Aiden stood atop the corpse that had once been an ambitious young man. There were signs — his trembling before the trial, the state Aiden found him in, and finally his refusal to work together.
"I don't feel guilty," Aiden said. "But for some reason I can't feel the triumph."
As he finished his words, Aiden felt something was standing behind him. He looked back, and saw someone standing at the entrance of the clearing.
A shadow filled with stars.
A creature of shifting darkness.
"Killing the Hungerborn was never about triumph," the shadow man said as the blue flames replacing his eyes turned toward the corpse on the ground. "It was about duty."
"I guess your arrival means the trial is over," Aiden said with a smile.
"It has. You passed."
"What about the others?"
"Most died — the sylvian lost his mind," the shadow answered. "You don't seem surprised by my arrival, nor intimidated."
"I guessed that something would happen if I used the black sword," Aiden said as he looked back, only to find the sword crumbling. "I guess that's not the real sword of Aevur."
"Of course, it is not."
"What happens now?"
"You have received an invitation to become a disciple," the shadow man said as he waved his hand, and a portal opened. "Follow me."
"I would rather not," Aiden said. "I learned not to trust strangers who look like the incarnation of evil."
"Then you can rot in this maze," the shadow said and left through the portal. Aiden stared at it and sighed. He turned toward the corpse of the fallen Borin and realized it hadn't scattered yet.
"Despite acting like I don't care," Aiden muttered with a weak smile. "I cannot bring myself to loot him."
The direwolves looked at him in confusion as he talked to himself. Aiden turned toward them, and began taking out all the meat he had before realizing the black sword had sucked in all the fire.
"Uh, are there any lanterns left?" Aiden muttered but realized there were none inside the clearing. The earlier explosions shattered them all.
For a moment, Aiden considered using the Starflame to start the fire. However, after a moment of consideration, he decided that he had shown the Seekers Guild enough of his powers. Any more and he would be targeted.
Aiden started the fire using a lantern he found in the maze, and began grilling meat for the monsters. He used all the meat he had left and allowed them to eat until they were full.
In the meantime, he hunted another Kangaroo and luckily received a cream to heal his burns.
Then, it was time for farewell.
"Thank you for saving me," Aiden told the wolves. "I won't forget those who died protecting me. If there is a way to get you out of here, I will do my best to do so… until then, take care."
Aiden walked toward the portals.
The wolves howled behind him.
He didn't know if they were disappointed that he would no longer feed them, or they just hated parting. Either way, the portal swallowed him as he felt the disorientation of crossing a distance in the blink of an eye.
"You took long enough," the shadow creature said, sitting on a couch inside the giant hall. "The Guild Master has been waiting for you for an hour."
"I had to say goodbye," Aiden replied as he looked around the giant hall; it was empty except for two doors opposite to each other. "I'm going to meet the Guild Master?"
"Anyone who passes the trials has to," the shadow replied. "Go ahead through those doors. She is waiting for you."
"She?" Aiden muttered with surprise. "I'm glad sexism doesn't exist in this world."
"Oh, it does," the Shadowkin replied. "Just go already."
Aiden sighed and walked toward the door. It opened as he approached, revealing a small office with large glass windows overseeing the city. He walked inside and adjusted the light coming from outside.
The office was humble, with rows of books stacked in shelves behind the giant desk. It was filled with items that Aiden had never seen the likes of before, and skeletons that moved about inside giant glass boxes.
On the other end of the office was a small dining area, and the far end next to the window had a small table and two leather chairs. On the round small table was a teapot, and someone sat pouring the tea.
"Please have a seat," a voice said, soft enough to vanquish any anger a person might have. Aiden could see the back of the chair, but not the person sitting in it.
Instead, he saw a pair of elegant hands, as pale as the moon, pouring tea into cups. He paused before walking directly to sit in the opposite chair next to the window.
As he turned, Aiden saw the person sitting inside the chair. It was a woman with long black hair, tied neatly behind her back. Her hair was as black as the night, almost fooling Aiden into thinking it was a piece of the void itself.
The woman had a neat hairstyle, with the ends tied behind her back, while the front was cut to form bangs and hair cascading down her shoulders.
Beneath the bangs was a pair of sparkling blue eyes, that turned toward him with a curiosity that pierced through his soul. Her lips parted, pink and soft, into a smile.
"You are a lot younger than I thought," she said with a smile.
Aiden sat down, and then smiled back at her.
"I have a knack for surprising people," he said. "Greetings, Guild Master."
"Yet, you don't seem surprised to see me," the woman said with a thin smile. "How come?"
"Dylan already told us we would meet the Guild Master at the end of the day."
"Dylan… is that the guide?" the Guild Master asked. "How was he?"
"A little shrewd, but nothing I couldn't handle," Aiden replied.
"You are blunt," she said with curiosity. "Are you unafraid that talking ill of him would harm you?"
"Of course I'm afraid," Aiden said as he picked up the tea and sipped on it. "I'm afraid of a lot of things. Otherwise, why would I make myself valuable to you?"
"It was on purpose," the Guild Master asked with a thin smile. "How did you know we would value that ability of yours?"
"You would be dumb not to," Aiden said. "Ahem, no offense."
"Did you just call me dumb?"