Outside, in the "Manabolt," Captain Anselmo and Sergeant Diego conversed while the boys dozed in the seats of the rear carriage.

  —Diego, this is your first transport assignment. Generally, it is like this during the whole trip. The road to the capital is very quiet, but don't get distracted, because although in these places Mana beasts are almost nonexistent, what is dangerous are the subjects who might want to assault such a flashy carriage —said Anselmo.

  —Understood, Captain. I will be attentive in case something happens —replied Diego.

  Diego was a sergeant of about 22 years with a mixed affinity for speed and endurance. His weapons were several throwing daggers and a bow he kept in the back of the "Manabolt."

  —My Captain, excuse the question, but why was I assigned to this mission if I am applying for the Dark Legion training? —asked Diego.

  —I suppose you already know that the Dark Legion consists of assassins —said Anselmo. —And here there are no Mana beasts to eliminate; here, mostly, there are thieves and kidnappers —he finished.

  —But Captain, shouldn't we take them to the City Guard Legion headquarters? —asked Diego.

  —Do you want to let some criminals up here? —asked Anselmo with a touch of sarcasm, pointing to the academy students' carriage. —I'm not telling you to kill anyone who looks suspicious, but if the situation gets ugly, there will be no one to help us in the middle of nowhere. Relax, in that case, I will give you the order.

  In the distance on the road, a giant rock could be seen in the middle of the way. The captain stopped the "Manabolt" in a controlled manner. While approaching the rock, he told Diego: —Diego, equip your bow and have a dagger ready, that stone cannot be a coinci...

  Anselmo couldn't finish the sentence and fainted onto the steering wheel. For his part, Diego also lay asleep.

  From the shadows emerged a group of seven people in tunics that made their silhouettes blurry, as if they were covered in a vapor that camouflaged with the forest behind them. Their faces were also semi-blurred, but due to a luminous effect from a stone or gem they had on their foreheads, which emitted a green light.

  —Mr. Sabock, they are already asleep —said one of the group to a man whose green light was somewhat brighter than the others.

  —All right, my son. I will take care of the legionary who was driving. You two take care of the other one, and the rest are in charge of the students —said Sabock, giving signals and instructions. —Be subtle, remember the leader's orders: we only care about the boy Silas.

  Each of the seven divided according to Sabock's orders. They placed their hands on the heads of the legionaries and the students, and began to channel energy from their minds. Everyone in the carriage and in the "Manabolt" was in a sleep forced by the ability of these subjects in strange tunics.

  Both the butler who was in Jormun's mind and the other strangers in tunics had the same mission: to change some significant memories so that each of the students would have greater fondness and closeness to the scholars. Each of these strangers had disguised themselves as one of the people from each student's memories.

  —I won't forgive you for entering my memories —was the last thing Jormun had said in Vachir's body.

  All the fallen rocks and walls had formed a labyrinth with twisted paths, infinite loops, and strange structures that could not exist in the real world, but could in the imagination.

  —Wow, a labyrinth. What a fun defense —said the butler as he turned into a kind of white mannequin with a generic face, without any features worth remembering. —Well, we will both play —said the mannequin, laughing as it began to multiply to traverse the labyrinth. One of the mannequins stayed in the initial position.

  —Hello, boy. Sooner or later I will find the exit, how about we tal...? —before he finished the sentence, he was interrupted by a dagger thrown by Vachir's body. —I'll let you out if you tell me who sold us out —he shouted.

  A white silhouette materialized from the ground. —I think I can't give you that information, because not even I know it. You must already know how this is —said the silhouette. —You'll be surprised how much we resemble your family —he added.

  With this phrase, the face of Vachir's body was disfigured by fury. Vachir's body began to turn into a snake and started killing the different silhouettes. —We are nothing alike, damn you! —he exclaimed. The silhouettes were reducing in number and the snake's body was growing larger with every white silhouette it destroyed. Only one white silhouette remained, which had a face of exhaustion and quite a bit of sweat. The snake was about to devour it, but it began to smile.

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  —Jormun, that's enough. Stop! —said the silhouette with a different voice, a woman's voice. As she spoke, the snake was reducing in size. —Jormun, I order you to forget everything! —said the woman's voice with a serious and strict tone. With that phrase, the labyrinth collapsed and a door appeared. The silhouette opened it to leave, and before closing it, only the snake was heard saying: —Yes, mother, as you say.

  To make it better understood, we will call the stranger who was in Jormun's dream Subject 1, the one with Jazmín Subject 2, and the one with Silas Subject 3.

  In the carriage with the boys, Subject 1 took his hand off Jormun's head and recoiled, accidentally hitting Silas's bag and Subject 2, who had his hand on Jazmín's head.

  —What happened to you? —said Subject 2.

  —This boy has mental training —replied Subject 1, lying on the floor. Quickly, the one in charge of subduing Jazmín also took Jormun's head.

  —We were only tasked with putting these kids to sleep, nothing more. You are always reckless, that's why you are still a Count —said Subject 2.

  —Don't scold me if you don't want me to turn you into a dog for a week —replied Subject 1.

  —Fine, but can you check that identification tag? It's high rank —said Subject 2.

  —I think this is bad, it's that crazy guy's card —said Subject 1.

  —Varell? —asked Subject 2. The other nodded.

  Silas's mind was a separate issue. A white humanoid silhouette, like the one in Jormun's dream, was in the town of Lampone, specifically in the church, with Sister Lucía. But the church was blurrier and a bit distorted in details, as if drawn in a hurry. The humanoid silhouette looked at itself, puzzled by its figure.

  —Why do I look like this? I should look like a nun —thought the silhouette.

  Sister Lucía, with a kind face, spoke to the silhouette: —Hello, stranger. How about we talk?

  —What is happening here? —said the silhouette while trying to escape through the church door, but it wouldn't open.

  —Stranger, would you be so kind as to come here? I don't recommend leaving —said Sister Lucía with a calm voice. While the silhouette kept forcing the door, Sister Lucía made a gesture with her hand and the door made the sound that it was unlocked.

  —Why don't young people follow the advice of their elders? —she asked herself as the silhouette escaped.

  —Finally I escaped from... —The silhouette didn't manage to finish the word when it began to scream while holding its head. What Subject 3 was seeing was very complex. It was as if through one eye he saw the town of Pompelmo while Silas played with his friends in fast motion and, through the other, he was in a carriage with a legionary in red armor. This was only figurative, as it was as if in his mind they were forcing him to perceive two realities at the same time. The suffering was as if his right and left sides were tied to horses running in separate directions. It was as if his mind was being broken.

  —Ahhhhhh, help please!!! I beg you! Make it stop, please —he screamed. The white silhouette was turning the color of worn clothes and parts of the body began to turn skin-colored. It had become a running person, shedding tears almost to the point of fainting.

  Until everything stopped.

  —What happened? Where am I? —thought the subject. He looked around and was neither in the town nor in the carriage. He was in a totally destroyed city and there was a dark silhouette sitting in front of him, a silhouette covered in bandages and blood, with eyes as black as a bottomless pit of hate and a sword that had an aura as if it were looking him in the eyes with the desire to deal a mortal thrust.

  —I didn't think I'd have visitors —hissed the dark being with a voice that resonated in the walls. —But of course, it could only be people like you —said the dark being.

  —Like us? —asked the subject, who was dressed like a common, ordinary person.

  —Children of Zephyr —said this entity as it stood up and approached this "Child of Zephyr." Subject 3 began to tremble while looking everywhere to see if he could find an exit, but there was nothing. Then the dark silhouette launched a vertical cut towards the poor "Child of Zephyr," who had already given himself up for dead, closing his eyes. But upon feeling no pain, he began to open his eyes and saw that he was in perfect condition. Behind him, there was something like a cut in reality, as if the whole place were a curtain and it had been opened.

  —Get out now before I regret it —said the evil being.

  The "Child of Zephyr" nodded and left through the cut portal of reality.

  The subject who had his palm on Silas's head fell to the ground fainted, along with a pulse of "Cognis" that reached Sabock.

  —What was that? —thought all the "Children of Zephyr."

  Sabock ordered: —Maintain the sleep of the legionaries. I will go see what happened.

  Sabock looked inside the carriage and saw a subordinate in charge of putting two boys to sleep, another sweating with his hands on Silas's head, maintaining the sleep, and another fainted. The stone of the fainted subject did not shine, which revealed his face, which was of tanned complexion and messy beard. Sabock put his hand on his forehead and removed it quickly. His eyes changed to ones of terror.

  —The mission is aborted, everyone out. You guys, carry your partner and leave —he ordered.

  —At your command, Marquis —said the others.

  The luminous face of Marquis Sabock began to shine with more intensity as he exited the carriage. He removed the stone from his head, which revealed the face of a woman with fine and aesthetic features. She left the stone between the two carriages, which, as she walked away, exploded. While Marchioness Sabock disappeared among the trees, she thought: —I will have to review what I saw in the mind of this Shayim. I hope I am wrong in what I saw.

  Marchioness Sabock, through mental communication via Cognis, contacted her companions who were already moving away: —Children, the explosion of the mind crystal will give us at least thirty minutes. Follow the contingency plan. We will report at the next meeting.

  The crystal exploded with a hollow sound, disintegrating into a cloud of dust that covered both the carriage and the "Manabolt." Anselmo, Diego, Jazmín, Jormun, and Silas fell into an even deeper lethargy.

  Meanwhile, kilometers away, an explosion of energy shook the earth. It was as if an immense force, imprisoned underground, had fought to free itself, triggering a mana domino effect with unexpected consequences.