Chapter 12: A stare off between two airheads

His mental immaturity aside he had a job to finish, and very little time left to do so. He did not know exactly how much time he had, but he knew his half an hour was almost up.

'Lucky for me this is going to be easy. 'Ciaran smiled showing his teeth.

Just as he was thinking that almost as if on cue the tree started to change. Its change was no spectacle, no special sounds, it just shrunk a little, and a part of its bark started peeling off.

The boy had a bad feeling about this. "You ok bud, you aren't getting sick on me are you?" he asked with a weary tone.

To the boy's horror the tree, which grew more lifelike by the minute answered with a human-sounding chuckle.

"Funny. No, it's not sick, just possessed. It wouldn't be a fun final challenge if you beat a lone soulless puppet after all."

"Far more fitting for the Boss monster to bar your way don't you think?" The tree asked. It was more of a statement than a question, and not really a tree anymore either.

The tree had morphed itself to look exactly like the boy. It looked like a perfectly carved wooden statue, identical to Ciaran. Its eyes had a strange light blue glow to them.

'Why are they blue, shouldn't they be green, the Maze is a plant after all?' Ciaran though.

"Is it really a plant if they don't glow in green? Dark or light, but it should be green. Wait, is that racist, am I being insensitive? Dad said people in the Desert are a different color, so maybe plants can have a blue glow to their eyes."

"No, wait why are his eyes glowing anyway. Is it a "he"? We share an appearance but- "

"Ok, enough boy! Heh, are YOU even a boy? Could have fooled me." Ciaran's unintentional monologue was interrupted. The mimic said that in a sarcastic voice, identical to Ciaran's.

"You calling me a girl, you tree bastard? Come here and say it to my face." The boy exploded in rage. Maybe it was the exaction, or the shock this mystic encounter had brought him but his usual façade of politeness had crumbled.

This shocked the mimic for some reason as if it didn't even consider the possibility of the boy talking back. 'Was I wrong? But, then that would mean I have intentionally bullied a child for the last few weeks. No, no, no, he passed my trials. He beat the golems. But if he was what I think he is, why was Sis so soft with him?' The mimic seemed to suffer a similar condition to the boy as its thoughts wondered as well.

It was a first for Ciaran to experience what it was to stare at someone who was there only physically. Something he had been doing, to people his whole life. It was eye-openingly frustrating for sure, but it also gave the boy to calm down.

'Did I just curse at that thing?' He asked himself in horror.

'First of all, by its attitude and the fact the Maze hasn't changed in a while, I could guess they are one and the same. Same annoyingly sassy attitude, same aggression towards me."

'Second, and a lot more importantly I don't have time for this shit, if I don't hurry this was all for nothing.'

The boy knew he couldn't win in a fight. Bribery and blackmail were off the table as well, he didn't know anything about his adversary after all. Not what he did, what he liked, his name, or even what he was.

'But it is a "he", that much I can tell. Too aggressive to be a girl, too ready to start a fight.'

'Not that Clara isn't the same, but that's different. Her aggression is planned, this guy just wants to ram his head into my head and see what cracks first. Metaphorically speaking of course.'

Just like that, the two stared at each other. Both looked straight at each other in silence, none of them thinking about the current situation they were in.

It took a full minute for Ciaran to realize what was happening and to break off the silence. He decided to use his last resort. If all else failed, this is what would get him his prize. He didn't like using this method as it worked too well, and for a bunch of other reasons, but time was short and other options were non-existent. He charged at the mimic.

The Fake was startled. 'Should I fight? What if he really is just a kid?' The plant creature thought but still took a battle stance.

It hadn't just taken Ciaran's appearance. It mimicked his body perfectly, from his strength to his most recent injury. Both their right legs were badly damaged, but their wrists were the actual problem. They were borderline broken.

As the kid was upon him he was ready to intercept when Ciaran came to a stop just in front of him and fell to his knees, both hands spread out forward in surrender.

"Please sir, I know I can't win, but please let me pass" He begged.

"I have prepared for this for so long. I spent all my time, all my money on this. I promised all of my friends, and my siblings that I will make it happen. Please, just today, have mercy on me. I really, really want to see what is up there. Please!" He kept begging.

"What?" The personification was startled, to say the least. He had known this kid for a while now. As it stood most of his free time was spent observing the kids of this place anyway, so he knew a little about most of them.

This brat was cocky, a leader, and most importantly a schemer. Ciaran's misadventures were one of his most potent weapons to fight boredom after all.

'A trick, surely' The Maze thought. "Stand up Kid!" It ordered.

Ciaran stood up, eyes wet with tears. All of his frustration with the situation had hit the peak, and he had let it all out.

The wooden copy had placed his hand on the boy's head. "Do you mean what you said? Do you surrender?" he asked, followed by an "I do" from the kid.

This had the Maze in a bind.

'IF I was wrong then this is bad, real bad. Sis will not show me any mercy. Hell, she shouldn't. No, let's make sure first'

"Give me your hand, let's get you healed up then." He ordered and the kid obeyed.

The maze wasn't kidding around anymore. The wooden copy still looked like Ciaran, but its strength was different, its very presence was different, and the kid could feel it. This was not a trial anymore; the time for games was over. The boy resolved to obey the Maze, hoping they could come to an agreement.

The wooden copy gently grasped the boy's injured hand. Next, a deep blue light shined and engulfed the wood and it engulfed the flesh.

The boy felt a chill, not the unpleasant kind. The pain was going away. In seconds his hand was healed.

Ciaran was shocked, to say the least. "The light was deep blue before it was light blue. Where is the green" He asked, no sign of his previous vulnerable mental state.

"No, wait a damn minute; fuck the colors what was that. You healed me. How? It was instantaneous." The boy fired, question after question its wooden counterpart.

As he was healing him he had checked. 'No, doubt about it, this was a genuine six-year-old.'

"Sir, please tell me."

'So I was really just about to beat an innocent."

"Sir, are you there, please? Sir."

'But, that was strange. What is with his mind?'

"Ok, but why was it deep this time? Where is the green? The GREEN?!

'I need to tell Sis, she surely can-'

"Sir, the time, we don't have time. I need to go. But also, the healing. And the colors, and-

"Shut up Ciaran, I just used some basic healing magic, the color comes from the attribute. And YES, you are being racist, I am an Air user damn it."

"Magic?" Ciaran asked in wonder.

"Yes?" The Maze answered, in confusion. Then realization struck him hard.

'The old man said, the mere mention of magic to kids below the Third year is forbidden. Sis made me promise. I am so dead, again. '

"It's a dryad thing"

"What's a dryad?"

'Right, no mention of other sentient creatures either. Ok now, I am super dead. Wait no, the kid's silence can be bought!'

"No, time for that kid. First of all, it's been exactly twenty-eight minutes from the start of your Trials. Second of all, your plan was doomed to fail from the start."

Ciaran didn't know how to answer that. He didn't have to anyway as the dryad continued.

"Third of all, you don't have to worry about it, because your big bro Eleftherios, will help you out. And yes this is a bribe, no mention of what happened here to anyone. I know your word is good for it.

The kid nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Fourth, and most important of all, you will come back here as soon as possible. No, trials, no pain, I just want to talk with you. Is that ok?"

The boy nodded again.

"Good! Here is a present from me to you."

The wooden boy reached inside his chest and gave him his key.

"It's for the second floor. It's a onetime use item and it's yours. Also, I hid the supplies your minions had stashed. Would have been found out long ago if I didn't. I was planning to give you an epic entrance when you failed the fight… Anyway, your all set, give em' hell, and don't forget, at your earliest convenience we should have a talk.

As he said that a bunch of vines dragged the boy to the now-opened exit and shoved him into the tunnel.

Today's beginner trials were over.