The company tracked their way back to the giant web. Even though his companions did not understand at first why the man wanted to go back there, any attempt to break the web was futile. It was unnaturally dense and hard. No blade could scratch it. No fire could burn it. In previous attempts, they could only remove their weapons from it with great effort. After every strike, they got stuck to it. It was, without a question, created by the spell.

And yet. The man was sparkling with never-before-seen confidence. Whatever he was planning, he did not share with the rest of the group. But he seemed certain that the new way he found would work and that it would lead out the group in this forest.

They reached the web again. It was there, the same as before. Not even an echo of their tries was on it. It took up several trees, but the largest piece was between two huge ones. Its texture almost got lost in its many layers, but what came through them was (even in the circumstances) beautiful, right out of myth. As if it were weaved by the goddess Athena herself. The confident ranger remembered the tales. A mortal woman contested the goddes of wisdom in a competition to weave a tapestry. It ended with the woman, Arachne, being turned into the world's first spider by the offended goddes, as she could not beat her mortal opponent. He wondered if something similar could happen. After all, the cult worshipped a god of its own. A god of whom construction he now will destroy. He quickly got the idea out of his head.

'That "god" is just a tale used by people to explain things they don't understand or are afraid of.,' he reminded himself.

The wanderer stopped before the construct, thinking. He looked at the paper that he got out of the notebook. It was old and yellow, but its content was what mattered. It has a little drawing as well, which showed a sword with a burning blade. The man stared at it. He knew what he had to do now. His confidence wavered for a moment. Can he do it? He turned to his puzzled guides with a question.

'Tell me, how would you define will?'

The two men looked at each other for a moment. None of them knew why this topic was important for the man at this moment. They remained silent. So the traveler asked again.

'You two spoke to me about "strong enough will" and the use of it all the time. Yet you can't define it?' He could not help but smirk a little at this thought.

Wolf must have been on the same page because he started to laugh hard.

'Oh, of course! Right after I explain to you the true meaning of life and the birth of the universe. There is no "definition" for certain things, and that includes will. Even if there was, some things are just so subjective that it is effectively meaningless to have one.'

'It is a nice way to say that you can't define it, you hound,' joined in Scythian. 'While it's not a textbook definition, I would define it as the thing that sets you in motion. Will is the drive that makes you do things. Once you make a decision, for example, it is with your will that you see it through. It is your will that makes you act toward your goals, and the lack of it is what holds you back. It is the single biggest power that you can affect the world with.'

'You forgot one thing as usual, you relic,' snarled the warmaster. 'Will is the most important part of self-control as well. If you want to change something about yourself—your mindset, your habits—it is with your will that you can hold on to your intention. Just like in the labyrinth. While it was by adapting that you overcame the trap, it was your willingness to do so that did the trick. Same with the emotions. Sadness, excitement...,' the berserker stopped for a moment. 'Anger. It is your will that gives them focus. It is with your focus that you let them sink in or aim them if needed. With your intent and power, you can change your view of the outside world and discipline yourself. And that can go a long way.'

The wanderer stood there. He noticed just the topic he was interested in in both of his companions definitions.

'You both seem to agree on one point. That willpower can influence the world around you. But are you aware of the more practical uses of this sentiment?'

The guides stood, puzzled, for a moment. Then the veteran asked the question.

'You're talking about magic, aren't you?'

The traveler simply nodded. He knew that both of his guides are great warriors and that they have been fighting all around the world. So, naturaly. They saw a great many things in the fields of battle. Experiences that could help them right now.

'Hmph. Thought so. Of course, on the battlefield, it is a great asset, but a rare one. Not many people can learn it, and those who do most of the time are a bigger threat to their allies than to the enemy.' The master of battle looked startled for a moment. 'You know, I did see a knight once who used magic on the battlefield.'

The old spearman looked surprised.

'You fought alongside one of the Knights of Magic? They are a rare sight, but very skilful, from what I heard. One of the best duelists in all the realms!'

'It is a pain to admit it, but you are right. And it was a sight to see. Most of that fight is a blur, but I remember him. He had green armor—a master-crafted one at that. It looked a little ridiculous, but I would have taken it over anything else. The blades that struck at him could not even scratch it. Of course, those that reached him at all. He dueled, like no other, with such focus and precision that his foes fell before him like leaves from a tree in autumn. One moment, I saw him go up against a giant warrior. He struck at him with a mallet and made him fly back a couple of meters, dopping his sword. The next I saw, he conjured up a shiled to block his enemies next strike, then turned it into a spear, ramming it straight to its throat!' The veteran smiled. 'Never seen a sight like that ever since.Now that's someone with an iron will! He never wavered, no matter the foe. He knew that he needed to stop them and let nothing stand in his way.'

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

The others listen to the old war story. The traveler heard about the Knights. They were a sacred and ancient order of the realms, defending the people where they needed them. They were all magic users of some sort. Once upon a time, he even wanted to join. But later, he realized it was not his path.

But one question remained in his mind.

'Wolf, why don't you use magic? I mean, you have the willpower. So why did you not join the Knights?'

The battlemaster simply shrugged his shoulders.

'I don't know. I could do it, of course, but I never cared for all that learning and reading. I'm a man of simple actions. I see an enemy, and I crush it. I drink beer. I sleep. All those dogmas and rules just shift my focus,' he said, then added. 'Altough it could be nice. Can you imagine? Just will something up, to drop it on the enemy. But that would take years of practice.'

The man could only imagine what his mentor would conjure up. And they were not adequate.

But it was a good reminder: willpower by itself was nothing more than wishes. If he wanted to use it properly for his goals, he needed to pair it with actions. Just thinking about them and then waiting for the universe to give them to him was foolish. He needed definition and action. But how could he know if his goals and choices were the right ones?

He turned to his older mentor.

'What about you, Scythian? What magics did you encounter?'

The old spearman stratled a little, as if he were lost in thought.

'Oh, well, not much, to be honest. Nothing as memorable as Wolf's story,' the old fighter said.

The man knew he was hiding something. He did not want to show off, but for their sake, the warrior asked again.

'You are a great scholar, my friend. So why is it that you only use so few of your spells? You must know more than what you showed off so far.'

Both of the other parties in his group were struck.

'Wait, what is he talking about?' Wolf turned to the humble fighter. Even the old scholar couldn't believe it at first.

'How did you even know?' he asked the man.

The young scholar just smiled. He knew his guide could put together the picture on his own.

He was right. With a chuckle, the speed fighter started to explain.

'Should have guessed. Very well. In my younger days, I served in court. A very highly regarded one. I was a neophyte in the court of King Arthur, the master of the Knights of Magic. Sir Galahad was my courtmaster. He taught me nearly everything I know about fighting.'

The wolf's jaw was dropped for a half-second. He could not believe that the old man learned from some of the best warriors in the world. Then, he smiled at his companion.

'Huh, you would be a decent fight after all.'

Before the former neophyte could answer, the man interjected.

'Why did you stop? In battle, I saw you enhance your speed. You even did it when we first met, but nothing else. So why did you quit being a neophyte?'

Scythian sighed.

'It is simple. For you to command the forces of nature. To place your intent on reality and bend it, you need will. Unbreakable, everlasting one. Will indomitable. But I think that sentiment has a big danger. The danger of being too sure. If we are just men, how could we be right every time? In my mind, with every decision you make, you need to be ready to change it. To set things in stone is to be too overconfident and arrogant. As we talked before, we must be humble and ready to learn new ways, even if they are outside of our comfort zone. You can't do that if you are not willing to detour your mindset.'

The pupil listened. He understood now both of his guides flaws and points. It is true. If you let your will be too dominant and stoic, it will stop your growth. Even still, there was another thing in Scythians words, which he was too familiar with. Fear. Self-doubting yourselves all the time means that you cut yourself off from one of your greatest powers. With a smile, he said this to his mentors.

'Thank you for sharing this with me. But Scythian,' he turned to the once-squire. ' The will indomitable does not mean that you have to keep yourself from learning new things. It means that once you make a decision—given that you examined every aspect of it that you could—you do not deter from it. You stand by it and see it through. You might fail; you might be proven wrong. But you don't let the fear of this possibility stop you. It is just that. A possibility, not a certanity.'

With that, he turned back to the web once more. He gazed upon the paper one final time. The spell was given to him by his former teacher.

Sir Lionell, one of the great knights.

He drew his sword. He immadietly felt the veins crawling up his skin. The rage and anger he was feeling from being stuck in this forest were still great. But this time, he closed his eyes. He focused with every last bit of his will, controlling his rage and rerouting it into something else. He was using it, concentrating on his goals. The vines stopped crawling and turned from pirch black to sparkling gold. He put together all his might, the might of his will, and his anger.

He will get out of this trap. He will complete his journey. He will find the treasure. And he will not let anyone stand in his way!

With these thoughts, his power reached its peak. He uttered a word to pull it all together.

'Anathema.'

His blade burst into flames of empyric might. All those present looked at me in awe. Even the Hollow was struck by it. The warrior looked surprised too at his accommodation for a moment. Then, with a mighty cry, he thrust his weapon forward into the web. The construct could not be cut by any traditional means. But against a magical attack, it was helpless. The flames spread throughout it, burning away the giant barrier.

It revealed that behind it were numorous other webs. Placed for people to get stuck in them, no doubt. But the flaming swordsman did not care. He thought of another name to bind his next spell together. The words and their meaning did not matter, but they helped to visualize what the caster wanted to achieve with the move. He swung his power-fueled weapon with a shout.

'Pulse of Apollo!'

The fire from his blade jumped forward, becoming bigger and wider. As if a wave of the sea would strike the land. It burned every spider web in their path.

The man was grasping for air after the flames were gone, but he had a smile all over his face. Not just for his achievement, but for what he saw at the far end of the forest. It was not his flame's light. It was the sun. He turned back to his companions with that smile.

'What are you waiting for? Let's get going! We must find the treasure...'

The last thing he saw was that wolf running towards him before he fainted from exhaustion.

Not so far away. The mage felt something. A magical awakening. It was nearby, from what he could tell. He stopped in his tracks for a moment. This power was great. The sheer amount of it, at least. But it was unrefined. It lacked the true finesse of someone who understood this craft. Still, it felt like a threat for some ungraspable reason for him. As if he has felt something like that before. But where? And when?

Overall. It did not matter. If it was in the past, he long overgrow it. And if it was not, well.

Who could possibly stop him?

With these thoughts, he continued to the city before him. None of them knew what was coming.