, take the scroll.» He encouraged her.
She hesitated for a few seconds, then did so. After closing the chest, she reopened it. The scroll had vanished, and a piece of the puzzle appeared.
«Take it.» Herega said to her.
She shook her head in response. The youth took the object and handed it to the crow, who took it in its beak.
«You'll return the favor if you reach the end of this path.» He finished.
She didn't respond. So Herega proceeded toward the third house.
♦️
The room was completely empty. The door was gone. The walls trapped him entirely. The light disappeared for a few seconds, then reappeared. Two rows of statues, on two parallel walls, appeared. They were busts of a knight, placed on pedestals. Each of them held a piece of the puzzle in its hand. Herega tried to take one, but the bust disappeared. The walls began to close in. Seeing how much space was shrinking, it seemed they could do this two more times before crushing him and the seven remaining statues.
«There's probably one that's different, hiding the real piece.» He thought.
However, they all seemed the same. He decided to take a chance. He created a chain, wrapping it around the wrists of all the knights. Tensioning it, he managed to separate each knight's hand from its pedestal. Being careful to move them only by the hand, he brought them closer together. That way, he was able to touch them all at once, retrieving the real one, preventing the walls from closing in. The plan succeeded, and Herega reached the path again, now with two pieces of the puzzle. As soon as he exited, however, a crow flew to him with an object in its beak. The youth accepted it. He now finally had the three necessary pieces to complete the trial.