—So you're not going to help me?— Adam asked with concern.

—Of course, I'll help you, young wizard,— David said with a smile hidden behind his beard—But I won't solve the riddle for you. Anyway, you already have all the clues to solve it. Think about it; it's quite easy...

Adam stared at David as if he were pondering his words, but he was actually not thinking; instead, he focused on the black blood staining the old wizard's white beard. Immediately, a mole formed on the young man's ear, whispering:

—The old man may seem confident in his voice, but the reality is that he's more anxious than he appears because he fears the book is manipulating his mind. However, the wizard is sure that you can solve the riddle since, in the end, you died in the future, but when that future managed to convey its message, it became your current past.

Adam slapped his head; the riddle was quite easy once he knew the answer. But now, the young hero was worried and hoped that cheating this way wouldn't be noticed by the will of the book. In theory, no one should be able to notice besides him: as he well learned when he read the book that gave him this ability, "He knows what they don't know."

—Once you solve the riddle, what do you do?— Adam asked with doubts—Do I just say it out loud and learn the book's skill?

—No, of course not! The riddle only helps you survive the story— the old man replied with considerable concern, not liking Adam's question—In general, books like to see how the actors end their stories, and most of all, they want them to understand the moral. So, you must continue with your role until you truly grasp what you need to understand.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

—Can I tell you my solution to the book's riddle to check it?— Adam asked, trying not to risk his life with a conclusion.

—No, no, and absolutely not!— David replied, even more concerned about the direction the conversation was taking—Just trust yourself, as any wizard would do. I cannot give you more answers at this stage of the book. All the clues were given earlier, and now you must put them together.

—Well, I guess you can at least help me search the island— Adam said, looking at David with some expectation for his confirmation.

The wizard nodded, and the young hero continued with his plans:

—Help me search for some bluish mushrooms on the island; those are my worst enemies. I hate them because I've eaten them so much.

—Alright, I'll search for the mushrooms on the left, and you go to the right— David said, dropping his staff to the ground, but instead of touching the sand, it remained floating in the air. The old wizard skillfully stood on top of the staff and flew off at high speed in search of the mushrooms.

Adam had been traumatized by what happened with his former school principal's skateboard. Consequently, when he saw the wizard's staff levitating above the sand, he got scared and ran off to search for the bluish mushrooms. One problem Adam had was that he didn't know when the attacks began in the present or if there would be any attack at all. He found no clues about it, so he decided to be quick and uncover the island's secret.

The young hero understood that the key to survival (and the answer to the riddle) was to use the information sent from the future plaque to ensure that this future becomes the past of his present self. Therefore, if he followed the instructions sent from the future, he would manage to stay alive in the present.

Adam's solution to the riddle was based on the fact that his future self never received that plaque and died. However, his future self would have managed to save his present self by sending that plaque. And just as the beginning of the book said: to survive the king's attack, Adam had to have lived in the future to manage to stay alive in the present.