The days after the maze challenge felt heavier, the looming competition closer than ever. My confidence in navigating the shifting illusions had grown, but so had my understanding of how far I still had to go. Cerys was relentless, pushing me into more advanced scenarios designed to test my adaptability and control.
"This isn't about raw power," she reminded me one morning, her voice as sharp as ever. "It's about outthinking your opponent. Deception is just as important as strength in a competition like this."
Her lesson that day revolved around illusions—both creating them and recognizing when they were being used against me.
"Most mages who rely on illusions expect you to react impulsively," she explained, circling me as I stood in the middle of the training chamber. "Your task is to see through the falsehood and act with precision."
She raised her hand, and the room around me shimmered, the walls dissolving into a scene of jagged cliffs and crashing waves. The air smelled of salt and carried the distant cry of seabirds.
"Find the real path," she said simply, vanishing from sight.
I hesitated, the sound of the waves and the chill of the wind unnervingly real. Taking a step forward, I glanced at the jagged terrain, searching for anything that seemed out of place.
It's not real, I reminded myself, closing my eyes and reaching out with my senses.
The pendant at my chest pulsed faintly, its warmth grounding me as I focused. The mana in the air hummed with an uneven rhythm, like a string being plucked off-key.
I opened my eyes, focusing on a section of the cliff that seemed to shimmer faintly. Raising my hand, I summoned a small burst of wind with Aer Tempesta, sending it toward the distortion. The illusion rippled and faded, revealing a narrow path winding through the cliffs.
"Well done," Cerys' voice echoed, though she was still unseen.
I stepped onto the revealed path, careful to keep my senses sharp. Another shimmer appeared ahead, this time taking the form of a bridge spanning a chasm.
I hesitated, glancing down at the swirling mist below. The bridge looked sturdy, but the faint flicker of the illusion betrayed its falsehood.
"Not this time," I muttered, stepping to the side and summoning a small orb of light.
I hurled the orb at the base of the bridge, watching as it passed straight through the structure and into the mist below. The illusion dissolved, revealing a narrow stone ledge that hugged the side of the cliff.
The exercise continued for what felt like hours, each illusion more intricate and deceptive than the last. By the time I emerged from the training chamber, my mana reserves were nearly depleted, and my legs felt like lead.
"Better," Cerys said as I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. "But you're still hesitating too much. In a real competition, hesitation will cost you."
"I'll work on it," I said, my voice hoarse.
"You'll need to," she said, her tone sharp. "The first stage of the competition is designed to weed out those who can't think quickly under pressure. Control and composure will matter just as much as power."
That evening, Lyra joined me on the balcony outside our room, the city of Ebonreach sprawling below us in a patchwork of lights and shadows.
"You're quiet," she said, leaning against the railing.
"Just thinking," I replied, the cool night air easing the tension in my chest.
"About the competition?"
"About everything," I admitted. "The competition, the Archive, the Vanguard... it all feels like too much sometimes."
Lyra glanced at me, her expression softening. "You've come a long way, Aric. Don't lose sight of that."
"I know," I said, though the weight of her words didn't ease the pressure.
She turned her gaze back to the city, her voice quiet. "Just remember, you're not in this alone."
The next morning, Cerys introduced me to a new spell, one designed specifically for the second stage of the competition.
"This is Lumen Cloak," she said, demonstrating the spell with a flick of her wrist. A shimmering veil of light surrounded her, bending the air around her form until she seemed to vanish entirely.
"It's an advanced illusion spell," she explained. "It doesn't make you invisible, but it distorts your appearance enough to confuse your opponent."
I nodded, stepping into the center of the room. Summoning mana, I focused on shaping it into a veil of light, weaving it around my body. The energy flickered uncertainly at first, the strands unraveling as quickly as I formed them.
"Focus," Cerys said sharply. "Shape the mana with intent. It's not about hiding—it's about redirecting perception."
I gritted my teeth, drawing the strands of light closer and weaving them into a thin barrier. Slowly, the shimmering veil took shape, distorting my outline into a blur.
"Good," Cerys said, her tone grudgingly approving. "Now hold it."
The pendant at my chest pulsed faintly, the warmth steadying me as I maintained the spell. The veil wavered slightly but held, its edges bending the light around me.
"Not bad for a first attempt," she said, lowering her hand and letting her own veil dissolve. "Keep practicing. Lumen Cloak might just save you in the second stage."
As the competition drew closer, the tension in the city grew palpable. Rumors of the challenges spread through the streets like wildfire, each one more daunting than the last.
"They're saying the first stage will involve balancing multiple spells at once," Lyra said one evening, her tone cautious.
"That's not surprising," I said, extinguishing the flame orb I'd been practicing with. "The judges will want to see how well we can handle pressure."
"Just don't get cocky," she warned. "The Concord loves throwing curveballs. If you're too focused on what you expect, you'll miss what's actually happening."
I nodded, her words a sobering reminder of how much was still at stake.
The days passed quickly, each one bringing new challenges and lessons. The weight of the competition pressed heavily on my shoulders, but the steady warmth of the pendant at my chest reminded me of why I was here.
The path ahead was uncertain, but with each spell, each sparring match, and each lesson, I felt myself growing stronger.
And for the first time, I felt like I had a chance.