'I see.'
Saryn's voice echoed in the illusion he had been swirling around in for one hundred and thirty three attempts.
He stood there, unmoving, as the white lines creating the box began fading away, the void cracking around him like heated glass.
He heard nothing, smelt nothing, and his touch numbed.
Crack.
The endless black around him shattered, as he closed his eyes.
…
Saryn reopened his eyes, it didn't feel like he blinked, but rather it felt like he had woken from a long slumber.
'What the…' He looked around him, splayed across a massive bed that sunk under the weight of his body.
He rested on top of the warm sheets, his obsidian orb and greatblade lay alongside him, almost as if they were stuck in the same dream that he was.
He stayed in that position for a while, believing he deserved the rest, while taking in the air around him as the echo-rich environment made it feel like he was breathing fresh air again.
Before Saryn had the opportunity to question his surroundings, Marduk had already begun blabbering.
"Congratulations, Saryn, in comparison to most of the other candidates, you have cleared the fourth room with relative ease."
"Ren would surely be proud, it is truly a shame he is not here with us now."
"And yes, I did hear you sleep-talk the entire time, do with that information what you will."
Saryn flinched slightly at this line.
'Not that I remember my own words anyway, that room felt like a nightmare.' He thought before Marduk resumed his rambling.
"Saryn, that room was simply a dream I had placed you in, your training has paid off, and I hope you translate it into what's waiting for you next." Marduk paused, before resuming, "I hope you also realise that I'm right in front of you as well…" His tone switched into one of disappointment, as Saryn got up and blinked, finally noticing the tall mirror about a meter away from the foot of the bed, and the solid image of Marduk possessing his reflection shimmering within it.
"Oh, sorry." Saryn grinned slightly before noticing his own look.
His clothes were a mess, torn in several areas, bloodied in others, and most of all, the "robes" looked more like the tatters of a homeless man than actual battle robes.
He decided to speak up about it instead of staying quiet, as the fabric had hardened in the spaces that were caked in dry blood, bothering him quite a bit. The holes were placed so awkwardly it looked like the outfit was designed for someone else entirely… and definitely not a man.
"Could you do me a favour an-"
"Yes, yes, I have noticed that you yearn for proper food, I would also go insane if I had to survive off echoes my entire life." Marduk cut Saryn off.
"I mean sure but I meant-"
"I see, you would like to rest, very well, I shall not disturb you." Marduk cut him off again while chuckling like a toddler.
The mirror surprisingly didn't shatter this time, but the surface rippled slightly as Saryn's reflection returned to normal.
'He might be less attentive than those clowns who took the fourth room's trial before me…'
Saryn called Marduk's name multiple times into the mirror, albeit to no avail.
After giving up, he scanned his surroundings.
Behind him and on his direct right were walls, the bed was cornered up against them, and on the right wall was a window, which seemed to display the atmosphere of the third room, where he fought the stalker.
The window was wide open, and a warm breeze shot through it, heating up the room nicely and gently pushing away the window curtains with each gust.
'I can't believe that was all a dream.' Saryn thought.
'However, my gains are definitely very real.' And he was right, the skills he had developed there won't be for nought.
Saryn looked in front of him, simply a meter stretch past the bed, ending at the wall where the mirror lay quietly, no sign of Marduk in it.
And on his left, a really, well, maybe unnecessarily long extension of the room, which made it seem more like a hallway than an actual room.
But at the end of the "hallway", Saryn spotted a table, covered in multiple dishes of many kinds.
The aroma swept toward him, as he devoured the smell the same way the stalker would've devoured him, and well, did devour some of the previous challengers.
'Now that I see it in the same room as me, I'd much rather eat something than change my womanly rags I call "clothes".'
A deep hunger overtook his every fiber, but this one wasn't from the foreign entity that resided in his heart, but rather from Saryn himself.
Keeping his instincts at bay, he looked at the rest of the hallway.
In the middle, there was a round black carpet, which contrasted greatly to the fuzzy beige floor, on each end of the carpet, engraved into the walls were two portals, one already ablaze, indicating it was the portal Saryn had supposedly sleep-walked through.
The other portal was quiet and dim, unlighted, likely the one that leads to the next room.
Between the portals and table of pure delicacy, were multiple doors in the walls, which piqued Saryn's curiosity.
He steadily left the bed, standing up straight and stretching outward, while indulging in the revitalising ambient echoes.
A deep yawn left his mouth, as he rubbed his eyes and began walking toward the other end of the room.
The walls were pure white, same with his bed, same with almost everything apart from the floor and a couple other unnecessary items.
He passed by the portals, uninterested in them, before stopping at the first door on his left.
He opened it, and it presented a basic bathroom, all of the necessities like a shower, toilet or sink included of course, the tiles patterned between a slightly toned off white and a marble grey, and the walls were painted black in contrast to the main room's walls.
The next door was on Saryn's right, and it contained…
'Thank the lord… despite his lacking attention span, at least he knows what i'll need desperately.' Saryn thought.
The room resembled a walk-in wardrobe, two colossal cupboards fashioned each wall, stuffed to the brim with various types, colours and sizes of clothing, obviously not completely intended for him, who knows if one of the candidates could've been a bulky seven foot tall giant or even a dwarf who could make-do with just trousers.
At the end of the small room, was a wooden chair, and on top of it was a silky pink dress, almost as if tailored for a little girl's princess themed birthday party, and on it was attached a note.
Saryn walked forth, picking up the note.
It read:
"You'd likely want to wear this one" scribbled in absolutely atrocious handwriting, as if written by a little kid, and on the bottom left corner of the note was a horrible drawing of a stickman with a laughing face and…
'A big butt… seriously?' Saryn's face twisted into a face of disappointment, as the paper in his hands disintegrated into a pile of echoes.
'Maybe I overestimated Marduk's intellect.'
'...and his handwriting?'
…
'Right. Time to find something that won't make me look like a toddler's doll.'