Zach blinked a few times.
'What?'
They weren't the only ones here?
Eli pointed towards a distance on the horizon.
"See that?" she asked.
Zach glanced in that direction. "See what..?"
He squinted his eyes to see orange flickering in the distance.
"Someone has a fire," Eli spoke calmly.
And it was not theirs.
"Or some massive flame-breathing thyxar is wreaking havoc on the ice... we really have to consider our options," Zach proposed.
"Creatures stick to their habitat," Eli responded with a stern look.
Zach just sighed in defeat.
"How 'bout it..?"
"What?" Zach looked at Eli.
"Wanna go check it out?"
"Hell nah, I'd rather stick to this warmth and comfort." Zach tightened his legs, sitting on the rock.
"I'll go..." She stood up and began walking to the flickering light outside the steep cave.
Zach watched her figure as it left the cave, a pang of guilt lingering over him.
'Should I really leave her out there..?'
Zach pondered as she descended into the shadow of the night.
'Should I help her...? Wait... what am I saying? She's basically stronger than me, wields more courage, and actually knows swordsmanship.'
'If anything attacks us, she'll be the one saving me.' He shook his head.
But what if danger struck, and the only reason she died was because her partner didn't follow her? Maybe the enemy needed to be beaten by two people.
Zach couldn't live with himself knowing that he caused that to happen.
Zach finally stood up, looking at the light flickering in the distance.
"I hope I won't regret it."
Zach stepped out of the cave and was instantly greeted with snow falling on his shoulder.
It was kind of weird because in the morning the sun was emitting heat that melted the snow, but now the moon cast a glorious red beam onto the icy earth canyon and the cold raged.
Zach let out a fogged breath.
He walked towards the flickering lights. They bounced off some of the icy surfaces of the walls, but ultimately Zach could tell where the directions were.
It was ominous.
Normally on earth, Zach would hear the sound of owls hooting or see the silhouettes of bats cruising through the sky.
But it was silent.
Zach's footprints were left on the snow as he went deeper into the canyon.
"She couldn't have gone that far, could she?"
Zach instantly spotted her small footprints leading straight towards a curve in the rugged canyon.
'Of course she would.'
Zach walked further into the light.
As he walked, he began to see more and more fires combining to form a scattered pattern.
Zach instantly knew something was wrong. He turned back sharply.
'Oh hell no.'
The snowy path behind was no more, replaced by an even more jagged joint that split into three ways.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The realization slowly dawned on Zach.
His heartbeat sped up, the night's icy wind biting into his skin made his tension higher for some reason.
The moon's gaze remained neutral, but everything else changed. The place seemed to shift and turn, and Zach hadn't actually trained for this in the academy.
What if he messed up?
What if he died?
Zach had to come to terms with the fact that he might die just because he was a gentleman.
Zach looked around once again, not moving, as if waiting for a path out of this mess to magically appear.
At this point, he felt if he just took a step forward it could determine if he would survive or not.
~
The Fissure is a game. What differentiates the high-level seekers from the low lives is that they find and exploit active loopholes in the game.
~
Zach still remembered the words from his lecturers back at the Mystic Arts College.
"The more you know, the better off you are."
Zach expected some sort of system bulletin board, but nothing.
Zach tried to summon the system, but the system didn't respond.
'Is the game blocking the system??'
He looked forward at the T-junction of the canyon labyrinth.
And then finally, he took a step forward.
!!!!!![Test of Truth]!!!!!!!
A massive bulletin board appeared.
'Gulp.'
[The maw has swallowed your path, seeker]
[In the game of truth every step is a wager...]
[You have entered the hostile veins of transparency, where the truth bleeds for none]
Zach's eyes followed the long message that came after.
[Objective: Reach the source of the flame before the night breathes its last.
Deadline: Till the sun's gaze touches you.
Rewards for success:
A fragment of the map of anchors.
The Warmth of Truth.
Consequences for failure:
The world forgets your existence, you become an echo etched in the ice.]
[Rules....]
[[1. Path sealing: Once a path is left behind, it will never be crossed again.
2. Direction marking: You can etch markings on the ice, but that might lead the Witcher to find you... proceed with caution.
3. Silent step: Any noise that lasts more than a heartbeat will immediately call the Witcher... be quiet.
4. Truth doesn't delay: It takes one minute to answer a question (take a path), and the consequences will fall on you if the timer runs out.
5. Light beckons: The flame is your target. Only by touching its warmth can you win the game. Beware: the Witcher will guard the flame with his life.
6. Reflection matters not: Do not reflect on a past decision. Let the past be the past.
7. Beware of the Deceiver: The Deceiver is a lion looking for whom to devour... be wise.]]
[[NOTE: Once you choose a path, you must stay true to it or you will never see the light.]]
It's a game.
There are rules.
There are consequences.
Zach wasn't expecting something like this, but he stood perfectly still, trying his best to remain calm.
He read through the rules again and again.
First of all, who is the Witcher and the Deceiver? Somehow Zach didn't want to find out who or what they were, but something told him he was going to find out later.
Zach looked around, and etched on the ice that separated the two-way junction, Zach saw... something.
The first path said 'Darkest Desires' written on the right side of the road, and
'Darkest Past' was written on the other.
[[Take a path to begin the game]]
He took a deep breath.
Basically, they just wanted him to tell the truth always.
'Okay... I can do that,' he exhaled.
The term 'Darkest Desires' wasn't really his strong suit, and he felt really uncomfortable with that thought, so he just accepted the most viable option.
He took a deep breath once again.
"Dark past."
And walked into the left path.