"Are you ready, Argenta?"

... I vividly remember the first time my mother asked me the exact same question.

She was holding a ball with the intention of tossing it at me, we were about to play with it. She looked way more excited than me.

"Mom..." I called out, seeking her attention.

"What is it, sweetie?" she smiled at me, skillfully maneuvering the ball between her hands.

"What does it mean to be ready?"

I was a weird child. I often found myself caught in introspection, completely lost in thoughts, overthinking even the most trivial subjects. I didn't mind it, though. It would lead me astray, yes, but it was extremely fascinating.

"Hmm... let's see..." my mother appeared to struggle to find an answer. She would always find the right words to help me understand.

She approached me, kneeling down to meet my gaze. "What do you think it means?" she asked me, a playful smile on her lips.

"That's not fair," I protested. "I've asked you!"

"You weren't ready for it, were you?" she chuckled!

"Mom!" I pouted.

She loved to tease me just as much as she loved to play, if not even more.

"Hmm, alright, alright. Let's see... Being ready means to be prepared to face a situation, sweetie. Are you ready for me to throw the ball?" she explained, eager to play.

However, her response let my mind go even further and beyond, overthinking even more.

"Mom... how can I be ready to face you?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean... you're strong. How can I be ready face you? You could throw the ball everywhere. And even you, mom, how do you know what I'm gonna do? How can you always be ready to face every situation? How can I be ready to face everything? I want to b-"

She shut me off pressing a finger against my lips. "Sweetie, you can't be ready for everything."

"You're lying! You're always ready to face everything, mom! I want to be ready to face every situation, like you!" I grew restless as I shouted those words.

"You're wrong, sweetie. You may think that I'm ready to face everything, but I'm not... I'm just experienced. I've faced the unknown countless times, and to you it may seem I'm always ready, but that's not it."

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"Sweetie, it's easy to face something you know it's coming. When I throw you the ball, you are ready to catch it because you know it's coming; but even there, many are the variables: where am I throwing it? What direction am I throwing it? Where will it fall? How much force will I put into it? And what about the wind? ... What I want to say, Argenta, is that you can analyze the situation in front of you and act accordingly, but even then, there are many possibilities you haven't analyzed and which you're not even aware of, and they could happen. And this is where experience will come into play. You could say that I'm just ready to face the unknown thanks to my experience."

"But then... how can I be ready for everything? I want to be able to face every situation! So that I will always be victorious, just like you! Knowing every possible variable even before experiencing them!" I questioned, hungry for knowledge.

"You simply can't, sweetie," was her response.

I couldn't believe her answer. My mother was perfect; I could tell she was ready for everything... Yet, her response forced me to confront the harsh reality. Could one really be so limited in front of the vast realm of possibilities the universe placed on the table? The little me couldn't grasp it yet.

"No way..." unable to accept the answer, I sulked, looking at the ground.

"Then, what do you say of a little scenario of our 'Let's suppose' game?" she suggested with a bright excited smile, attempting to lift my spirit.

The 'Let's suppose' game was a little creation of my mother in which she would pose me in imaginative scenarios, casting me as the protagonist facing various choices and dilemmas. It was her way of imparting wisdom and teaching me to navigate through different situations; a form of training disguised as play. The name itself is rather silly; she simply chose it because that was how she started every sentence.

"Fine," driven by curiosity, I reluctantly agreed, meeting her gaze once again.

"Let's suppose... you're inside a castle. Your job is to save the princess that lies in the highest room of the tallest tower. You're running through an immense hallway until, suddenly, a crossroad presents, illuminating two new pathways. What do you do?" she jested.

"Huh? Hmm, I don't know... Maybe I'd-"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Too bad! An explosion from behind just overwhelmed you! You're dead!" she looked so happy to announce it!

"Huh?!" I was outraged.

She laughed, heartily, at my face, wiping away tears of mirth as she continued to chuckle.

"How was I supposed to react to that?!" I angrily demanded an explanation.

She calmed down before giving me an answer. "Do you get it now, Argenta?" she interrogated me with a smirk on her face.

"Huh?" as I expressed my confusion, her expression suddenly became serious.

"It doesn't matter how much you're knowledgeable, how much you're prepared before a mission, how many backup plans you got or your aces up your sleeves. The unknown may always lie around the corner. This is the meaning of our training. I want you to be ready on the spot. Assess the situation, be fast and decisive with your methods. Sometimes, it's right to stop and think, but there are also times where you can't afford that and you just have to go with your instinct. You must live in the present, ready to confront whatever lies ahead just as easily as drinking a glass of water. I want you to worry about what you can't see, not about what is right in front of you; but you can't possibly anticipate every possible outcome, that is simply unrealistic, and thinking about it will only slow you down," she explained, cupping my cheeks with grace. "This is why I want you to listen to me, Argenta," she softly murmured, looking deep in my eyes, slyly making her way inside.

That was a lesson, one that I had to imprint in my very soul and stick to it.

"Is that clear?" she questioned me as I was hypnotized by her gaze.

I nodded. "Yes, mom."

...

At that time, I didn't completely agree. I was of the opinion that it was vital to know beforehand all the information and the knowledge someone could gather before facing a situation. But in the end, as experience would later confirm, my mom was right, as always. In the face of the unknown, your knowledge mattered little, only your skill of dealing with it did.

"Are you ready, Argenta?" Elizabeth asked me.

I looked up at the imposing door standing in front of me, ready to face what lay beyond it.

"When you are."

Elizabeth gestured Laura and Joey to follow, before referring to me once again.

"Once this door is opened, you'll be the one on the front line. I believe Joey will be able to assist you more from the distance. We won't assist you, and we will only intervene in case it is absolutely necessary or at your request."

I nodded, and together we opened the door. Despite its immense dimensions, it swung open easily, revealing a red-painted round chamber. At its center sat a colossal minotaur, with a massive greatsword resting by its side.

"I can imagine it will activate once you approach or attack it. It's all up to you from now on," Elizabeth offered her final piece of advice before walking aside with Laura.

With the dagger in my hand, I slowly approached, studying it. It stood as tall as a house, its greatsword matching its colossal size. A mere flick of its finger could have crushed me with low effort, given its sheer scale.

As I drew nearer, the minotaur's eyes snapped open, revealing a grim bloody color. It fixed its gaze on me. Exhaling heavily as smoke billowed from its flared nostrils, it rose to its full height reaching for its sword. With a swift and fluid motion, it arced the sword towards me at full force. I instinctively ducked, avoiding the lethal strike as a rush of wind swept over me.

"Something is wrong..." in that fleeting instant, my mind couldn't shake off a weird feeling. "My legs...!"

Before I could process it, another attack was coming my way. From the left, the minotaur's massive hand hurtled toward me. Using my arms as a shield, I blocked the impact.

"Ugh!" though toned down, the force of the blow reverberated through my entire body, reaching inside my head.

The force sent me flying. I could hear Joey shout my name, piercing through the haze, rallying me back to my feet. I quickly scanned my body; I was fine, but there was a bigger problem at that moment.

"My legs... they're heavy..."

The minotaur growled, poised to charge again. Gripping my dagger tightly, I steeled myself for the upcoming attack.

"Huh?... My hands... No, my body... I'm trembling?!"

Even as my mind wandered, my reflexes and instincts luckily kicked in just in time, allowing me to sidestep out of the minotaur's charging path. Enraged, it roared once more and swung its sword wildly, aiming to slash me in two.

"Is this... really fear?" I wondered, dodging another lethal swing by a hair's breadth.

My legs felt heavy, as if weighed down by lead. My hands were shaking, and my head was fuzzy. A single hit from that sword, and my life would be over. Yet... even amidst the chaos, I could clearly see all the attacks, and anticipate each one of them.

"I feel... strange..."

A leap backwards...

"It's as if... time is slowing down..."

Now duck again...

I kept evading each swing of the giant longsword, its massive blade slicing through the air with a fierce whistle that stirred the wind in every direction

"You can do it, Argenta!" I could hear Joey scream from afar.

"Is he cheering on me?!" I quickly realized.

"Shouldn't you help her?" Elizabeth questioned him.

"Exactly!" I exclaimed internally. "We should fight this toget-"

Before I could finish my thought, the blade of the minotaur's sword flashed a mere hair's breadth away from my eyes; the rush of wind stinging them as it swept past.

A sudden shiver coursed down my entire body. I jumped backward to gather distance as I kept fighting against the turmoil raging within me.

"It's so strange... Am I really traumatized? Ever since that dragon killed me, I..."

My chest was pounding. My breath was ragged. A feeling I couldn't recognize nor recall. I've always had steady nerves... Yet, the image of that dragon merged with the minotaur, sending my senses into disarray. "What is this? What's happening to me?" I kept asking myself. "I'm so confused..."

"Hmm, impressive. So far she hasn't utilized a single spell," suddenly, Laura's observation snapped me back to reality.

"That's true..." I realized. "What am I doing? This is a test. Joey is not helping me, but I'm advantaged here. This is a one-on-one, it's where I excel. And yet, I'm just evading..."

The minotaur unleashed a full force strike on the ground. With the grace of a dancer, I side-stepped, dodging the onslaught.

"Well, it's time to put an end to this," I declared. "Felinchant."

Felinchant: a spell that greatly heightens my strength, agility, speed and senses. Once I cast it, my entire body becomes enshrouded in a shimmering aura of dim purple light, until its expiration.

With a graceful leap, I soared into the air, positioning myself directly above the minotaur's head, and with the same precision of an experienced artisan, I drove my dagger into its jugular. I gracefully landed on my feet while the minotaur collapsed on the ground, its blood staining the floor. It would've disappeared shortly after

"Good work," Elizabeth praised as she approached me.

"It would seem there is no reward at the end of this dungeon..." Laura murmured.

I scoffed a muffled laugh. "Of course..."