Roy stopped going for the mirrors in the rest of the towers. Instead, he went into the fountain and headed for a light grey stone wall standing right beside it. He closed his eyes and stuck his ear against it. The wall was smooth and hard to the touch, and he could hear the sound of flowing water hiding behind the stone wall.
A smile of relief curled his lips. “The process didn’t go exactly as I thought, but the endgame is still the same. All I have to do is smash this wall and fill the fountain up with water. You’d better keep your promise, O’Dimm!”
“We’ll see,” he answered nonchalantly.
Roy made a blue triangle in the air. Mana flowed out of his hand, and he pushed the triangle at the wall. A powerful air current slammed against the wall, creating a loud bang. Dust rained down, but the water didn’t come gushing out like Roy expected.
The wall was still standing. Aard failed to break it. “Everything went according to plan. It should have been done…” Roy was starting to panic. The sand in the hourglass was almost out. He had five minutes left.
A few moments later, he slammed the wall again, but to no avail. His blood ran cold, and his heart sank. His breathing was getting ragged. Reality was cruel. His mind told him that his mastery of Aard was not powerful enough to break the wall. That was one thing he neglected. Even with the Elder Blood, his Signs were at Level 2 at most. He was surprised he couldn’t break the wall, but that was to be expected.
“The school’s not revived yet. I still have to create the brotherhood. And I have to meet Moore, Susie, Coral, and Ciri again. I can’t lose!”
“Face it, mate!” Gaunter mocked. “The chance to break this spell is right in front of you, but you let it slip! Not my fault you can’t break the wall. Now come with me. You and Aryan are going to see a magnificent world!”
“No!” Roy shouted. He could almost see the Master of Mirrors smiling eerily at him. Who knows what’ll happen if I go with him? He might devour my soul.
He was starting to hallucinate. An endless darkness and void was swallowing him up, erasing all evidence of his existence. The young witcher darted to the wall and thumped it frantically. He punched the wall as hard as he could, but all he did was injure himself.
Eventually his fists were nothing but a mess of flesh and blood. He could see his bones exposed in the air. His Strength was double that of most people’s, but he was nowhere near breaking a sturdy marble slab.
“Hahaha!” Gaunter laughed. “What happened to your confidence? I can’t believe you got into a bet with me just to take a soul I rightfully gained! I admire your courage. Even so, you’re still a coward who won’t accept his own death. Just take my blessing already.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Look again.” Roy put his broken arm closer to Gaunter, and something miraculous happened.
Flesh and bone were starting to sprout, and tiny tentacles appeared. They grew quickly, restructuring the missing hand in less than ten seconds. Roy’s face, which was white from blood loss, recovered quickly. The wounds from his continuous battle quickly went away as well.
Roy looked energetic, his eyes shining like stars. He looked so lively, it was as if he had never gone through the maze’s tribulation.
“What a surprise, witcher. Anything else you’re hiding from me?”
“Leave, Gaunter O’Dimm!” Roy laughed heartily. “You’ll never find out!”
“Shen ggonia monerie, ara scdebi!” Gaunter chanted something else, and white light burst forth from his body. He broke free of the witcher’s grasp, falling back into the pool of blood. He clapped his hand and moved backward, falling down into the pool. Flames started burning around his body, and crimson patches covered him.
Two golden parchments flew out from his pockets. They charged into the flames and turned to ash. A black leather journal that contained the Manticore School’s top secrets and the way to strengthen Roy’s Elder Blood floated in front of him.
At the same time, Roy felt a searing pain coming from his right wrist. It felt like a poker was stuck to his skin. A moment later, an ancient, crimson rune showed up. It was the shape of a messy, bloody ball of strings.
“You win this time, witcher, but the test ten years later won’t be this easy. You had better grow strong. You’re as weak as an insect right now. Strengthen your soul. There’s an even more exciting game waiting for you.”
Gaunter cackled, but his laughter soon turned into the guttural growl of a beast. He was burned to cinders and fell into the deepest parts of the pool, engulfed by a ball of golden sun. Roy felt everything spin again, and he blacked out.
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