The left Aether screen focused on the old man who sat near the cave’s entrance. He had long white hair along with a flowy white mustache and beard. He wore round glasses along with gray white robes. He perked up as he saw Carlos approaching the cave.

"Kind young man-" the old man called him.

Carlos halted and looked at him, "What is it? Get out of the way!"

"I am caught in a trouble, can you help me?" The old man asked. He pushed himself up to a standing position, trembling because of age barely able to stand on his own.

Carlos seemed to ponder for a moment, "Is this also some test?"

"I just need your help." The old man spoke in a frail tone.

"Tell me what is it?" Carlos asked.

"I have lost my staff, can you help me find it?" He asked.

"Where?"

"It might just be around, I don’t remember." The old man said and Carlos moved away from him.

"Too bad for you but if you’re willing to wait, I’ll go inside and hurry back. Once I return, I’ll help you." Carlos said.

"But I am in need of it, I can’t walk without it." The old man insisted.

"Oh, you seem to be walking just fine without it." Carlos said gesturing at his trembling figure, "Just go sit over there."

The old man turned and staggered back to the flat rock where he sat near the entrance while Carlos ran inside.

Soon enough he stopped as he saw the three openings before him and sneered, "What’s this? Another test?"

Carlos waited for mere seconds before he chose the far left opening and started running inside.

The audience watched with anticipation as Eric raced up the hill towards the cave, they were rooting for him.

"Why am I not surprised that that brat threw everyone- including his own knights behind and ran for the finish line?" Zach mumbled.

"When nature and nurture both teach you to stab in the backs of others, you can’t expect them to suddenly change, Lord Snake." Sebastian Oberon spoke while watching Eric.

"Still, Master would make sure that Prince Eric wins, right?" Zach muttered.

"Master won’t help Prince Eric in any way during the Trials. They are genuinely to test him." Oberon said and Zach looked at him.

"You don’t mean to say that there is a chance of His Highness Eric losing."

Oberon didn’t move his eyes from Eric as he said, "Do you think our Master would choose a losing candidate?"

Zach frowned before he turned back to look at the Aether screens. Carlos had started running inside the cave while Eric had just managed to reach in front of the entrance.

He saw the old man who sat there and approached him.

"Is there any problem?" Eric asked and the old man looked up at him.

"I need some help, but if you’re in a hurry, please go ahead." The old man said.

Eric looked once at the cave and then at the old man, "Can you tell me what’s the matter? I’ll try to help you as best as I could."

The old man rose to his trembling feet, "I have lost my staff, I can’t walk beside it. Can you help me find it?"

Eric gave the old man a hand, holding him steady.

"Of course, where did you lose it?" Eric asked.

The old man smiled and held Eric’s hand, "I don’t quite remember."

Eric nodded, "Where did you come from? Where were you headed? It might help us figure out where you could have dropped it."

The old man nodded, "I remember walking inside this cave."

Eric looked at the cave, "Could it be that you dropped it somewhere inside?"

"Probably." The old man nodded and Eric smiled before looking at him up and down.

"Can you walk?" Eric asked and then dropped down to his knees with his back to the old man.

"Get on, I’ll carry you." Eric said.

The old man faltered, "Oh, I possibly cannot-"

"It’s fine, you’re unable to walk and I can carry you. Come on." Eric insisted with a smile.

The audience watched with mixed expressions, the nobles had confused looks while the commoners watched dreamily.

"Why is he wasting his time on an old man?"

"He’s going to carry that old man? Prince Eric really goes overboard."

The nobles muttered amongst themselves while the commoners smiled.

"He’s a Prince but he respects the elderly."

"He’s so strong and courteous!"

Ocean watched without any expression on his face while Kai and Remi beamed.

"Prince Eric is so kind and respectful." Remi said.

"That’s because he was taught to be a good ruler." Roan countered, "if he had lived in the palace he might have given the same answer as Prince Carlos."

Remi rolled his eyes while Kai frowned, "No, he wouldn’t!"

Roan cocked his brow, "And how do you know?"

"Because Prince Eric is a good person and I know even if he wasn’t going to be the King he would help that old man." Kai spoke firmly.

Roan chuckled, "It’s just another test at the end, Young Master and Prince Eric knows that."

Kai was offended, "Prince Eric is a kind and nice person, Roan. And you know it too!"

Ocean who had been listening to them argue spoke up in a low voice with the Sound Resonance Crystal held away from his mouth.

"One can’t fake what they are born with, Roan. I didn’t choose Eric only because he was a Prince, I saw the kindness and his heart which would make a good King."

Ocean then turned his eyes on Roan, "And if you’re doubting that then you’re also doubting my judgement."

Roan flinched and lowered his head, "I’m sorry, Master."

Ocean then turned his eyes back to the Aether screens.

Carlos, who had entered the cave a while ago seemed like he had gotten lost. He kept running in circles with no ends.

"Where is it? Where is the valuable thing?!" He shouted angrily as he looked around at openings before him but no answer as to where to go.

Eric, on the other hand, walked inside with the old man on his back. After walking a little deeper, they came across three paths that opened before them.

"Which way did you come from?" Eric asked.

The old man pondered for a moment before he pointed at the far right opening.

"There."

Eric walked towards that opening, looking around.

"Please keep looking around, you might spot your staff somewhere." He told the old man who hummed.

"I am looking."

After a while, they came across another turning points and Eric stopped.

"Over there." The old man pointed at the far left this time and Eric kept walking.

"Tell me, what were you doing in a place like this?" Eric asked as he walked.

"Oh, I was told to do something important."

Eric chuckled, guessing, "By Marquis Ocean?"

"Hm? Yes,"

Eric nodded, "So this is another part of the test then."

The old man hummed, "But I really don’t have my staff and I need help."

Eric chuckled again securing him properly as they walked and then reached before another openings, it was two this time.

"Where to?" Eric asked.

"You figured out that I was there to lead you," the old man said, "why don’t you make this last choice yourself?"

Eric chuckled and the Viewing Orb focused on them.

"What if I make a wrong choice?" Eric asked.

"The wrong choice will lead you to endless loops of this labyrinthine cave and the right choice will lead you to the last step." The old man spoke with conviction. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Eric nodded in understanding and then looked at the two openings before him.

The audience watched with bated breath for his choice while Katherine grimaced watching Carlos who was still running aimlessly. She had come all the way there thinking that Carlos’ victory would give her some confidence with her plan. She had worked hard for so long to be in power but now there was someone powerful here than her and to defeat her she needed the authority which only her son could have.

If Carlos became the King she could easily erase Ocean Ryujin despite whatever power he had but if he kept acting like a disappointment then everything that she had worked so hard for would be for nothing.

Eric made a choice.

"Let’s go to the right." He announced.

"Are you sure?" The old man asked.

The audience on the other hand were nervous.

"Yes, please make the right choice."

"Oh, God, let it be the right choice!"

Eric simply smiled, "I’m sure."

He then made his way ahead towards the right opening.

After walking for a few minutes, they entered the large cavern where they saw six cells which seemed to have mana locks.

The old man patted at Eric’s shoulder and said, "There’s my staff."

The old man pointed at a long staff that rested against the wall of the cavern and Eric let him down.

"You may make choices from those three cells." The old man said pointing at the three cells on the right.

With that said, the old man staggered over and got his staff while Eric stepped ahead and noticed the contents of the three cells in the right.

In one of the cell, Eric spotted a large mana stone which seemed like it was worth a fortune, in the next he saw an old woman.

"Your Highness!" She shouted as she saw him.

"Your Highness, please save me!"

Eric gasped and then whipped to look back at the old man, "What- Why is there a civilian here?"

The old man cleared his throat and then looked at the entrance of the cave from where a figure staggered in. It was Carlos.

"Finally..." He huffed doubling over, "I have reached."

Carlos lifted his head and looked at Eric and his eyes widened, "You! How did you reach here so quickly?"

The old man let out a light cough and Carlos looked at him, "You- I told you to wait outside, didn’t I?"

The old man gave him an impassive look, "You weren’t willing to help me unless it was a test."

Carlos opened his mouth to retort but the old man cut him off, "Which you failed to understand that it indeed was a test. Had you helped me, I would have led you here but you wanted to go ahead. That’s not my problem."

"How insolent!" Carlos sneered and the old man cocked his brow revealing the silver badge of the Mage’s Tower on his robes.

His demeanor and air completely changed as he stood straighter holding the staff in his hand and his sharp eyes fixed on the two Princes.

"I am Master Sheldon Vonstein of the Mage’s Tower. And I will unlock the final choices that you make here."