At the end of the corridor, Basil reached a large hall, at the center of which stood a platform holding a carved tablet with a mark matching the one on his left hand, and behind it, a massive wall in the shape of a cube.
Before Basil could advance, the ground trembled beneath his feet, and a massive creature appeared before him: a bull's head with a stone glowing with molten red at its center, a majestic lion's body, and behind it a hide resembling crocodile skin extending to a long, twisting tail, its eyes brimming with rage and awe.
Its deep voice echoed through the hall, piercing the silence, as it said:
"Intruder… who are you to dare step into this place?"
Basil stopped steadily, despite his quickened breaths, and said:
"Take it easy, strange creature… I have come here only to take what is mine."
The creature moved slowly, then continued in a deep voice:
"Anyone who dares to steal what is not rightfully theirs… meets their end by my hand, and their name is erased from existence!"
In a fleeting moment, the creature lunged swiftly, attacking Basil with its massive claws.
With a quick reaction, Basil blocked the strike with his sword, his hands trembling from the force of the impact. He tried to push his sword forward, struggling to resist the immense power confronting him.
The creature moved swiftly again, striking once more. This time Basil could not fully block it, as its claws pierced his left side with force, sending burning pain through his body. His grip slackened for a moment, and with the next blow, the sword slipped from his hand, sliding away with a metallic sound.
Before he could recover it, the beast charged again, delivering a violent blow to his chest, throwing him backward into the solid hall wall.
Air left his lungs, he felt painful cracks along his ribs, and a pain piercing his entire body. Yet he raised his left hand in a defensive stance, attempting to endure.
The creature lunged once more, and before the claws could strike him, the mysterious mark on Basil's hand suddenly illuminated, emitting a strong glow that filled the hall with its light.
The creature froze immediately, its eyes shifting from rage to astonishment, staring at the mark with widened eyes. Then it said in a low voice:
"This… this is impossible… that mark…"
It stepped back in amazement, then knelt and lowered its head, speaking in a low voice carrying clear respect:
"I have been waiting for you, my lord. The mark on your hand is the Mark of Destiny, granting its bearer the right to reach the 'Rashid Necklace.'"
It lifted its head again and continued:
"I am Amtores, your faithful servant and guardian of the Rashid Necklace. Tell me, what is your purpose?"
Basil, barely able to speak due to exhaustion and pain, answered in a broken voice:
"I want to become the Lord of Wishes so that…"
Basil continued, but his words were unheard, keeping his goal a secret between him and Amtores.
The creature looked at Basil with astonished eyes, then stepped back slightly and said:
"There is something great within you… something I cannot comprehend…"
Then it continued:
"To achieve your goal, you must gather the Seven Papryos Stones and master the Key of the Formative Vein."
Basil responded: "The Key of what?"
At that moment, Amtores touched the stone fixed on his forehead and tapped it twice. His body began to glow gradually until it transformed into an iron gauntlet equipped with a movable bracelet, engraved with three symbols pulsating with power and protection.
Basil approached the gauntlet, and when he touched it, he felt overwhelming energy flowing through his body.
He stood looking at the gauntlet in astonishment, before hearing a deep voice emanating from it:
"I have granted you my power… you will find me a weapon and a shield for you. Beware, the path is full of dangers, but I will stand by your side."
After catching his breath and rising slowly, Basil approached the platform bearing the carved mark.
As soon as he placed his left hand on the tablet, the wall began to move gradually downward, disappearing completely beneath the ground, revealing another platform upon which a necklace rested, set with a gemstone glowing in vivid colors, emitting a faint light that filled the place with a mysterious aura.
As he touched it, he felt energy surging through his body, followed by a tremendous rush of power.
The stone glowed with ascending light, and delicate golden lines spread from its center, wrapping around his fingers as if pulsating with life. At the same moment, a powerful beam shot from the temple, piercing the ceiling and ascending to the sky like a pillar of bright light, while the ground shook violently.
Meanwhile, in the far north, clouds gathered and heavy rain fell on a distant island, with lightning striking endlessly.
On the island stood a mountain, and in its depths lay a massive black body covered with shiny scales, resting in silence, its deep breathing echoing in the space.
With a strong bolt of lightning at that moment, its eyes opened, glowing red amidst the darkness.
The creature spoke:
"What is this sensation? A feeling I have not experienced for a long time… it seems someone has possessed the Zeres power… Whoever it is, I will be waiting for them."
Meanwhile, in the far east, where the desert sands stretch endlessly, the ground trembled beneath a herd of panicked sheep, while the wind carried sand, enveloping the place in thick dust.
A man was driving the herd through the sands, smiling as he spoke to the sheep reassuringly:
"Do not fear, sheep, be calm, for the ground we stand on is safe. You must be happy like her… for his journey to become the Master of Wishes has begun."
Somewhere in the far west, amid the ocean, hurricanes raged violently, water vortices spun fiercely, and dark clouds collided with successive lightning strikes.
Amid this scene, a majestic black palace stood above the sea, surrounded by massive pillars, fixed in place despite the storm surrounding it.
In one of its rooms, a hunched figure moved from a corner, draped in a tattered cloak, his hands wrinkled. He walked with a strange stoop, holding a golden cup containing a dark reddish substance.
He approached a chair where a shadowed person sat, offering him the cup while trembling, then said:
"This is what we feared… the sea rages with his arrival."
He then looked at the flame on the wall as it flickered out, saying:
"And the fire hides itself in fear of him… the First Pole has appeared."
The person sitting on the chair took the cup and said:
"If he truly is the First Pole, then there is something behind him."
He drank from the cup and said:
"The enemy of Izefira!"
From the south, a person appeared with long hair of two colors; one half black and the other white, with eyes of contrasting colors, one black and the other white.
He was holding his daughter, spinning her while laughing, saying:
"Finally… what a joyous feeling! I am eager to see him."
He then set the child down, and she spoke:
"Why are you so happy? I have not seen you with such joy for a long time, but I am happy for it."
He replied with a light smile:
"I wonder… does he know of me as much as I know of him?"
Meanwhile, Basil began to experience hallucinations, seeing lights and unclear shapes moving around him. He lost his sense of time and place, and everything became mysterious and foggy.
He could no longer distinguish reality from illusion, as if his soul wandered through other worlds.
At that moment, he began to hear a mysterious voice echoing in his ear:
"You are on the right path now… yet you may wish to turn away… while you still can."
Basil froze in place, feeling an internal pull; a struggle between curiosity and fear.
Moments later, Basil emerged from the gate with unsteady steps, still in a hallucinatory state.
As he exited the gate, he encountered the snake once more, and it lunged at him as before. Despite its attack, Basil remained calm and composed.
As the snake approached him swiftly, Basil thrust out his left hand with force, and suddenly, the mysterious mark on his hand blazed with bright light.
At that moment, the tilted square began to move slowly, then the engraved eye flipped to reveal another eye beneath it, in a different, darker, sharper color, and blood began to drip silently from the engraving.
With a mysterious force, Basil managed to control it, keeping it steady without harm.
No fear or confusion appeared in Basil; his eyes were cold and steady, as if he commanded the situation with full confidence.
At that moment, the same mark appeared on the snake's head, matching the one on Basil's hand.
Slowly, it lowered its head, as if acknowledging his power.
Without hesitation, Basil mounted its back, and it transformed from a life-threatening creature into a submissive one.