The passage through the purple portal was not a gentle transition. It was like being projected through a tunnel of shattered mirrors, where the sense of gravity and direction vanished for an eternal, disorienting instant. When Hayjin's feet finally touched solid ground, the sound they produced was not that of trampled grass, but a crystalline chime sharp, resonant, and unnervingly harmonious.
"Are we... whole?" Hayjin gasped, clutching his stomach to quell the sudden wave of multi-dimensional nausea.
"We're whole," Zhilian replied, her voice sounding strangely amplified, echoing as if they stood in the nave of a colossal cathedral.
When they looked up, the sight before them stole the remaining breath from their lungs. They were not in a damp cave or a traditional stone labyrinth, but in the heart of a giant, abandoned city. It was a metropolis of mythological proportions, with towers soaring toward a perpetually twilight sky streaked with veins of indigo and silver. But its most incredible feature was structural: the entire city was infested or rather, beautifully adorned by colossal blue crystals.
These crystals grew everywhere. They sprouted from cracks in the white marble floors, wrapped around palace columns like mineral vines, and hung from ruined balconies like stalactites of pure, frozen light. They emitted a low, rhythmic hum a constant frequency that seemed to vibrate through the very air.
"Incredible..." Hayjin whispered, approaching one of the formations sprouting from what must have once been a public fountain. The crystal was translucent, and deep inside its core, currents of energy like trapped electric clouds seemed to flow. "It's as if someone froze an entire civilization inside a piece of glass."
Zhilian stood motionless for a moment, captivated by the blue reflection dancing across her brilliant outfit. Then, she shook her head forcefully, composing herself. "It's beautiful, Hayjin, but let's not be enchanted. Remember what Adeline said: this place is a mirror organism. Beauty here is just bait for those who let their guard down. Let's stay focused on the mission. We need to find the object, and the problem is we don't have the slightest idea where it is in this ocean of ruins."
"Yeah, yeah, message received," Hayjin replied, though his eyes continued to scan the environment with a scientific curiosity he couldn't quite tame. "But admit it: these crystals are a fascinating geological anomaly. What is this stuff? Mana-charged quartz?"
Zhilian smiled slightly, starting to walk along what seemed to be a main avenue, her eyes scanning every dark corner. "We call them Aether Tears. They are the backbone of the world economy, Hayjin. These crystals aren't just pretty; they contain pure mana in a solid, stable, and easily extractable form. Every kingdom in Exilia gathers as many as it can. They are our most precious currency."
"Currency?" Hayjin asked, following a step behind her while trying to mentally map the city's grid.
"Exactly. Thanks to the Tears, Exilia doesn't just trade internally. These crystals allow us to deal with the kingdoms of the other continents of Alius. They are used to power the airships of the North, the magical irrigation systems of the arid Southern lands, and even the defensive barriers of the Eastern city-states. Without them, global trade in Alius wouldn't exist, and we would have no communication with the outer continents."
Hayjin remained silent for a moment, reflecting on her words. Solid mana as the basis for international trade, he thought to himself. On Earth, the economy was based on debt, oil, and pieces of paper or digital bits that often had no real intrinsic value. Here, the raw, crystallized energy of the world was used directly to advance civilization. This place definitely works better than my world, he concluded bitterly. At least here, you can actually see the value, and it shines with a magnificent light.
"Look up there," Zhilian pointed to a ruined suspension bridge connecting two towers hundreds of meters high. "If the object is important, it will be at a high point or buried deep under the command center. We need to find a way to climb without attracting too much attention."
They walked cautiously, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the millennial dust covering the streets. Hayjin, however, suddenly felt a strange, prickly itch at the base of his neck. It wasn't mana; it was that distinct sixth sense every practical analyst develops when a variable is completely out of place. It was a terrifyingly familiar sensation.
"Zhilian," he whispered, his fingers instinctively stroking the hilt of his resonance sword. "Don't turn around, but I feel like someone is watching us a bit too intensely."
"I feel it too," she replied, slowing her pace, her hand drifting toward her focus, a wind bolt ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. "The silence is too clean. In an abandoned city, there should be structural collapses, the sound of falling debris... here, everything is utterly motionless."
They were not wrong.
From the deep shadows of the porticos, half-hidden behind the massive blue crystal formations, several figures had begun to move with silent, lethal coordination. They were wrapped in tattered gray tunics and heavy hoods that concealed their features entirely. They emitted no detectable heartbeat, nor did they emanate obvious mana flows; they were like wraiths perfectly integrated into the dead landscape.
One of them, perched on a balcony directly above the students, gripped a blade made of jagged black crystal. His eyes glowed with a glassy, unnatural light under the shadow of his hood. They followed the two intruders with millennial patience, waiting for the exact moment when their wonder would turn into a fatal distraction.
"Keep walking, Hayjin," Zhilian murmured through gritted teeth, her eyes fixed straight ahead. "But be ready for a possible escape route. We are absolutely not alone."
"Oh, I noticed," he replied, his eyes darting between the sharp blue reflections of the shop windows. "I just hope these guys aren't who I think they are, because I highly doubt they'll let us go with a warning."
As the purple portal swallowed Zhilian and Hayjin, the blue rift closed behind Atlas and Evelyn, catapulting them into a diametrically opposite reality. If the city of Opes was characterized by a cold, specular light, the place where the two representatives of Doeken found themselves felt like the beating heart of a primordial volcano yet it was entirely devoid of physical heat.
They stood at the entrance of a corridor so vast it completely defied the known laws of architecture. The walls, the ceiling, and even the floor were composed of a translucent material that resembled dark granite, heavily veined and topped by gigantic red crystals. It wasn't the ruby red of fine jewelry, but a dense, dark crimson that seemed to pulse at a slow, organic rhythm, as if the entire structure were the main artery of a forgotten god.
Atlas Altavilla took a step forward, the heavy clang of his iron boot producing a deep echo that propagated for miles along the infinite corridor. He stood still, his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his greatsword, his gaze captivated by the crimson reflections playing across his pristine white cloak.
"By the ancestors of Doeken..." Atlas whispered, his voice tinged with an almost childlike wonder that clashed dramatically with his imposing, warrior stature. "Evelyn, look at this place. The chronicles spoke of Mirror Dimensions, but this... this is a masterpiece. These crystals look like they were forged from the very blood of the earth."
Evelyn didn't even turn to look at him. She was already several steps ahead, her ash-blond tunic sliding silently over the smooth, obsidian-like floor. Her posture was rigid, her hands joined loosely in front of her as if she were in prayer, but her pale blue eyes scanned every single mineral facet for the slightest hint of a threat.
"Atlas," she called back, her tone cold and sharp as a sheet of ice. "We are here for an exam, not an academic field trip to the mining sector. I would ask you to pay attention to the trial instead of admiring the scenery like a tourist on his first trip abroad."
Atlas gave a slight start, almost as if he had been struck by an invisible slap. He recovered immediately, an embarrassed but sunny smile lighting up his face as he quickened his pace to reach her side. "You're right, Evelyn. My apologies. It's just... well, it's hard not to be struck by it. But you're right: head in the game, sword ready."
They walked in silence for a few minutes, surrounded only by the heavy red reverberation that seemed to saturate the very air they breathed. There were no side doors, no forks in the road. There was only that single, interminable straight path leading into the deep crimson darkness.
"Can you perceive exactly where we are?" Atlas asked, lowering his voice as he peered into the shadows at the far end of the corridor. "This linearity makes me uneasy. It feels like a trap designed specifically for those in too much of a hurry."
Evelyn closed her eyes for a brief instant, expanding her magical senses into the surrounding environment. "I perceive an enormous mana presence, Atlas. It is everywhere, but it is entirely static. It's as if the dungeon itself is holding its breath. For now, I don't see any deviations, so it's useless to look for exits that don't exist. The only logical option is to continue along the only path available. If this place is a labyrinth, it has decided to start in a very direct way."
As they moved forward, the psychological weight of the silence began to set in. Seeking to break the tension, Atlas decided to bring up a subject that had evidently been buzzing in his head since they left the garden of Opes.
"Evelyn," he began, trying to maintain a casual tone but failing to hide a hint of mischievous curiosity. "What do you honestly think of those two? I mean... Princess Zhilian and that stranger, Hayjin. Do you think they can really be a threat to us in this trial?"
Evelyn didn't answer immediately. Her boots produced a steady, almost hypnotic clicking against the dark stone.
"Zhilian is... notable," Atlas continued, taking her silence as an invitation to proceed. "I mean, her light powers aren't bad at all, and if I must admit... her beauty is almost as blinding as her spells. She has that fire of the royal bloodline of Opes, that pride that almost makes you forget how stubborn they are. But that kid... Hayjin. He's just a nuisance. An arrogant person without powers who thinks he can compensate for his lack of mana with some cheap sword. I don't understand what she sees in someone like that."
Evelyn stopped abruptly. She turned toward Atlas, and the sheer intensity of her gaze silenced the knight instantly.
"Atlas," she said, her voice vibrating with a quiet, dangerous authority. "I have warned you many times. Never denigrate anyone, even when they are your enemy. Especially when they are your enemy. Contempt is the leading cause of death among knights who are too sure of themselves."
Atlas looked down, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Yes, my princess. But you'll admit that..."
"I will admit that Zhilian has immense potential," Evelyn interrupted him, resuming her walk with her gaze fixed forward. "But you're right about one thing: she is still green. Her strength is tied entirely to her emotions; if she loses control, her magic becomes unstable. She is powerful, yes, but she hasn't yet learned to govern the storm she carries inside."
She paused briefly, and Atlas noticed her eyebrows contract slightly a rare sign of uncertainty from the princess.
"As for Hayjin, however..." Evelyn hesitated, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "I feel a strange sensation about him. It's not mana, no. It's something different. When I look at him, I don't see a weak boy. I see... someone, rather... something... worse than the demons that infest Exilia. There is a void around him that my magic cannot map correctly. Don't underestimate him, Atlas. Those who have nothing to lose and everything to prove are often the most lethal enemies one can encounter and he is worse than a demon, yet without a single drop of mana."
Atlas remained silent, reflecting on his princess's chilling words while the distorted shadows of the red crystals seemed to stretch toward them like grasping fingers. "A demon without mana, huh? Well, we'll see if his arrogance withstands my sacred sword."
They continued to advance into the crimson darkness, entirely unaware that, just like in the city of blue crystal, something ancient was beginning to stir, drawn by the heartbeat of those who carried the ambition of a crown.
The palace garden, now that the portals had stabilized into a low, rhythmic hum, had returned to a state of apparent quiet, though the air still vibrated from the sheer volume of mana released. The Sages of Opes had retreated to the far corner of the terrace to discuss matters in hushed, suspicious whispers, leaving Adeline and Rhaegalur alone before the two dimensional rifts.
Adeline sighed, finally relaxing the rigid, solemn posture she had maintained in front of the candidates. She massaged her temples, letting a deeply human, exhausted expression cross her face. She turned to the imposing figure of the dark-haired man standing beside her.
"You know, Rhae... every time we open these dungeons, I feel like I'm sending children to play in the middle of a forest fire," she murmured, her tone incredibly informal, stripped of any official title or protocol.
Rhaegalur crossed his muscular arms over his chest, a small smirk curling his lips. "Children? That girl from Doeken seems to have already planned everything down to the smallest detail," he chuckled, "and Zhilian... well, Zhilian is as hard-headed as my own scales. I'd say the fire should worry about them, not the other way around."
Adeline hinted at a slight, almost imperceptible smile. "Always the optimist. How are you, my old friend? It's been a century since the last time we had a drink together without some continental conflict getting in the way."
"I'm fine, Adeline. As fine as a thousand-year-old being forced to babysit such... small humans can be," Rhaegalur replied with a heavy shrug. "My bones don't creak yet, if that's what you want to know."
The leader of the Association turned serious again, her gaze drifting toward the purple portal where Hayjin had vanished. "Let's talk about serious things. How is it going with the boy? With Hayjin?"
Rhaegalur gave a visible start. His vertical pupils narrowed instantly, and he turned to her with an expression of genuine astonishment. "What do you care about the boy? We didn't make any official introductions regarding his origins; you barely know him." Then, a sudden flash of understanding crossed his face, and his eyes darted toward the whispering Sages at the end of the garden. "It was those old men from Opes, wasn't it? Arkon and Varek really don't know how to hold their tongues when it comes to spreading poison."
Adeline nodded slowly. "The Sages are worried, Rhaegalur. They sent me detailed reports on a 'stranger' traveling under your direct protection. They described every move of his, every impertinent joke. They wanted me to exclude him from the exam before it even began."
Rhaegalur growled softly, a sound like grinding stones. "They should have figured you wouldn't do it."
"For now," Adeline specified, meeting the dragon's intense golden gaze, "I will turn a blind eye to the fact that we know absolutely nothing about his past or how he arrived here. Your word still carries immense weight for Opes, but certainly not for the Association, if you want the truth. Hear me well, Rhae: if that boy should prove to be a threat, if his presence should destabilize the balance of Opes, or worse, if he should carry dangerous information outside these walls... we will be forced to take drastic measures. And you know that when the Association decides to eliminate an anomaly, we do not do so gently."
The atmosphere between the two turned icy. Rhaegalur did not look away, his stature expanding slightly with suppressed power. "It won't happen, Adeline. You can rest easy. That boy is... different. He doesn't have the darkness of the criminals and assassins you're used to executing. He's just a young man trying to make sense of a world he doesn't understand, using the only thing he has left: his head."
He took a definitive step forward, towering over the Grand Master. "Everything will be fine. I take full responsibility. If Hayjin were to make an unforgivable mistake, if he were to become a genuine danger... I will be the one to fix it myself. My life against his. Is that enough of a guarantee for you?"
Adeline stared at him for a long time, looking for the slightest crack in his ancient determination. She found none. "It is enough. But I hope for both of your sakes it never comes to that."
Just as the suffocating tension seemed to ease, the sound of rapid, breathless footsteps echoed along the stone path leading to the gardens. A small, agile figure appeared in the distance, running at breakneck speed through the manicured flowering hedges.
It was Wren.