I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead-Chapter 182: The Trial (39)

The narrow corridor of the labyrinth pulsed faintly with an ethereal blue glow, constellations dancing along the walls like rippling water. Verena’s boots echoed softly as she guided Vivienne forward, her hand firmly gripping the girl’s wrist—not because she cared that much, of course, but because it was practical. Practical. Entirely logical. Nothing more.

Vivienne stumbled, nearly tripping over a crack in the floor. "Ah! Sorry—"

"Just focus on walking," Verena sighed, pulling her along with more force than necessary. "It’s a maze, not an obstacle course for toddlers."

The labyrinth whispered around them, faint voices like fragments of forgotten conversations echoing from the walls. The stars inscribed in the stone shifted as they moved, subtly rearranging themselves to reflect their presence. The Zodiacal influence was heavy here—it felt like walking through the belly of the universe itself.

"So... this is Trial Two, huh?" Vivienne asked, peering around with wide, uncertain eyes.

"Yeah. And judging by how quiet it is, the nightmare hasn’t started yet," Verena muttered, narrowing her eyes. The silence was deceptive, coiling around her like the calm before a storm. Her grip on Vivienne’s wrist loosened as they stepped into a wider chamber.

Ahead of them, the stone floor cracked apart, revealing a vast open expanse lit only by shifting starlight and glowing glyphs. Floating platforms hovered over a dark, endless chasm. They pulsed faintly, drifting in unpredictable patterns. At the center, a massive stone gate stood suspended, emblazoned with a crest of Pisces—the Dreamtide sign.

"Oh no," Verena muttered under her breath. "It’s your affinity trial."

"My—what now?" Vivienne blinked.

Before Verena could explain, the air shimmered, and a massive, serpent-like creature unfurled from the shadows beneath the floating platforms. Its body gleamed with translucent scales, its form semi-ethereal, shifting between reality and dream. It looked like a creature sculpted from starlight and fog, eyes glowing like twin moons.

"The Zodiabeast..." Verena hissed, her heart sinking.

The Dreamtide Leviathan roared silently, its mouth opening in a swirl of mist and distorted light. The entire chamber rippled like a disturbed pond. Vivienne’s knees buckled, and Verena had to catch her by the waist.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me. Your affinity, your beast, your problem," Verena muttered, pulling them both behind a stone outcrop as the Leviathan’s coils slithered around the platforms.

Vivienne looked utterly panicked. "I—I can’t do this—"

"Listen, sweetheart," Verena snapped, shaking her lightly. "I’ve died, regressed, been stabbed, gaslit by the universe, and had to babysit you, all within what feels like two weeks. We are not losing to an overgrown dream eel, alright?"

Vivienne blinked, wide-eyed.

"Tap into that Dreamtide magic of yours. You can influence perception, right? Make it think we’re somewhere else."

"But—"

"Vivienne!"

The urgency in Verena’s voice cut through the fog of anxiety. The girl clenched her fists, her lips trembling. Then, like mist curling around their feet, the air shimmered as she activated her affinity. A soft glow bloomed from her palms, spreading through the chamber.

Suddenly, their forms blurred, their outlines dissolving into the illusion of empty space. The Leviathan twisted its head, confused, its glowing eyes scanning—but finding nothing. The floor beneath them shifted as Verena carefully guided them forward, hopping onto the first floating platform.

"Good... good," Verena whispered, impressed despite herself.

They moved platform by platform, slipping through the beast’s awareness like shadows in fog. But it wasn’t perfect—the Leviathan caught on, its senses sharper than they expected. With a sudden lurch, it lunged, jaws snapping through the illusion, forcing Verena to drag Vivienne into a dive behind another stone structure.

"Okay! Plan B!" Verena groaned, panting.

"W-What’s Plan B?!"

Verena reached for her Zodiacal Mimicry, feeling Saphira’s presence coil around her wrist like a phantom. "We make it very mad... and then we run."

Vivienne’s eyes went round as saucers. "T-That’s a terrible plan—"

"Welcome to my life."

The Leviathan roared again, its ethereal body coiling through the chamber as the final trial truly began. And for the first time, despite the terror, Verena smirked.

It wasn’t the best plan. But it was theirs.

The Leviathan’s serpentine body sliced through the air, a kaleidoscope of glowing scales and liquid dreamstuff trailing behind it. Its mouth opened wide, fangs as long as spears glinting with shimmering fog, and a low, resonating hum filled the chamber. The sound wasn’t just audible—it vibrated inside Verena’s skull, a deep, invasive frequency that made her teeth ache.

"Plan B! Plan B now!" Verena barked, practically shoving Vivienne behind her as she raised her hand. Threads of her Zodiacal Mimicry flickered to life, the faint outlines of constellations curling along her wrist as she channeled the borrowed magic.

Saphira’s serpentine voice hissed in her mind. "You better not screw this up."

"Encouraging as ever," Verena muttered under her breath.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, she summoned a mimicry of a flame construct—one she’d observed from their last training sessions with Sirius. It wasn’t perfect, but it sparked to life, hovering in the air before her. A false projection of herself, drenched in flickering, unnatural fire, burst forward, darting across the floating platforms and drawing the Leviathan’s attention.

The creature lunged with terrifying speed, its enormous maw snapping shut around the illusion. For a moment, Verena thought they might actually get away with it—but the beast’s glowing eyes narrowed, its form rippling as the construct fizzled into smoke.

"It’s not buying that twice," Saphira warned grimly.

"Didn’t plan on it."

Verena grabbed Vivienne’s hand again and sprinted across the platforms. The floating stones buckled beneath their weight, shifting unpredictably, forcing her to leap at the last second onto the next one. Vivienne stumbled but managed to stay upright, her fear-frozen face making her look like a startled rabbit.

Behind them, the Leviathan twisted its long body, coiling upward like a hurricane of glowing mist and dreamlight. The room itself warped under the pressure—the floating platforms rippling like waves, the stone structures bending impossibly as though reality itself softened under the creature’s power.

"Dreamtide magic... seriously OP for looking pretty," Verena muttered, landing hard on another platform. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, but they were almost there—the massive Pisces gate shimmered only a few jumps away.

Vivienne squeezed her hand. "I—I can help! I think!"

Verena glanced back at the girl’s terrified, but determined face. "Then do it. No better time to flex your protagonist powers."

Vivienne nodded, swallowing her fear. Her eyes glowed faintly with soft blue light, her Natal Affinity awakening as she extended her hands. A ripple of Dreamtide magic spread outward, and suddenly, dozens of illusory Verenas appeared across the platforms—each a perfect copy, sprinting and leaping in every direction.

The Leviathan roared in confusion, its colossal body weaving through the illusions, snapping at false targets, crashing through dreamstuff projections. It hesitated, unable to lock onto the real one.

"That’s what I’m talking about!" Verena shouted, yanking Vivienne forward.

They bolted, platform after platform, dodging chunks of collapsing stone and the thrashing coils of the distracted Leviathan. The final leap loomed before them—the floating gate shimmering, its frame pulsing with astral light.

Verena’s breath came in ragged gasps. Her legs screamed in protest. But they couldn’t stop now.

Together, they jumped.

The Leviathan let out a furious, distorted wail, snapping at them as they sailed through the air. Its jaws missed by inches—their forms slipping through the Pisces gate just as the platform beneath them disintegrated entirely.

They crashed onto solid ground with a thud.

Verena groaned, sprawled across the floor, her heart hammering against her ribs. Beside her, Vivienne coughed, curling into a small, trembling ball.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke—just breathing, existing, alive.

Then Verena let out a breathless laugh. "You know what? You’re not as useless as I thought."

Vivienne weakly smiled, her cheeks flushed. "Th... thanks... I think."

The gate shimmered behind them, sealing shut with a quiet hum. The chamber ahead was calm. Safe, for now.

And as Verena finally sat up, brushing the dust from her clothes, she realized they’d cleared Trial Two.

Barely.

But a win was a win.

Verena dusted herself off, her heartbeat still rattling in her ears. Her legs felt like jelly, but adrenaline kept her upright. Vivienne was still curled up on the floor, trembling like a leaf, but at least breathing. Verena offered her a hand with a lopsided grin. "Come on, rookie. We’ve still got hell to march through."

Vivienne hesitated, then slipped her hand into Verena’s, surprisingly steady despite the situation. The chamber ahead stretched into dim, flickering pathways. Strange symbols pulsed along the walls—less constellations, more cryptic glyphs, like some ancient language of nightmares.

Verena exhaled sharply. "Great. Probably another headache of a puzzle. If a giant squid bursts out of the floor, I’m quitting this academy."

Vivienne giggled, tension easing for a moment.

Together, they stepped forward, shadows curling along the edges of the path as the next trial quietly prepared to swallow them whole.

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