Chapter 9 : The Swamp

As the boy went through the exit he saw a tunnel made from the thorny vines. The only light source available inside was strange-looking flower that emitted light. 'It has no access to the sun in here; I wonder how it works' thought the boy his curious nature getting the better of him. Should a pathfinder complete one of the trials early, this was the standard way to go from one destination to the next.

When he neared the end of the tunnel his nose picked up a particular smell – similar to the Maze, but also different, heavier. Nestled deep in the heart of the enchanted Maze, there lays a mysterious swamp unlike any Ciaran had ever read about. The air was thick with the scent of decaying vegetation and the sounds of chirping insects and croaking frogs fill the air.

In the center of the swamp lay a massive body of water, its surface covered with a thick layer of greenish algae that glows faintly in the sunlight. The water is eerily still as if something is lurking just beneath the surface. The sound of something splashing in the distance echoes through the swamp, sending shivers down his spine.

The trees surrounding the swamp are tall and gnarled, their roots jutting out of the murky water like skeletal hands. Vines and moss cling to the trees, giving the swamp an otherworldly appearance.

As he stepped closer to the water's edge, he noticed strange creatures lurking in the shadows. Huge alligators glide through the water, their eyes gleaming with an otherworldly intelligence. Strange amphibians with bulging eyes and tentacle-like appendages cling to the tree trunks, while massive snakes slither through the underbrush.

"You have to be kidding me!" He said in a whisper. Never before had he seen or even heard of anything living in the Maze.

"This is a school, God damn it, why is there a fucking swamp here?" what little composure he had restored in the tunnel was already gone.

Despite the eerie atmosphere, there was a strange beauty to the swamp. Fireflies dance through the air, their flickering lights casting an ethereal glow on the water's surface. The sound of distant chanting and drumming can be heard in the distance, drawing you deeper into the heart of the swamp.

As his gaze ventured further into the swamp, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was looking back at him from the shadows. The swamp seemed to come alive around him as if the very trees and plants were whispering secrets to each other. He realized with a start that you have entered a realm of magic and mystery, where anything was possible and danger lurked around every corner.

'A trial of Wisdom, no doubt about it. There is no way I can deal with any of this with brute force, the only way out for me is if I employ a little creativity. '

'So what are my options? Go around the water through the thick trees and risk the unknown, and go through the swamp and feed myself to the wildlife.'

"Any man would find this difficult, good thing that I am still a boy then," Ciaran said with a smirk on his face.

He looked at the water and saw a boat – small, but big enough for him to cross the damn trial with.

'You can't fool me you pretentious bastard, even if all this is real, and I find that hard to believe, these beasts don't care I exist. I am not even worth a bite to them, not even worth it worth the sport to hunt me down.'

'That boat and the oars inside also seem to be made out of the local trees. Don't think I haven't noticed how your pets stay clear of them'

Ciaran's observation was spot on; no sane creature would mess with the vegetation of this place. It was the apex predator in the area after all. That and it also serves as their home made them quite reluctant to take action against it.

He got on the boat and started his journey forward or at least tried to but the damn thing went right and refused to obey his wishes. 'Blasted Wisdom Trial, couldn't make it easy for me could you?' The boy cursed in his mind and looked at the water.

His expression just got darker still as he recognized what he saw. Inside the water, there was a pattern just beneath the service, a circular one. Ciaran was very familiar with it as it had served as his trial for the last three attempts.

'Until now I just had to arrange blocks on the ground, and now you turn me into a part of the puzzle. Funny, Foliage, very funny' the boy thought a surprising smirk on his face.

'Last few times, it was always a Trial of Intelligence. In those, you need to think long and hard for a proper solution. This time though, this time I am in my conform zone.'

The Mind Trials consisted of three kinds of trials, Intelligence, Knowledge, and Wisdom. The first required you to solve complex problems. The second was mostly a test of your memory. The last however was more special; it required the participant to have both intelligence and knowledge. It was usually not given to younger children, because one had to have a bit of experience to complete this sort of thing.

Ciaran saw things differently though. He believed that every trial of wisdom had the same problem and answer. Well, maybe not the same, but similar in nature. Every trial of this kind always seemed unbeatable, so there was only one solution – cheating. And cheating was what he was best at.

'In a way, getting to the second level of the Library is nothing more than a more advanced version of this.' The boy thought with a snicker.

'Focus Ciaran, focus! So how do we do this? The currants are moving me in seemingly random directions. My only clue is that the currants are color coded – red, yellow, and blue. How can they even be – you know what not the time for that right now .'He tried his best not to get distracted by the wonders of this place.

"So I am currently in the red zone, but where do I need to go" he let a question slip out loud.

"ONLY FAIR, I GIVE YOU A HINT" He heard a voice again. This time not from the Maze but from the water itself.

'Weeping Havens and Screaming Hells, it's not just one giant sentient plant is it?' the boy realized in horror.

It seemed the Maze and the Swamp were two different entities entirely.

"Now that I think about it, the damn Maze always tries to seem mysterious, but you can just feel it wants to play around. Most of the time it's harmless, but it sure knows how to keep a grudge. The swamp feels more like Liza, a scary prick, but you can feel it means you no harm." The boy said out loud. Regret was evident on his face a second later.

'Bravo, Ciaran Clades you see one, well maybe two, unexplainable wonders and you lose all your training. Gramps will be disappointed in me.' The boy sighed, disgruntled with himself. Not that he was allowed any time to indulge in self-pity, as the next moment the ground shook, and a huge waterfall could be seen at the distance.

"Are you serious? Someone is bound to see that thing." Ciaran shouted. Naturally, he got no answer, it seems the swamp was done talking.

He looked at the thing and was shocked to realize the water was going up. What the boy found more interesting was that the water was a mix of a bunch of different colors. Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Olive Green, Lime Green, Forest Green, Seafoam Green, Chartreuse, and Teal.

'Great, now upside-down waterfalls are not enough to even interest me that much. Not when I get such a rear lesson on the importance of the difference of the different pigmentation of the green color. Even If I fail to get to level two the journey has been worth it.'

Despite his rude thoughts the boy, without his knowledge and against his wishes, had a massive grin on his face. This is what he was looking for – oddities, wonder, adventure, and knowledge no one bothered to teach him. He didn't want to admit it but right here in the middle of a swamp full of who-knows-what, he was having the time of his life.

'I get what I have to do. Now that I know where the endpoint is it's actually very simple to get through.'

'The proper way to deal with this is probably to first move through the swamp, and see through the light trick of the waterfall. I am pretty sure it's only one color and my eyes are just playing tricks on me. Next, I just have to navigate the correct current and I am out. Too bad I don't have the time to do it the proper way. '

'Well good thing I haven't unleashed my own current today.'

'I am in Red, and next to Blue, let's see if this changed up there.' He said as he relieved himself in the water. He didn't think that the Swam would be angry at him; it was a swamp after all.

Next, he focused his attention on the waterfall. As the water was shining it was easy to spot the slight imperfection in the Teal.

'Got you. Now the easy bit.' He said as he moved to the blue current and sailed along.

"It's great my eyesight also get enchanted through the procedure, guess I have one more thing to thank gramps for," Ciaran said with a smile.

The experience of ascending a waterfall was novel for the boy. At the peak, he found the exit.

'A little more than half the time to go'

Before he stepped into the tunnel he turned around and said. "Thank you, and see you soon sir" not faking the respect in his voice this time. The swamp had left quite the impression on the young lad.