Nico flipped through all the pages. He couldn't believe this was written by Gallahad himself.

However, the handwriting was just like the photos of journals he'd seen online and drooled over. It was similar to Nico’s, tight and clean. His eyes scanned every little detail to make sure that when he finally stepped out of the subspace, Measure could absorb everything.

The ability could then process it, and just in case something happened to his new book, he would have it in his memory.

At the center of each page was a single simple shape with notes about the benefits and drawbacks of each shape. It read more like a math book than one on spell arrays. The first page was a triangle, the next a square, with each progressing page increasing in the polygonal hierarchy. There were no circles for spell formations Nico could see.

It was both disappointing and confusing, which was an odd feeling when holding the book of the only magician he truly revered.

In the margins were a different handwriting altogether, not in black, but in a deep brown.

It must have belonged to whomever the skeleton was. He was apparently also a student of Gallahad’s. Was he a direct apprentice of Gallahad or had the black-robed skeleton been like Nico, someone who admired the man’s fascination with spell arrays over spells themselves?

A part of Nico wished he’d been able to have more conversations with the other student, but was glad that the skeleton was finally able to rest. How long had he been waiting for the right person to come along? Had others come before Nico and failed the test? If so, what happened to them?

He flipped through the pages again just to make sure he didn't miss anything. Was this a grimoire? Nico couldn’t tell within the subspace. If he had his magic, he would have been able to extend it to the book to sense if it had any magical properties.

Nico tried to keep calm at the idea of absorbing Gallahad’s magical knowledge for himself, like the skill books he found in his favorite role playing video games. There was no knowing for sure. If this was what Pullman and the other factions were really after, then he could see why they were motivated to do so.

Grimoires were coveted in the magical community. With the magical books, masters could pass down their knowledge onto their students. If someone didn’t have the permission of the master, they would not be able to see the contents of the grimoire. Those permissions sometimes came in the form of tests or prerequisite knowledge of their school of magic.

Many mages simply drew their spell formations with notes, the intentions of the spell, the theory behind it. But grimoires had the magician’s magic embedded into each spell formation, and some theorized, a part of their soul, to pass down to future generations. It was the only way the magic was able to last after the person died was because of magicians sigil.

Of course, someone had to be a powerful enough magician and have built up enough passive power of their sigil over the years to make a grimoire

Nico hoped beyond hope it was a grimoir because he couldn't make heads or tails of Gallahad’s notes. None of spell arrays were circles, which were the base shape of all spell formations. The notes seemed to imply they were spell formations, but it was vague. Gallahad’s notes seemed to indicate he wrote this as a journal for himself. But still, these other shapes didn’t make any sense.

The final notes that were scribbled in the margins by other student of Gallahadwith the brown ink, wrote about a king of the oasis, and something about a queen's garden. Nico didn’t understand the magical theory at all.

He cleared his head with a long breath, and muttered, “It's time to step out of the subspace.”

Nico took one last look at the scene before him and bowed slightly to robe and empty chair before stepping back out of subspace. He found no resistance and heaved a sigh of relief that he wasn’t trapped inside.

He passed the test.

And yet, no golden window appeared to congratulate him like it had the previous test. Did he miss something?

Instantly, he could feel magic flooding back into him. He felt naked without it. His MP bar in his HUD was completely full.

The grey energy bar had been complete full while Nico was inside the subspace.

It was his back up plan if anything had gone wrong. He would have been able to convert that into magic.

At least, he hoped he had been able to. Either way, the risk had been worth it. He cradled the book to his chest like a running back in a football game so close to the endzone.

Yuri stood in wide stance, cross armed, and trying to look stoic, but he had the bare glimpse of a grin. “Looks like you passed.”

“I think?” Nico replied.

He noticed the blond Russian had his boots planted on an ashen array. Thanks to Nico’s mind formation on his eyelids, he saw the ash array was solidified with magic. The spell formation was the fire halberd formation Nico had modified for Yuri.

The Russian had prepared himself in case something bad had happened. Nico realized how stupid he was not to have drawn spell arrays before entering the subspace. If the grey knight or other grey dead found them, Nico would have lost precious seconds to defend himself.

From Yuri’s demeanor, it didn't seem like he wanted to attack Nico. If he was going to, he would have done so by now. The array was there purely for defense.

The Russian asked,”Where to next?”

Nico shrugged. He swiveled his head, around, looking for another door to open, or some sign of another test. “I don't know. I got this book from the test, but I feel like I’m missing something.”

He tapped his lips with his finger. “Maybe I have to unlock something.”

Yuri grunted, his eyes scanning the room. “There are no points of egress.”

Nico smiled. “Points of egress, huh? Bodyguards tend to use that language.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “I get it. You’re smart. Stop showing off. Despite not breaking my geas, I’m certain you have a good idea of who I work for.”

Nico cracked his neck. It felt stiff. “Well, he we better figure it out. Maybe we could backstep to the treasure room?”

Yuri frowned. “Backstepping takes time. You said we're racing against Pullman.”

Nico nodded. “Nothing happened while I was inside the subspace? No ominous voice telling us we won the ten million dollar prize?”

Yuri shook his head. “I haven’t moved from this angle except to prepare arrays. Does that book have any hints?”

Nico opened the pages and showed them to Yuri. “Can you see the drawings on this?”

Yuri nodded.

“Damn,” Nico said, disappointed. “This isn’t what I thought it was, or else you would haven’t been able to read it.”

Nico’s Auto-Scan flared. A window alerted Nico, but before he had time to read it, Yuri bent his knees as if to lunge at him.

Measure divined that Yuri wasn’t trying to kill him, but Nico couldn’t risk it. He burst-jump toward him, twisting midair with the guided precision of his ability. They traded places in an instant.

In a single, smooth motion, Nico drew with almost robotic precision two small modified Gallahad control formations for defense.

Yuri’s spell array glowed red, meaning he had activated it. Yuri’s back was to Nico, which meant he really wasn’t trying to kill him. His hand spread out. Then his fingers tightened as a halberd of flame erupted above his grip.

The Russian’s halberd sailed toward the back edge of the rectangular subspace, searing the air with its intense heat.

A worn workman’s boot step from the back corner of the subspace.

Nico didn’t need the warning screen to know who it was. He hastily drew two more control formations.

Pullman stepped around the corner of the subspace.

The older magician must have used the veil-aspect of the subspace to hide himself behind.

How could Nico have been so stupid? It never occurred to him to scan every the possibility that this was a test from Gallahad.

Pullman slapped the halberd away with a summoned ball of wall. The ball grew exponential, and twisted into a mini typhoon that snaked around Yuri’is right leg.

Nico shouted, “Don’t!”

Pullman grinned. He squeezed his hand and twisted his boot. The typhoon of water froze into a block of ice.

Pullman stepped out from behind the blurriness of the subspace in full view. “Mr. Kanazawa. I’m glad to see you again.”

Yuri, too far from his spell array to cast a spell, was completely helpless. He had put himself between Nico and Pullman to make sure Nico was safe. He screamed behind him, the first time Nico had seen the blond Russian panic. “Run!”

Pullman made a crushing motion with his own hand, and the ice shattered, aand along with it Yuri’s arm.

The Russian screamed in agony, but his stance did not buckle. He threw his other hand wide, as if to block Pullman from Nico.

Nico invested half of his magic into the fire formation. He summoned a pillar of fire, but fed it immediately into the control array.

The fire converted to force magic in the shape of a lance, rocketing as invisible wind toward the killer.

Pullman’s boot twisted, and he threw both hands up. A wall of water rushed up, like a reverse-falling waterfall. It froze immediately into ice. The ice shattered upon impact by Nico’s force blade.

Nico prepped to burst-jump forward to grab Yuri, but the shards of ice turned toward Nico, hanging in the air.

Pullman did not look tired. He said, “Move, and you’re both dead.”

Nico’s mind rushed with several possible scenarios, and how he could counter Pullman in that instant. But Pullman continued, “I can see the gears turning in your head all the way from here. Let me simplify things.”

The ice around Yuri’s arm expanded to his throat.

Yuri tilted his neck toward Nico. He managed to say, “Fuck this guy, Nico. Run.”

Nico froze.

Pullman sighed, as if dealing with an annoying student. “Give me the grimoire, and I release the spell.”

Nico’s grip on the book tightened. He grimaced. “Why would I give away my only bargaining chip?”

Pullman’s expression darkened. “Do you really think you’re in a position to make calls, right now?”

Nico’s grip on the book loosened at the sight Yuri, trapped. “You weren't the one who passed the test. It doesn’t belong to you.”

Pullman’s expression was still calm and collected, but anger flashed on his face. “You couldn’t be more wrong. I am the blood descendant of Gallahad. So, give. Me. The. Book.”

Nico rocked back at Pullman’s words, as if the man just punched him in the face. He looked to Yuri, who was struggling to get out of the block of ice, even now.

Everything fell into place for Nico.

Pullman had come here for his family's legacy. If he really was a descendant of Gallahad, then shouldn’t this be his?

Nico scanned the man to divine if he was telling the truth. A window appeared stating the percentage was eighty six percent true, only from his facial expression, past behavior, and tone alone.

He frowned. “So, this is your legacy right?”

Pullman’s tone was short. “Yes. I’ve heard about this tower ever since I was a child. For generations. We could only access it when the right celestial bodies aligned. So, it is fate that I am here. And maybe even fate that a follower of Gallahad’s teachings is handing me the book.”

He paused as if considering something, then said. “You’ve shown your tenacity and ingenuity. Honestly, I’ve seen the efficacy of your theory. Hand me the book, and I will even consider taking you in as my apprentice.”

Nico swallowed hard.

It was what he wanted for so many years, a real teacher. On top of that, it was a real descendant of Gallahad. Who knew what Nico could learn from Pullman? Then Nico remembered the death of four young magicians at the hands of Pullman’s array.

He said flatly. “Four died in your ritual. I won’t follow a killer.”

Nico stepped forward, each shoe on a spell array, which glowed with power. “I escaped Sentinels of the Coalition, chased you into another world, survived swarms of grey dead, evaded the death knight of the tower, all so I could bring you down. I’m not afraid to die.”

Pullman simply frowned. “Regrettable. Young. Naive. But expected. I know you’re not afraid to die, but what about letting others die because of you?”

He made a crushing motion with his hand. The ice around Yuri tightened, and bit off half his neck.

Nico screamed, “No!”

Pullman frowned. “You did this. You made your choice. Hand me the book, and I will seal his wound with ice!”

The ice around Yuri melted into water, and the water vanished. Yuri clutched his neck with one hand, drew a fire array with his own blood in the other. He collapsed to his side before he finished.

Without thinking, Nico invested all his power into the fire formation below his right foot. Converted the fire to force with his left, and slammed his hands. The force coalesced between his palms like a whirlwind of unseen energy.

As soon as he released it, he fell to one knee, the sudden spell draining almost all his MP and stamina.

Pullman shifted his boot to draw an array, and from its angle and motion, Nico knew exactly what it was. It was Gallahad’s control formation, with no modifications. The floor beneath him glowed as the wave of force slammed into him.

He spread out his arms wide and roared, converting Nico’s attack into his own array. A streak of water gushed out of the array too fast for Nico to register until he was knocked on his back, the back of his neck colliding into the floor.

His vision swam, and he could feel himself passing out.

Pullman stood over him and grabbed the book. He looked exhausted.

Nico tried to say something, to move his body, but he couldn’t. The spell he had cast took almost everything out of him. He saw Pullman bite his thumb and smeared the cover of the book.

A colorless portal opened, and Pullman stepped through without even so much as look back at the chaos he had caused.

Pullman was gone. Yuri and Nico were alone in the NextOver with no way back.

The darkness smothered him.