Eric's touch on the rift transported him instantly. He emerged outside the labyrinth, dazed. A carriage was waiting there. An old man spoke to him from the doorway, his voice echoing in the air.
When he finished speaking, the old man turned and entered the carriage, leaving the door open behind him.
This left Eric confused. Looking around, he saw more children near the carriage. They stared back at him, just as surprised. Most of them looked surprisingly well, aside from a few bruises, but they all shared the same expression of joy at having escaped that place.
"How are they alive," Eric wondered silently. He couldn't believe they had survived what happened on the bridge. Looking back at the wall where he had appeared, the blue glow still lingered, showing no signs of transporting anyone else.
Without questioning what had happened, Eric stepped into the carriage and saw the old man seated in a luxurious, cushioned chair in one corner. The carriage was quite spacious, almost like a miniature house, with every comfort imaginable.
"Sit down, boy," said the old man, pointing to a chair across from him. Eric approached cautiously, not knowing who this person was or what would happen to him now that he had escaped that place.
Eric sat in the chair as instructed. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked, uncertain of what awaited him.
"That's a good question. It's good to see you've adapted quickly. Where we're going, you'll certainly need that. As for your question, you have three paths to choose from:
First: live and go to the Tower of Eternal Night to walk the path where great power and knowledge await you—well, assuming you survive. You'll have full freedom, except you'll need to follow the Tower's rules.
Second: it's basically the first option, but without freedom. Your life will be chained and controlled by the Tower, and there's no guarantee you'll live long; many experiments await promising candidates.
Third: die here and now. Hahaha, turns out your body might be useful to me in the future. I'll just say that no one made it through the labyrinth except those who came out through the other portals. So, what do you choose?" said the old man with a calm voice and a somewhat expectant expression.
Hearing this, Eric was stunned. There was no doubt about which option to choose. But he didn't understand why he was valuable, and the cruel methods of the Tower of Eternal Night shocked him.
"Obviously, the first option. I have no desire to lose my life or my freedom," Eric replied to the old man.
"Good, I knew you'd choose that option; otherwise, you'd be a fool. In that case, let's make the contract. On one hand, you should be grateful to belong to this tower; if we hadn't kidnapped you, you'd be with those stupid white mages. You'd be limited and unable to explore all the knowledge that magic can offer," said the old man with a calm voice and a look of disdain.
The old man stretched out his wrinkled hand and showed him a yellowed scroll, covered in delicate black script that seemed to dance across the paper. The engravings along the edges were intricate and complex, with serpentine shapes that coiled and uncoiled. As he unrolled the scroll, the engravings climbed toward the corner, converging into a symbol resembling an ancient tower, with curved walls and a sharp tip pointing to the sky. The symbol looked alive, as if it were about to rise from the paper and take on a life of its own.
"Extend your hand and, with the dagger you brought, cut your hand and let a few drops of your blood fall onto it," said the old man.
When Eric looked at the scroll, he saw the information the old man had given him, but there were also important details he had left out:
The person who signs this contract will be an apprentice under the Tower of Eternal Night.
The individual will have freedom. They must only follow the Tower's rules, which include preserving and defending its interests when necessary.
They are free to refuse participation in any Tower experiment, but only those with low chances of success, except in special cases.
Any individual who breaks the contract will have their life taken by the curse of the Nightmare Specter, and their bloodline will bear the blood curse.
The Tower will not interfere in internal disputes unless they harm the Tower's well-being.
It is forbidden to kill another within the Tower's territories; otherwise, an exemplary punishment awaits.
The individual must accept at least one task per year; otherwise, the disciplinary committee will act and apply a sanction according to the level.
When the individual reaches the level of a formal mage, some of the previous conditions will be more lenient.
Upon reaching a high level of magic, the individual will be free from the Tower of Eternal Night. They must fulfill one request that the Tower may claim at any time. Depending on its difficulty, the individual may reject it, but it will remain pending. Additionally, they must protect the Tower for at least 500 years.
"Damn, how am I supposed to sign this contract—500 years, these people are insane," thought Eric, shocked. "By then, I'd be dead and buried, reduced to dust and bones, no one would remember my name. Although, well, this world has magic, and I've seen things that defy explanation, so it wouldn't be surprising if people lived that long." Eric tried to console himself. What mattered most to him was that he would keep his freedom. He could do things he never imagined, like travel to unknown places and learn magic. And as long as he didn't die and there was at least one path forward, he would take it without hesitation.
"Well, this tower doesn't seem friendly or good at all. It feels like I'm making a deal with the devil," thought Eric as he grabbed the dagger with his right hand and placed his left hand over the scroll. Carefully, he extended his index finger and made a cut so that a few drops of blood would fall onto the scroll.
When the blood touched the scroll, it began to vanish into particles of light, some of which entered his body. As they did, Eric felt the contract being etched into his mind. There was also a black mark on the back of his palm. It had the shape of a King, similar to a chess piece.
"Good, now that we've completed the preparations, let me introduce myself: I am the mage Aldric. I'm responsible for overseeing the trial for new apprentices of the Tower of Eternal Night. As for what comes next, you'll begin to feel what mages call Mana, which exists in this and countless other worlds. You can think of it as the foundation for the existence of certain things; everyone has mana within them, some more than others. What differs is the mental power of each individual. This can increase over time. Practicing certain arts to improve it or drinking specific potions can help you enhance it," said Aldric, as he tossed him a round black stone.
"Now go out and try to feel the mana flowing around you. We'll be here for a while, since several caravans are still due to arrive for the trials. As you may have noticed, you're the only child here who managed to cross the labyrinth. The others can only attribute their survival to luck, so as a reward I'll tell you something you'll discover later: those bottles you brought with you will help improve your mental power. The Tower placed them throughout the labyrinth so that those who make it out can use them. Obviously, you must obtain them inside. This is the only time the Tower offers this for free, as a benefit for the fortunate," said Aldric, turning his head toward the window. Realizing he was no longer paying attention and didn't seem interested in speaking further, Eric turned and left the carriage.
"That old man gives me chills. That strange clock-shaped prosthetic in his eye makes me feel weird just looking at it. And how am I supposed to feel mana with this? He didn't tell me how," thought Eric, uneasy as he stared at the stone in his hands, unsure of what to do.
Outside, Eric sat in an area near the carriage along with the other children. Perhaps because of fear and the black knights wandering around, Eric hadn't noticed that there were patches of green grass in this cave. He might have ignored it due to the dim light, since only a few large golden stones on the cavern ceiling illuminated the place. So he sat on the grass for comfort and began to drift into thoughts about what he should do next. Soon, perhaps from exhaustion or the intensity of everything he had seen, the world of dreams took him away.