Arcane Innovator

When we finally escaped from the eerie tunnel and the unnerving darkness within, I couldn't help but break into a wide grin. 'We've made it!'

Yet my apparent joy didn't stem solely from the fact that we made it out of there without a scratch; it was mainly because my magic sense was working again!

I no longer had to depend on Aida's hunting experience and could loosen my guard a bit, although I still maintained a high level of vigilance, seeing that we'd emerged into what seemed like a massive hall.

I looked cautiously at this new cavern, which was vast and imposing, stretching out before us as far as the eye could see.

The pitch-black darkness had finally retreated, replaced by a faint glow of flameless lanterns. Their sparse lighting cast dilapidated shadows across the ground.

Along the edges, remnants of towering buildings indicated that this place must have been once a city. But now, it seemed eerily empty and abandoned.

Despite being eager to explore this new area right away, I had to wait for a bit as I noticed my temporary teammates dropped to the ground like stones, breathing heavily after the ordeal we had just gone through.

I didn't blame them, as I, too, although physically fine, was feeling a bit of mental fatigue, so for a newly awakened mage, it must have been much worse.

Still, I couldn't help but notice that despite this, each of them had a broad smile plastered across their weary faces.

"Oh, man! For a moment there, I thought we were done for... Captain, you were awesome!" Gil said, grinning.

I raised an eyebrow, momentarily taken aback. 'Huh? Am I being complimented just now? I think that's a first...'

"Thank you, I guess... although I didn't do much."

"Gil's right! Without your magic, I don't think we would have made it," Inge added eagerly.

I shot her an amused glance while thinking. 'Hmm, it looks like those two have gotten quite well acquainted back there.'

Edwin and Aida stayed silent, but I could see that they, too, looked very much relieved. So I gave them both an acknowledging nod and then looked ahead at the inviting ruins that almost begged to be explored.

Thus, after a short rest, we resumed our steady advance and promptly began closing in on something that, from afar, looked like a large stone plaza.

Yet what caught my attention wasn't the open space itself but rather the three glowing pillars right in the middle of it. 'Those look like giant obelisks...'

As we got closer, I started noticing more and more details. They appeared to be made from black marble, as their polished surfaces reflected the dim light from above. But there also seemed to be a strange glow seeping from within the obelisks themselves.

Still, one of them was starkly different from the rest—it was crowned by a beautiful, radiant corona of golden-colored flame. 'What's this about?'

Beyond them, the plaza's edges were lined with ornate pillars and arches, giving the space an almost regal feel.

While still reeling from the unpleasant experience in the dark tunnel, I was not keen on getting too close to them, but seeing that there was nothing else of interest here, I sighed in resignation and carefully started making my way over.

'Is that?' My eyes instantly widened as I spotted a distinct shape at the foot of one of the obelisks. It was a stone tablet, the same I remembered from the second Trial, and on it were several lines of faintly glowing script.

In the shadows deep where secrets hide,

Three beacons bright shall guide your plight.

To each a trial, to each a test,

Unveil the way and prove you're blessed.

Some shall try your will and might,

Yet with strength alone, you'll gain no sight.

You'll need a heart both true and bold,

Lest you'll find only dark and cold.

When all are lit and the path is clear,

The guardian will then appear.

Seek the flame that lies within,

Only then does the true test begin.

'Finally, a clue! If only it wasn't another stupid riddle...' I thought with a mix of relief and frustration.

I then looked back up at the towering pillars. 'Ah, so these must be the beacons we are supposed to light.' I realized.

But then another realization struck me as I moved my eyes slightly to the side. 'Someone had already alighted one of them!'

I instantly became alert, narrowing my eyes as I examined the rugged walls of the vast cavern for any sign of movement while at the same time scanning the area with my magic sense.

Yet there was no sign that any of the other teams were here, no movement, no trace of essence - nothing.

I furrowed my brows as I carefully examined the several dark dots lining the walls in the distance. 'Are they hiding in one of the tunnels?'

Apart from the tunnel we arrived from, I noticed four more similar entrances scattered across the cavern's wall, each corresponding to the number of contesting teams.

"How do we turn them on?" Gil asked, blissfully unaware of my current agitation.

"I guess we'll have to follow the light," Edwin replied after a moment, pointing toward the top of one of the obelisks.

I turned my attention back to the problem at hand and decided not to worry about the other teams for now, as they hadn't posed a direct threat just yet.

I tilted my head, focusing on the top of one of the pillars, only now noticing that they were glowing in a strange pattern. 'It's like a sign.' I realized.

They were pointing in a specific direction—two to be exact. And one of them was pointing straight toward the tunnel we had just emerged from.

I shuddered at the thought of going back there, but it seemed that there was no other option than to finish this stupid test. 'Wait, is there?'

With five parties but only three beacons, it quickly became obvious that it was designed in such a way in order to make us fight over them. 'So what if we just wait here for the other teams to do the legwork and then simply beat them to the punch?'

It was certainly an inviting proposition, one that would ensure an easy victory. However, I was reluctant to pursue it.

Not because of honor or such - I couldn't give a damn about such nonsense. No, the main reason was the points. 'If we sit this one out, would we get a passing score?' -was the real question.

If we won the whole thing, then maybe, but without knowing the evaluating criteria, it was just a guessing game.

That's why it was much better not to place our odds solely on the whims of whoever is in charge of this test but rather on something a bit more solid. 'Certainly, lighting one of the beacons would land us a nice sum of points, no?' I mused.

One of the signs pointed distinctly toward the tunnel of darkness, so we already had an advantage by knowing what would await us there, so solving the challenge should be much easier.

I looked back at our group, wondering if they would be up to the task. 'Well, let's just wait and see...'

"So what do you think?" I then asked the others.

"One of them points toward the passage we came from, but we didn't find anything unusual in there, so maybe it's inside one of the side paths we skipped," Edwin said thoughtfully, coming to the same conclusion I just did, which once again reaffirmed that he had a good head on his shoulders.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gil, ever eager, piped in.

"You all really want to go back in there?" Aida said, wide-eyed.

"I think we should let Darian decide; he's the captain, after all," Inge interjected before turning to face me. “I don't know anything about magic yet, so please forgive me if I say something dumb, but can you light the whole way back there and out again?"

"Ehm." I cleared my throat to buy myself some time while briefly locking eyes with Edwin. 'How much does he know?'

If he wasn't here, I could have just made up some excuse, and nobody would be any wiser. The problem was that I had no idea what was considered normal around here in terms of essence capacity for newly awakened mages.

"If you can't, that's okay, we can just..." Inge hurriedly said when she saw my uncertainty.

"No, it's fine - I'll manage, somehow, if we move fast enough," I interjected, quickly trying to dispel her wrong assumption.

'Let's not worry about staying low-key; there's a lot riding on the outcome of this test,' I reasoned, deciding to simply go with the flow for now. "So, does everyone agree to go back in there?"

"I agree."

"Yea!"

"Mhm..."

I immediately got three affirmative answers. However, I couldn't miss that Aida stayed conspicuously silent, seemingly deep in thought.

But when I turned toward her to ask what was wrong, she sighed and uttered. "I'd rather stay here, to be honest, but if you all want to go back, I guess I'll tag along..."

It was not exactly an agreement, but it was better than nothing, I guess. Plus, I'd rather not split up the party if we could avoid it.

So, with that, we promptly headed back toward the tunnel of darkness. Meanwhile, I kept an eye on the other entrances, scanning the area for any signs of the other teams, but like before, there was nothing.

'Hmm, that's weird. They should all be here by now... What are they up to?'