14 The countdown

As the figure stumbled towards him, Xylon raised his weapon defensively, unsure of what the person's intentions might be. But as the person drew closer, Xylon could see the fear and desperation in their eyes, and he knew that they posed no threat to him.

With a deep breath, Xylon lowered his weapon and extended a hand towards the person. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The person hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take his hand, their fingers cold and trembling.

As Xylon gazed at the figure that emerged from the writhing basilisk, he felt a sense of relief wash over him as he recognized the person stumbling towards him. It was Santhylar, one of his brilliant classmates.

Santhylar possessed a rare gift - the ability to recreate numerous spells with just a single glance at their incantation. He was a veritable spell master.

Santhylar's curly dark hair bounced as he stumbled towards Xylon, his small frame and thin build contrasting with the powerful magic he wielded. His dark eyes shone with intelligence and determination.

Despite his lack of physical prowess, Santhylar was highly regarded amongst his peers for his intellect and ingenuity. His unparalleled ability to decipher and manipulate magic made him one of the most talented students in the academy.

As Santhylar drew closer, Xylon couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. Covered in blood and gore, he looked like he had just emerged from a battlefield. But one thing was certain - Xylon had saved his life by defeating the basilisk that had possessed him.

Santhylar's eyes widened with surprise and relief as he looked at Xylon, the classmate he never expected to see again. Xylon, on the other hand, was not amused by the dramatic display of gratitude from Santhylar.

After all, the test was not designed to be a survival game and he felt that Santhylar's reaction was exaggerated.

"I didn't see that you were being eaten by the basilisk," Xylon replied to him, his tone firm and uncompromising. He was not one for unnecessary emotional displays.

However, Santhylar was undeterred and moved even closer to Xylon, reaching out to touch his hand in gratitude. Xylon recoiled and pushed him away, disgusted by the lingering stench of the basilisk's insides on Santhylar's skin.

"Don't touch me, you reek of that basilisk insides," he said coldly, unable to hide his contempt.

Despite Xylon's harsh words and cold demeanor, Santhylar couldn't help but smile with gratitude.

"Ah, I never thought that I would be saved by you, Xylon Sinclair," Santhylar said with a chuckle.

"I never intended to save you " Xylon answered firmly .

Xylon, however, was not interested in small talk or pleasantries. He turned around and continued to walk, without asking Santhylar anything or even acknowledging his existence any further.

Unbeknownst to Xylon, Santhylar felt an immense sense of admiration and awe towards him for saving his life from the monstrous basilisk. He saw in Xylon a hero, a savior who had the power and courage to stand up against the deadliest of creatures.

And so, without a second thought, Santhylar began to trail behind Xylon as he navigated through the confusing and winding maze, desperate to follow in the footsteps of his newfound hero.

Despite the fact that Xylon showed little interest in him or his well-being, Santhylar refused to give up his pursuit.

As they walked, Santhylar couldn't help but notice how effortlessly Xylon moved through the maze, navigating through the twists and turns with ease.

As they walked deeper into the maze, Santhylar's mind was racing with ideas. He had always been a quick thinker, able to come up with solutions on the fly. As he watched Xylon's confident strides, he knew that he had to suggest something to get them out of this maze.

"Xylon," Santhylar said, panting slightly as he tried to keep up with the taller boy. "I have an idea. It might just work."

Xylon stopped in his tracks and turned to face Santhylar, his expression guarded. "What is it?"

Santhylar took a deep breath before launching into his plan. "We need to start leaving markers behind us as we go. Something small that won't attract attention but will help us retrace our steps if we need to. We could use magic to create small, glowing orbs and place them along the way."

Xylon raised an eyebrow, impressed. "That's actually a good idea. It could work."

Santhylar grinned, feeling a surge of pride. "I knew I could come up with something. Let's get started then."

As they continued to move through the maze, Xylon thought more about Santhylar's plan. He had initially hesitated to leave any traces behind because he believed he was being followed by his classmates.

But now, with Santhylar's insight, he realized that their true enemy was the dangerous creatures lurking in the maze, not their classmates .

As Xylon and his team navigated through the twisting and turning maze, a sudden and unexpected occurrence caught their attention.

A digital countdown timer materialized on a screen hovering above the labyrinthine course, displaying the seconds ticking away in stark, bold numbers for all to see.

"What in the world is this?" Xylon inquired, puzzled by the appearance of this new element in the already challenging test they were facing.

"I believe that this is an attempt to motivate us to complete the test with a sense of urgency," his teammate replied, sensing the frustration in Xylon's voice. "Without some form of encouragement, this situation could drag on indefinitely, and we would never know if we succeeded or failed."

The countdown timer loomed ominously above them, a constant reminder of the dwindling time left to complete the task.

"Why are you still here? Do you really think that I would accept you now that you're away from your team? I'm not foolish, you know. You've been left out, and I have no intention of taking in any trash into my custody," the harsh words rang out from Xylon's mouth .