CHAPTER 6

"Just so we are clear, you are not seeing this tiny sprite over at my left shoulder doing the cart wheel. Nor this one over here nestled on my hair doing the braid. And that one right over there hovering just above your nose. You are not seeing any of them, right Sire?" Uobe was trying his hardest to prove the existence of the fairies to his lord but to no avail.

"Give it a rest, Mini-Red." Gunn was just about exhausted by the constant prodding that he would rather retire for the rest of the evening. However, sleep was hard to come by that night. And because of that, he had no other choice but to be stuck with Uobe at that moment. "It's not like I'm going to see them the moment you point them out, you fool. We have that established already hours ago. So, stop. Before I get pissed and send you back to Granada."

Taking the cue from the displeased facial expression of his lord, Uobe finally decided to put a sock over his own mischief. But not before sending one last jab of course.

"Such a shame though. You are missing out on a lot of beautiful sceneries, Sire. You should 'see' this place for real. It's beyond mind blowing."

Which was the truth. The Mirror Lake didnt just recieve its name as the Sanctuary of Spirits just because the first people who discovered it wanted to dub the place with some very cool sounding name. The Mirror Lake was named the Sanctuary of Spirits because it was literally the home of the forest sprites. And these sprites regulary flock the lake in droves, forming a sort of mini cluster of stars, hovering over the mirror like water.  Witnessing it was beyond mesmerizing. It was enchanting.

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But Gunn was having none of the sales pitch bullshit from Uobe. He decided to stir the conversation elsewhere."On your way over here, did you notice or see anyone else while you were running?"

"Actually... no." Uobe replied." It was just me, the thick white fog, and the tiny green fairy who accompanied me. That was all." he then continued explaining. "And besides, the fog was almost as thick as milk. It was impossible to see anything or anyone far beyond my nose. I mean, why whould I even check on anyone else other than myself? Even I remember having a hard time following the sprite because the fog was constantly in the way. Luckily, my movement speed was just as fast as the green fairy that was guiding me. I was always on its heels. Maybe that was why I arrived here first because basically, I have ignored everyone and everything."

'So basically, Im the only odd man out?' Gunn mused. He realized that unlike the rest of the Mirror Lake population, he was the only one who experienced the thinning of the fog. And that answer from Uobe proved one important factoid: the participants who arrived at the Sanctuary of Spirits were all guided by the forest sprites. All were guided... except for him. He was the only one who tail gated his way to the finish line. Just him.

Gunn felt like he cheated again for the second time. And with the way that things were going for him, it was starting to look like he would be cheating his way to reach the summit of the Ladder too. Even knowing all of that, Gunn was not even a tad bit bothered about the 'cheating' part. What was more important to him was to reach the top by any means possible. The summit of the Ladder was all that mattered to him and nothing else.

ATTENTION PARTICIPANTS! TOMORROW, WE WILL MAKE OUR WAY TO THE GREENHOUSE. GET READY. YOU LOT ARE ABOUT TO FIGURE OUT YOUR INDIVIDUAL DISCIPLINE. GET SOME REST TONIGHT. WE WILL SEE YOU ALL AT DAWN!

This will be the only announcement.