“Once again I’m surprised by this place.”

  With my Magic Sense skill, I was able to roughly map out the layout of the room. That’s it really, just how it looks, the objects present, their colours, designs, everything that is concrete, I’m not able to sense it, I know there is something there and that’s it. The moment I go through the door I’m greeted by another set of stairs, ones that go down a meter or so. They are wide but coloured in a snow-white colour, so white that it’s somewhat shining thanks to the light of the sun, if there is any of course. This room is magnitudes bigger than the previous one, however it’s divided in 4 parts and they are so by some random bush. Yep, with a green bush, taller than I am, I would say around 2.5 meters tall. If I descend down these stairs and walk a few meters I will hit said bush, but if I turn to my left, I’m able to keep on going. To my right if I go there, I will end up hitting a wall so that’s no go. Before I descend said set of stairs, to my left at the same level of the ground where the stairs lead me to, there is a space covered in grass with patches of flowers, ones that are several different colours but extremely beautiful. While to my right there is said wall, right before it, there is a path around a meter or so from it filled with grass and flowers. Anyway, let’s keep moving, while this is a sight to be seen, I still want to get out of here. Although I think this time around it will take a little longer to progress.

  I descend down the stairs, walk up forward for a few meters then I turn to my left and I can see the exit further down the “room”. If the previous door was big, or so I thought it was, then this one is colossal, easily double the size of the previous one. Now I’m wondering what type of monstrosity walks through this door. In this case it wouldn’t make much sense as this “room” is far too “complex” for a monster of that size to move around here, but hey, nothing here makes sense so, it’s a possibility. Whatever, even from way afar, I can say that, that door won’t open that easily as a few meters from me there is something rather peculiar right in the middle of the path. I walk up to say “peculiar thing”, to my right there is that bush and the same to my left, basically forming a corridor although there is no ceiling in this one.

  “This time around, it seems for me to progress, I will have to activate this to open the door.”

  Yep, it’s exactly as I said. There is a device right in front of me, one that is taller than I and made of concrete? I really can’t tell you what it’s made of but I do know that it’s magical. Or it should be if it wasn’t for the lack of it. I can see “lines” that go from this device up to several directions and one of them is towards the door. My guess is that, power up this device and in turn it will open the colossal door. The lines are just like the device, they have a grey colour to them, I think that once they have magic or whatever they might need, they will be lit up and once they all are lit up, everything is smooth sails from there. There are four lines, the one that goes further down to the colossal door and three ones that seem to go in “random” directions. Two of them however, seem to go to the same place. To my right and left, there are openings in the bush where I can enter. The path to the door just a few meters past this device, it seems to be a bridge as from here I can see that there is no ground on either side of the main path.

  “To my left there are the magic signatures that I’ve talked about. I would guess that, defeat those and this line will light up. The other two however, not much I can say, so maybe just go there and activate whatever is there?”

  What an excellent plan if I say it myself. Not really, but I don’t have much information to lean on so this will work for now. I decide to take my right first and leave the battle for last. I walk up to my right and I’m already greeted by another decision to make. Right in front of me there is that bush but to both my left and right I can keep on going. Still surrounded by the damn bush but nonetheless I can go either way. There, the “problem” lies, the lines go on their separate ways so I have to choose one first then the other one. Just as I mentioned out loud, there are no enemies in either path so I will toss a coin to choose from me. Leave it to ol’ goddess of luck, she will decide my fate. Although I don’t have a coin with me so I will take the left side first. Who am I kidding? You always go right first, duh, that’s like numero uno for not dying.

  Yeah, that’s right.

  I think.

  Maybe?

  I don’t know.

  Though, do I have to keep talking to stay entertained? This damn corridor is way too long! Is this a maze!? Am I lost right now? How did this happen? A few seconds I was taking a right because that was the only way that I could go through, only to come back at the beginning! Literally, the device is right in front of me! Wait a second, are you really telling me that this is a maze and I have to activate not one, but two lines?

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  “If right doesn’t work, then, let’s try left! Maybe that one won’t be a maze. I hope so.”

  Ah, another brilliant remark on my part, seriously, I’m a genius! Moving on, I walk up to the right side, then I take a left, walk for a few meters until I’m forced to go right. Keep on walking, then left, followed by a right turn right after that, go down the entire corridor, right at the end take another left as once again I’ve no other option and I’m out.

  “Huh, can’t say I was expecting this to be this easy, especially after my first failed attempt.”

  Ups, it seems my shock forced the words out of my mouth. I was expecting a maze but I simply followed the path and it led me to the end. Before I said that, the path to the colossal door seemed to be done by a bridge, right now I have confirmed that. In front of me, a few good meters, there is a railing, one that is around as tall as my waist, but one that goes all the way down to the right until it hits a wall. Since I have looked in that direction, I can also see a crystal further down and no, this time around it’s a generic crystal rather than one of the same materials as the Crystal monsters. This crystal is around a meter tall while being close to 35 centimetres wide and probably the same in length, it has a transparent look to it, so you can somewhat see what’s behind it. This thing is floating in the air, just a few centimetres from the ground, however right below it, there is a circle where said line goes up to it. Before I go there let me check the railing or what’s past it. It’s as expected, while to my left there is the same bush, one that goes to the very limit of this area, what’s past the railing is basically nothing with the exception of a massive wall way up front and the place where said wall is at top. Should I call it an island? Either way, I can clearly see the path to the colossal door from this side and I will also guess that the one on the left side will be the same as this side. Enough sightseeing, time to activate the crystal.

  I walk up to the crystal and once I was close enough to it, I raise my right hand towards it, from there I pour just enough magic into it to activate it. It’s surprisingly easy to do so as if this crystal has some type of property that can absorb magic around it. A second or so later the crystal lights up, gaining quite the colour to it, one that is pretty but very feminine like to be honest. It gains a pink colour, a soft one at that, similar to a platinum-pink, I think. The crystal itself seems to sparkle in what seems to be in random places, however I think that it’s thanks to the small shade of golden that it has throughout it. The circle right after the crystal is activated, it lights up and from there the line follows.

  “One is up, two to go.”

  Once again, another brilliant remark on my part, to what just happened and the progress that was achieved. Before I keep on moving to the maze, I decided to go first to the main device. I need to make sure that it was partially activated. Once I got there my worries were unfounded as the device is partially activated. Just like the crystal it also has that pink colour to it. Alright, now it’s time to tackle the maze once and for all. I walk up to the entrance and take a right, from there I walk for a bit until I have to take a left and that is when the maze starts. I have many choices, I can go further, to my right, my left, or if I want to, I can walk just a bit and take a left, or I can keep on walking and then take said left or and you get the idea. A complete and utterly maze but any path that I decide to take I always end up at the beginning. Something is a play here but even with my Magic Sense skill activated I cannot for the love of me find what the hell is happening.

  I take a left, I’m back at the beginning.

  I do the same thing but this time I go right. The beginning once again.

  This time I go forward all the way down and still end up at the beginning. Wait, how? I went forward!

  Alright let’s think for a bit, just stop for a bit-and I’m at the damn beginning! I didn’t move, how in tarnation am I at the beginning again!?

  “Yep, time to burn this whole place down! Can’t get lost in a place that does not exist! Definitely can’t go to the beginning if there isn’t a place to start! Yep, I’m not mad at all!”

  Magic noises! Fire noises!

  I raise up my hands a bit and from the palm of my hands I prepare two Pyro spells that could decimate an entire city, or two. Maybe three. To my right I have the spell, “Hell Blast” ready to go and on my left, I have “Inferno Blast” also ready to go. “Hell Blast” by itself could eradicate this entire place but I think I’m just a tiny bity itchy angry so I will also throw an Inferno Blast just to make sure nothing is left.

  “I’m definitely not overreacting. Not at all.”

  And just as I was about to do it, I find something rather interesting to say the least. In one of the bushes, or in a specific part of it, one that I’ve missed several times now, if not hundred even, there is a small device somewhat covered by the bush. This device is close to the entrance. You start at the main device, you enter this place, go right and walk for a bit until you are forced to go left. Just a meter or so before that, this small device is placed there, to my right.

  “No wonder I couldn’t sense magic and figure out what was happening.”

  I feel just a little dumb to be honest, it never crossed my mind that the bush itself could have something on it that was causing this. Thank god I didn’t overreact, this place sure was mere moments from blowing up!