Morena hadn't even realized it, but in the blink of an eye, over two weeks had passed.

The main reason she didn't even feel the time pass was that the days had blurred. The plains were so large and similar that she couldn't even feel the passing of time because everything looked the same.

The only reason she even kept track of time anymore was to see how long she had been separated from her family. Two weeks, that was how long the AI had told her had passed.

By now, she hoped that her family had reached the city the Wizard mentioned and settled down; perhaps they had already begun rebuilding the family with what they had brought.

She was sure they would have a hard time, but knowing her father, he would be fine. Plus, he had Adolf, Alina, and all the others to help him out; she just worried about his poison.

When she arrived at the Wizard Tower, she would have to try to find a way to solve it. Although she wouldn't be able to deliver it right away, she still wanted to save it in the AI.

But the travel itself was boring; just the sound of hooves on dirt, the hum of wind through grass, the occasional distant cry of a bird. Morena rode alongside the Wizard and his small group of soldiers, the journey marked more by silence than conversation.

The Wizard spoke very rarely, but Morena had already gotten used to this. He preferred the company of his thoughts, his eyes always half-lidded as though he was lost in thought at all times; sometimes he didn't even bother to guide his own horse.

When Morena did ask him questions, he didn't always answer. But he did give her some information related to being a Wizard; to him, it seemed like common knowledge, something not even worth protecting.

But to Morena, it was more than enough to fill in her lacking places and give her a better image of what mana, magic, and being a Wizard were.

"What exactly is mana?"

She had asked once.

"It's the source and the breath of all things."

He replied, his tone indifferent.

"It flows through everything, even in what you call lifeless stone. The difference between a Wizard and everyone else is that we learn to use that mana."

"And Wizards... how do they control it?"

"Wizards don't simply control mana; they make it their own, bending it to their will. To be a Wizard is to go against the will of nature."

When she looked confused, he didn't elaborate further.

Sometimes she wondered if he was mocking her ignorance, or if that was simply how Wizards talked, cryptic and dismissive, like people who lived in a world apart from everyone else.

But that wasn't too off, Wizards did live in a world apart from mere mortals like her.

Still, Morena absorbed every word. Even if the answers were frustratingly incomplete, they were more than she ever had before.

Slowly, the world changed around them the further they went north. The air grew heavy with moisture, the ground soft beneath the horses' hooves. Mist thickened day by day, until the sunlight no longer reached the earth cleanly.

By the end of the second week, the terrain had turned into a marsh.

The soil squelched with every step, and the air smelled of wet moss and decay. Strange shapes moved in the distance, the reflections of trees or something else, Morena couldn't tell.

"This place..."

She muttered, glancing around.

"Is it really the right path?"

It wasn't that she doubted him; it was merely because it looked like it had nothing around. They even had to ditch their horses and wagons because of the marsh, so currently they were on foot.

Yet the Wizard didn't stop walking even when he replied.

"Yes."

"You said you belonged to this 'wizard tower'. What's it like?"

"You'll see when you get there. But, they prefer less talking."

He didn't look back when he said it. His tone carried a hint of boredom that she kept asking so many questions, yet Morena didn't think she was asking nearly enough.

But she didn't want to anger the man, so Morena said nothing else, only followed closely behind.

The further they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The mist thickened until she could barely see a few paces ahead, and every sound echoed strangely. Even the Wizard's men grew uneasy, their hands on their weapons though no danger showed itself.

Then, out of the fog, it appeared.

A tower.

It rose from the heart of the swamp like a spear of stone, impossibly tall, its peak lost in the haze above. Morena was sure she hadn't seen it moments ago; it was as if it had simply appeared when they drew near, as if something had been hiding it all the time.

'Some sort of Wizard trick?'

She was amazed at the sight, not only the sudden appearance of it, but the design of the tower itself.

The stone was dark, covered in faint glowing lines that pulsed like veins of light, and though it looked ancient, it didn't seem worn. And massive was an understatement.

It was so tall that it stretched into the sky above, easily 15 floors from the outside, and it wasn't slim either; it was wide. The surface area of it was easily larger than her estate.

She slowed her pace unconsciously and stared up at it as she walked.

"I didn't even see it until now."

She whispered to herself.

"That's because you weren't meant to."

The Wizard finally stopped walking. He motioned for his soldiers to remain where they were and stepped forward toward the base of the tower.

At the front stood a massive stone door, smooth and without a handle or crack. Beside it, a tall pillar with what looked like a serpent wrapped around the base of it.

The Wizard stopped before it, lowering his head slightly.

"Verem tir sol."

The words were quiet, but the air trembled as soon as he spoke them. The pillar glowed faint green, and the ground beneath them vibrated softly.

A moment later, the door of the tower shuddered, and with a deep rumbling sound, it began to open, not outward or inward, but by parting down the middle like melting stone.

Morena's eyes widened.

The inside wasn't what she expected.

From the outside, the tower had seemed tall and wide, but no wider than a small fortress. Yet as the doorway opened fully, she saw wide hallways stretching far into the distance, rooms branching off into corridors, and staircases that spiraled upward and downward.

The space inside was far larger than the exterior.

"How is it possible bigger inside?"

She asked the Wizard, though she didn't expect to get an answer.

The Wizard finally turned to her, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Space inside the tower doesn't follow the laws of the outside world. You'll learn that eventually."

He began walking again, his boots leaving faint prints in the stone floor that quickly faded away as if they were never there. Morena followed quietly, her eyes scanning every detail of the strange structure.

The air was heavy with mana; she could feel it buzzing faintly against her skin, alive and aware. It was the most mana she had ever felt in her entire life; she didn't even need to try to sense it, she just could.

They ascended to the second floor through a spiraling staircase lined with glowing runes. Along the way, she didn't see anyone else but them; she could only assume people didn't roam these floors.

Here, the hallways were lit by floating crystals, and faint sounds echoed from distant chambers. It was quiet, but not empty; she could feel the faint presence of others deeper within, though she couldn't see them.

The Wizard stopped in front of a wide door marked by a circular engraving.

"This is where you'll go."

Morena blinked.

"You're not coming with me?"

He shook his head.

"No. My part is done."

She frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

He turned to face her fully for the first time since they entered.

"I brought you here. That's the extent of what I owe you. From this point on, you're on your own."

Morena studied him carefully.

"What's inside that room?"

His lips curved faintly, not quite a smile, but something close.

"If you survive, you'll know. If you don't, it won't matter."

Her expression hardened slightly.

"So that's it? You just drop me here and leave?"

"That's how everyone begins."

He stepped past her, his tone calm but distant.

"Whether you live, learn, or fail; that's no longer my concern. From this moment on, we're even."

He paused at the top of the stairs, glancing back at her one last time.

"Don't expect kindness from this place. The Tower tests everyone who enters it. The only ones that can truly make it as a Wizard are those who do what it takes."

Morena's eyes drifted back to the door, then to him.

"Then I'll make sure I pass."

He gave no reply, only turned and walked away, his footsteps fading into the vast halls.

Morena took one last steadying breath, then stepped toward the door.

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