The room they entered was nothing noteworthy. Except, in the middle of the room was a haze of air shaped like a perfect cube, which could have housed a single person.

Nico invested a quarter of his MP into the prana piercing formation in his palms to divine any information out of the hazy cube, but only got a notification telling him that it was a subspace. Other than that, he couldn’t divine anything else out of it.

In front of the subspace floating glowing silver letters that said, “Your magic power must be surrendered when entering the first trial of the Wizard King.”

Nico stared at the words for a long time before asking, “Why the hell is it in English?”

Yuri shrugged. “It might be a spell which adapts to the condition of the test taker whose primary language is.” His voice petered off as the explanation sounded more ridiculous the more he spoke.

“I don’t know,” Yuri finally admitted.

“That’s a good first guess,” Nico added. “But then this Wizard King guy wouldn’t just need a conditional modifier that was triggered by foreign vocal patterns, but modifiers that understood that I was speaking English or specific phrases in English. It’s too many factors to consider for the spell.”

“What makes you think he wouldn’t consider that many factors if he was this powerful and knowledgeable?”

“The hallways.”

“What?”

Nico let out a breath. This had been bothering him for a while, but now he was finally able to get it off his chest. “Did you notice the floors are perfectly level? The width of each hall is exactly the same all the way down. There’s no variation. The stone walls are perfectly flat. Perfect.”

“You can’t know that.”

In fact, Nico could. He had a dozen windows showing the various measurements of the tower he’d encountered so far. Every single one was perfect. He said, “It never occurred to you why there were no cracks or bumps in this tower at all? Look for yourself. Everything is perfect.”

Yuri squeezed his eyes as if doing so would help him imagine the hallways better. After a few seconds, he clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, clearly frustrated. “Let’s say you’re right. How does that have anything to do with the Wizard King speaking English? And why does that matter?”

“It means he was a very meticulous magician. Nothing here is needless, apparently,” Nico explained. “It’s important to know he spoke English because it gives us a better idea of who we are dealing with. We don’t have a lot of information, and any little bit can help us pass these tests.”

He gave a pointed look to Yuri, who self-consciously tugged at the pendant beneath his shirt and looked away.

Yuri’s lips pressed together, his expression concerned. “Why do you need to take this test anyways? “

“Whatever Pullman is after is clearly at the end of passing these tests. The fact that these tests are still available to me suggests that he didn't pass them as they were designed. Somehow, Pullman learned how to circumvent the security measures of the Tower.”

Yuri’s eyes widened. “Like the blood at the entrance.”

“Exactly,” Nico agreed.

“But couldn't tower’s tests reset themselves for the next test taker?”

“Possibly,” Nico admitted. “But everything I know about how Pullman approaches magic tells me he didn’t take the tests. He somehow hijacked my sigil for a complex ritual that spanned the city all the way into the NextOver.”

Yuri’s expression didn’t betray a single hint of knowing about the ritual. Damn. Nico was sure he would have known at least something about the ritual. In a way, it was a relief he didn’t. That meant he wasn’t implicated in the deaths of the four magicians the ritual sacrificed to open the portal.

Nico continued, “Like you said, to gain entrance into the tower, he didn’t do the test. Instead, he used his blood.”

“You’re saying he’s…like a cheater of magic?” Yuri asked, obviously confused by Nico’s line of reasoning.

“Maybe,” Nico admitted. “I don’t really know. I mean, you and I both saw him cast legitimately powerful spells. But that’s not why it’s important. All of this means he is just bypassing the tests to get the end reward. So, all I have to do is pass the tests faster than he cheat his way through the trials.”

Yuri blinked. “That’s it? YYou just gotta do these trials faster than Pullman can cheat his way around them?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah. If Pullman could simply bypass the security easily, he would have done so long before I got here. It’s not a button he can press. Iif it’s some sort of spell, it takes a lot of time or effort. Either way, we still have a chance.”

“And what if you don't pass the test before Pullman gets to the end before you?”

Nico shrugged. “It doesn't really matter. Because, this is the same route that he's following. If he get there before us, fine. I don't know what he's after. But we will all meet at end of the road just the same.”

“You mean we'll have to fight him.”

Nico’s mood dampened. “Yeah. It’ll be tough, but I have some ideas to take him down.”

Yuri looked him up and down, as if measuring him for something. “You’re willing to kill him?”

Nico took an involuntary step back. “No. What the hell man? The whole point of me coming here is to prove I’m not a killer.”

Yuri stared hard at him for a long awkward silence, then grimaced. “Damn. You know, it’s much harder to catch your prey than to kill it.”

“You sound like you have experience,” Nico probed cautiously.

Yuri nodded readily. “Just trust me that when the time comes, I’ll have your back.”

It was Nico’s turned to stare, balancing what he had divined earlier with his experience with the Russian so far. He asked, “You’re actually Russian, right?”

Yuri grinned. “Yeah. I bleed vodka. Came here when I was young.”

His tone suggested that was all he was going to say, so Nico left it at that. Yuri was under a geas, which meant he took a vow of secrecy for more power. If he really was on Nico’s side, then the last thing Nico wanted was to weaken his only ally against Pullman. Even though Nico had some ideas to fight the middle aged warlock, he would still need Yuri to have his back.

“Okay, I guess it's time,” Nico said.

Yuri crossed his arms in his usual stoic manner, and simply nodded in reply.

Having known the Russian for less than a full day, it was hard to tell what part of his personality was real and what was fabricated. But, Nico was pretty sure the guy wasn't used to lying. It had nothing to do with the subconscious calculation of Measure and everything to do with just pure basic human nature.

Something about him reminded Nico of a friendly but stern guard dog.

Yuri’s face twisted into suspicion. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Nico turned away toward the cubic subspace to hide his grin. He took a step into it and…

Nothing.

When inside, he did not feel a transition of atmosphere or change of power. It felt like he had taken a simple step and nothing more. If anything, that made him more wary of the subspace.

To make such a clean subspace within the NextOver without any kind of change which the human body could not detect, spoke of a level of knowledge and control over magic that superseded anything that Nico understood.

Once again, he wondered who this wizard King really was. He had some idea, but without foolproof, you would never admit it out loud.

in the center of the Subspace, sat a skeleton in pristine black robes. The skeleton looked clean, and showed no signs of erosion or decay like the other grey dead.

Nico instinctively invested magic into Measure to see if it could divine any information about the skeleton. But, he got nothing.

Oh, yeah. He was an idiot. His HUD told him that his MP bar was completely empty.

Of course, that made total sense. Nico had surrendered all of his power by entering the Subspace. It was even written in plain English. He smacks himself on the forehead.

But with his magic intrinsically tied to his physical body, how was he still conscious with a depleted power source? Maybe the subspace was created to specifically allow him to not pass out with his magic gone. Oddly enough, Nico did not feel helpless without the power of magic inside him. This wasn't the first time he had been awake and empty of his magic.

The black robed skeleton sat in a simple wooden chair. It's arms were crossed over it’s lap as if holding something. The skeleton's robes were extended over the hands so Nico could not see what was held.

Unlike the previous tests, Nico did not receive another golden window with instructions. He lifted his right hand which absorbed the symbols of the testing-door from the treasure room. The symbols moved with a dim glow in the back of his hand with a subtle current of power. And yet, he could not summon them. He didn’t even know what they were for.

Nico turned around and saw he could see Yuri perfectly oh. He waved at him just to make sure, but Yuri showed no signs of seeing Nico.

His hands touched the hazy wall between them, and felt complete resistance. He couldn’t get out. “Oh crap.”

This test was a one way ticket.

Without his magic, Nico could not use Measure or summon spells. Drawing spell formations would be useless since he couldn't invest any magic into them. He was completely alone with only his wits to pass whatever test this was. He only hoped that it was one based on the knowledge of spell arrays. It was about that, Nico felt confident he could pass whatever test that lay before him.

He turned to look at the skeleton in the chair.

Without the ability to divine information, Nico could only rely on his instincts. Nothing about the robed skeleton gave him the feeling that it posed a danger to him. But, every one of his senses had been on edge since he chose to run away from the Coalition sentinels.

He had no other information to go off of, and so he figured that the only way out was through.

Nico stepped forward.

Pressure encased him from all sides. It felt like he was dropped ten feet below water. It did not feel terrible, but the pressure was noticeable. He tried to shake it off, but realized the pressure was not physical. The pressure was in his mind.

Nico stepped forward again. The pressure increased from mere discomfort to an aching pain.

He took a step back, and the pressure subsided.

Something about the skeleton and the subspace forced a kind of pressure on Nico's mind. With every step he took, the more pressure he faced.

Testing his hypothesis, he took three hesitant steps forward. On the third step he heard the vague sound of distant wind. The pressure increased to a thundering headache.

Nico gritted his teeth. Sweat formed on his forehead.

He grinned at the pain. This headache was nothing. Mental strain was an old friend. He lost count how many sleepless nights he endured breaking down his theories and testing his new formulas just for a single new insight into how magic really worked. If lucky, those insights would build up to a single new modification, like the one he made for Gallahad’s mind formation.

With another step, the sound of distant wind grew into a whisper. It was a voice that sliced through the noise of his own thoughts.

Nico shivered at the feeling.

He had never encountered telepathic magic in his life. The closest he got was when a haunt tried to take over his body. It felt invasive, like a gunman had walked into his house without warning while he was naked.

Instead of taking a step back, he took another step forward.

Nothing about the voice was familiar, but it intrigued Nico. Another step oh, the whisperer grew to a full voice that surrounded his mind like a chokehold. He instinctively tried to pick a step backwards, but found he could not.

The voice spoke, a mix of pain, weariness, and a little hope. “Speak truth.”

Nico tried to move any part of his body, even his fingers, but they would not obey. His entire mind was completely occupied with the single voice repeating the phrase and a tongueless cadence.

“Speak truth.” It echoed in slow repetition, like a gong centered in his mind.

Any thoughts he tried to summon as a defense to figure out what was happening was too complicated to hold onto. So, he focused on a simple thought, the suspicion of why he was here.

Nico had been a hedge mage his entire life, a false magician without a teacher. He lacked power and knowledge. Everything he knew about magic he clawed for himself with the elementary tools provided to him by his mother and Gallahad.

He wasn’t just caught up in Pullman’s scheme. Nico was here for a reason. He took another step as the suspicion grew into conviction.

Nico realized he was no longer standing, but kneeling at the feet of the robed skeleton.

The robed skeleton had stood up. It took every ounce of Nico's will to crane his neck upward to look into the skeletons' empty eye sockets.

It spoke again. The voice did not come in the form of the overpowering telepathy. The words came through the mouth of the skeleton, it's jaws moving. From Nico’s view, the skeleton now looked like a towering figure of death.

“Speak truth,” it commanded.

Nico gritted his teeth and planted his on the floor, trying to push himself up. Tears rolled down his face.

Through a strained voice he begged, “I don't know what you mean.”

The pressure subsided. The skeleton craned its head to the side, and although it had no lips, it looked like it smiled.

The skeleton said, “You speak the ultimate truth.”

Nico gulp for air, and gasped, “What truth is that?”

“The truth of your own ignorance, from which wisdom forms.”

With the pressure gone from his mind, Nico could finally absor what had just happened.

This test wasn't a test of magic, but of character. He suddenly had the feeling that if he lied, he would not just fail the test, he would feel the wrath of the skeleton.

The skeleton placed one hand on Nico's shoulder. Nico shivered at the touch, but did not reproach.

It spoke once more. “What is the nature of magic?”

Without thinking, Nico spoke the words he recited over thousands of times, the same words of his mother's first lesson to him in magic. “The nature of magic is change.”

Silence passed for what felt like an eternity between them.

Finally, the skeleton placed a bony finger underneath Nico’s chin and lifted it. “Stand, for we are kin.”

Nico did as he was told. It was only then he realized that in the skeleton's other hand was a thin book bound in leather. On the cover was a triangle. He did not know what he should say at that moment.

The skeleton gestured with the book as if handing it to Nico, who nervously took it.

“Finally, a true student,” it said. It turned its head up to the ceiling, and spoke. “Teacher, I was not enough to unlock your secrets.”

Nico only stared as the hairs on his neck rose. His grip on the book tightened.

The skeleton’s attention went back to him. “May the teacher’s grimoire provide you guidance as it had with me.”

It sat back down in the chair. Once more, the voice spoke in Nico’s mind, but this time, it was without the foreign pressure. The voice felt gentle, and sounded almost relieved, as if relinquishing a great burden.

And with a sigh, the bones of the skeleton broke into motes finer than dust. The black robes fell in a pile on the chair. The skeleton’s last words echoing in Nico’s mind. “Forgive me, king of the oasis. I could not complete my task.”

Nico looked down at the book. His fingers trembled as he turned to the first page.

The pages were of a deep brown paper with a heavy grainy and unstained. Words marked the very center of the page, written in neat, tight script. The words were a name.

Deep in the belly of his soul, Nico knew who the book belonged to before he even turned the first page.

“Notes on the deconstruction of magic by J. Gallahad.”