Chapter 24: Basilisk

The Professor’s shadow fell over Mercedes’s bowed head and folded arms. “Initiate, come with me,” he ordered in a tone that suggested questions would only worsen her situation.

The Sparrow lifted her head, nodded, then quietly pushed back her chair and followed Nicodemus to the Basilisk’s door.

‘Shit. How much trouble am I in now?’

She flinched when the Professor grasped her shoulder before placing his right hand on the interior door, which—the albino suddenly noticed—appeared to be crafted or at least covered in some sort of scaly black leather that stirred ever so faintly as Nicodemus whispered a command that echoed strangely in the albino’s ear.

“Enter Cradle of Discord.”

Mercedes blinked as the classroom teleported away, disappearing like the rushing light of a train down a dark tunnel. Her next step forward sloshed through a terrain of ankle-deep murky water lit up by the pale green and purple glow of bioluminescent moss that clung to the giant stone pillars laid out in two long rows on either side of the Sparrow and her teacher.

“I think you will find meditating much more productive here where there are no distractions,” Nicodemus said, removing his hand from her shoulder. “Your instincts do you credit, Initiate, but you must learn to control them if you want to exist in this world as a Mystic rather than a Monster.”

The Sparrow clenched her jaw and stepped away before turning to face him. “Where are we?”

The Professor’s spectacles gleamed beneath the cool ambient light of their strange, dark, chilling surroundings as he studied her silently before responding. “I will leave an [Arcane Mirage] here with you. If you need help reviewing the basic steps to meditation, ask him.” With a snap of his fingers, the Master Arcane Mystic summoned a ghostly replica of himself, which floated in the darkness beside them. “Once you’ve completed your task, he will evaluate your progress and bring you back to the classroom after you’ve succeeded.”

Mercedes eyed the ethereal doppelganger with mixed emotion before responding, “Alright.”

“You’ll do just fine,” Nicodemus said, his tone softening before he turned with a departing wave. “See you soon, Initiate.”

Before the Sparrow could summon any form of response, he was gone.

‘Right. Let’s try this again. Maybe I’ll have better luck here like the Professor said. Now—where do I sit?’

The albino’s eyes gradually adjusted to her dim surroundings as she examined the gloomy subterrain around her. A glance upwards revealed neither ceiling nor stars, only a deep, oppressive void of darkness. The imposing architecture of silent stone columns, each carved with strange hieroglyphs, many of them buried beneath the dense moss, offered little guidance.

‘Reminds me of the dungeon beneath Eldermoor Keep, except there’s nothing here—at least that I can see.’

The dark waters squelched around the Sparrow’s footsteps, which clung to the muddy floor below with every step as a dense, adhesive sludge coated her training boots. She trudged forward determinedly, drawn by curiosity and the hope of finding somewhere dry to sit down, while the ghostly Arcane Mirage followed silently behind her.

Eventually, she found a break in the column wall, which left a trail of gigantic boulders and one relatively flat stone podium rising a foot above the swampy terrain.

Mercedes climbed onto the platform, grimacing as she took stock of her ruined boots. She was grateful for the uniform’s set bonus, which would allow her to restore them later. Her boots squished uncomfortably as she moved to the middle of the rough granite podium’s surface, marveling that it was almost as large as the teleportation platform back in Eldermoor.

‘What is this place? And what sort of being is capable of breaking these massive stone structures?’

The Sparrow pushed the thought aside as a faint “ahem” came from the Professor’s ghostly doppelganger. “Right, better get started.”

She lowered herself to sit in the center of the broken column’s base with both legs crossed. Replaying Nicodemus’s instructions through her mind, the albino closed her eyes and drew in one slow breath after another, holding each for a moment as she focused her senses inward and exhaled while trying to empty out her chaotic thoughts.

‘I know you’re in there. I’ve seen what you look like. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We are going to accomplish marvelous feats together—for the sake of our Master. But I need you to work with me if I’m going to survive long enough to leave the Arcane Realms and see what the rest of the Mystic Realms has to offer.’

A strange feeling of sinking listlessness came over Mercedes as time blurred into a repetitive cycle of inhaling, pausing, and exhaling. The darkness she found herself in was nowhere near as dense as the void, but it felt—lonely. She repeated her reassuring mantra, the words altering into a persistent pleading urge that enveloped her as she waited…

And waited…

And waited…

A subtle sighing hissss echoed through the gloom around her, snapping the Sparrow’s chin up from her chest as her eyes stirred behind heavy eyelids.

‘What was that? And why do I feel so—heavy?’

Mercedes refocused on her breathing. The repetitive inhalation, pause, and exhalation resumed as her pleading became more frustrated and demanding.

‘Come on. There’s no reason to keep hiding like this. Show yourself, damn it!’

The moist air that stirred between the giant columns carried a strange restlessness as it pushed the albino’s short, ghostly white hair away from her neck and around her cheeks before drawing it back in a slow but steady inhale—as if this bizarre, gloomy underground sewer was breathing with her.

The Sparrow’s pale brows knitted with a frown just as a tiny crimson spark flickered awake inside her chest.

‘Is that—’

Mercedes poured every bit of concentration at her command into the tiny flame and watched the crimson jewel balloon in size until it took the familiar shape of her power core.

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‘There you are. Finally. What took you so—’

“If you’re quite finished, would you mind keeping your thoughts to yourself?” a powerful voice boomed with a resentful hiss.

The Sparrow nearly screamed in frustration as her still fragile connection to the power core almost flickered out. She clung to it desperately while opening her eyes to search the darkness around her. “I’m—sorry?”

“As genuine as that sounds, I would appreciate it if you let me return to my slumber before I violate my Master’s orders and eat one of his students.”

“Master? Are you referring to Master Nicodemus?”

“Obvioussssly,” the voice retorted with a sting of indignation before a deep silence resumed.

The Sparrow opened her mouth to ask another question but decided against it as a deep, irritating hiss echoed through the columns around her. She glanced over her shoulder at the Professor’s Arcane Mirage, who appeared unfazed by this unexpected interruption.

‘So much for there being no distractions.’

Mercedes took another deep breath and closed her eyes as she focused inward once more, trusting the doppelganger to watch over her. She tried to detect the current of magic energy flowing to and from her power core.

“What are you doing?”

The Sparrow exhaled sharply through her nose before responding curtly, “I’m Meditating.” Silence resumed, and the albino began to sense the weak flow of vitality and magic essence circling through the veins in her chest to her extremities before she was interrupted once more.

“Why are you Meditating?”

‘Is this some sort of petty revenge?’

“Because it's part of my training to become a Mystic,” Mercedes retorted, tilting her neck from side to side as she kept her eyes firmly shut. The flow of magic essence inside her was a mix of dark and crimson energy, which she attributed to Nyxus’s seal and her Bloodborne origins. She tried harnessing this internal energy, attempting to draw the essence from the center of her torso all the way down to her left hand, with little success.

“A Monster who is also a Mystic? How intriguing.”

The Sparrow scowled as the tiny current of energy she’d been focusing on dissipated.

“I’ve known many Mystics who became Monsters, but—rarely the other way around. Though I suppose the Children of the Night fit that description to some degree.”

“Do you mind? I’m trying to focus here.”

“I do mind. You’re going about this with all the grace and skill of a Kobald Clugger. If you want to control your power efficiently, stop thinking of yourself as a Mystic and accept what you really are.”

“I know what I am. I’m a Bloodborne!”

“Do not let something as worthless and mundane as a name determine your identity. Just because something is made of stone doesn’t mean it cannot move or feel. And just because our kind are labeled as monsters doesn’t mean we are incapable of intelligence, communication, mercy, and loyalty. Allow your instincts to guide you.”

“My instincts make me want to bite people. So, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.”

“You cannot grow while fighting against yourself. Accept what you are. Embrace the darkness within you. Let your Astra guide you towards your true potential. That is what it means to be a Monster who is also a Mystic.”

“Oh yeah, how the hell would you know?”

The sound of moving water pulled the Sparrow’s eyes open. The albino rose to her knees in a crouch as her skin prickled in warning. She sensed the mystical creature long before his six amethyst eyes flecked with gold stared down at her from the darkness of the ceiling above.

They were the eyes of an ancient predator, knowledgeable and cruel, fathomless and cold. Mercedes could neither look away nor move and although she could not deny the fear that trembled deep within her bones, a deep sense of awe filled her as the creature’s name fluttered breathlessly past her lips.

“Basilisk.”

The mythical serpent’s head lowered slowly towards her as a sinister black tongue streaked with purple veins slithered through the air above the Sparrow’s head. His black scales, which expanded and shrank with each breath, reflected the purple and green light of the bioluminescent algae that glowed around them.

“That is but a name, and it pales in comparison to my true nature and power, Monster who is also a Mystic.”

“My name is Mercedes.”

A sinister, echoing chortle rumbled through the Sparrow’s body as the Basilisk’s head settled into the shallow water that surrounded the broken podium, bringing his eyes closer but not quite level with her own.

“It is a good name. Mercedes. It means ‘mercy’ in the old tongue. Perhaps your maker wished you to become a merciful monster.”

“It’s—only a name,” she responded with a weak laugh. “I doubt my Master had any merciful intentions when he made me.”

“Ahh, yes, it is weak, but I can sense His tether,” the Basilisk hissed malevolently. “I am curious to see what plans Master Nicodemus has for such a peculiar student. So, I will offer you a bit of enlightenment as a token of my goodwill.”

The Sparrow raised a brow and stiffened as the mythical serpent’s tongue flicked out, grazing through her short, pale hair and leaving a sticky, cold trail of mucus along her chin and neck.

[Alert! An Ancient Mythical Guardian has recognized the latent potential within you and offers to unveil the secrets inherent to your hybrid genetics. The following Passive Ability has been awakened: [Sensory Awareness].]

[Astra System Update – [Sensory Awareness] has been added to your Passive Skills. Continue to train this ability to unlock the following skills: [Magic Energy Detection], [Aura Sensing], [Psychic Resonance], and [Terra Sense].]

[Astra System Update! You have unlocked two spells with a high amount of synergy. Increase your Mystical Knowledge to unlock [Spell Synthesis] and merge these spells into a more potent and unique ability.]

“Sensory awareness will not only increase your capability to detect magic essence and aura but also improve your ability to control what specific target you wish to focus on—or even multiple targets, given enough practice,” the Basilisk explained with a note of smugness. “Since it is a passive skill, you can use it in conjunction with your meditation spell. With time and dedication, you should find the result of your efforts far more rewarding.”

Mercedes blinked erratically as she took in the information before her, then closed out the new panels, shivering slightly when she met the mystical serpent’s gaze. “T-thank you.”

“When you have grown stronger, you may return to my lair if you wish. There is much I can teach you, Monster who is also a Mystic.”

[Quest Received: Basilisk’s Sovereignty]

An ancient sentient monster has taken an interest in your future growth. The Guardian of ???’s Restraint bids you to return to his lair once you reach the Mystic rank of Novice for further instruction.

Requirements: Achieve the rank of Novice and return to the Basilisk’s lair before graduating from the academy.

Reward: [Tier II: Monster Ability].

Penalty: If you fail to keep your promise to this Guardian, you might end up as his next snack.

The albino’s pink eyes widened as the creature’s massive head rose above her, dripping dark glops of sludge onto the platform. The Basilisk’s enormous body returned to the shadows of his gloomy den until only his predaceous eyes gleamed above her.

“Return to my Master. I will sleep. It is tiring to be awake, and it stirs my hunger.”

As much as the Sparrow wanted to test out her new skills here, where she was most confident she wouldn't hurt anyone, she knew better than to argue with a mythical creature who was hungry. Only as she turned to the Professor’s silent doppelganger did Mercedes realize that the Basilisk had been speaking to her in the eldritch tongue the entire time they had been conversing.

‘As if I need further proof that I’m a monster.’