The Nature of the Test (Part 3)

The song continued on wordlessly. Well, I wouldn't exactly say it was wordless, because there was definitely a certain language involved. But whatever it was, I didn't know of it.

"Do you recognize the words?" I asked my companion. Alas, I was replied by an incredibly inappropriate sound coming from the pre-adolescent boy.

"Excuse me?" I gasped out in disgust. However, to my dismay, the boy was apparently out of it. He was staring off into the distance, his black eyes glazed over. I approached him and poked him on the shoulder. "... Albert?"

"Wha-Ahuh?" He jolted awake from his daydreaming and looked at me with frightened eyes. "Who are you? What's a girl doing here?"

Unconsciously, I flinched and stepped hard on his foot. "Who are you calling a young girl?" I whispered at him harshly.

This time, he yelped from the pain and finally became fully awake. "O-Oh! Eleftherion! Where are we? What happened?"

I immediately started to tell him everything from the start of the travel, but before I could even tell him about the troll, his eyes began to glaze over again. I slapped him on the cheek, but alas, he was still pretty much gone. In fact, when he had straightened up from when I had hit him, he immediately stumbled into a walk.

"Wait! Albert, where are you going?!" I shouted after him. "Albert!"

Unfortunately, my little bout of being enchanted by serious anger issues had left me weaker and without magic. So, while the prince was older and taller, I was much smaller and had a lot of trouble keeping up with his brisk pace.

Soon enough, I realized he was heading closer towards the source of the song, and most unfortunately, probably deeper into the forest. The trees were now so dense and tall that I couldn't even see where the sun was. Even the sky looked darker from the low lying clouds.

"I really don't... think we should be g-going there," I panted out, although my voice seemed too soft even to my own ears.

My heart began to pound even harder and my steps heavier. If a trainee assassin were to decide to attack me now, I'd probably end up dead in a second. It seems like the longer I walked on, the worse my condition became.

'What kind of entrance test is this?' I thought. 'This is meant for kids, right?!'

Noticeably, however, aside from the fact that he was acting like a zombie, Albert didn't look as fatigued or pained as I was.

"Al! Albert!" I shouted out in a last desperate plea. "Wait for me, you sophisticated doofus!"

And... I crashed into an innocent bush.

I groaned as my mind swirled. I still haven't recovered from crashing against that tree, and now I had this weird sickness. Barely able to move, I could only watch as Albert's back disappeared into the cover of the trees.

"This... sucks," I muttered into the leaves.

I allowed myself 10 seconds to rest, knowing that any more would be detrimental to my companion's safety. Then, I forced myself to get back up. My head was still as bad as ever, but at least I didn't pant anymore from exhaustion. But I needed to find a solution... fast.

'Why am I in this condition?'

'Well, I bumped into a tree... hard.'

'Yeah, sure, but I'm not a normal girl, aren't I? I can't get this hurt just because of that.'

'Sure. I'm practically halfway through my assassin training, and I could strengthen my body with notes...'

"Notes!" I shouted aloud. I realized I've been trying to pull in that magic ever since the start of the test. Even though I didn't feel any notes coming near me, I've been unconsciously doing the process anyway...

'What if I stopped?' I thought.

Then, I cleared my mind and simply... let go.

Almost immediately, all the strain I had been feeling went away. My mind stopped spinning and my fatigue melted away. All that was left was the mild throbbing at the back of my shoulders from when I had hit the tree. But, finally, I actually had a spot of control over my body. After breathing out a bit, I went off to search for Albert.

A while later, though, I knew I was perfectly lost. The song still continued on, but travelling through the pink-tinged forest was more confusing than walking through the Malayan streets. Not to mention, the sun was setting really fast, and the sky was getting darker by the second.

I tried shouting for the boy, but he was probably too dazed to even hear me. I soon knew that I wouldn't be able to find him as I was now. I didn't even have magic to help me...

'Except, you do have something, don't you?'

'I just said I can't do magic!'

'No, no. Not that magic. Don't you have the kind of magic that you haven't been using that much anymore?'

'...'

It was a long shot, but I tried for it anyway.

Dark magic was pretty similar to using notes. It was everywhere if you knew how to look for it. Just as notes were particularly denser in places of robust life, dark magic too congregated in places of death and chaos. It took a while for me to actually sense it, and even more to really see it. I was only able to cast off a real spell when I had... put my companion animal into eternal sleep.

Sure, I've utilized some of the minor spells of dark magic, and that included my stealth and detection magic, but those didn't really require much magical strength.

Anyway, I would prefer not using it at all if it were all up to me.

But, a life was at stake right now, and even as I've shown great exhaustion unfit for a seven-year-old child to suffer from, no instructors or mages had come to rescue me from this "test". For all I knew, my assumption was wrong, and this wasn't a test at all.

And if it really wasn't... I had to save Albert.

I closed my eyes and beckoned at the dark magic. I felt the rotting corpses of small animals, I felt the squirming of joy by the underground creatures that feast on death, and far away now, I sensed the anguish of the earth troll that I had killed myself. I felt it's anger the most and the dark magic surrounded it quite well. I siphoned it all into me.

It was a difficult feeling to describe. It felt like slimy worms had crawled into your bloodstream. It felt like the shiver that would pass through you in the coldest and most unforgiving winters. It felt like the smile of a famished mother before she would kill off her own babe in times of famine.

It felt like all of that put into one and more. But, although I did feel nauseous from the great amount I had pulled in, I didn't feel the fatigue and pain that assaulted me when I had used notes.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I let some of the dark magic go to test my detection magic. A bit farther on, I sensed a single living being, and although I wasn't perfectly at ease, I would say it was most likely Albert himself.

Then, I allowed the dark magic to spread evenly through my body. Almost immediately, I felt my own presence disappear. When I started to move, my steps were as light as a feather, and my movements swift as a panther's.

Before long, I was just at the edge of the small clearing where I had felt the living signatures. Again, I released my detection magic, and was glad to find the boy where I had sensed him. Inching forward, I saw Albert lying down on the grass, looking as though he was deep into sleep. I dared not think otherwise.

But then I sensed something else, or someone else. It was already too late when I realized the song had stopped.

Cold hands had locked me in a backward embrace. A woman's voice whispered into my ears. "I sense darkness in you, child. Would you like to partake in a little party with me?"

I could hardly say no, since she had held out a wickedly sharp nail against my throat.

~~

I thought about why I hadn't sensed her until it was already too late. The most plausible reason would be that my detection skill wasn't as polished as I had thought. But it wasn't exactly pride that made me think that it probably might not have been the case. I had more reason to believe that the woman simply didn't work in ways known to the common world. She was a mystery that didn't agree with this realm's physics.

Well, that, or that she had frightening magical power.

"You seem calm, boy." The woman said as she stroked my companion's dark hair with a pale hand. She had set his head on her lap and now I sat cross legged right in front of them. If a stranger would stumble into this scene, he would probably think we were siblings having fun in a picnic. Except we weren't siblings, we weren't in a picnic, and we definitely weren't having fun.

Well, perhaps one of us might be. The woman caressed the boy's cheeks with the very edge of her sharp nails, smiling all the while. I knew that if she would push even the slightest bit further, it would draw blood. And I wouldn't put it past her to have poison on her nails.

"Who are you?" I decided to ask her plainly. She ceased her little play, and looked at me with amused eyes.

"Do you not think it is I who should be asking you that?" she asked in the most languid voice, as milky as her smooth, pale skin.

I gulped. "Well, uh, I'm Eleftherion."

"Hummm..." She then started to sing.

.

.

A boy once took a sip of wine

And gladly did he drink

But when the evening mourn was set

He sparked with courageous blight

.

.

A boy once took a sip of wine

And never took to heart

What such a boy did once that night

Snuck into a maiden's heart

.

.

A boy once took a sip of wine

But when the morning came

He broke his fast and cursed the winds

For he shall never sip again

.

.

I stared at the woman, intoxicated by her voice as any boy would to the sweetest wine.

She smiled at me. "Don't lie to me, child. A name holds bearing to your own soul, and when you spoke of yours, I felt not a single pain sting at your heart."

I blinked in surprise. Was she bluffing?

"A name," she continued. "And your magic. I wish to know who had placed such a curse on you."

My eyes widened. "Curse?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes. A strong magic veils your whole being, and even I cannot see through it. Tell me, child, who has placed this curse on you?"

'If it's something that veils me... then wouldn't it be the magic that Farseer had cast on me? The one that would help me conceal my identity as a girl?'

But then... it wouldn't be this strong, wouldn't it?

I heard the saddest sigh. The woman was now placing a light hand at the top of Albert's neck, but I knew her meaning. My heart pounded harder, and I had to answer, but I couldn't lie either. "I... I am Eleftheria."

The woman looked at me with eyes shaped as crescents. "Clever of you to not speak of your house, but may I mention how unique your name is in all of Aerim... Princess?"

I took a deep breath, and thought that it didn't matter if this creature knew who I really was. I'd have to do my best to simply kill her, and that would be the end of that.

The woman laughed. "You have a scary look on you, princess. A young girl shouldn't go looking like she is out for murder."

Then, she leaned forward, and I flinched as her nails seemed to go deeper against the boy's throat. She whispered to me with mischievous eyes, "Leave that to the work of a sorceress."

Taking a sharp inhale, I decided to ask, "Then, are you a sorceress, my lady?"

She laughed a bit, the sound both eerie and inviting. "Well... you can call me that, I suppose. My one purpose here is to aim at your petty, little lives. However, since you have taken my interest, I would be glad to let you in in another secret of mine."

Then, she softly laid the boy's head on the grass and stood up. She held out a hand at me, and knowing I couldn't exactly refuse, I took it.

I shouldn't have.

She forced me up with a swift motion and simply stood there as she held my hand with her ironclad grip. I tried to pull away and tried to talk with her, but she was completely immersed with staring at my hand.

"Hooo..." she finally let out a sound. Then, she let me go, making me almost lose my balance. Smilingly, she told me, "Come, I'll help you out of this forest."

"... What?" I uttered. Then, without even a warning, she snapped her fingers, and with a short shout, Albert came awake. He flung around as though he was looking for someone to fight.

"Wh-Who's there?" he screamed as he spun around with his fists raised. "I-I'll beat you all up!"

Then, he saw us. "Elle! I mean, Eleftherion! What happened?"

I flinched at his name calling. Thankfully, the only person around to hear it was the sorceress and she already knew who I really was. She muttered, "Idiotic men."

I coughed a little and asked, "Albert, are you feeling okay?"

"Okay?" he asked with a weird tone. "I'm doing more than okay! I'm filled with energy! Now, do we need to defeat some trolls? I think I can take on one or two!"

"What's happening?" I whispered at the woman. She only shrugged.

"I lure men with song, but it doesn't work all that well for boys as young as this one," she explained with a flick of her hands. "It simply comes with a few... side effects."

Albert started to pound at his chest and strutted around like he was the best man around. "Come on, trolls! Fight me!"

I cringed. "I don't think those side effects are desirable."

"There's very little desirable things from the common man," the woman said with veiled up hostility. Then, she smiled yet again. "But, anyway! Come here, both of you, and I'll lead you towards the forest edge. I'd reckon you won't have much trouble finding your way to the castle by then."

That finally seemed to shut the boy up, because he looked at me with his usual set of calm and serious eyes. We exchanged gazes and I knew that the boy had already gathered that the woman was way stronger and more powerful than both of us combined. So, he wordlessly followed us into the forest. It looked to me like we were heading off deeper into the forest, but it's not like we had much choice. I didn't want to use any strong dark magic to attack and I couldn't exactly use notes either. I was also pretty sure that if I tried anything at all, she would sense it almost immediately.

"S-Sorry," Albert suddenly called out from behind me. "I-I think I really have to answer the call of nature."

I stared at his blushing cheeks and knew he wasn't up to some kind of exquisite plan. He just seriously needed to pee. I nodded almost immediately. "Go on. We'll wait for you here."

Then, I muttered at the woman, "He won't get lost, right?"

"Oh, I can always just call him back with my song if that happens," she said with a smile. I smiled wearily back. Then, the sorceress looked at the trees where he had disappeared into, her expression falling flat. "Finally. I thought he would never leave."

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been meaning to have some time alone with you. I wanted to teach you how to travel around these woods," she said, while glancing around the thick trees.

"... Alright. Teach me, then," I cautiously said.

Keeping her face plastered with a smile, she led me into a small field. "Do you see that?" She pointed at a pathway between the trees.

"You mean the forest path?" I asked.

"No. Well, yes, there. But do you see anything different about it? Something... magical?"

I stared at her in incredulousness. "If you're asking about notes, then yes, I do sense some floating about."

The sorceress laughed. "Of course there would be notes, you silly girl." Then, she placed a pale hand on my shoulder and bent down to my level. I tried not to shout out from her touch. "Look closely, girl. Very closely. It's very faint and very few people can see it."

I tried to see it, but I simply couldn't. I sighed. "Well, I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to see. I'm probably one of the many who would never see it."

"Ha! I doubt that," she said, and then slapped my back. It still stung as she said, "Come now, look again. And really try this time."

"I am trying!" I complained.

"If pretending to look at something you already believe is not there... is trying, then yes, you were indeed trying your best." The woman looked down at me with pursed lips.

"... Alright." I sighed. "I'll do it properly this time. Can you tell me where it is, more specifically?"

The woman then said, "Do you see that small rock with the triangular shape? And do you see that piece of fallen leaf? It's right between them, just a little bit higher in the air."

I asked more questions and got more answers. Slowly, the magic she had been telling me about started to take into form. It might have been my imagination, but I held onto it. It was a faint little thing, as transparent as pale smoke and as thin as a finger width, but it was there, snaking along the forest floor. When I glanced around the clearing, I found other lines branching out from where we stood. "... Those are pathways."

"Yes," The woman agreed, even though it was the same answer I had given her the first time. "They're pathways alright. And do you see their colors?"

This time, she quizzed me about as she dragged me around the clearing and asking me about the colors of the magic lines. "That's blue, lightish like the faded dyes on skirts," I answered for the umptieth time when I heard someone coming from behind us.

Albert emerged from the trees. "You told me you'd wait for me," he grumbled. I felt a small amount of guilt creeping up on me for leaving the boy alone. Thankfully, the woman came to my rescue.

"Oh, you won't ever be lost as long as you're with me, boy." The sorceress approached him and caressed at his hair. The boy blushed a crimson red.

"We-Well, what were you two doing? I heard you calling out some colors," Albert asked.

"Oh, it's not much," The woman replied. "I was just asking about Eleftherion's favorite colors."

He stared at us with eyes laden with suspicion. Even I was hard pressed to believe a sorceress and a boy would be talking about such things in the middle of the forest. Immediately, the sorceress bent down so she faced the boy directly, their noses almost touching. "What's your favorite color, my little prince?"

"A-Ahm..." He stared at her in a daze, obviously begotten by her beauty. Seeing him so pathetic like this, I took pity and dragged him away.

"Anyway, dear sorceress, if the Academy would be a color, what do you suppose it would be?" I asked her with an innocent look, while pinching the boy awake.

The woman smiled at me. "I would think a gaudy red would look like it, although a luscious violet would work just as well. Perhaps I might decide on it clearly after a short walk with you, children. It would help make my opinions straight."

I stared at her for a while before finally relenting. If she wanted to follow us around, then let it be. We hardly held any leverage to negotiate with the sorceress anyway.

'But why would she teach me about these magic lines anyway? What would she get in return by helping us out?'

For a while, the woman led us along a red pathway, but soon enough, the lines quickly changed into different colors. "Where... Where exactly are we going, sorceress?"

She smiled down at me, and asked a question of her own. "Magic is such an interesting phenomenon, isn't it? What do you think could a young girl be capable of when it comes to magic?"

"A girl's magic is weaker than a boy's, right?" The black haired boy answered the sorceress' cryptic question. "That's what I was told anyway."

The sorceress laughed. "If that were true, boy, then don't you think there would be less men to have fallen under my trap?"

The boy was stuttering before finally saying, "Well, you're different, Lady Circe."

This time, I was surprised. I looked up at her with wide eyes. "You're Circe? Like the Sorceress Circe?"

She smiled down at me. "Well, I am mighty flattered you would think of me as the sorceress herself, but no. I'll have to say that I'm only similar to the great woman in name."

"I see," I said, but I doubted her words. In fact, I doubted everything about her. I asked her the question again, refusing to answer her questions. "Is this really the direction to the Lunar Academy?"

Again, she only smiled at me.

After a while of walking around different colored paths, I knew she was just leading us aimlessly around the forest. I finally gave up. "Do you know how some things have polar opposites, sorceress?"

She looked at me with interest. "Yes, dear. I do believe I know a few. The magnetic poles. A man and a woman. Black and white."

I nodded my head, and then looked her straight in the eyes. "Well, don't you think that applies to magic as well?"

She was expressionless at first, but then she started to smile differently. It was wider and more real. I couldn't say I liked it any better than her other smiles, though. "An opposite of magic, you say?"

"... I suppose." I looked at the ground, watching as the smoke-like lines of magic drifted around. "I think a young girl might be capable of both of the polar opposites... just as much as a boy might."

Then, when I heard no reply, I looked up at her. She wasn't smiling anymore. But, she said kindly. "We're getting near the edge of the forest. I think I might be able to leave you two alone now."

Albert and I breathed in sharply. The woman started to walk back the direction we had come from, and we could only watch. Then, she looked back at me, a smile back on her face. "Try green, dear. That often does the trick."

"... Thank you," I uttered out, but she was already gone.