Some people recognized her as she slowly walked to the light gate. To them, she was that weird snow-haired girl who managed to calm the scary black knight down. To others, she was their teammate. Nori and Emma gave her respectful nods, and Emma even clapped her on the back as she walked by.
Eventually, though, she reached the imposing gateway. The mana that came off of it was unlike any she had felt. It was warm like the sun and rubbed across her body, as if a hundred hands were reaching out to clasp her.
"You can start anytime." Pretty Face giggled from up top where she rested. "Go ahead, dear."
Olivia nodded, and, with nothing left to lose, she forced herself to take another step. Fail or pass. It was all about to reach its end.
Instantly, as soon as she stepped through the gate, Olivia felt a sharp twisting knot in her stomach. It was the same feeling she'd get whenever she stepped into a dungeon. She felt a weight on her shoulders, and her eyes burned slightly as they adjusted to the sunlight. The next thing she saw, once her eyes fixed themselves, was a looming castle.
A gasp escaped her as she stared up at it. Just like a dungeon, she had seemingly been transported somewhere else.
The castle was just as grand as the one in the lava dungeon had been, but it was less horrific and gothic. White marble stretched up to the sky, and there were dozens of pillars all connected together. It looked like a lot of the magic schools had all been gathered in one place and stacked on top of the same mountain, with new walls built to connect them all.
She stood on a sloped mountain, and it was covered in lush green grass, with various trees jutting out of the ground all around her. A path led up to the castle, which really wasn't that far away, and a heavy set of stone doors was open, almost as if it were inviting her. Down the mountain was another shocking sight that made her gasp and stare in shock.
A battlefield. Unlike the mountain, it was rough, full of destroyed earth and burnt land, which seemed to go on for miles. Screaming filled the air, and there were hundreds of people, all dressed in heavy-looking armor, carrying swords, axes, or spears. They all charged at a lone figure that was above the battlefield.
She wasn't able to get too good of a look at them, but they stood upon a crimson red cloud that had been plucked from the sky and twisted into something new, and they wore long, flowing white robes and had on a circular hat that blocked most of their head. The figure was also turned away from her, facing the rapidly approaching army.
Casually, they reached into their robe and pulled out a small, thin piece of paper that had red ink written across it in some sort of symbol. Wordlessly, the figure threw paper toward the group, and it exploded and expanded into a hail of raging red liquid that began to tear into the armored soldiers, ripping them to bits.
It was blood! The red liquid snaked and hissed, taking on a serpentine-like appearance, forming many snake-like heads that tore into the armored men, breaking past their armor and flesh, and painting the ground red.
The figure pulled out more pieces of paper and tossed them around. One of them flew into the air and exploded, sending waves of blood knives down across the ground, while another became a large, twisting crow that swooped down and peeled the scalps off of the warriors.
While this all happened, the figure in white remained on his cloud and watched as the soldiers were slaughtered. Olivia felt sick at her stomach, and she resisted the urge to vomit. The smell of blood filled the air, and the sound of flesh tearing kept ringing through her ears. These weren't monsters she was watching die. They were people. These soldiers were all being slaughtered en masse by what she assumed was a blood mage.
It was hard to tell, though, for while they used blood, the size of their spells was massive, having far more range than hers. Not to mention, they weren't casting any spells, or at least they weren't saying anything out loud, which should have been impossible.
Also, what exactly was this? Was she in another simulation? She somehow doubted it, yet the sight that was happening to her couldn't be real, could it? Just as she was wondering this, the sight before her changed in an instant. One moment she was looking at the war-torn battlefield, and then the next, she was standing somewhere else, the moment she blinked.
Olivia let out a gasp and looked around in shock. Now she was standing in a new forest. This one was covered in snow and ice, which raged on around her, and in a clearing of the forest, she saw several men circling around a single figure. The men all wore black silk and looked sort of like how you'd expect a ninja to look from a children's story. They had on masks and carried short curved swords and were all giving off a tremendous wave of mana.
"The Shogun has ordered your death." One of the men hissed out. "Are you prepared to lay your life down and allow your head to be taken back?"
The person who stood before the ninjas was a woman, though she too was dressed in a black silk outfit that covered her body, along with a flowing cloak and a bamboo hat. A red oni mask covered her face, and instead of saying anything, she quietly drew the katana that rested at her side, causing all the men to tense up.
Her sword was pure red, lacking all color, and once again, Olivia realized it was made of blood. The woman almost lazily twisted her wrist in a clock-like motion, and with her other hand, she motioned for the men to come.
"You've chosen death!" One of the ninja screamed. "For the shogun!"
The men charged, and what happened next was a massacre. The woman was faster and reached one of the men and sliced out with her blade. It cut into his side, and he let out a scream before suddenly he exploded, sending a wave of red. The woman then twisted her sword again, and it rapidly grew in size, extending and expanding, cutting through several more men and causing them to also blow up.
One of the ninja managed to block her strike, but the woman's sword twisted like a whip and bent fully around his blade, slicing his head clean in two.
By the time the woman was done, the white forest was bathed in scarlet. This time, Olivia was unable to hold back, and she threw up. Her feet were stained in the blood from how close she had been to the battle, and the smell burned her nose and made her eyes water. She gagged and covered her mouth but couldn't stop the shaking.
When she did finally look up, she froze. The woman in the mask was looking right at her. She shivered and felt a sudden wave of fear as the woman cocked her head to the side. Now that she was able to get a better view of the woman, she noticed a bit of snow-white hair poking out of a tight bun she had on. The woman stepped forward and raised her sword, and Olivia screamed, but before the blade could come down, everything twisted and changed once more.
Now, instead of a forest, she was seated on stone. Screams filled the air, and Olivia jumped to her feet, studying the new environment. She was in a city, just like any other, with tall stone buildings and cars that were on the street. The city looked destroyed, though, with fire clinging to the towers and cracks snaking their way along the street. There were also hundreds of people running around in a panic, and Olivia instantly saw why.
A monster was ripping its way through the city, tearing through the buildings as if they were made of wet paper. The creature was massive and was even bigger than some of the buildings. It looked like a giant praying mantis, but it was covered in black scales and had four arms that sliced through the air, sending blades of sharp air out that cut through the crowd of people, splitting them to bits.
The mantis monster went to take a step forward, but before it could attack another crowd of people, a wave of red smashed into the side of its head as a massive blood rocket exploded against the side of its face. Some of the people let out cheers, and suddenly Olivia spotted a new figure.
This one stood in the middle of the road and was decked out from head to toe in what looked like armor. It reminded her a lot of the kind Tori wore, as it was highly advanced and made out of tech, but it also flowed across the figure, and like the last two visions, it had the scent of blood coming off of it. This person was wearing advanced blood armor.
The helmet had a black visor across it, and the blood armor was mixed with the tech, with glowing mana lines running across the suit. The armored warrior held a red rocket launcher, which was still smoking, but they casually tossed it to the side and did a pose, pointing into the air.
"Activate, blood core!" A female voice announced from the suit. "Manifest, my Titan! Blood Beast!"
The giant mantis monster struck down at the warrior in red, but before its claws could reach her, there was a rumbling sound, and suddenly a beam of white light fired down from the air and formed around the woman. The mantis was shoved back, and Olivia openly gawked at what she saw next.
Where the woman had been now stood a giant. It was as big as the mantis, taking up the entire street, and was forged out of a red metal. Where its head should have been was a platform on which the woman now stood. Her arms were folded, and the armored beast she stood on copied her movements.
The woman grabbed at her side, and the suit followed, drawing a sword as long as a skyscraper. "Blood-Saber, online!" The sword hummed and caused the air itself to scream as a tremendous amount of mana ignited the blade, casting it in blood-red flames, and the woman stepped forward and raised her arms, the suit following her commands. "You're finished! Killer move, Bleeding Slash!"
The woman sliced down, and the mantis monster attempted to block the strike, but it never stood a chance. The sword ripped through it. The monster was sliced in half, and the suit spun dramatically, turning its back on the beast. A second later, the creature exploded. Not like the ninjas did, this was an actual explosion with fire, which the woman on top kept her back to, looking cool as the fire died out.
The people in the crowd were all cheering and chanting, but Olivia was too focused on the woman to hear what they were saying. She watched as the massive suit lowered to a knee and bowed its neck, allowing the woman in armor to step off and fall to the ground. Her red suit absorbed the impact, and when she stood up, a camera crew was already surrounding the woman, filming her.
"Worry not, citizens." The woman exclaimed, and she placed her hands on her hips. "So long as I am here, you are all safe. That I swear!" The woman slowly reached up and grabbed her helmet, taking it off. "No monster will get past the great Mary Lot." The woman smiled, and Olivia gasped when she saw her pale skin, blood-red eyes, and snow-white hair.
It was her? The woman in the red armor? She was looking at herself.
"What the hell?"
And suddenly it was gone. Just like the last two times, everything shifted and changed. She was at the end of whatever this was, though, because she wasn't in a field, a city, or a forest. She floated in a sea of white fire, and all around her were strands of DNA, forged from glowing lights.
Finally, it was a sight she expected. The core she had seen so long ago when she first awakened her grimoire. The tendrils wrapped around her, and she turned, seeing the familiar orb of light—the core of the king.
"Mary Lot, daughter of Arthur Roads, daughter of Olivia Lot, wielder of the Witch of Red, welcome back."
Olivia breathed heavily, her eyes still wide and full of shock from what she had just seen. "What was that?" She demanded. "That was you, right?"
The core flashed with several different colors and seemed to hum. "For some, the path they were set on is simple and easy to explain. A single moment is what molded them and made them who they are. They're someone who showing them the past would do nothing to. Your friend Davi Hawker was one such person."
"Davi?" Olivia blinked, slowly calming down. "Right, he was in here as well, wasn't he? You didn't show him things like you did me?"
"His path was already set. I gave him a little nudge and showed him enough, but you're different. Another friend of yours was the same as you. Ash Anderson. He required being shown a lot. The two of you are a lot alike. A single event set you on a path, but you continued to change and go forward, unlike others. For Mr. Hawker, his event changed when the world he knew came to an end. I could have shown him other versions of himself, but it wouldn't have done anything for him, as he simply can't picture a version of himself that isn't who he is. You and Mr. Anderson, on the other hand, both allow your minds to run wild."
"So those were other versions of me?" Olivia frowned. "I find it hard to believe I could ever be like that."
"And why is that?" The core questioned her, its tendrils easing up on its hold.
"Those versions were all strong. They were so powerful and able to use their blood magic in ways I can't." Olivia shook her head. "They can't be me."
"Whether true or not, at times you pictured yourself like that, did you not?" The core glowed again and shimmered. "What would have happened if your father didn't leave you in this kingdom? What if he left you in a different land? Would you still be the you that you currently are, weak and pathetic, or would you be able to evolve past your level of skill and become something greater? Those were your thoughts."
Olivia was forcefully turned, the tendril twisting her, and in front of her, the air shimmered and glowed. A person appeared, dressed in white robes with a circular hat on. The person she had seen slaughter the men. She could see their face now, and sure enough, it was her—a Rossum Martial Cultivator.
Next to that version of her, the samurai appeared, one hand clutching her blade, which was at her side. Her mask was off, hanging from a strap from her belt, and Olivia cringed when she saw how horribly scarred that version of her face had become. A Mordheim Spell Sword.
The last figure was the version of her in the blood-red armor. The woman had her helmet off, holding it at her side, and was doing a goofy pose again. A Gallenth Sovereign Philosopher.
All three versions of herself remained standing in place, looking lifeless. "Could these have been you?" The core seemed to read her mind, and she was willing to bet it could, as it said what she was thinking. "If your father had left you somewhere else, could you have adapted and grown differently? Would you move past being useless and become a great warrior, or would nothing change? These women are all so strong, but can you really be like them? What do you think, Mary Lot?"
"I don't know what to think," Olivia admitted.
"You're in the present." The tendrils began to place her down and let go of her arms and legs. She stood on the air, just as her lookalikes did. "You're you, and they are them. It's possible to change, though. To grow. Which one would you like to be? What Mary Lot is the best Mary Lot?"
Olivia took a hesitant step forward, and she eyed the girls up. It was a little creepy how they stared ahead with blank looks, not reacting to anything. She waved her hand in front of their faces, and yet they still did nothing.
"Go on." The core urged. "Pick. Which version of yourself do you like the best?"
Which version was the best? They were all stronger than her. One could use spells without saying the name and fire waves of blood magic with paper. The other version wielded a sword and the skills to use it, easily slaughtering a group of trained ninjas, and the final version of her fought with a literal giant and swung around a sword with so much mana it felt like the energy the captains had. Compared to who she was, each version was better in every way. Certainly not useless.
Eventually, though, Olivia made up her mind. "I know what you're trying to do."
"Do you now?" The core asked, sounding almost amused.
"I do." Olivia nodded and smiled softly before looking back at the core. She slowly brought her hand up and pointed at herself. "I pick me." She stated. "The version I am right now. Sure, those other three might be better than me, but that doesn't matter because they aren't Arcane Knights. The version of me I want to be is the version that fulfills my dream. So how about it? How's that for an answer?" She smirked.
The core glowed. "I see. In that case… Mary Lot."
Olivia gulped slowly. "Yes?" Was this it? Was she about to pass the exam? It felt easy? Shockingly so—
"You fail."
"...Huh?"
The core flashed black. "I've decided you're not fit to be an Arcane Knight."