Chapter 11: Trails of wisdom II

Karli stepped toward the third pedestal, where a vivid green flame floated like a phantom above its surface. As she neared it, the mysterious voice returned—this time clearer, firmer, and colder.

> "On one side, your mother is drowning. On the other, your girlfriend is drowning.

You may save only one.

Who do you choose?"

Then the voice added, as if tightening the trap:

> "Time limit: 50 seconds. One error left.

If your answer is wrong, time resets."

A shimmering hourglass appeared mid-air, glowing green as its sand began to fall in reverse—counting down the seconds like a quiet doomsday.

Karli's eyes widened. "W-Wait, I've heard this riddle before."

She muttered aloud, heart pounding.

> "Isn't this the one they asked the Crown Prince in the manga...? And he chose his girlfriend because he didn't have a mother..."

She swallowed. "But I'm not him."

Her brows furrowed. "I mean… I don't have a mother either. And I'm a girl. And straight. Definitely no girlfriend." She blushed. "Ugh, I'm so single I could be a monk."

The seconds ticked down—35… 34… 33…

Her mind scrambled for logic. "Wait—I saw this in that anime once too. The protagonist stayed silent. That was the right answer there!"

A spark of hope flickered. She bit her lip and chose silence.

No sound escaped her mouth. No movement from the ruin.

Only the ticking of the glowing clock, and the thunderous pounding of her heart.

Seconds passed.

20…

10…

5…

Her breath hitched.

> "Time's up.

Your answer is wrong," the voice announced with chilling finality.

The timer reset.

Karli exhaled sharply. "Of course it wasn't that easy…"

But she didn't panic. Not anymore.

She simply sat down cross-legged in front of the pedestal, resting her chin in her palm.

> "Okay, think, Karli. Do I have a girlfriend? No.

Was I ever coded as gay in the manga? Pretty sure no.

The voice first said I have to answer. That means it's about me, not anyone else."

She stared at the green flame.

> "Then… mother? But I don't have one in this world or the last. I was an orphan."

The clock ticked on again. 30 seconds remaining.

> "So… what do I choose?"

"If I had to choose… if I could choose…"

She groaned, messing up her hair in frustration.

> "Ugh, whatever. If this answer is wrong, I'll throw this pedestal across the ruin. Even if I die trying."

She stood abruptly and shouted:

> "I choose... Mother!"

A tense silence.

The green flame flickered.

And then—

FWOOOSH.

The flame vanished. The pedestal cracked… then crumbled to dust like the others.

No voice responded this time.

Karli blinked. "Huh...? So… it's correct?"

She hesitated.

Then gave a cheeky grin.

> "See? I'm totally intelligent. A genius. A genius with incredible luck !"

She gave a satisfied little skip toward the fourth pedestal.

> "Let's gooo~"

---

The fourth pedestal burned with a steady white flame, cool and almost calm compared to the previous ones. But for Karli, it radiated a terrifying pressure.

This was her final chance.

She had already lost both her permitted errors. One more mistake and… Game over. KO. Lights out.

Karli took a deep breath, trying to calm the drumbeat in her chest. She stepped closer, swallowing the dryness in her throat.

Then, that ever-calm, ominous voice echoed through the ruins once more:

> "I am carried without weight,

Held without hands.

I can fill a room,

Yet I take up no space.

I may be forgotten,

Yet I can never be erased.

What am I?"

The white flame flickered gently, almost mockingly, as if daring her to speak.

Karli muttered to herself, repeating the lines. "Carried without weight… held without hands…" She scrunched her eyebrows, trying to break it down.

"Fill a room… no space… never erased…"

Her mind leaped to shadow. That had to be it—shadows followed you everywhere, filled a room, took no space. But just before speaking, she caught herself.

> "I may be forgotten."

Her lips tightened.

Wait, no. Shadow doesn't make sense here… It's always visible when there's light. We don't really 'forget' shadows. Even when they disappear, we know they'll return.

She crossed her arms, closing her eyes to concentrate.

Carried… held… fills a room… no space… forgotten but never erased...

She began mumbling the riddle under her breath like a chant, pacing slightly. The answer danced at the edge of her thoughts.

Then—click.

Her eyes widened.

Of course.

How could she not have realized it sooner?

Karli took one confident step forward, smiled, and said clearly:

"Memories."

The voice, for once, responded instantly:

> "Your answer is correct."

The white flame whooshed silently into nothingness, and the pedestal beneath it cracked—splitting cleanly before crumbling into glittering dust, just like the others.

Karli let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

She giggled under her breath, half in relief, half in exhaustion. Then, steadying herself, she turned toward the fifth and final pedestal—its flame golden, bright, and somehow… alive.

---

As Karli arrived at the fifth and final pedestal, its golden flame shimmered with an otherworldly glow.

The mysterious voice echoed once more, but this time, it felt different—less like a judge, and more like a soul searching for understanding.

"If you were to reincarnate into another world," the voice began, "and you knew the story of the future... If you possessed the power to save the world—but doing so meant your loved ones would die... would you still choose to be the protagonist?"

It wasn't a riddle.

It was a question. A deeply personal one. And the voice no longer sounded distant or cold—it carried a strange sadness, as if the answer truly mattered... as if it longed to know the heart of the one who would wield the weapon sealed within.

Karli stood still, her eyes fixed on the golden flame. A safe answer would be yes, she thought. A protagonist always saves the world, right?

But instead, her voice rang clear with quiet defiance.

"To tell you the truth... I wouldn't."

The flame flickered.

"I don't want to be a protagonist. I'd rather be the villain who destroys the world to save the people I love, than be a hero who sacrifices them for the sake of everyone else."

There was a long silence.

Then, for the first time, the voice softened—gentle, even curious. "Why did you say that? You could have answered 'protagonist' and claimed the treasure."

Karli gave a small, tired smile. "I don't know. I just… felt like you weren't looking for the right answer.. .. So I was just honest."

There was a quiet laugh—warm and fleeting, as if from someone who hadn't laughed in ages.

"Then you have passed," the voice said.

"From this moment on, you are my Master."

The golden flame burst into radiant light, and the pedestal cracked open with a thunderous sound. From within the broken stone rose a glowing, knife-shaped weapon. Its blade shimmered like starlight, humming with raw, ancient power.

Just as Karli reached out and took the weapon, a heavy creaking noise echoed through the chamber—the door ahead had opened.

But before she could take a step toward it, her vision blurred. Her knees buckled.

> "What…?" she whispered as her body gave out beneath her.

The last thing she saw was the image of Aura and Kaelir rushing toward her, calling her name. Behind them, silhouettes began to form—tall, graceful, inhuman. Elves?

> "No… not now..." she mumbled, staggering.

Through the haze, she barely registered their presence. Her thoughts spiraled.

> "I don't want to die... killed by elves of all things…"

And with that ridiculous final thought, she collapsed—her consciousness swallowed by darkness.

---