The Second Trial: Endless Labyrinth

Despair filled Elye's heart and mind as he recalled the events of the past week. It also doesn't help that he is once more helpless and stuck in what appears to be a maze. He surveyed his surroundings, the large dusty cobbled walls seemed to stretch on forever. Having not heard the flap of Asche's wings or saw the dragon flying overheard, he can only assume that the magic used to build the structure before him prohibits flight as to prevent an easy victory for the dragon prince.

He sighed again. How long had it been? An hour? It felt like he had been inside the maze for days. Elyse looked up at the bright glowing sun directly above his head. It's just a couple of minutes past noon based on the sun's position. Luckily, the magic also appeared to protect those within it from the heat, a barrier perhaps. Turning around a corner, Elyse found himself at the bend that he passed by earlier, as indicated by the thin line made by his sword. He was hoping he could outwit the king's mages by marking where he had been.

Feeling a bit weary already, he decided to sit, his back slumped against a wall. He was exhausted and it didn't feel right. If it was just a few minutes past noon then he shouldn't be breathing heavily like he just walked from his hut to the heart of Nieblahim. An illusion? That would explain why his mind's sense of time doesn't match with that of his body's. But who cares? Auria was mad at him. In fact, he doubted if she even like him at all. He deserved it though. He had been selfish. He never bothered to consider that maybe Auria doesn't want to marry any of the five princes at all, that maybe Auria loved someone else, someone much better than him, someone less selfish. With his qualms starting to fill his mind and fatigue slowly creeping up to him, Elyse closed his eyes for a bit.

Back at the castle, Auria together with Silvia and the King were watching the five princes before the giant mirror. While she had made up her mind on not marrying any of them, Auria still gazed at the images before her. She soon realized that her eyes kept focusing on Elyse, the prince of Crusdea. Somehow, she felt drawn to him. Somehow, she felt…guilty for the way she treated him a few nights ago. It didn't help one bit that her friend, Lyrus was away for almost a week already. She had been meaning to talk to him, to ask him on what he thinks of her staying for good in Noir. While Lyrus may not know that she was Alea, he gives great advice, and a great advice is what she needed right now.

"Father, this trial could take ages. None of them would surely pass such a difficult test," said Auria as she eyed her father. King Deanor, on the other hand, only tightened his lips further, as if he himself knew of such fact but was just being stubborn about it.

"Your husband should be of strong mind, able to withstand both magical and mental challenges." Deanor for a moment looked at his side, expecting to see his advisor, Grenwald, nod in silent acquiescence. An empty space returned his gaze.

Did Elyse just fall asleep? Auria can't help but chuckle a bit upon seeing the prince of knights, nodding off, his back against the wall, sword in hand. Looking at the others, Auria saw Althas in deep meditation, chanting, both his hands on his staff, with a bunch of runes scrawled around him. Perhaps the sorcerer was hoping to dispel the magic of a hundred mages by using an equally strong spell. Frecia on the other hand, was still walking, marking every spot he passed by with an arrow which from the looks of it would run out in a few more minutes. In contrast, Lophen had started examining the walls, using various drops of the vials he carries with him. Asche, for his part, had once more lost his temper, breathing fire, and destroying walls, in his dragon form. All the while, Elyse, the prince of Crusdea, continued to sleep. Auria found the whole situation funny and had to cover her mouth to hide her smile.

Waking up, Elyse, rubbed his eyes then proceeded to stretch his arms. He's still inside the maze which means no one had come out yet unless by some unfortunate event, the losing participants were to be imprisoned within the structure forever. He sighed again, the hundredth sigh or may be the thousandth one he let loose ever since the incident with Auria. Sheathing his sword, Elyse started to walk. He didn't care anymore. Maybe he'll walk until the trial was finished or until he passes out. Nothing mattered anymore. Was it sadness? Guilt? Embarrassment perhaps? Elyse struggled to find a word for it but all he knows is that he wished he was back at the streets of Noir, helping Erne, training with Alea, living a simple life. He was foolish to have ever hope of attaining a better life, and most importantly, he was foolish for dreaming to marry Auria.

As Elyse passed by another wall, he was surprised to find himself on what seems to be the center of the maze. A large fountain stood at the center, a hedge of daisies and roses surrounding its base, and a stream of clear water spouted from its top. Was he dreaming? Did he really just reach the center? Elyse rubbed his eyes once more only to be startled by a voice from behind him.

"Are you doubting yourself?" A warm sensation radiated from Elyse's back, an all too familiar feeling. It was the same sensation that he felt when he almost died protecting the Woodland Beast.

Turning around, he came face to face with what can he only describe as a being of pure light. He covered his eyes with his hands but to no avail, as the light appeared to not dim a bit. Cringing, Elyse made out the silhouette of a woman with long hair standing before him. Is this the same being that saved him in Nieblahim?

"Who-who are you?" he asked.

"Me? A friend. But you…who are you? I can see that you are living two completely different lives." The being replied with such soft voice that Elyse felt himself lowering his guard.

"Me? I am…" His voice faded. Just who is he? Is he Elyse? Is he Lyrus? Amidst all that happened, he himself can't answer the question straightly.

"I'll tell you who you are. You are a kind man, a good man. You might think yourself as selfish but even the Gods of Old wished, even the lowliest man dreamt…and it is normal." The woman of light stepped a bit closer to Elyse.

"To want happiness for oneself is normal. To work hard towards that happiness is normal. As long as you do not lose your sense of self, as long as you do not forego of what is important, then continue to wish, continue to dream as much as you like." Elyse felt tears welled up his eyes upon hearing the words. She was right. He only wanted to be happy…that's all he wants. He doesn't care if he becomes king, if he becomes famous. What's important is he's happy and…and the people around him are happy including Auria.

The figure now stood just a few inches before Elyse. "Do what you think is right. As long as you do not step on other people's happiness, on other people's dreams then there is nothing to be afraid of." Elyse felt himself lowering his arms and just directly staring at the being of light. For a moment, he saw what appears to be a smile, and overwhelmed by his emotions, Elyse hugged the woman.

He felt the warmth spread throughout his body, and like a mother quelling the sadness of her beloved child, the being started to caress his head. Elyse hugged tighter and cried. He cried for minutes. He didn't care at all. He didn't care if everything was just an illusion or if he was going mad already. He simply cried.

Letting go of the figure, the mysterious being touched Elyse's cheek before vanishing in a blinding flash of light. Elyse stood at the center, alone once more. Alone but determined. Alone but his vigor renewed. Alone but happy.

The woman was right. There's nothing wrong with him trying to win Auria's hand, with him pretending to be a prince. He will surpass the trials and if Auria doesn't want to marry him then he won't force her. He may be doing all of this only to prove to himself that he can do it but he'll make sure that he does not end up taking other people's happiness and dreams away.

Elyse surveyed his surroundings. He needed to get out of the maze. Straining his ears, he only heard silence. Knowing Asche's short temper and Althas' powerful magic, he should be hearing the sounds of spells being casted or of a dragon's roar of frustration but there was none. It seemed that the magic isolates each of them from one another, creating a maze exclusively for them.

Sniffing the air, his nose only caught the smell of dust. Touching the ground and the wall, his skin met rough dusty stones. Looking up, his eyes saw the sun shining brightly. The sun? It was winter in Threanas, the sun shouldn't be shining brightly, in fact it shouldn't be visible at all! Threanas is known for having dark winters, the sun barely shining its rays on the kingdom. Elyse closed his eyes. His mind told him earlier that it was just a few minutes past noon while his body told him that he had been walking for hours.

Nothing was making any sense. Sense? That's it! The spell casted upon them wasn't a barrier. It was a spell of illusion! The magic isolates and distorts their senses. It's not a matter of escaping but a matter of dispelling. But how to undo such spell? He wasn't well versed in magic so using it was out of the option. Maybe he should use the runic word taught to him by Edrana? No, Etrunr is to be used only when one has lost all hope, and having figured out everything, Elyse definitely hasn't lost his hope yet.

He cannot trust his senses. He cannot trust his own mind and body. His mind…Elyse's eyes widened at a sudden realization; his memory of what transpired before he entered the maze was vague, in fact he barely remembers anything. Think, think, think! He snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to bring the memories out of his imprisoned mind. The answer to his problem surely lies in the events before the second trial started.

Elyse sat down. He cannot be at the center of the maze since it was merely an illusion so where was he? He closed his eyes and concentrated with every fiber of his being. A garden. A vial. Darkness. Those were the only things that kept on popping on his head. Clenching his teeth, Elyse dived once more into the muddled lake known as his mind.

A garden. What entailed the second trial was announced at the palace garden. The missing fragments of his memory was starting to come back. He remembered looking at the puzzled expression of the other princes as they wonder where the maze they needed to escape from was located.

A vial. Before the trial officially started, they were asked to drink a vial containing a purple liquid. The king explained that said step was necessary to ensure that all of them are on equal footing and that no one would try to cheat their way out of the maze.

Darkness…just darkness. Nothing came to Elyse's mind. He needed to try harder. He focused his mind like his life depended on it. Darkness? No. It wasn't just darkness, everything slowly became dark. The garden, the vial, the king, Auria, everything faded into darkness after Elyse drank the potion.

A potion. An illusion. A maze. Elyse slowly opened his eyes and smiled. He figured everything out. It was not simply magic. The maze was built by the combination of a potion to put them to sleep and magic to manipulate further their minds. Their minds became their own respective mazes. The whole process was necessary to ensure that everyone was on equal footing. Being trapped in your own mind means that no amount of physical strength or magic would help you unless you fix your own mind. The illusion wasn't caused solely by magic because if it was, Althas would have broke it long ago and the trial would have ceased. The same goes with Asche since dragons are highly resistant to spells. The only way to trick a dragon is to use your mind or to use its mind against it.

The only problem was how to break free from his own mind. How does he wake up from the dream? A dream…Elyse looked at his sword and gripped it tight. It felt real. He ran his fingers gingerly along its blade. It felt sharp. He swallowed hard, having realized the solution to his problem; he needed to die. If everything was indeed a dream, the shock of dying should shake him awake. But what if it wasn't? What if after plunging the blade on his chest, he…he died? Cold sweat started to form around Elyse's face at the thought. Deciding to risk it all, Elyse, slowly removed the armor covering his chest. Grasping his sword with both hands, he stabbed himself squarely on the chest.

Elyse awoke with a start. He was at the entrance of the palace garden. Two mages of the castle quickly rushed to his side and helped him up. His head felt like he was hit by Barthos' blade. A third mage immediately ran up to him and gave him a flask containing a reddish liquid, not bothering to ask what it is, Elyse drank the potion in one go. Everything came back to him in an instant, his memories, his strength, his sense of self. Gasping for air at the sudden change in his mind and body, he looked around and saw the other princes still lying around, asleep, two mages by their side, casting a spell on them. He was the first one to break out of the maze.

"Congratulations, prince Elyse, you successfully passed the second trial. The king and the others would very much like to see you right now." The third mage ushered Elyse back inside the castle.

Auria was left in awe. Elyse managed to escape from the maze. To begin with, the potion was equally powerful as the spell casted on the princes to manipulate their minds. She was expecting that it would take hours before any of the princes figure out what really is going on but Elyse did it within a matter of minutes. Auria's father however doesn't seemed to be pleased with the result of the second trial.

Within a few minutes, Elyse and the other princes were back at the castle. The king uttered a cold congratulation which Elyse paid no notice. He was just happy to have been freed of the spell. The other princes appeared to be annoyed with the fact that they lost a trial once more while Elyse came out victorious.

Auria on her part, cannot contain, the tinge of admiration that seemed to have welled up in her heart. Elyse, what a mysterious prince he is and somehow she felt drawn to his mysteriousness. Stepping down from her throne, Auria bowed before Elyse and congratulated him, trying to hide her smile all the while. Elyse on the other hand cannot help but feel flustered. Does this mean that Auria is not mad at him anymore? This and his triumph filled Elyse's mind throughout the day.

"Princess where are you going?" Silvia asked as Auria changed her garments to that of Alea's. It was almost dusk, and within a few hours supper is to be served. The king would surely look for the princess.

"Just a quick stroll. My friend from Noir said he would be back today. I would just like to welcome him," replied Auria, dranking a bit of Edrana's potion, turning into Alea.

Silvia escorted Alea out of the castle to ensure that no one sees the female commoner known as Alea roaming the castle grounds. Alea on the other hand, can't help but feel excited. Lyrus has been gone for a week now. There was a lot she wanted to tell him and she knew that her friend also has a lot to share with her. The bracelet Lyrus gave her rubbed against her wrist as she happily trotted the streets of Noir and out towards the peasant's hut.

To her dismay, Alea found no one inside the hut. May be Lyrus is due to return the following morning? Alea wished that her friend was okay. Returning to the castle, Alea let a sigh as she took off the hood of her robe as she walked towards the staircase leading to her room. She felt a familiar tingling sensation as she changed back to her original appearance. Unknown to her, Lophen, the thief prince saw her transformed as she climbed the stairs.

"Well, well, well. Now this is amusing," said Lophen, rubbing his hands together in glee at his discovery.