Anyway, I left the two of them doing their thing and went to look for Cali. As soon as I got to the door of the game room, I could still only hear her breathing (I still think there's something wrong with saying that, even if it's just to myself).
*Knock, knock*
—Cali, are you okay in there?
...
No answer.
*Knock, knock*
—Hey Cali, I'm going in, okay? Just to make sure you're alright. — I said, turned the doorknob and peeked into the room.
I soon saw Cali sitting at the table with several papers and writing materials scattered on it, as well as the board and the crystal we got from that assembled green demon, so far so good. Except she didn't react when I came in.
And she definitely wasn't focused on her research or anything like that, she was just sitting there with a blank stare at the wall, breathing as if she were in a trance.
—Hey Cali, are you okay? — I asked, shaking her shoulder, but she just kept breathing and staring into nothing.
—Cali?! — I shook her harder, but she remained the same; the apprehension I was feeling began to worsen considerably.
What if that tablet and crystal had done something to her head that prevented her from responding? I've heard of some artifacts that mages found in ruins that could do similar things. Could that be the case with these items?!
If so, it would make sense that she wasn't responding, but that doesn't help in figuring out a way to get her out of this state.
'What if she stays like this forever because of me?!'
Ultimately, I insisted I could guide them through the Trial, but I also agreed to do it so I could feel that strange and satisfying sensation that place provides again, even after seeing how cruel it can be. And if she stays like this because of my stupidity, one of the only friends I've ever made…
'No! I won't let it happen!! Calm down now, Connor, there's always a way to fix things.'
I then thought about the little I knew about how these artifacts worked, and remembered that the weaker ones could have their effects canceled by giving the person a strong stimulus. Preferably with an injection of external Energy to break the connection the artifact might have established.
But this method would have to be done delicately so as not to harm the person. I took a deep breath and thought about the feeling I usually have when I want to lower the perception that the environment itself has of me, but instead of letting it spread through my body, I forced the Energy that "was born" from my heart towards my hands, which were on Cali's shoulders.
Unexpectedly, making my Energy find Cali's connection to the tome wasn't difficult, and soon I made my Energy position itself in the middle of their connection like a knife. I just didn't expect that breaking the connection would cause a small explosion, which sent me to the other side of the room.
*Thump*
My head hit the wall, and I felt the air leave my lungs, but I'm sure I broke the connection. Even more so because I saw Cali blink and look around the room trying to get her bearings, until she saw me on the floor. She quickly came to me, but if I expected any kind of thanks, I was very naive.
—DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS, AND IT WAS ALMOST OVER!!! YOU IMBECILE!!!. — She yelled in my face, coming angrily towards me, but as soon as she realized the position I was in, she seemed to calm down. —Haaaaaaa... Okay, sorry, I guess I should have foreseen that something like this would happen. Are you okay, Connor? — she asked, extending her hand to me.
—Yes, it was more the shock than anything else, but what did you mean by 'it was almost over'? — I asked, remembering the almost insane look of anger she had on her face, just like when we fought the green demons and the beasts. As soon as I asked, her eyes lit up, and I could swear I saw them double in size for a moment.
— Great question! Actually, I was comparing the notes with the letters on the crystal tablet and those in the tomes. After some speculation, I came to the conclusion that the tomes might not be written in just one language. Not only that, I also considered that there might be some kind of code hiding some secret. Which was partially true, but in fact, the tomes would have certain parts in other language. One similar to the language humans spoke but with variations, and another that the humanoid creature spoke.— She said it all in one breath, took a breath, and then continued.
— I needed some more time to decipher what those words meant, and in the meantime, I also managed to determine a good part of what the crystal tablet contained, but the most interesting part comes now. After I realized the differences between the languages of the human groups and partially the creature's, the tome began to spontaneously suck my Aeter out of nowhere. — Another quick pause to breathe, and she continued again.
— Of course I was scared, and at first I tried to fight it but I couldn't. However, the more the tome absorbed my Aeter, the clearer the images became, as did the letters. The next moment everything in front of me went dark, but soon I found myself in that place where the humans from the images were. And the craziest part is that I saw and heard them as well as I see and hear you now, even more so actually!!! — When she said that, I was sure I saw her eyes actually double in size.
— Because almost every action they took seemed to be accompanied by the perfect music for that moment, I can't explain it. It wasn't like the music from the festivals but it seemed to follow the theme of the action. And during all this time my Aeter, which had been exhausted, had already recovered and was even being nourished just like when we fought the monsters of the Trial!!! Can you believe it!!! — she said with the biggest smile I'd ever seen her give, looking directly into my eyes, while almost pushing her face towards mine. Honestly, I was even scared of her at that moment.
It seems she realized what she was doing as soon as she finished speaking and saw that I wasn't responding, and then she stepped back, ran her hand through her hair, cleared her throat, and said.
—Huh-hm, sorry again, it's just that this is a huge discovery!!! Not only can we now get an idea of what the tomes hide, but also the entrance tablets. Maybe with this, some of the secrets of the Trial will be revealed. — she said, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, but clearly avoiding looking directly at my face. Good thing, since I don't know if my face would be white from the fear she instilled in me, or red from how close her lips were to mine.
—Well, honestly, I don't understand much about these things, but I know it's incredible that you discovered all this in such a short time, Cali. If anyone still doubted your intelligence, they'll have to do something even more incredible than discovering two languages on your own in a few hours. — I told her.
—Huh, thanks <(￣︶￣)>, we'll really see what the old men at the Temple of the Fists will say about me now, or those mages. — she said with a fierce smile and sparkling eyes.
I'd heard that there's still some gender discrimination in the order, and it seems that's the case, and her anger towards the mages is easy to understand.
— But you know, you didn't need to get so angry when I snapped you out of the trance. It's not like you didn't already know how the story ended, right?.
— No, no, no, that wasn't the end of the story. There was still more, and I was almost able to see it when you appeared. — she said, slamming her fist on the table and looking at me angrily again.
While she did this, the crystal tablet ended up hitting her hand, and a faint glow appeared on it. Letters appeared on the surface, letters that I obviously had no idea what they meant. But Cali, apparently, now understood from the surprised look she gave.
—What happened, any problem with the board, Cali?
—It's not that, I just think I understand better now what this "status" means.
—What do you mean?
—These letters that appeared here now are saying that I've gained a new ability.
—Oh, I see... Wait, whaaaaaaaatttttt!!!!???? ヽ((◎д◎))ゝ