Alexander sat against the altar while staring at the two paths ahead.
The world that waited for him outside wasn't something he looked forward to getting back to.
His class was forbidden? What did that even mean?
And the people fainting, was it truly his fault?
"Either way, I need to choose carefully…"
Willmaker, or Beholder?
He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering how his father had showed him his own profile when he first started.
When he opened them again, there it was.
[ Name : Veil ]
[ Level : 0 ]
[ Archetype : Specialist ]
[ Class : ? ]
[ Fate : — ]
[ Effects : — ]
So… 'Veil'? That's my name?
His father was a fighter, with a class pretty generic for the archetype.
What 'Fate' and 'Effects' was, however, eluded him.
Effects could simply be passive spells that are activated, or maybe status effects… but what about fate?
His mind pondered for a moment, and while the possibilities were abundant it was impossible to pinpoint something down.
He turned around, looking at the altar with the girl resting on it.
For the first time, he noticed something he hadn't before.
Writings, similar to what was above the doors that was carved in the altar itself. Some parts had crumbled, making it harder to read.
"…What sees without looking binds without mercy."
Seeing, without looking?
It could've meant anything.
He got closer to the girl once more, realizing there was only one thing he hadn't looked at yet.
With his fingers, he opened her eyelids. Her eyes were bright white, so much so that they were almost glowing.
In a slow movement, those eyes went from looking straight above, to slowly turning toward Alexander.
In a quick movement, he let go, jumping backward.
She slowly sat upright, her face turned toward Alexander's as she moved sideways, letting her legs hang off the altar.
Her every movements were soft and slow, and her blank expression unnerving.
Her eyes were the most expressive part, the way she looked at him felt like she truly tried saying something, yet couldn't.
He waved his hand left and right, she didn't move an inch.
She was completely immobile.
Should I get closer?
He took one step closer, then another, and another.
Until he was right before her, her head slightly tilted back as she blankly gazed at him.
He slowly reached toward her, cautious with every move.
Seeing no aggressive signs at all, he gently grabbed her shoulder with his right hand, their eyes still locked in.
No movement at all? Is she even human?
The thought that she could've been an enemy there to test him did cross his mind, but awakening an enemy after opening two doors for him to choose from? It made little sense, if anything, he would've needed to defeat her before.
Alexander cleared his throat while gently adding pressure on her shoulder.
"Hello?"
He got his face slightly closer, still wary of any sudden moves on her part.
"Are you… on my side?" he asked.
"…"
He finally let go, taking a few steps back.
Alexander strolled around the cave for several minutes, that turned into hours.
The girl kept slowly turning, her gaze always searching for him.
It was eery, and creepy, but nothing like those other eyes that opened pathways on the walls. Those eyes were actually concerning, yet he knew he needed to make a choice.
Beholder, and Willmaker.
Both of those things meant very little, yet might have quite an impact.
His two leading theories, were that either he needed to face things with those names, or that he'd receive something along those lines. An effect, item, anything.
What he understood from his conversation with Sunder was that the inner path was something that scaled, which meant whatever the choice he made, he'd have a sort of 'fair' chance. In theory.
But, 'Willmaker' sounds a lot more threatening than beholder… if it turns out to be an enemy…
Alexander stopped walking once he reached the two pathways, turning toward the girl once more.
"I'll be back," he said.
He turned around, facing the two eyes that filled the archways. He slowly walked toward the eye under 'Beholder', its iris slowly filling up then turning into a narrow cross.
He closed his eyes for a moment, held his breath, and stepped through the archway.
It didn't open or split, rather it felt like he crossed through a sort of membrane.
He felt some resistance, but quickly stepped out on the other side.
As soon as he set his foot down, sharp pain radiated through his brain.
It felt extremely hot, as if a bright red metal rod had been inserted through his eye.
He couldn't breathe.
His fingers clawed at his own skull.
He dropped to one knee, then both.
He slammed his head into the rock. Blood sprang from the cut.
Three times he hit it, yet the pain it caused barely relieved the one he felt. He couldn't feel anything anywhere else.
He fell onto his side. His vision blurred, but he could still see Sunder's glowing mark.
It was bright, and looked like it burned through his flesh yet he barely felt it.
He tried screaming, but no sound made it out.
His vision was so blurry that he couldn't even process what he saw, his mind totally giving up on his senses as the torture kept going.
He pushed with his legs, moving slightly forward, then his mind did the impossible and brought a thought at the forefront:
I need to go back.
He tried turning around on the ground, the wall should be right behind him, as he hadn't moved much since he arrived.
He pushed with his legs again, going back.
He dragged himself across the rocky ground, taking one hand off his head as he blindly reached out before him.
His hand flailed in the air, not even brushing against anything.
The pain he felt increased, it felt like his head was about to explode.
His eyes rolled back as his body went still.