"Three years?" Armad gasped and stared at the young woman in amazement. "I can't spend three years here."

He fell silent, debating. He didn't know how he got there and he was by no means there officially, so maybe he could leave without following the due process.

"What's so difficult about getting out?" He asked.

The girl raised her hand and pointed to the east. "The exit is on that side, an hour walk from here. You shouldn't rush it though. The area is covered in Negrinki. It repelled the animals around here and stopped the plants from growing. It will suck the life out of you if you get trapped in it. Besides, I'm not the only one who has been through this for so long. The average time taken to complete it is three years." She glanced at him inquisitively, trying to show him how hopeless the situation was. Armad understood that much, but there must be a way out. Otherwise, they wouldn't be sending people there.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

She frowned. It seemed the newcomer still didn't understand. "Allow me to show you." She stood up, urging him to follow her.

Armad strapped his sword and followed her. He intended to keep the silence so he could think, but he needed information. Was he in the fourth world yet, or was he still on the road? But the woman didn't seem to be much of a talker. Perhaps the three-year solitary confinement made her accustomed to silence.

He remained patient. Every opportunity he got, he would try to engage her in conversation. But the girl kept quiet.

Something had plagued his mind ever since he woke up. Wilberforce Sword Dance seemed to be getting out of control. He could deal with missing a day or two, but a whole year was unacceptable. Perhaps, it was time to stop using it.

And now that I'm not with grandpa, he thought. I don't even know how to improve it. Crossing over is damn difficult.

He would find Triple Factor and go home. And everything would go back to normal.

He thought about what he should do when he landed in the fourth world. Should he start by asking around about the man? But asking would hardly lead him anywhere. What would the man even look like? How strong was he? Could he fight him?

His fight with Kiru was an eye-opener for him. There would always be stronger opponents to fight and he wasn't strong enough to beat them all now.

It was therefore imperative that he learned more Bends and grew stronger. While improving his combat capabilities, he would look for Triple Factor.

The third world followed the teachings of the great Houses. Would it be the same in the fourth world? If so, he might choose a House with different teachings than his own to get as much information as possible. And if the system was different from that of the third world, he would just learn everything.

He never received training from anyone other than his grandfather and sister. He wasn't even allowed to join any public schools when he was younger. So he saw this as an opportunity to get accustomed to the diversities in the world.

His thoughts were interrupted as the girl stopped.

"We are here," she said.

Armad looked at the place she was pointing at but saw nothing. He looked around him, but it all looked the same to him.

As if aware of his confusion, she explained, "eight of us came here for the exams but I haven't seen the others in three years. This whole place is designed to prevent me from seeing them. They can't see me and I can't see them. Once you are here, you will be all alone. They have a reason for doing that, you know. Whenever you pass a level, the Negrinki there would dissipate thereby allowing you to proceed to the next level. If we were together then we could have just help each other."

She raised her hand and pointed at a place in the distance. She walked and motioned for him to follow.

"How you come to this place matters little now. How to get out is what matters, and it's not going to be easy." She looked at him curiously before she continued, "you don't have much pol, and I am exhausted. The Negrinki ahead of us is so potent that I don't think we can make it out in another year. I'm afraid you're stuck here with me."

Armad was now close enough to see a warded area in front of them.

For some odd reason, his heart pounded as he looked at the place, which made him take a few steps back.

There was a statue built just inside the area, emitting a bright reddish-blue light that covered the entire place, turning the ground, the clouds, and the statue itself blue.

The statue held a long sword in its left hand, drawn and pointed at the sky as if it was challenging the worlds above it to battle.

An old-fashioned iron armor shone like the relic it was on its body and a miyura glowed like an oil lamp on its forehead.

The miyura immediately caught Armad's attention. It wasn't any of the ten designs he had memorized. Did that mean there was another miyura that wasn't recorded? Armad tried to read the text in the miyura but it was in a language unknown even to him.

His heart continued to race. It was just a statue but it had pol. He tried to read it but couldn't. It didn't even respond to his tricks.

Armad took another step back. Why would someone go to such an extent to create a statue?

His eyes fell on the statue's eyes.

At that moment, the statue opened its lifeless eyes and looked at him. It was a casual look, but it didn't feel casual at all. Armad saw the world turned blue and red in front of him. He felt confused and terrified and tried to look away, but his eyes refused to move. He was no longer in control.

After what seemed like an eternity, the statue closed its eyes, and Armad came back to his senses. He took several steps back and fell on his knees, bleeding from his nose.

It took a while before he regained full control of his body.

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw the young woman holding him. She looked worried, but seeing he was alive, she let go of him.

"What happened?" She asked with a worried face.

She might not believe him when he told her a statue had opened its eyes and had looked at him. But he told her about it nonetheless. She looked... thoughtful.

"Who are you?"

Nusi

The statue of Daikirin was something you would see in many places in the kingdom of Mikironomada. Sometimes you would see it planted at the gate of a town, and sometimes at training grounds. When Armad mentioned seeing the eyes of the statue, she remembered the stories related to the statue.

The statue was capable of speech. If it spoke to you, then the King would agree with you. The statue was capable of seeing. If it looked at you, the King would trust you. The statue was said to be a witness. If it testified on your behalf, then you would get a reward in the Non-touch dungeon.

Did the statue look at Armad? If so, did that mean the king agreed with him?

"Who are you? Where are you from?" She asked him.

Although Armad could be a nobody and the King could still reward him. It was said that most of the people the King rewarded weren't related to the crown. But she still wanted to hear Armad's answer.

But Armad looked inattentive. His eyes opened and closed like he was having a difficult time remaining conscious. His breathing became shallow, and he fell to the ground.

Unable to believe her eyes, she stared at his still body for a long moment before she hesitantly put her hand on his neck. She touched the right side, and then the left. No pulse.

She took several steps back, frightened. What happened to him? Was he dead? Did the Daikirin kill him? But she had never heard of anyone being killed by the statue.

Before she could find the answer to her questions, Armad opened his eyes again. His breathing returned to normal, and his heart continued to beat. He looked dispirited as he looked around, otherwise normal.

"What happen... What?"

Armad fell again. This time around his breathing stopped, and his body shook violently, foam coming out of his mouth. His pol fell by two years every few seconds. If it were to reach zero, his core would collapse on his djinn and essence board, resulting in certain death.

She couldn't decide on what to do. Everything was happening so fast for her comprehension. Armad needed help, but if she helped him, she would have to pay a heavy price for it.

As she debated on what to do, Armad's energy dropped to less than ten years. His skin aged in a single moment as if he were over sixty years old.