I spent the next hours avoiding paths that appeared out of nowhere. I couldn't avoid them for long. Each time I took a few steps in a direction, one would appear right in front of me. I was getting fed up with this place. A new path appeared , I decided to take it and accept whatever evolution it brought me.

Before long, I saw a castle in the distance. I was curious to see what could be inside but I hoped I wouldn't get beaten again. If I hadn't stopped to think about what I should do, I wouldn't have seen it. At times, the castle wavered like an illusion in the middle of a desert. The closer I looked, the more I doubted that it was truly there. I got closer.

Evolution Quest!

Pass the trial of ???.

Difficulty: ???

Reward: ???

I dismissed the useless notification with an annoyed flick of my wrist.

The gate opened into a courtyard where deep red roses bloomed around a paved path. I entered excited. At the door, I used the engraved door knocker to signaled my presence. No one came to greet me. I waited a few minutes and then, I went in.

“Is anyone home?”

Silence answered my question.

“Is anyone home?” I asked louder.

Still no one came. In front of me, there was huge golden double stairs. At each side of them, vases were full of lilies. On the floor, there was a fresco in marble. It depicted a woman sleeping with a a demon on her chest. Well, I thought it was a demon. His red eyes were shining. He had a vague human shape and he was made of black smoke. Tendrils of smoke were going into the woman's head. He had a smile floating where his mouth should have been. His teeth were long and razor-sharp.

At the left of the double stairs, there was an archway leading to a large dining room. The table was made. It was full of dishes each one more alluring than the other.

“Is anyone home?” I shouted again. Meals didn't prepare themselves on their own. I waited again but no one came.

Looking at all this food, I got hungry. It got so hard to resist the temptation of having a taste that I ran out of the room as fast as I could. From then on, it was like the place was out to tempt me. Each room I went in had something I desperately wanted. I didn't understand my own feelings. One moment, I was fine and the next, I thought I would die if I didn't sleep on a soft bed or eat the food on the table or wear gorgeous clothes. It was ceaseless but I resisted temptation.

I came to a library. It was huge and filled with books. Their spines were beckoning to my eyes. I pulled one of them out of the shelves and skimmed through it. It was blank. I checked another one and there was still nothing in it.

All of a sudden, I felt a hand pass on my shoulder. I jumped in fright and turned around. There was no one behind me. I could feel eyes on me.

I nervously made my way out of the room. I wanted to get out of this castle. In the corridor, I stood shocked. It wasn't the same corridor from when I came in. I remembered it. The wallpaper had been blue with gold embroidery. This corridor had a red wallpaper. There was only one door to the library, so there was no way I made a mistake.

I rushed out to where I thought the entrance would be but I only ended up in another corridor. I was in panic. I couldn't find my way out. I entered a random room and went to the windows, when all around me, the furniture vibrated. Drawers opened and closed on their own. Vases floated to the ceiling. Chandeliers flickered in and out.

My fear went away. I stayed rooted to the ground and laughed. Whoever was doing that didn't have a great imagination. We weren't actors in a bad ghost movie.

“Hello! You can come out, I know you're there.”

A woman appeared inside the room. She was gorgeous with flowing red hair and a voluptuous figure. She looked like a wannabe Jessica Rabbit dressed in medieval clothes.

“Who are you?”, she asked me.

Not again. I was getting tired of that question. “I'm myself.”

“No seriously, who are you? It's been centuries since someone came in.”

“Huh? You're not like the others. They just asked the same question over and over again and refused to say anything else.”

“Pfft. Those weaklings are too serious for their own goods.”

“I'm Everheart. You must be the owner of this castle.”

“Yes, I am. So tell me what brings you here, Evie?”

“Everheart. I'm going through my evolution. I followed a path but it annoyed me so I ditched it and wandered around until I found your castle. From outside, it looks weird so I just decided to come in.”

“You're the one who's weird. If you found a suspicious place, why did you come in? Normal people would have run the other way. And why did you laugh when I tried to scare you?”

“It's scarier to face the unknown but when you started playing with the furniture, I knew you didn't want to harm me. Otherwise, you'd have done it already.”

“I don't follow you're reasoning. I could have been a monster who wants to eat you.” She pouted like she was disappointed that I didn't find her scary but her eyes gave her away. They were smiling.

“I don't think so.”

“Ha ha ha ha. I like you. You can stay.”

“Are you going to make me pass your trial?”

“In a hurry?”

“Nope, I just want to be ready in case. Two beating in a day are good enough for me I don't need more.”

“Oh? So you took the air spirits path?”

“Are the others different?”

“Yes. In the water spirits path, you have to listen to lectures about the universe. In the fire spirits path, you have to get out of labyrinths by answering riddles. In the earth spirits path, you have to sit still.”

“It's a joke, right?”

“Sorry.”

“I'm truly the unluckiest person in this game. I had to answer stupid questions and got beaten for nothing.”

“Don't beat yourself about it. No matter which path you'd taken you'd have had to answer the same question. It's unavoidable for a spirit evolution.”

“What do you mean?”

“A spirit's main powers came from his mind. If your mind waver, you won't be able to do anything. That's why you need to be clear on fundamental questions such as who you are, what you want, where you come from and where you are going.”

“That kinda make some sense.”

“Are you hungry? Let's eat.” She led me through the castle back to the dining room and its table full of food.

“Do you live here alone?”

“Yes.”

“It might be rude to ask that now but what are you?”

“I'm a spirit. You can call me Maron.”

“Maron. Why are you different from the others. They all looked like me?”

“I'm not from the four common paths. As I said before, it's been centuries since anyone came here. I've been alone for a long time and having someone around got me a little overexcited. I might have tried too hard to impress you.”

I smiled at what she was saying but I didn't miss the fact that she didn't really answer my last two questions.

“I'm so grateful to have met you. I didn't understand anything since I've been here. No one answered anything to me.”

“Ask me any questions you want. It would be my pleasure to answer.”

I didn't hesitate to take her on her offer, I asked every question that came to my mind.

“Why did the others look like me when I passed their trial?”

“To make you waver. It's something to be asked those questions by someone else but it's a different matter altogether when you're the one asking yourself.”

“Why do they beat people in the air spirits path?”

“ Air spirits are selfish. They don't like to spend their time on other people. The beatings are as much a punishment as an incentive to get on with you evolution faster.”

I wanted to complain but I restrained myself and kept asking questions. I didn't know when she would change her mind and stop replying.

“You said you weren't from the four common paths. So what is your path?”

“My path is whatever I want it to be.”

“Oh! It looks interesting.”

“You still haven't eaten. Please enjoy yourself.” She made a vague movement of her hand toward all the food on the table. She was trying to change the subject.

“I'm not particularly hungry.”

“Lying won't help you, you know.” Her smile slipped from her face.

“I know the gray guy told me that the truth will help me.”

“Hmm? So you've met Janus.”

“Janus?”

“The spirits in charge of gates and passageway in the spirit world. You look tired. Do you wish to rest in one of the rooms?”

It was suspicious, she was too eager to cater to my wishes.

“Oh no thank you. I've already bothered you enough, I'll be on my way.”

I decided to make my exit. I went to the door that was not too far away from the dining room. As I was about to open it, a razor sharp gust of wind came from my back. I threw myself on the side avoiding being cut in half by an hair breadth.

“You're not bothering me at all.” She looked down and a blush crept on her face. It would have been quite convincing if a second earlier she hadn't tried to kill me.

“What do you want from me?”

“I just want you to enjoy your time here.”

“Sorry but I had to get on with my evolution.” My instinct were spot on. There was something fishy about Maron.

“Didn't you want to pass my trial?”

“Maybe some other time.” I discreetly advanced toward the door while we were talking. She was using magic, there was no way that I could win without any skills.

When I was close enough, I rushed to the doorknob. The door didn't open.

“Didn't I tell you to enjoy yourself?” Her face changed. Black tendrils of smoke came out of her shadow and wrapped around her. Her eyes turned an eerie red color. Her teeth grew and became razor sharp.

I didn't wait to see what she would do. I ran away. I passed several rooms in my escape. In one of the rooms, I came upon a window. I couldn't get it opened. It was like there was something behind it that prevented the shutters to open. I threw a chair at it but it didn't break.

She rounded the corner walking leisurely. Her face was back to normal.

“You can't leave. What are you going to do?” Her smile was creeping me out.

Two answers came to mind as soon as she asked this question, fight or flight. Whatever I chose I would be in deep trouble. I chose the third option. I threw my hands in the air in sign of surrender.

“Good choice.”

“I'm tired. I'd like to take you on your previous offer for a room to rest.”

“Sure. Please follow me.”

She left me alone in one of the bedrooms. I flopped down exhausted on the bed. Sleep was pulling at me but I resisted. I had a bad feeling. It was like I knew how to get out of this castle but the solution was just out of my reach. I racked my mind thinking about it. The solution was just there, I knew it.

It had to do with Maron's nature and actions. She could kill me with no difficulty but she didn't. She didn't want to hurt me either. She must have a reason to keep me alive and whole. She only attacked me when I tried to leave. As soon as I gave up on leaving, she became nice and eager to please me.

Her appearance when I tried the door was the most suspicious. I had seen it before. As I kept thinking about it, I remembered the fresco on the floor. I cried excited. The answer had been in front of me since the beginning.

I stood in the middle of the room. I took a deep breaths, I closed my eyes and concentrated.

“Out. I want to get out. Out. Out.” After a few minutes of this mantra, I opened my eyes.

The castle was nowhere to be found. I was back outside. Right in front of me, Maron was glaring at me.

“What have you done!”, she screamed.

“I'd like to pass your trial now.” I was confident that I could do it. I knew what she was.

“No! I refuse!”

She was scared. She looked around her for a place to run. Realizing she had nowhere to go, she crumbled on the floor and cried. It wasn't the pretty kind of crying but the full blown tears, running nose, and hiccups. The type that made you want to run in the other direction and forget you ever saw something.

I stayed my ground and waited for her to stop. Her hands were on her face. She was glancing at me through her fingers.

“Please ask the question. I want to pass your trial.” She said it herself, no matter the path, I had to answer the unavoidable questions.

“No! I won't let you!”

As her scheme to get me to pity her didn't work, she went back to using force. Her face distorted. The human appearance she had kept until now vanished. Her body became immaterial. It was made of back smoke. Her red glowing eyes were glaring at me. She let out a deep roar and lunged at me.

The expression on her face when she went through me was hilarious. She prepared herself to come at me again. I raised my hand and imagined a fireball at the tips of my fingers. I made it grow as much as I could. And then, I throw it at her. I thought of her burning in the fire. And it all happened.

“How?” she cried after the fire died out. She was back in human form. She was badly burnt.

“I just had to put all the pieces together. Why did the other spirits refused to talk to me? Why did all the information you gave me looked so truthful? Janus said it, the truth is the only solution I have. So the answer was that you can only tell the truth.”

“I underestimated you.”, she said through gritted teeth. She clearly had something up her sleeve.

“No, you overestimated yourself. If you hadn't given me so much hints I would have never understood anything. And by the way, I am going to leave this place and I am going to live how I see fit.”

“No!”, she screamed as the black mist got absorbed inside my body.

You have completed the trial of temptation!

Do you wish to become a mara?

“Yes!” As soon as I answered my vision dimmed and I lost consciousness.

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