William was panting heavily, sweat pouring down every inch of his body. He leaned against the door behind him, eyes fixed on the three tunnels ahead—each leading to an unknown destination.
A dim light flickered from the ceiling above. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke in an exhausted tone:
"Oh God… that was a strange and terrifying riddle… and now it looks like we're in another one."
He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and continued with the same tired tone:
"Man… I wish that Bonfire was here… it would calm my nerves a bit…"
As he got lost in his strange thoughts, Alistair appeared out of nowhere, hand on his stomach, speaking in a noble manner:
"Well done, sorcerer William Kideon, on completing your second trial… only 24 more hours remain before you return to your steampunk Victorian world."
William slowly lifted his head and looked at Alistair with weary eyes. He spoke in a cold tone:
"Damn… I wish that last place was the final one. What now, you mysterious?"
Alistair clasped his hands and chuckled quietly. His voice turned deep:
"A thrilling challenge to make your primitive mind work properly and clearly."
William gave a sarcastic smile and replied indifferently:
"Excuse me? My primitive mind? Man, no one could solve that last riddle even in a thousand years."
Alistair wagged his index finger from side to side, his tone cloaked in mystery:
"Don't flatter yourself too much. There are those who managed to escape the Crimson Dream at the resting area known as the Bonfire… So try not to be too arrogant, Mr. William Kideon."
William's expression shifted to one of shock and confusion. He muttered to himself in a low voice:
"There are people who made it out from that area? But how?"
He stood up and looked straight at Alistair, speaking in a serious tone:
"But how did they escape the dream from that place? There was no hint or anything like that."
Alistair let out a quiet, eerie laugh and replied with a cryptic tone:
"I told you before—focus. Don't rely on hints. And soon enough, you'll understand."
William stepped closer to Alistair, his voice sharp:
"Are you trying to manipulate me? You and that stupid grin."
Alistair raised his hands, voice deep and mocking:
"No, no… I'm not qualified to be a manipulator, Mr. William. But I possess far greater magical energy and insight than you… So, like I said—don't be so full of yourself."
William looked at him, now surrounded by an aura so terrifying it froze the air around them. He felt, for a moment, that escalating things might just get him killed.
"It felt like I was standing before a three-headed demon trying to devour my soul," William said, his tone shaken.
Alistair turned around and gazed at the three tunnels. He adjusted his hat and spoke with a deep voice:
"Now, dear William Kideon, you are facing a simple yet deadly puzzle—no different than the clock riddle."
He turned to face William again and continued in the same tone:
"Among these three tunnels, only one leads to your room. You have two chances. If you fail both… you'll watch your life flash before your eyes—and you won't even be dead yet."
That last sentence felt like a rope tightening around William's neck before he could do anything. He was terrified inside, but on the surface, he held it together.
"And now, farewell, Mr. William. I'll see you at the end of the corridor." Alistair snapped his fingers and vanished, his deep voice echoing around the space.
William buried his face in both hands, speaking quietly:
"I'm starting to get exhausted… all this thinking is draining me…"
He lowered his hands and approached the three tunnels, analyzing them carefully with his eyes.
"I don't know which direction leads to my room… I've got two tries, but I'd really like to get it right on the first go."
He placed a finger on his chin and spoke softly:
"Why not try the one on the right? It runs parallel to the room where the Bonfire used to be."
He then pressed a hand to his chest, his voice dropping:
"But something feels off… I don't know if it's fear or just a lack of confidence."
He walked toward the left tunnel. He stood at its entrance, a deep fear gripping him as he stared into the darkness… Then he stepped forward, entering the tunnel with steady steps.
William moved through complete darkness… He tried conjuring a flame from the shadows to light the path—but the result was the same. It remained pitch-black.
"What? Why can't I light this place up with shadow fire? It must be a magical restriction," he muttered with concern.
He walked for a minute until he slammed into a wall.
"Damn it… couldn't see the damn wall without light." He spoke irritably, touching the stone surface.
Suddenly, a light ignited, revealing the place he now stood in—a massive stone circle, surrounded on all sides by four walls.
"Where did the tunnel go? And also… where the hell am I?"
A voice echoed from nowhere, sounding like it came through a distorted radio:
"Welcome, foolish sorcerer Mr. Kideon… it seems you picked the wrong tunnel, so now it's time to face the consequences."
"You might ask stupidly, what consequences? Well, simply put—you're now in an elevator. And you must prevent it from descending to the final floor. A group of demons will try to make it drop, so try to kill as many as you can to stop that from happening."
"And if you don't… the consequences will be traaagiccc! Hahahaha—sorry, forgive my weird laugh. Anyway, goodbye."
William was stunned, unable to make sense of what was happening. He held his head and muttered in a tired voice:
"Man… I'm slowly losing my mind with all these insane things happening…"
While speaking, a roar—mixed with a growl—emerged from beneath the stone platform and from the walls. William didn't know where to look. Then, three demons appeared from under the rock, and two emerged from the walls.
They all stood atop the platform as the elevator began to drop rapidly. William quickly drew his sword, shadow magic igniting in his hand.
"Damn it… I have to kill them fast before we reach the bottom floor."
William launched a wave of shadow magic—small daggers of darkness—hitting one of the demons, which collapsed and melted like crimson water.
Another demon rushed from behind, attempting to take William's head off. He dodged and sliced the creature's head clean off. But another one managed to slash William's back deeply.
"Ughh!"
In a reflex, William fired another shadow wave, piercing through the demon's stomach.
He then unleashed a spark from his blood-covered sword, slicing the remaining demons in half. Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow. The elevator came to a stop—then suddenly rocketed upward.
William gave a soft, tired smile and spoke wearily:
"Thank God… looks like that was all of them—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
A massive demon appeared—like a bleeding crimson ghost, fused into the wall—its enormous hand slamming onto the elevator to force it back down.
"What the hell is that thing? I've never seen a demon that size before…" William said anxiously.
William swung his sword in an attempt to sever the hand, but it vanished and reappeared in another corner… He tried again, but to no avail.
"This bastard… he's not attacking. He's just trying to make the elevator descend faster," William growled in an angry tone.
He fired a dark magic bullet, but it missed. William was trying everything he could, but nothing worked—and time was running out.
"There must be a way to kill this bastard."
Despite the pressure surrounding him, William thought calmly. He spoke to himself in a quiet tone:
"I've noticed something. Every time I swing my sword, it appears directly behind me… So, there's no choice but to execute the move I have in mind."
William gripped his darkness-cloaked sword tightly and released a wave of dark magic, but the hand vanished again and reappeared behind him. William redirected two waves of dark magic and sliced off the demon's hand.
The demon let out a piercing scream from the excruciating pain, melting into the wall. The elevator stopped descending at the last moment and began to rise rapidly.
As it ascended, a mysterious voice echoed, sounding like it came from a radio:
"Wizard William Gideon has triumphed… Well done, brave adventurer. Honestly, you've got a talent worthy of being buried. Haha, just kidding."
"I didn't expect you to defeat the final demon. He's one of the more annoying types, but you're quick-witted and deeply thoughtful."
"And because of your silly—uh, I mean great—victory, you'll be returned to the same place… and now, you must decide which tunnel leads to your room, you fool."
As the voice faded, William reappeared in the same place, in a strange, teleportation-like manner. He held his head and spoke in a tired tone:
"Man… am I surrounded by lunatics or what? I feel like my brain wants to burst out of my skull and run off somewhere else."
He moved his hand away from his face and looked at the tunnels. William ruled out the right tunnel since he had entered it before… so now, he had to focus on either the center or the left one.
"I don't know which path to choose but…"
He went silent for thirty seconds, then looked toward the right tunnel. His gaze toward it was filled with fear and exhaustion from the hell he was in.
"There's no other choice."
William stepped forward with heavy steps, as if he didn't want to go, yet he kept moving… until he entered the tunnel. He walked in the dark until he felt like he was walking in circles—as if he was standing still.
"Am I walking in circles or what?" William asked in a moment of confusion.
Suddenly, the lights turned on, and he found himself in his room, where the crimson moon shone through the window. Alistair Vayne was sitting on the bed, clapping enthusiastically.
"Excellent, Mr. Gideon… Truly excellent. But why did you choose the left instead of the middle one?" Alistair asked in a calm tone.
"I deduced it from the angle of the crimson clock containing the straight sword inside the Bonfire in the royal palace courtyard."
Alistair crossed one leg over the other and extended his hand as he spoke in a deep, elegant tone:
"That's brilliant. Some had luck on their side, and others—like you—relied on their minds to survive."
He continued in the same tone, revealing something from beneath the ground:
"And this is the Bonfire that will lead you back to your world."
William's eyes were half-open as he asked in a questioning tone:
"But how will it take me back to my world?"
Alistair stood up and pointed to the bloody sword inside the Bonfire, speaking in a sarcastic tone:
"It's simple—you just need to grab the bloody sword inside the fire, and you'll return to your world. Oops… you could've done that from the beginning. Hahaha."
William froze in place, unsure how to respond… He was trying to organize his thoughts after the shocking realization.
"Wait… wait, are you telling me that if I had grabbed the sword inside that Bonfire back in that room, I could've returned to my world?" William extended his hand as he asked in astonishment.
Alistair put his hands over his mouth and spoke again in that radio-like tone:
"That's right! Hahahaha."
William's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked down at his hands and spoke in a cold voice:
"My hand was trying to grab it… but I kept pulling it away. My body was telling me there was something inside that Bonfire, but I didn't listen."
"It's okay, Mr. Gideon. Next time, try to be more aware—and step on your pride a little," Alistair said in a mysterious tone.
"And now, Aidos."
Alistair vanished… and the place began to tremble violently. William, still in shock, was jolted back to reality when a falling rock struck him.
He grasped the bloody sword inside the Bonfire… and returned to his world, lying on his bed… with a girl above him, her sky-blue eyes gazing at him with love.