Return to Shattered Lake - Sorcerer’s Handbook

"A skill with your memories, identical appearance, but completely different personality?" In the illusionary scene, Ashe nodded while licking an iron railing: "Yes, he's a tsundere, completely different from me." Sonya and Deya glanced at him but remained silent. The dreamscape here was an academic city within walled confines, bustling with vibrant youngsters on the streets where even the four of them, as spellcasters, seemed older by comparison. "From 16 to 8, 8 to 4, 4 to 2..." Wesser, surrounded by various illusions of rising flames, swirling rain mists, flashing thunder, and blooming flowers, remarked, "If only one person can pass the trial in the end, then your feud with Silver Lamp can soon conclude." "It's actually two people since the Fate Twins function in pairs," Ashe corrected her. "But you're right, this long chase will ultimately find its full stop in the trial." "But now you're without spell spirits and energy, and with your companions nowhere nearby, can you really best Silver Lamp?" Deya worriedly asked while fiddling with a cat's cradle. "You still have the blood seed from Silver Lamp in you, right?" Ashe nodded. "Indeed, I can't defeat Silver Lamp. Apart from our disparity in combat skills, the blood seed is a problem. The closer I am to her, the stronger its effect becomes, as if she's constantly draining my life energy. In a fight, she'd grow fiercer while I'd weaken." "I managed to fight her to a draw last time only by using a mutually destructive tactic, but there's no guarantee she'd fall for it again." Although he didn't notice it during the fight, Ashe realized that he was oddly weak after distancing himself from Silver Lamp, recovering only after consuming high-calorie energy bars in the rest area. Clearly, the blood seed was still working its effect. "If it's just me and Silver Lamp, I might be truly out of options this time," Ashe admitted, spreading his hands. "But my duplicate doesn’t carry this burden, and he's much stronger. As long as we work together, we can surely take down the Silver Lamp twins!" Despite Ashe's confidence, the Sword Saint and Witch were worried. They hadn't met this 'duplicate,' and Ashe's mention of the duplicate being a tsundere only added to their unease—it wasn't so much about the potential hindrance of personality but rather about the insight it gave Ashe, raising doubts about the duplicate's reliability. "I found the affix," Wesser suddenly said. "It's color-related: invincible on white tiles, debuffs on black tiles." Simultaneously, the surrounding scene began to rewind, and a stream of information filled the spellcasters' minds: "Tile Game: On the way back to the dorm, whoever steps on a black tile loses! While on white tiles, no damage is taken, but stepping on black tiles inflicts one layer of 'Increased Damage' curse, each layer enhancing received damage by 10%, with unlimited accumulation." "Affix Recognition Reward: A small amount of Truth faction experience, a small amount of Fate faction experience, and a small amount of spell power." "Limited Affix Privilege: In the next illusionary scene, you can gain one layer of 'Defense Enhancement' blessing by stepping on white tiles, each layer reducing received damage by 5%, stacking up to 10 layers." Ashe and the others gasped. Though this was a single-affix scene, the affix was too outrageous, especially against those who spent minutes exploring its clues. The roads here were almost completely paved with alternating black and white tiles, meaning any movement would inevitably lead the casters over dozens or even hundreds of black tiles. The curse had no stacking limit, which meant they could face an additional 1000% damage increment once combat commenced, potentially shattering their sanctums in an instant! It was due to such outrageous affixes that Ashe and the others had to invest significant time hunting for clues. Ashe licking the railing, Deya playing a cat's cradle, Sonya skipping, jumping, flying, and walking backwards... every odd probe was a reaction forged from being repeatedly struck down by affixes. Sonya had actually learned various probing techniques for affixes from travel journals and teachers like Trozan and Nidala, but reading was no match for actual bruises. For instance, they encountered an "Unsheathed Illusion" affix where grasping a sword would switch their gender; thus, upon entering any new scene, Sonya and Ashe's first step was to unsheathe their swords. However, as they encountered more scenes, they realized their efficiency in recognizing affixes was rapidly improving. Not only Wesser, but Ashe's team occasionally managed to discern affixes through probing; yet their nightly progression through scenes never significantly improved, sticking around seven to eight scenes, though their safety did increase considerably. With the first two scenes being so easily navigated, and blessed by the "Tile Game" affix lowering defense by 50%, Ashe proposed they up the challenge and, upon finding a three-affix scene on the "Void Map," led everyone into it. "Huh?" Entering the new scene, Ashe faltered. Sonya assumed he fell victim to some affix curse and cautiously grabbed his hand, "Are you alright?" "No." Ashe lightly shook his head, walking forward as if sleepwalking. This scene was a vast enclosed building, where they opened the door into a spacious central hall. The ceiling was a glass dome, and light from the distant sun freely spilled over the benches, sided by potted plants. On the benches sat several people—chatting, reading, even some lying asleep. If not for their prison uniforms, it could resemble a park. Prison uniforms? Sonya and the others were startled, quickly realizing this wasn't an ordinary place. Ashe stood in front of a bench, watching the screen showing news about new council policies—filled with verbose, low-information phrases that seemed designed to be incomprehensible to the public. On the frontmost bench sat a 2.2-meter-tall green-skinned orc and a 1.3-meter-tall, short-legged goblin, with their discussion clearly reaching Ashe's ears— "Isn't it time for the fighting tournament? Finally, 'Enemy Dragon' is up next. His matches are the best, with brain spatters everywhere, much better than Blood Moon Judgment." "Humph, I bet 'Enemy Dragon' gets beaten up tonight, his opponent's the new ogre fighter 'Fernan Xue'! Strikes mercilessly, last match he even shoved a goblin's head into its chest, couldn't be saved!" "Fernan Xue... that name sounds familiar." "Probably a common name amongst ogres, who cares." "True." ... Ashe gathered his thoughts and suggested to his teammates, "This is a three-affix scene. How about we split up to search for clues separately for ten minutes?" Sonya agreed without hesitation, sharing a glance with the others before proposing, "Wesser, why don’t you explore with me?" "No way!" Deya clung to Wesser's arm, "It's my turn to partner with her!" Caught in the middle, Wesser chuckled. "Actually, splitting up might be more efficient... but if we must pair up, I'll go with the Sword Saint while the Witch explores alone." "Why!" "Because your spell spirit types are much more varied than the Sword Saint's," Wesser explained. "You can conduct many tests by yourself, whereas she can only do a few with her sword spirits." Pouting, Deya relented, "Then next time you must wander with me!" "Deal." With a wave, Wesser bade farewell to the Witch, accompanying the Sword Saint down another passage. In these days, she'd seized opportunities to chat with the Sword Saint and the Witch and kept a polite distance with Ashe, quickly becoming the most popular teammate in their group. It wasn't just her diplomatic skills; the Sword Saint and Witch had no other choice—excluding Wesser, there was no one else to discuss emotional matters with. Even without intentional closeness, as long as she showed no romantic interest in Ashe, Wesser naturally became a confidante for others. Watching a passing white-haired hunter, Wesser suddenly turned to ask, "Are you very worried?" "How could I not be?" Sonya sighed, "It seems like he never gets a day of peace—not when he's entangled in conspiracies, nor dragged into vortices; not when he’s pursued, nor when he’s the one pursuing. And now, with his spell powers sealed, he’s essentially as frail as a straw, constantly shadowed by enemies." "At least in the Fragmented Lake Prison, the laws constrained the place, allowing him to exploit loopholes for self-protection. But now, he's facing the lawless, ruleless trials of the Wasteland, without allies—only foes and enigma." Wesser gently said, "If only you could be by his side." The village girl bit her lip, her left hand resting on her sword hilt, struck dumb. "Still, you needn't worry that much. Didn't he mention he trusts his Fate Twin—his competent duplicate?" "That's what concerns me the most," Sonya confessed. "Why would the trial create such a duplicate? The most plausible reason that I can think of is to have the duplicate replace the original. Yet he seems to have complete faith in this duplicate." "You could advise him to stay alert to the duplicate’s actions—" "No." The Stretch Paw Club president shook their head. "I can listen and give advice, but I can't disrupt his decisions based on hidden possibilities. He's making judgments; he's not coming to us for counsel. If I try to persuade him, it would only make him think I doubt his judgment." "But you're doing it for his sake." "Though I worry about him, I respect his capabilities more, just as he has never interfered with my career development," Sonya replied. "We can only hear second-hand information processed by others, but only the person involved can weigh all the factors comprehensively. The areas I'm concerned about, he's either already considered or doesn't want me to worry about." Wesser nodded affirmatively. "That makes perfect sense... But aside from respect and trust, he might need your support too." "Hmm?" "From what you've shared, even when he was in prison, though his strength was minimal, the legal system offered some protection; in Gospel, although bound by contracts, he at least retained his power for self-defense. But now, without laws, without any power for self-preservation, apart from enemies with grudges as deep as the sea, all he has are the unpredictable duplicate and the mysterious unknown trials," Wesser elaborated. "If you were in his position, how would you feel?" Just imagining the scenario made Sonya feel suffocated, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself tightly. For a spellcaster, more terrifying than the environment or enemies is losing one's power. A powerless spellcaster feels like an adult reduced to a three-year-old child. Originally self-sufficient and capable of resisting danger, they're now forced to hope for fate’s mercy—such a status reversal is suffocating. "...I'd be really scared." "Anyone would be scared, but to avoid making you worry, he has to maintain a facade of having everything under control," Wesser said. "Fear, loneliness, anxiety... he's left to handle these negative emotions on his own because he knows telling you wouldn't help, it would only drag you into the mire." Sonya's breath quickened, and she paused, silently pondering for a moment before murmuring, "Then what can I do? I'm powerless to do anything..." "You should think the other way around," Wesser suggested. "If you were in his position, how would you want him to support you?" "As you know, this isn't his first brush with danger. When he escaped prison, when he entered the Gospel’s palace, when he was nearly drained by the blood seed, when he couldn't best Silver Lamp tonight... in those moments, did he have any regrets?" "Perhaps, he's been waiting for you all along." Stopping to look at the Sword Saint, Wesser waited patiently. After a moment, the Sword Saint opened her eyes, her ruby-like gaze shining brightly, a slight blush on her cheeks, but her expression full of determination. "Next, I'll leave finding clues to you, Wesser." "Leave it to me." The Sword Saint nodded and ran down another passage. Wesser turned around, casually weaving through the prisoners, slowly making her way back to the central hall. She had long since anticipated that she could provoke the team’s emotional dynamics, thanks to her indirect probing over the past ten days, as well as the volcanic surge of emotions simmering among the three. Without her intervention, the emotions within the Void would likely await a shift in reality for a turning point. Yet, with someone stepping forward, this stable group could face trials no less climactic than an apocalypse. Moreover, it was the perfect time for such a trial. Wesser’s analysis wasn’t unfounded. Indeed, Ashe was currently at his most vulnerable and helpless. If, at this moment, the Sword Saint and Witch could offer him warmth and care, it would truly be a boon amid his tribulation. However, should it manifest as an overwhelming emotional storm, it might just shatter his composure. In the trials of divine flames in reality, and emotional trials within the Void—let me see, Ashe, what truly lies beneath your façade. Not long after, Wesser encountered the Witch. Deya glanced curiously behind Wesser, "Where’s the Sword Saint? Wasn’t she with you?" Wesser took a couple of steps back and then turned to run, but in the next second, the Witch had enveloped her in a tight embrace: "Tell me, where did the Sword Saint go? Did you eat her? Was she tasty?" Wesser blinked, teasing, "The Sword Saint, well..."