Astel and the three lost souls were slowly nearing the caravan when Astel decided to break the silence.
"You know, thank you… for back there," he paused for a moment, looking into the distance. "I know it's late, but I was just so lost. So many things happened so quickly… I thought I'd die."
One of the men pushing the cart replied after a brief moment, "We're just glad you're alright, maste—Astel."
Astel looked at him with a difficult expression, which eased into a light smile.
The man continued, "May I ask? What happened back there? We thought you'd gotten killed… but then you emerged with the dead serpent."
Astel looked at the sky before quietly replying, "You shouldn't concern yourself with that. I'm just glad we all made it."
The man, seemingly satisfied with the response, nodded and kept pushing the cart quietly.
*
Reaching the caravan, Astel noticed the other lost souls gathered at the storage wagon, waiting with cups in hand. When they noticed the arriving group, they raised their cups and started chanting with closed eyes, "Praise be to the gods."
After taking care of the refugees, Astel went to see Sev in the frontal carriage. As soon as he entered, Sev's voice resounded across the small room.
"You're back. How was it?"
He was buried in documents, mostly written on monster and animal hide, which surprised Astel.
"It went pretty well… What do you have there?"
Sev raised his head. "If you have to know, it's a map that I made. It shows us the way to the mountains."
Astel tilted his head in confusion. "A map? Why would you need that? Aren't the mountains straight ahead?"
Sev rummaged through a few documents, pulling one out of the pile. "Here, read that."
Astel scanned over the document. As he did, he frowned. "What language is this? I can't read it."
Sev stopped what he was doing for a moment. "Right, I forgot. You're new here. It's the language we use in this place. I'll teach it to you sometime. Anyway, I'm sure you've realized, but those mountains are a mirage… you know, those things you see in the distance in really hot weather."
Astel nodded curiously. 'Oh yeah, I remember you mentioned that once.' His words were aimed at the other Astel, but no response came.
Astel shook his head. "So, if those mountains aren't real, then where are the real ones?"
Sev pointed to a chair, telling Astel to sit down.
"Journeying to the mountains is a tough task. There are only a handful of people who can make their way there—and I happen to be one of them."
He almost sounded proud of himself. Astel smirked, finally seeing a different side of his new friend and partner.
Sev continued, "There are a couple of points where you have to turn around and go away from the mountains. At the end, there's a cave system—which is filled with powerful beings—that leads you directly to them."
Astel nodded, listening enthusiastically. "I knew this place wasn't normal, but wow. How does it work?"
Sev turned to look Astel in the eyes, seemingly considering something for a moment.
"I don't know."
Disappointed, Astel leaned on the chair, his head resting on the backrest, his stare pointed at the ceiling.
"What even is this place, anyway?"
Sev stayed silent for a few moments.
"Is that the question you want me to answer? I'll remind you, there are things that I won't tell you for free. Besides, you'd be better off not knowing them. Some knowledge is not meant to be wielded by us humans—so be careful what you ask for."
Astel frowned. "Tsk." He raised his head again, looking at Sev.
"How is me knowing about what this place is… dangerous?"
Sev answered instantly, as if prepared for the question.
"Knowledge of this place isn't too dangerous. But once you know of it, you'll become more curious. And who knows what other knowledge you'll seek then."
Frowning, Astel stood up from his chair and walked over to Sev's bed. He took a small wooden whistle and inspected it. After a few silent moments, he spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
Still not raising his head, Sev answered, "Depends."
Astel put down the whistle. "What do you know about the mind palace?"
Hearing this, Sev turned around. He stared at Astel for a few moments before his gaze landed on his hand, which had some deep bite marks. He paused, then turned back around.
"Why do you want to know about that? Shouldn't they have taught you that in school?"
Astel lay down on the bed. "They did. But you see, I just found out something weird happened and wanted to know more about it. You're the only one who might have the answer."
Sev stayed quiet, focusing on his work. Suddenly, he pushed his chair back and stood up.
"I'll be right back. I'll give you your answer—you deserve it," he said before rushing off.
Astel was left alone in Sev's carriage. He walked around, looking at several things before returning to the bed. Bored, he sat down cross-legged and channeled his energy, trying to enter his mind palace.
He felt the energy come together at a specific point within his mind, and as it did, he felt a pull. His consciousness was dragged within, attempting to enter his mind palace.
He would often enter just to look at the beautiful view from the small castle. He would sit on the sturdy stone walls and just stare into the distance. He remembered passing by a few closed doors within the small halls.
Each door would pull at a different part of his consciousness. Some would pull harder, some less so. He knew that opening one would lead him to another trial, but he knew he wasn't ready yet—so he never tried.
After feeling the familiar sense of entering his mind, he opened his eyes.
'There's really nothing there.'
He frowned before lying down and closing his eyes.
Soon, he heard the door open again as Sev returned. He sat down in his chair, which he turned around to face Astel.
"You wanted to ask about why your mind palace is gone, right?"
Astel shot up, staring directly at Sev with surprise and suspicion. "How do you know?" he blurted out.
Sev laughed. "I'm more surprised at how you didn't figure it out. What have you been doing for the past few months?"
Astel's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, before his expression turned serious again.
"I didn't exactly have the luxury of being able to go into my mind palace. I was never safe out there, after all… and probably not in my right mind either."
He laughed dryly, knowing that he probably still wasn't.
Sev laughed again, grabbing his knees. After calming down, he wiped his eyes and answered.
"Ah, Astel, my friend, my partner… don't worry about your mind palace. It happened to us all. Even I don't have access to it anymore, and neither does anyone out there."
He looked toward one of the windows before muttering under his breath, "Not that they had access to it before."
Astel saw his lips move, but not hearing what he said, he blurted out, "What?"
Sev looked back at him and said with a slight smile, "Oh, nothing."
He paused before continuing.
"Is there anything else you're curious about regarding the mind palace? Otherwise, I'd feel like I scammed you—and that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Astel thought for a bit, rubbing his chin.
"What are the trials?"
Sev's expression deepened for a split second—not enough for Astel to catch it.
"They are the mind's way of preparing us for the other fragments."
He smiled pleasantly, inviting Astel to ask more.
After a pause, Astel asked with a sad expression, "Then are we not going to be able to conquer new fragments?"
Sev shrugged his shoulders. "Have you heard about people being born with photographic memory? Or people being called combat prodigies? Those people are living proof that you don't need the trials to conquer a fragment."
Astel listened along, asking another question. "Then how does one conquer a fragment without a trial?"
Sev looked him dead in the eyes and said, "That I don't know. You'll have to figure it out by yourself—but my best guess is a lot of training."
Astel nodded, mostly satisfied with his newly acquired knowledge. Trying his luck, he asked with a smile on his face, "Then… can I have my spear back? It's been itching away at my mind having it manifested for so long."
Sev blinked a few times before answering in a cold tone, "No."
Then he turned and walked away.
Astel bolted to him and grabbed him around the shoulder.
"Come on, why not?"
Sev removed Astel's arm from his shoulder and said, "Not until you show me what you're really made of. Now go rest—or that wound on your hand will get worse."
Astel looked at his hand, remembering the existence of the wound. He nodded at Sev with a dumbfounded look.
"See you soon." He paused and continued in a teasing tone. "Master Sev."
Sev turned to him, but Astel had already walked out of the door when he wasn't paying attention.
He muttered while laughing a little, "That idiot."