As I suspected, the large orb, the one at center of the room, which had all my attention was the key. According to the scroll, I was to cut my thumb to draw blood, press it to the orb, and then channel magic into it.
That's when I noticed something strange: the orb and my necklace… they looked oddly similar.
Magic? How was I supposed to channel magic that I don't know how to produce?. Pacing around the room my hand trembled, barely holding on to the scroll . How was I supposed to unlock a power i didn't understand?
"Isn't magic just supposed to happen? I asked as if expecting the room to answer. I clenched my fists, pacing the room faster and faster . What was the point of everything? All the time I spent searching... and now that I've found it, I can't even use it?
Too much, this all too much, it doesn't make sense at all. A few days ago I couldn't even go back home in fear of my father and now am supposed to make magic?
If this is some kind of prolonged dream then I have to wake up. What happens if I can't? Is there some kind of time limit? All this thinking is making me hungry.
At last i gave into the hunger, dragging myself up the stairs and into the kitchen. After putting some sandwiches together, I sat at the table, chewing absentmindedly.
All those hours I spent... arranging scrolls, hunting through dust and silence... And when I finally found what I was looking for
Slamming my hand on the table, the plate rattled .
No. This wasn't how it was going to end.
The moment I finished eating, I pushed my chair back and stormed down the stairs . I'm done feeling helpless. I had come too far to let it all slip away.
I was going to figure it out.
I was going to take the test, how? I don't know. But one thing was certain:
I wasn't going to let all my efforts be in vain.
I entered the secret room, it was just how I left it, quiet, a bit messy and most of all nothing made sense. I scanned the scroll over and over, making sure I didn't miss anything, checking that I read it right. I was left with no other options, so I decided to try my luck. I scanned the room with my eyes , searching for anything sharp. I found a small pair of scissors laying on the desk. I quickly rushed over, picked them up, and after a silent staring contest between my eyes, the scissors, and my trembling thumb I finally did it. I cut my thumb.
I let out sharp shriek as warm blood dripped onto the floor. I couldn't believe I had done it, this was the first time I caused myself an pain. Willingly at that. Heart pounding wildly, my mind swirling with panic, I slowly made my way to the orb. My hands shuddering as I reached out, knowing full well how illogical and dangerous this was, but there was no turning back. The situation had left me no choice.
Pressing my bleeding thumb against the orb, just as the ancient scroll had instructed, I hoped the magic would just flow into it. But instead, a sudden, painful shock shot through my finger. Screaming , I jerked my hand away, shaking it to ease the pain. Like a confused child, I tried again , the shock was even worse than before.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as i withdrew my finger. I grinded my teeth, clenched my fist tightly and punched the ground. I punched it so hard that my knuckles began to bleed. It hurt, so very much, but not as much as this crushing feeling of helplessness and rejection. I wanted to scream so badly, to cry out to someone, anyone, but the room was empty. The silence unbearable. Collapsing to the ground, i lay there, tears falling freely, my mind blank. I didn't make even the slightest sound. If anyone walked in and saw me, I'm sure to them I'd look lifeless. Just a girl crumpled on the cold stone floor, lost in the silence of my failure.
I cried myself to sleep, worn out by the weight of everything. I didn't care that the floor was hard and cold. I slept for what seemed like hours before being woken by a clang.
I opened my eyes, to a ringing bell one I hadn't even noticed. It was beneath the clock and was quite loud for its size. It was exactly 12:00. The books in the library began rearranging themselves from shelf to shelf. I could hear whispers in a language I didn't understand. It was a marvelous sight to behold. I got up slowly my body aching from the hard ground. But my brain ached even more.
Is this real? Even the lights on the wall were now floating around the room. It was beautiful, calming, peaceful. Then cut on my thumb was also gone.
I stared in awe. But the little show soon came to an end. The books were rearranged, the whispers stopped and the lights back on the wall. Like nothing ever happened.
I didn't bother to bath or change. Just simply returned to the scroll, going over the words again and again, trying to find the flaw in my attempt.
But there wasn't any.
The scroll was clear: place a bloody thumb on the orb, allow magic to pass into it, and the orb would glow. The brightness would reflect the strength of the magic, and then a mark would appear.
None of that had happened.
Was my magic too weak?
Was there another way to draw it out?
Maybe I dreamed too high. A princess my foot. Nothing has changed since I decided to run away. I'm still the same helpless and useless girl who ran from her father and always depended on her neighbor.