Within the darkness, she was my star.
She taught me how to speak. She told me of the outside world. Through her, I learned the warmth of a human being. She became my reason to live.
I have lived in darkness since birth. But the moment she entered my dungeon, the place I lay became a beautiful starry sky.
Compared to the darkness of a world without her, this monster... is nothing.
-----
The air inside the cage was wet and heavy, smelling of stagnant water and ancient iron. Baam stood alone on the slick stone floor, the Black March heavy in his grip. Across the expanse of water, the White Steel Eel coiled, its blue eyes burning like cold flames in the gloom.
High above, Evan watched with a grim expression. His mind, sharpened by years as a Guide, ran through the simulations of the coming battle. Every outcome ended in blood.
"Hey, Evan," Yuri whispered, her hands gripping the railing. "You think there might be any way?"
Evan sighed, the sound lost in the low rumble of the beast below. "Truthfully... this test is far too overwhelming for him. You could only hope for a miracle."
He watched the massive serpent shift its weight, displacing gallons of water. "In truth," Evan thought to himself, there is but one way to succeed.
He analyzed the physics of the cage. The water was dense. The Eel was streamlined, evolved for this specific environment. Baam was a human, slow and fragile. There is an overwhelming difference between the two. If the boy tries to run or dodge, he dies. The Eel is capable of extreme speeds.
"The boy will never be able to avoid the Eel," Evan muttered. "In order to pass this test, he must not run."
Yuri looked at him sharply. "What?"
"He must face the Eel straight on," Evan continued, his voice low. "Obviously, he cannot win a fight. But that Eel... it is hungry. It doesn't see the boy as an 'enemy.' It sees him as 'food.' As long as the boy does not behave violently, the Eel may just swallow him whole without damaging him."
Evan's eyes narrowed as he watched Baam's small figure. That moment is his chance. Now that the Eel has become defenseless from within, calmly and carefully... he must strike at the tongue.
It was a suicidal plan. A plan that required a person to stand still while a locomotive of teeth and steel charged at them.
I cannot teach this to the boy, Evan thought, guilt gnawing at him. No matter who it is, a Guide must not teach a path that only a madman can walk. A person capable of such a feat would have to be a person with a few screws loose in their head. Rather than seeing his pitiful attempt to face death, it is better to have him run around until he realizes his limits.
"So..." Evan whispered. "Run. Feel your limits and the overwhelming monster. Give up on your climb of this Tower. That is the only way you can survive."
The water exploded.
The White Steel Eel launched itself from the pool, a blurring streak of white death. The sound was deafening, a shriek of displaced air and roaring metal.
Baam didn't move.
"He's not running?!" Yuri shouted, leaning over the edge. "Newcomer, what are you doing?! Run!!"
Baam stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide but unblinking. The massive shadow of the Eel rose over him, eclipsing the light.
"Run toward the ball and pop it!" Yuri screamed, her composure cracking. "Hey stupid! Why isn't he running?!" She turned to Evan, panic in her crimson eyes. "Has the boy been stuck by fear and unable to move?"
"UAAAAAAH!!" Yuri couldn't take it anymore. She vaulted onto the ledge, ready to interfere again.
But below, Baam tightened his grip on the black needle. He didn't flinch as the maw of the beast opened, revealing rows of serrated teeth and a gullet of infinite darkness.
"No," Evan gasped, his eyes widening in shock. He grabbed Yuri's coat, hauling her back. "Wait, M'lady! Look!"
"Let me go! He's crazy! I have to get him out right away!"
"No! That is the answer!" Evan yelled, pointing down.
Below them, Baam didn't cower. He didn't scramble away. As the jaws descended to crush him, he stepped forward. He stepped into the darkness of the monster's mouth of his own free will.
SNAP.
The jaws slammed shut. The Eel's momentum carried it forward, crashing into the stone floor with a force that shook the entire hall. Silence followed, save for the heavy breathing of the monster.
"What on earth are you saying?!" Yuri shook Evan off, horrified. "Throwing yourself to a hungry Eel is the answer?! That's not it! That's..."
"Look over there!!" Evan interrupted.
The Eel's eyes, previously glowing with predatory hunger, suddenly bulged. It thrashed, its massive body whipping against the bars of the cage. A guttural, wet sound erupted from its throat.
From between its clenched jaws, a black blade pierced through.
Blood sprayed across the cage floor. The Eel gagged, its mouth forcing open in a spasm of pain. And there, standing amidst the saliva and blood, unharmed and holding the Black March upward, was Baam.
"He... he came back out?!" Yuri gasped. "Stabbed from inside the mouth?!"
"Yes!" Evan was trembling, though whether from fear or excitement he couldn't tell. "Without running, facing straight on against the Eel! That is the only way to pass this test! However, to do that... you need extreme courage, determination, and judgment!"
He looked at the small boy, who was now calmly stepping out of the writhing monster's mouth.
I told myself it would take a madman, Evan thought. Even if I had told him, a normal person wouldn't have done it. It may be possible to think of such a method, but cannot accomplish the task. Because determination and courage are not something easy to muster.
Evan watched Baam wipe the slime from his face. The boy looked exhausted, but his eyes were still focused on one thing: the top of the Tower.
The thing which that boy possesses is neither courage nor determination, Evan realized with a chill. The person he is looking for... the fear of losing this someone may be swallowing up all other fears.
"That kid..." Evan whispered. "He has a screw or two loose."
The White Steel Eel lay twitching on the stone, incapacitated by the strike to its sensitive mouth. Baam didn't spare it a second glance. He turned his attention to the large black sphere suspended behind the monster.
The Ball.
It hovered silently, about the size of a man. Headon had said it just needed a strong external force to pop.
Baam took a breath, raised the Black March high, and swung with everything he had left.
CLANG!
The sound was wrong. It wasn't the sharp pop of a bursting balloon, nor the crack of a shell. It was the dull, heavy ring of metal striking something impossibly dense.
Baam froze. The Black March vibrated in his hand. The ball remained perfectly intact. Not a scratch.
"It... didn't pop?" Baam whispered.
High above, Yuri blinked. "Why... what's with that ball?" She whirled on the rabbit. "Hey!! Headon!! Why isn't it popping?! Who knows? Who knows?!"
Headon leaned on his staff, his porcelain face unreadable, his smile implied rather than seen. "A ball that's fine even after being pierced by the Black March... I've never heard of such a ball," Yuri accused, her voice rising in anger.
"Well," Headon drawled, his voice dripping with false innocence. "I guess it's a very well-made ball."
In the cage, Baam stared at the black sphere, the echo of the impact fading into a terrifying silence. The test wasn't over. And the game was rigged.