From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

The snow covered the earth thickly, and he stood alone in a frozen field, as if abandoned in a place where the gods had lost their voice.

"It's the same old trick again," he muttered under his breath, his breath turning to frost.

This time, he didn't panic.

He had come to understand the logic of the illusion: it did not simply create enemies, but rather tried to force you to expose your inner fears and weaknesses until you were defeated by the chaos you created within yourself.

"Alright." He took a deep breath of the cold air, his throat feeling as if it were being sliced ​​by ice blades, but he suppressed his cough and looked out at the endless snowfield. "Let's go then. Let's see if you freeze me to death first, or if I get out of here first."

He took a step, the snow reaching his knees.

The second step was that the snow grew colder, as if it were trying to penetrate his body.

Third, he felt his toes gradually losing sensation, as if they were someone else's body.

Every step was as heavy as a mountain. But he did not stop.

He didn't know how long he had walked—perhaps an hour, perhaps just a moment—before he finally realized he was going around in circles.

It was a dead, black tree, nailed to the snow like a nail. He had clearly walked around it, yet he walked back to it.

"The illusion is still using this trick." He sighed, his voice low and hoarse.

His legs began to tremble. A wave of exhaustion washed over him.

His strength was already exhausted, and the heat drained from his body was leaving him at an irreversible rate.

He knelt in the snow, trying to support himself with his arms, but his fingertips had long since lost their warmth, and it hurt as if he were holding an ice pop.

He found a rock face, a crater in the mountain ridge that barely blocked the wind from one side. He sat down there, hugging his knees and burying his chin between his arms.

"Illusions really know how to torture people," he muttered through gritted teeth, his voice barely audible. "I can understand fighting, but this..."

He closed his eyes, his strength slipping away like sand through his palms.

Various images began to flash through his mind: Abu's calm gaze, Kanod's grinning laugh, the monster that rose from the sand, and the moment Hurta was thrown into the sand.

"Am I already eliminated?"

He felt a chill run through his body, his consciousness wavering, like a boat adrift in the deep sea, not knowing where the shore was.

In a daze, he saw a blurry figure slowly walking towards him through the wind and snow. The silhouette, the movement, and the playful yet gentle light hidden in those eyes made him almost unable to believe his eyes.

"Lia?" he called softly, unsure if it was his own voice.

"Eric".

A light and familiar voice rang out, like a spring cascading over rocks in the forest, or like the first gentle breeze of spring, soft and warm, piercing through the frozen night.

Eric moved his fingers and found his body still stiff, but the deathly coldness within him was gradually dissipating from the micro-disc player. He subconsciously reached for the warning amulet in the leather pouch at his waist, and gently touched it with his fingertip. The amulet was unharmed and did not tremble at all.

It's true!

He held his breath and slowly raised his head.

She sat there, draped in the grey-blue cloak from her old journey, fiddling with the fire bottle's symbol, watching him with a grin.

"How come you..." He struggled to sit up, his lips still chapped, but his eyes gradually cleared.

"Don't rush to ask," Leah smiled, a smile like a warm yellow lamp in a snowy night. "Why don't you thank me first for saving your life?"

She pointed to the bottle of flame. "Remember? I begged and pleaded with that dwarf merchant at the market to get this. Eternal Flame, three gold coins a bottle, enough to ignite your hope—those were his exact words."

Eric stared at her blankly, his lips twitching slightly.

"Didn't you say I was a sucker back then?"

"Yes, I was wronged." Leah smiled and gently patted his shoulder. "But I never expected that you would owe me a life now, Knight Eric."

At that moment, Eric suddenly felt that everything before him was no longer so cold. It wasn't because of the heat emanating from the bottle of eternal flame, but because she was sitting right in front of him, teasing him softly, as if all the suffering and confusion had been blown away the instant she appeared.

He paused for a few moments, then suddenly, as if finally breaking free from a nightmare, he chuckled softly, a low, hoarse laugh tinged with emotion. He abruptly reached out and gripped her arm tightly, the force of which even made Leah raise an eyebrow.

"You're really here," he whispered, as if trying to etch her presence into his very bones. "I thought—"

"I know." Leah didn't pull her hand away, but her eyes softened slightly. "You thought you were finished."

"I really think so, that sound, that snow, and those images," Eric closed his eyes, as if trying to dispel the cold and whispers, "I almost gave up."

"You haven't." She chuckled softly, a fleeting glint in her eyes like a shooting star streaking across the night sky. "You held on until I found you. That's more than enough."

Eric felt a lump in his throat; this was the first time in his life he had experienced such a tender moment outside of battle. He had been wounded, fought alone at night, and mourned his fallen comrades in the darkness, but he had never felt so moved as he did now.

"How did you get in? How did you get through the first two layers of illusion? Were you alone? You..." He asked in rapid succession, his eyes filled with anxiety and unease, as if he was afraid that she would disappear from his sight again at any moment.

Leah rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile.

"Don't rush to ask, Eric." She pulled her hand away, stretched, and then touched the runes above the bottle of flames. The flames jumped like a cat being petted. "I joined a small team, a temporary team that was formed when we came in. While you were away, I went through the first two levels with them."

"A makeshift team?" Eric frowned. "Who are they?"

“A Windtalker, a Ranger, and a Runecraft Apprentice from the North,” Leah said calmly, as if discussing an ordinary journey. “They’re quite reliable. They were a bit hesitant at first, but they got along very well later. Especially the Ranger, his archery skills are terrifying.”

"What about them?" Eric asked. "How come you're the only one who made it to the third floor?"

Leah sighed, "After entering the second level of the illusion, the path became chaotic. Some people said they saw their mothers, some saw old comrades-in-arms, and we got separated."

She paused, looked up at Eric, and her eyes were unusually serious. "I tried to find them, but I couldn't. Suddenly I arrived at the third floor. I think someone must have eliminated the monsters on the second floor."

Eric nodded slightly, but something felt off. His eyes narrowed, and he lowered his voice: "So you mean, you got to the third floor without doing anything on the second floor?"

Leah blinked, a slightly guilty smile playing on her lips.

"Well, actually, my first level didn't seem that difficult."

"what?"

Eric's eyes widened.

"When I came in, I was surrounded by a forest. There was a gentle breeze, sunlight filtering through the trees, a few spirit deer, and a few talking trees. I walked around for a while and met an old witch. She asked me three questions, and then I passed the test."

"That's it?" Eric's voice changed, and he even forgot to breathe.

"That's it." Leah shrugged. "I was stunned myself. But the old witch said her question was about honesty, and as long as you answered sincerely and without pretense, you could move on. Maybe I was just lucky."

Eric opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. He suddenly felt like crying, but also like laughing.

"Don't look at me like that." Leah laughed and leaned back against a rock half-buried in snow. "Illusions are random, aren't they? Perhaps you are on the path of destiny, and I am just on the path of luck."

Eric took a deep breath, buried his face in his hands, then looked up and said helplessly, "Should I thank you for enjoying this peaceful life in my place?"

"Well, it's not too late to thank me now." Leah smiled at him and winked. "Why don't you treat me to a celebratory drink, and we can talk about it after we get out of the illusion?"

"I'll definitely treat you." Eric smiled, and the weariness and sorrow he had felt finally began to dissipate.

The two exchanged a smile. The wind still whispered in their ears, but it was no longer as biting and cold as before; instead, it sounded more like the gentle, distant murmur of night birds in the forest.

Eric looked down at the fire bottle in his hand, where the eternal flame still flickered, like a belief that would never be extinguished.

After a long while, Leah asked softly, "So what do we do next? Do you have any plans?"

Her voice was soft, tentative, but not urgent. It was as if she believed that, whatever the answer, the person before her would not fall so easily again. She leaned against the rock, her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes gleaming with a faint warmth in the firelight.

Eric blinked his dry eyes, then pulled his cloak tighter around him, as if trying to hold onto the last vestiges of warmth. He slowly sat down, leaning against the fire bottle, placing his sword across his lap, and after a moment spoke:

"We'll stay here."

Leah paused, then asked, "Stay here?"

"Hmm." Eric nodded, a sly, almost roguish smile playing on his lips. "This bottle of Eternal Flame is enough to keep us safe. An illusion is just an illusion; it won't trap us in the same place forever. Sooner or later, it will try to shake us and change the situation."

He paused, a determined glint in his eyes. "So, we don't need to rush forward. This is already the third level, right? Beyond that lies an even deeper trial. I don't like to hastily walk into a trap."

Leah rested her chin on her hand and looked at him: "Are you planning to wait for monsters to come to you?"

“That’s right,” Eric said in a serious tone. “This place is too quiet, too quiet for a test. Either the illusion is brewing something, or something is observing us.”

His fingers unconsciously tapped twice on the hilt of his sword, like silent drumbeats echoing across the still snow. He looked down at the flickering flames, as if he could see the passage of time reflected in them. "We're not in a hurry. Even if the next trial is delayed, as long as we remain calm, we'll wait until it reveals its true nature."

Leah smiled and shook her head slightly, but there was a hint of admiration in her eyes: "I didn't expect you to have any brains."

"Are you praising me?" Eric raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe," she deliberately drawled, "maybe it was when I saw you almost freezing to death that I suddenly had a flash of inspiration."

Eric rolled his eyes but didn't argue. He knew that behind her joking tone lay genuine relief that he had survived.