"We have four hours until we leave the resting house," Christian explained. "Rest and eat something. This might be the last decent meal we have in a while." The others nodded, and Christian went to bathe, eat, and sleep for the remainder of the time.
Everybody had a short power nap, woke up, bathed, and fed themselves before preparing for the upcoming test. Christian had to bewitch a second protection dagger and ring for Xin'er since the first one was a conjured item and dissipated after twenty-four hours. Once that was done, the team was prepared for the subsequent trial.
"I'm going to miss the lavish baths," Lucretia uttered, her voice laced with a sense of loss.
"Forget about bathing — we have to go back to eating that horrible ant meat," Xin'er said in a crying voice.
"I agree with Xin'er," Christian added. "I wish there were a spell that allowed me to store food as energy for when I need it. Alright, time is running out, so get into the bag as I get us through that field."
Lucretia immediately stared at him: "You know we are not useless."
"I'm fully aware of that, but I'm not confident in my spell to protect all of you," Christian explained. Although he had trained the Patronus Charm to sufficient proficiency, he did not want to take the risk.
"No need to argue," Xin'er said as she became the first person to enter the bag. Lucretia snorted coldly before entering. Christian looked at the countdown, and there were 15 minutes left. He took a deep breath before casting the Patronus Shield and walking out.
As soon as he stepped into the Negative Energy Field, his bag of holding trembled before releasing all living creatures, including the frozen Menes. Christian was shocked but swiftly expanded the shield to protect everyone from the negative energy.
"What just happened?" Lucretia asked as she looked around.
"I think the test forbids using spatial artifacts," Christian explained as he unsuccessfully tried to put Menes away.
"So, we must participate with you?"
"It appeared so," Christian nodded. "Since that's the case, let's proceed accordingly. Lucretia, please mold a piece of metal into a wand shape."
"Oh! Okay!"
After getting the metal wand, Christian bewitched it with the Levitation Charm and handed it to Xin'er. "You're in charge of Menes. Keep an eye on whether the ice is melting or not."
"You can count on me," Xin'er nodded.
"Let's go."
The team looked into the distance, where the singular light source in this dark place was located. Christian hesitated briefly before leading everyone in that direction. Their formation was usual: Lucretia in front, Xin'er in the middle, except this time, she was carrying a frozen coffin, and Christian was in the back, replacing Menes.
As they headed to their destination, the group encountered a few violent ghosts and wraiths, but they proved no match for Christian's defense. He even encountered the previous female Wraith, who returned for revenge, but the end result was the same.
Everything appeared calm, and all signs indicated they would pass this part of the trial without trouble. Unfortunately, fate had another plan for them. Without realizing it, the team found themselves next to another team, and their leader was a recognizable face: a member of the Four Golden Treasures, Sesha Mesmori.
Even in this darkly lit room, her beauty and charm were unparalleled. Her team consisted of three other people—two men and one woman. The men had a dazed look in their eyes, but the woman looked at them aggressively. A silver-white butterfly floated before the team, releasing an intense light that dispelled all the negative energy.
'A corporeal Patronus,' Christian thought with a grave expression.
Sesha was slightly shocked by this sudden encounter, but she swiftly regained her bearing and smiled gently, and everyone's heart beat faster. Christian swiftly regained his bearing. 'Is this a natural charm or her spell?'
However, he did not have time to contemplate the answer as he heard a warning cry: "Watch out!" His instinct and years of Capoeira training kicked in, and he rolled to the side. As he stood up, Christian checked his right side to wipe his blood. 'Luckily, it's a flesh wound.'
His gaze shifted to the target: Lucretia. "Why?" he asked.
"I…can't…control…myself!"
Christian immediately understood what was happening — her mind was charmed by that woman. He rolled again to the left as Xin'er had controlled Menes' frozen coffin to drop on him. 'I must neutralize them as soon as possible.'
Christian waved his hand to detach the Patronus Shield from its connection to his wand. And as soon as he did this, Sesha went on the offensive. Her butterfly crashed into the shield, leaving cracks. Christian knew time was running out.
He immediately used a disarming charm on Xin'er, removing her metal wand and dagger. Without these artifacts, she was incapable of casting a spell. He used a shield to protect himself from Lucretia's sword attacks before knocking her out with a Stunning Spell. Xin'er rushed toward him in a suicide attack, but she received the same treatment.
Christian then focused on the Patronus Shield, trying to repair the cracks and prevent them from dying due to a rapid invasion of negative energy. However, while focusing on this task, he heard something breaking, followed by intense pain in his left leg.
He groaned as he looked at the sword before looking back. His companions were standing even with their eyes closed. 'She can still control them when they've lost consciousness?' He was lucky he still had the previous Shield Charm protecting him, which deflected the sword's direction to his legs. Otherwise, his only fate would have been impalement.
Christian gritted his teeth before conjuring ropes to tie those two before transfiguring the ropes into metal. He ignored his injuries for now, focusing on the integrity of his Patronus Shield.
"Not bad," Sesha said, her voice transferred through her Butterfly Patronus. Christian looked her in the eyes and immediately entered her mind. What welcomed him was a fortress, unlike anything he had seen before. She was so detailed in the defense of her mind that it could be described as an art.
"You dare invade the mind of a member of the Mesmeri Family?" Sesha said as she stood above the fortress, which could be described as a fortified city. "I don't know if you are bold or stupid."
Christian looked at her defense and shook his head in disapproval. He did not waste time and retreated. Sesha would not allow this and tried to stop him, but he evaded her attempts. So, she followed him into his mind.
Sesha found herself before a towering wall. She looked at it with appreciation: "Quite the decent protection — especially for someone so young," she praised. It took her a few seconds, but she soon found a flaw in the wall and tore it apart. Sesha then found herself in Christian's Mind Palace.
Christian was transporting countless books, which represented his memory, into a particular room in the back. When he saw Sesha, he was shocked, followed by a wave of panic. He abandoned what he was doing before rushing into that same room.
"You can't escape," Sesha chuckled before following. They are currently in spirit form, which is an external manifestation of the soul when interacting with the external layers of the mind. In other words, the soul relies on the first layer of the mind, but the spirit governs all the different layers.
Sesha knew that as long as she could control this man's spirit, she could use it to find and charm his soul. The spirit is the first layer of defense for the Soul, and bypassing the spirit protection before reaching the soul is impossible unless someone has outstanding accomplishments in soul magic.
As soon as Sesha entered that room, her body paused as a horrendous fear seeped deep into her soul. Her spirit screamed before exploding into countless pieces.
Sesha, in the real world, suddenly opened her eyes and vomited a mouthful of blood. The woman on the team immediately rushed to support her."Eldritch…Monster," She stuttered as her mind started slipping into unconsciousness. The injury to her spirit was severe, but she understood that it was not the time to pass out, so she controlled herself to mutter. "Take…me…away."
"You heard the Lady," yelled the stern woman. The other men, who acted like mindless zombies, picked up Sesha and the other woman before rushing into the distance. The butterfly followed them, but it was losing its shine with each passing moment.