Ermand entered the tunnel, reminding himself that he should pass the test no matter what. But when he walked deeper into the tunnel, his determination fluctuated a little.

He found that he was in a forest, a dense one. It looked like Tenebre forest, the thickest and the deadliest forest in Tawarn. It was calm except for the wind that occasionally passed by him and between the leaves. There were no chirping of birds or the sounds of foraging animals. Sunlight barely penetrated through the thick canopies that formed like a thatched roof to the forest. It looked like it was twilight.

Ermand started his way through the bushy and unruly thicket. He shifted his glance everywhere around him, presuming an unexpected attack. Just as he passed a wild bush, he sensed something shifting its place behind him. He immediately turned his head behind.

His eyes wandered the trees and bushes in front of him. Unexpectedly, something jumped on his back, pinning him to the ground. It roared gloriously at him. It was a Chimera.

"Vertella Vertaine!"

The lion's head swallowed the spark and prepared to blow fire at him while the serpent tail of it wriggled toward him.

"Expulseon!" He cried.

The Chimera was pushed apart from some amount of force produced by Ermand. He immediately got onto his knees and ran as fast he could, but he knew his speed would never outstand the speed of the Chimera. So he grabbed on one of the low branches of the trees near to him and placed his foot accordingly, climbing toward a safe branch where the Chimera couldn't even see him.

The Chimera roared at the tree and later headed off to its way. Ermand sighed in relief and laid his head on the bark of the tree trunk. Before he could properly relax, a large owl with flame flickering wings stooped toward him, screeching horribly. This increased Ermand's anxiety more.

"Vertella Vertaine!" He shot the spark in the giant owl's direction, but it dodged from it, advancing toward him.

Without thinking for another moment, Ermand jumped off the branch to the ground.

"Ahh!" He screamed as he fell hard to the ground. His cheeks were blistered with the bristlings on the forest ground.

The owl screeched again, extending its scary claws at Ermand. It was about to snatch Ermand on it's claws.

"Vertella Vertaine!" He shot sparks straight onto both of it's eyes that caused the bird to screech from pain as well as a deviation in the bird's path and it crashed on a canopy, breaking its wings.

Without standing in the same place for any single second, he immediately darted forward.

While he was busy running for his dear life, the temporary shield charm discussed by Professor Chisel in Ermand's Defense class came to his mind.

"Attowo basine," he mumbled, expanding his hands away from him. A transparent barrier formed arose from the fingertips of his hand and formed a bubble, enclosing him.

He gasped for breath but still he darted forward, unknown of the direction he's sprinting to.

My crystal. I have to make it till there. Where could it be?

The sound came like a solution to Ermand's thought. He could hear the sound of water flowing gently over the pebbles and rocks. It was a famous myth that water bodies are a source of information. There was a stream somewhere around him, close to him. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his head around, trying to sense the direction from where the sound had reached his ears. He was thirsty as well.

Ermand pushed between the large leaves and toward the stream of pure glistening water. He inhaled the fresh air and slowly shut his eyes, enjoying the solitude near the wonderful stream. When he opened his eyes, something glinted across the other end of the stream. A bright colourless crystal stuck between the rocks caught Ermand's attention.

My crystal!

Ermand didn't mind the fresh air, the solitude feeling or his thirst, his eyes were affixed on the crystal basking in the son. He just wants to pass the test somehow and get back to his room and rest for as long as he would like to.

How would I get there?

There was no bridge anywhere near him that'd help him get across the stream. After all, it's a forest.

He removed his navy blue vest, hung it over his shoulder and wrapped up his pants till his knees. Either he should stay there or he should get drenched. For him, drenching was the better option.

Ermand dived into the cold stream and began swimming toward the other end. His movement was unexpectedly gripped by something.

Not that seaweeds again.

It was not a seaweed, rather it was the hand of a long and hefty serpent with relatively thinner limbs. It had long and merged white eyelashes that partially hid its deadly green eyes. The serpent had yellow-green scales with some residual amount of moss on them. It slowly opened its wide mouth adorned with a pair of sharp and spiky fangs at the ends.

Last time, I drowned in water. This time I'm not. I'm even very close to my target. I cannot give up!

He wriggled his leg as much as he could but the serpent seems to drag it's body toward him by trying to approach near him.

Ermand's chin was in the level of the water and he was nearly close to the bank of the stream. The crystal shone in its place, as if staring at him getting drowned.

"Vertella Vertaine!" He cried, trying to aim the spark at its eyes. It didn't hit anywhere around the creature.

"Vertella Vertaine!" He tried again. The spark hit one of its eyes but its grip on Ermand didn't loosen. In fact, it grew more tighter.

"Expul--"

Before Ermand could spell the incantation, he was hauled into the water. He tried holding his breath and kicking off the serpent's forelimb, only to find everything went vain. He caught a last glimpse of the crystal between the rocks before he was pulled into the water.

Still he didn't give up hope. He tried the incantation in mind to push the grasp of the serpent from him. An invisible force pushed the serpent backward.

Ermand thought his leg was free but he was not. He was dragged further into the depth of the water with the serpent's grasp on his legs. His legs have started aching that he cannot move them an inch. He couldn't hold his breath anymore. He had to give up but he was unwilling to. He's almost near to his target.

How can I give up so easily?

The terrors of the next test forced him to fight back but all of his energy was lost. Moreover, he couldn't hold his breath, so he gave up. The freshwater rushed into his nostrils while he felt the serpent licking blood from his severely blistered cheeks with it's thin, slimy and forked purple tongue.

Its tail twisted around Ermand, making it difficult for Ermand to stay free in the water.

The eyes of the serpent gleamed with joy. It will savour its prey anytime. The least that could happen was that it would at least plunge its long sharp fangs into his flesh.

No, I don't want to fail again like last time. No...

He groaned of pain when the fangs plunged deeper into Ermand's shoulders. The pain was unbearable. He imagined the venom slowly mixing with the blood as his vision became blurred before he shut his eyes.