Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby novel Chapter 246

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.

Eleanor stepped closer. The puzzle was a marvel of design... dozens of sliding segments and 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 if need be, she had Nora. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Time lost its meaning as she worked. At first her fingers fumbled, clumsy with awe, but soon they grew nifty, moving with precision. She 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 last ring slid into place. The mechanism pulsed with a soft blue light.

Triumph surged through her. She pressed her right hand into the indentation... it fit as though the door itself had been waiting for her.

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

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

The voice was identical to before, cold and indifferent, as though her hours of labour had never been. A prickling unease spread through her. Had she missed any step? She examined the puzzle once more... only to find it reset entirely, every ring and symbol thrown back into disorder.

She tried again. Faster this time, more meticulous. She double-checked each alignment, traced every connection with ruthless care. She even asked for Nora’s help this time. She found a shorter path, a more elegant solution. In half the time of her previous attempt, she had restored the glowing blue light.

She placed her hand in the indentation.

The light died. The puzzle reset again.

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

Frustration, cold and sharp, began to erode her confidence. This doesn’t seem like a puzzle anymore... it was like a trick. Some hidden mechanism and some cruel secrets were mocking her. She abandoned pure logic and tried intuition instead, letting her fingers move without conscious thought. The puzzle unravelled even faster, almost effortlessly. Blue light... Hand placed... Reset.

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