Laudis was summoned into the clock room. Will awaited him, and a vintage tea set was placed on the table. The smell of the freshly brewed beverage — the citrus zest, herbs, and honey caught the youth's attention. Now there was something different about the space. The chairs changed from wooden to carved stone, precisely quartz. On the empty one, there was a depiction of a pierced skull with a sword. The second image was hidden behind God.
"Did the name clarify anything for you, mortal?" the being asked, sipping the liquid, as a subtle smile spread across his face.
"No, to be honest, I regret it a little now."
"And why is that? Didn't it make you remember something?"
"No, why would it?"
"So you really aren't aware of the situation..."
"Can I ask you a favour?" the boy wondered without eye contact.
"What is it?"
"Can you teach me magic?"
"No. I am not a teacher nor a mentor; I am a greedy being who cares not for the rest. Though you may help yourself to the drink," the entity said, passing down a cup.
"Thanks. So you won't teach me magic, what about swor—"
"I decline the proposition. Besides, don't you want to know if you have any active blessings or curses? It's not a problem for me to see those things, but the humans have quite a struggle with it."
"What should I offer then?"
"Let me think... What about extending the time of soul possession to ten minutes?"
"I guess three minutes won't make any huge difference, but I seal the pact when I leave. Last time I felt sick after the sealing."
"Okay, just to your knowledge, it's the only way the pacts can be valid. I am the creator of everything, yet some things are harder to change than others. I won't change the mass of an atom for one man's sake, of course, no hard feelings to you. I am just pretty annoyed when I have to do unnecessary work."
"Yeah, then would you mind sharing information about my current enhancement— Tfu! What the hell is this shit?!" the youth spat out the contents of the cup.
"That? Random herbs with perfumes. I have no taste, so I only care for the smell. Next time I will make it more drinkable. Now, moving on to your blessings and curses. You have one blessing active, no curses, and one power which is neither a blessing nor a curse. Precisely, it's a result of some unsuccessful magic usage on you. Perhaps altering a particle, which wasn't supposed to be changed," God replied calmly, pouring the substance from the pot.
"I see... Do you mind sharing what kind of blessing it is?"
"It's a powerful blessing, lasting to your death. The sacrifice was tremendous. Its caster had to pay a great price. It enhances not your physical nor magical power, but your mentality — intelligence, battle experience, emotional intelligence, or true knowledge. Only one is the correct answer. I shared everything I could. Are you content, Laudis?"
"What do you mean by true knowledge?" he asked, puzzled.
"True knowledge is a phrase I use for those who adapt, learn, and understand things with ease. Some might be clever or understand feelings well, but they are worse than the men I've mentioned before. The most dangerous human is the one who can become a shadow and emerge from it at any given time. May we end the meeting? Besides, your time has already ended, so you have nothing to say," the being extended his right hand with the seven-pointed star inside the heptagon.
"Right..." the kid responded, sealing the pact.
The same great pain pierced through Laudis. Yet, unlike yesterday, the experience felt a little shorter to him, almost like he could slowly bear the consequences better.
'Wha, ha, ha... The pain was still huge, despite its duration becoming shorter. I may be imagining this, but I don't feel bad. It's 4:53 a.m., perfect for a run. Only one thing caught my attention. Will thought I would remember Gareth Gwynn. Maybe he is my relative, or a close friend. The entity mentioned something about a power which isn't a curse nor a blessing, hm... Quite a riddle for a novice. After the third trial, I will ask Gladius about him; he is the most trustworthy, I guess. Now, I should get going,' thought Laudis, sitting on the bed holding his silver watch. His breathing was heavy, and his muscles were twitching lightly. The clothes awaited him sitting in the chair.
He drank a glass of water. The sun was rising, and the sky was clear with no major clouds. Some merchants had their stands already open. It made him remember to buy a perfume.
"Greetings, my friend. What do you precisely need? I have sorts of fragrances, including sweet and sexy scents to deep and mature ones," the dark-skinned man with a typical carolar outfit emancipated him for the purchase.
"Give me something long-lasting and heavy. I prefer wood, leather, mineral, or herbal notes."
"Okay, okay, give me a minute... Here, the Burned House made by Nabil Nazir lasts up to nine hours. The top notes are smoke wood, nutmeg, and white pepper. The middle notes are basil and coriander. The base notes are leather, cedar, and hazelnut. The price for the medium-sized bottle is twenty-one golds. Have a try, sir."
"I see... And how much liquid does it contain?" the boy replied, interested in the product. Its smell caught his attention.
"About fifty milliliters, sir. The glass packaging was custom-made; thus, it can be off by five percent."
"Twenty golds is good?"
"Of course, here," the salesman handed him the packaged perfume. It was wrapped in black paper with a red ribbon. The bottle was clear, and the substance inside was black; its cap was scarlet, depicting a running horse. The price covered the entire experience, not only the scent.
He returned to the tavern and left the product in his room. The boy started the run. The thing he focused on was mostly the muscle-mind connection. Laudis had no problem with the distance. Regular breathing while being focused made him accomplish the goal with ease. After that, he ate alone — three rabbit legs, half a bread, and apple juice. He went to the sawmill. He was chopping trees for a few hours. The time was better, but still too long. Returning to the room, he grabbed half a bread and ham with water. After the meal, the kid shadow-boxed and fell asleep. The grind continued for three more days. The challenge awaited him. During the training, Will didn't bother to appear in any of his dreams. He checked the time; it was 5:21 a.m. He walked to the bathroom and cleaned himself. Then the youth put on a black shirt, trousers, and applied the fragrance.
'Today is the day. I think I look all right. Besides, I need to chop down the trees, and not to look good. Nonetheless, I still wonder. How should I know where and when to go? Maybe they are already waiting for me,' thought Laudis, walking downstairs.
The Crusaders were sitting in the corner, everyone eating breakfast. The kid decided to order some food and join them.
"So, when the second trial takes place?"
"Whenever you are ready, yet I advise you to start it sooner rather than later," the knight replied, drinking from a cup.
Udania noticed the scent coming from the youth. She didn't know anyone who would like to wear it. The female bent over and got closer to him.
"Can you distance yourself from the candidate, Udania?" the captain asked, disappointed.
"O—Oh, sorry. I got caught up by your fragrance..." the woman replied, embarrassed.
"Yeah... What about the place?" the boy continued the conversation.
"I will show you the space. Also, you should know that any form of magic usage is forbidden. This is a physical-only challenge."
"Okay. Can I start it after we finish the meal?"
"I don't see any reason why not. Any objections?"
"Duh. Why the hell did you wake me up at half past four!" shouted annoyed Solisia.
"I agree with the peasant! Even the prisoners aren't woken with a sunrise! This is pure torment for the soul and the body!" Dantenium joined with closed eyes. He at least wanted to give his vision a rest.
The girl showed her disapproval of her nickname by kicking his leg.
"It's not my fault, the applicant is an early bird," Gladius responded with chagrin because of the band's attitude.
After everyone had eaten the meal, they went to the royal forest. The clock tower struck half past six with a bell's ring. All merchants were ready to sell the goods. The temperature was moderate. There was a subtle wind, but no cloud hung in the sky. The sun was still hidden behind them, but from time to time it emerged and lit the streets. After a walk, they came to the specially prepared area with twenty-five trees. Every single one of them was numbered with a red chalk.
"The trial will start at precisely seven o'clock. You need to cut them down in a specific order — from the smallest to the largest number. Any usage of technology or magic to manipulate the target is prohibited and results in disqualification. The only allowed equipment to incise the wood is the axe. Auras, blessings, and curses that enhance your physical attributes are also illegal. Is everything clear to you, Laudis?" the captain listed down the rules from the document.
"Yes."
"All right. I will bring it to you one minute before seven a.m.. Then you are free to do the work until seven p.m."
"I understand."
"Great," the man left him and sat on the tree trunk. He took out a golden watch from his pocket and watched as its hands moved.
The time has come. Gladius gave the boy the necessary tool. The showdown began. He took a stable position and started the challenge. Thuck — the steel blade went into the tree. After that, many strikes followed. The temperature was getting higher, making the air drier. He took off his shirt to minimize the effect of the weather, yet it didn't give him much cool. His hair was starting to get wet, and his body began to sweat more. The kid started the notch; every hit destabilized the target. Phoo — the first one collapsed with a huge impact. Laudis took a big sip of water. One after the other, the targets were falling. He grew tired with each collapse. Now, the nineteenth tree stood before him. The youth prepared himself, striking it with his full force; his grip loosened up. The axe slipped out of his hand, falling to the ground.
"What a pity, he can't hold it up any longer! Do you want to make a bet? The odds are five to one, five for his win and one for his loss," Dantenium whispered to Solisia, smiling lightly.
"I guess I can spare fifteen golds for his win. It's not that I don't think he can do it, but I wonder if he's capable of doing so. It's more like a wish, I suppose..."
"Okay, so do we have a deal?"
"Deal," the girl shook his hand. The rest were looking at them with disappointment.
'Think, think, think. Whe, he, ha... I don't have any more strength in my arms. If only I could change up the motion of the hits... Wait, I actually can. I'm a freaking genius!' thought Laudis, crouching with heavy breathing.
The boy took out bandages from his pocket and secured the axe to his hands. He held one end of the knot between his head and shoulder and the second one in his mouth. The material wrapping was his joker, the only variable his mind could think of.
"Huh?! Isn't it cheating?! Gladius, disqualify this brat for illegal items!" shouted Dantenium with anger. The man knew that the tactic could have been a nail to his coffin.
"No. The only thing forbidden is to alter the target; not a single point prohibits changing the provided equipment," the captain was positively surprised by his intellect.
Laudis began to use his whole body to strike down the trees. His hands kept the appropriate height of the incision. His abdominals with back gave the strike the necessary momentum. The white material started to stain red from the opened blisters. They were falling one after the other. Only two remained with twenty-six minutes left. Suddenly, something snapped inside of him. An unknown emotion entered his mind freely. He never felt this way since birth. There was no anger, sadness, or apathy. It was something different from his usual emotions; it was pride. The youth knew the difficulty of the task, yet he had a strange feeling. A weird sensation signaled to his entire body that the goal would be completed, beyond the unfavourable odds. Furthermore, he decided to motivate himself. Of course, the words he used weren't pretty, but harsh, just like the reality he believed in.
'You're worthless! Just kill yourself already! Why didn't you die?! You pathetic idiot! Piece of shit! You're a parasite towards society! You're a plague to mankind! You insect! You fool!' thought Laudis. His eye was wide open, almost bulging out. He entered the zone, but not the same one he experienced when running. A way different one, perhaps a psychopathic one.
The final one stood before him. He took off his eye-patch and started incising the tree with body swings. Every single strike went through his body, almost like he felt pain. His breathing was getting even heavier. The abnormal eye began to bleed, and its pupil widened. The psychosis in which Laudis was submerged wasn't achievable by most. This state required a mental strength, possibly equal to a demigod. The exhaustion was so intense that every strike could make him collapse. The notch was the last thing that he had to do. Thuck... Thuck... Thuck... Phoo — the tree collapsed with a tremendous crash. The boy cleaned the blood off and covered the eye. He rotated and looked at the Crusaders.
Birds were flying away from him because of the sound. The wind slowed down, and the sun was coming to the horizon. It was precisely one minute before the time limit. Dantenium was filled with anger because of his lost bet. Solisia was content with the money she had won. Udania lightly applauded the finished goal. Gladius didn't care to make eye contact. The youth came to them, awaiting a response. His body was all wet, his bandages were red, and his face was tired. At closer inspection, the Crusaders noticed his scarred body. The scars varied — from long, thin, and single to short, wide, and multiple.
"The time's up, you've lost," the captain stated with dissatisfaction.
"What? How?" asked surprised Laudis.
"I won?! Give me my money, you brat!" responded Dantenium with joy, trying to take the coins from the girl.
"But how? I think that he completed the challenge, the time went up just a moment ago," the shocked woman replied.
"Laudis didn't return the axe. It was listed in §12: The tool used for the challenge needs to be returned before the time limit."
"Wait, you didn't say it while listing the rules!" the lightly enraged boy shouted.
"Really? Then I guess you completed the challenge, my congratulations," the knight said, shaking his hand.
"Give back my reward, old man!" the girl chased after the crimson-haired man, who was running away.
"Can you help me?"
"Help with what?" the woman wondered.
"With this," he showed his hands wrapped around the axe.
"Ah, right."
Gladius cut down the bandages with his sword and left the scene with the woman. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a fall. Laudis lost consciousness due to his exhaustion. The boy was lying, his eyes shut soon after.
"Right, I should have asked him whether he was feeling okay," the man facepalmed himself.
"Give me a hand, Udania," he continued, grabbing his one arm.
"Me? I'm not very strong..."
"It doesn't matter, he isn't that heavy. Look at him, his muscles are pronounced. He has a low body fat percentage. I think he weighs around seventy kilograms. I'd estimate his height as one hundred seventy-seven centimeters. Also, look at his scars. They are not only from the vampires. They are for sure from whipping too, especially on his back."
"Yeah... Wait, how did you know his height?"
"You both have the same one. Couldn't you see? Didn't he also walk you over to your room— Ah, why did you kick me?"
"Hm, no reason!"
They walked with him to the tavern. The bells rang, indicating the time — half past seven. The bystanders were looking at them with marvel. After all, a kid was dragged by a woman and a man with his hands covered in blood and blisters. The vendors were whispering, guessing the reason behind it.
"Did he drink too much?" a salesman wondered.
"No, I think he just got hit by one of them during training. They are the Crusaders after all," another one replied, pointing at their headbands.
After a while, they arrived at the tavern. The customers were shocked by the scene, yet not even a single one dared to ask. They dragged him into his room, putting him on his bed.
"Phew! Finally, ahh! He is quite an organised person, but I don't see any of his belongings. I wonder if he has any," Udania sat down in the chair with heavy breathing. Nonetheless, the woman was glad. The deed was paid off.
"Yeah, we should get going now. I don't think he would enjoy our company now. Besides, he has the third trial tomorrow; it's better to leave him rest," the knight replied, reopening the door.
"Wait. I see a picture frame under his bed. Maybe it's his old photograph... I wonder how he loo—"
"Stop it in this instant. You have no power to see his personal items. Respect his privacy, at least his..." the captain grabbed her hand with a serious look.
"Okay, damn..."
Both of them left the room. Laudis was submerged in deep sleep. Every breath he took was controlled and deep. The boy didn't fully recover from the battle he went through, yet a single thing was pretty off. A subtle smile drew on his face, a smile of relief. Despite the pain and trouble, the youth was content. The second trial was completed.