Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby

Chapter 246: The Trial of Mind

Eleanor drifted aimlessly through the space, unsure of where she was heading. Countless glowing orbs slipped past, left behind in her wake like forgotten stars. She saw many that radiated immense power, but none drew her in. Time felt strange here; she could not tell how much had passed. Yet she remembered Professor Sylpha’s warning... she will get five minutes to choose an orb.

"Nora, how much time has passed?" she asked inwardly.

"Master, time flows more slowly here. My perception is also affected. But I believe it has not yet been five minutes," Nora replied.

Suddenly, Eleanor felt a subtle pull... an almost imperceptible connection was coming from somewhere ahead. She surged forward, chasing the invisible thread. Colourful orbs drifted past her like captive galaxies, each humming with its own unique presence. Some exuded such overwhelming power that she almost abandoned the connection to seize them instead.

She steadied her mind and repeated silently to herself, "do not choose the orb. Let it choose you. Feel for the resonance."

The connection grew stronger with each movement until, at last, she saw it.

Set apart from the radiant constellations of orbs floated a solitary and unassuming sphere. It did not blaze or crackle with violent light like others. Instead, it glowed with a soft pearlescent radiance... like the colour of moonlight on weathered parchment. Within it, there was no outward surge of power, only a swirling nebulous pattern as if a galaxy folded into a single, all-seeing gaze. It felt calm, ancient and wise.

Her hand lifted of its own accord. She reached out with trembling fingers, expecting the cool smoothness of a glass-like surface. But the instant her skin touched the orb, the world around her dissolved into nothingness.

The vault, the orbs, all of it vanished. She stood now in an expanse of featureless white. There was no sound, no scent, no sense of surroundings... only herself.

Suddenly, she heard a voice that seemed to resonate directly within her mind. It was neither male nor female, neither young nor old. It was like the voice of the trial itself.

"The trial begins. To proceed, you must open the door. You have five attempts remaining."

Before her, a simple grey stone door materialised. It stood unadorned, about seven feet tall, framed by a plain archway that opened into a deeper, darker whiteness. There was no lock on the door, but a mechanism could be seen at its center... an intricate geometric puzzle of interlocking rings wrought from a strange, shimmering metal. At its centre lay a hollow, hand-shaped indentation.

rotating bands, each etched with tiny, unfamiliar symbols that writhed and shifted if she stared too long. It was no trap of brute force but a trial of logic and dexterity. This, at least, was within her reach. She trusted her analytical mind... and

slid rings, aligned symbols, and traced pathways of order from chaos. Smaller puzzles revealed themselves, each solved with a click that rang like a promise of progress. At last, with a final and decisive rotation, the

indentation... it fit as

blue light died. The puzzle collapsed into chaos, resetting to its original form. The door remained

open the door. You have four attempts

labour had never been. A prickling unease spread through her. Had she missed any step? She

traced every connection with ruthless care. She even asked for Nora’s help this time. She found a

placed her hand in

The

To proceed, you must open the

were mocking her.

proceed, you must open the door. You have two attempts

the archway, to step into the blank beyond, but

seeped into her bones. "What do you want from me?" she screamed at the void. But there was no reply... only

her mind. She found a better way this time. With confidence, she started again. Her fingers moved in a blur, her body knowing

must open the door. You

her face. Her Elizabeth bloodline... her brilliant mind... had been broken upon this riddle. What was the point? The puzzle was solvable, yet the

but there is no solution beyond what you have already done. What if the

flew open. "What

solving it is not the key, but the lock? What if each time you complete it, you seal the door

the words of the trial in her mind... "You must open the door." Not solve the puzzle. She had assumed the mechanism was the key. She had poured her mind into conquering it, proving her intellect,