The gong of Funny Tower never before rang with so much joy. Those who remained in Reyk Roespeye would never forget the melody Panka issued forth that day, a celebration of the child returned after a hundred years of sleep.

  There were so many things Raven wanted to say to Sheeharu in those fleeting moments together. So many questions bursting to be asked. At any other time, he knew he could have talked to her for days. Showed her sights she’d wished to see for so long, introduced her to people she’d longed to meet in person, reestablishing her to life itself. What were her thoughts? What were her feelings?

  But little time remained.

  Taking her hand, he picked her up and put her on his back. She hugged his neck tight as he led her out of the courtyard, shuddering as she left the only home she’d known for a century.

  “Raven…” she said. Her voice was a song in his ear, soft and feathery and just as kind as he had imagined. “Are you…?”

  Sweat poured down his face as he limped along. His breathing was ragged and his vision hazy. Just existing felt painful. The poison inflicting his body was like nothing he had ever experienced. Strands of burning venom slowly crept toward his heart, squeezing with every breath he took. He understood now why Shrale had been so certain of his own death. The poison of the Sleeping Devil was no mere toxin to be cured.

  It was a death sentence of the body.

  “Everything is going to be alright,” he said kindly. “Remember what we talked about, Rue.”

  A tear fell down her face as she hugged him closer, nuzzling his neck. “I remember. I’m just afraid. I thought we would have more time.”

  “I am still here.”

  She nodded. “You need to save your strength, though.”

  “I’m more concerned about you. Have your memories returned?”

  “In small pieces. They come to me as revelations. Like remembering long-lost dreams. My Mama came to me first. Then Papa. But they are like pictures in my mind, a remnant of what used to be. I’m not sure if I’m making sense.”

  “Makes perfect sense. I’m sorry.”

  She smiled. “Don’t be. The recollections are wonderful. I worried the memories of my family would be sorrowful. But right now, I can only recall the happy times with them.”

  “I am glad.”

  He coughed violently, pausing briefly before continuing on. The poison worked incredibly quickly. His vision blurred more by the second. They entered the main courtyard, now covered in a foot of snow. The six masters were gathered in front of the doors to the Ilias Drome. Upon spotting them, they came forward, flabbergasted by the sight of Rue, but Raven didn’t allow exposition or interrogation.

  “The fifth and sixth challenges are complete,” he said. “Master Cooley, I trust you are satisfied. The pandora, Rue the Day, has been relinquished. The Sleeping Devil is no more, and with her, the pandora in which she was imprisoned.”

  “I am satisfied,” he barely managed to reply in astonishment.

  Panka’s gong rang out once again, ever jubilant.

  “One challenge remains. To Funny Tower,” Raven said. “We finish this.”

  They scurried to follow him. Despite the savage pain, he moved with purpose, eager to complete his final task. Entering Funny Tower, the great puzzle served as a monument to his deeds, like a prophesy fulfilled. With a quiet groan, he gently let Rue down, taking her hand as he stood before the blue barrier separating them from the puzzle. The space was colder than ever, with its wide-open north face now chilled by the presence of heavy snowfall just outside.

  The huge, upright golden slab never seemed more tantalizing in presence. The nine golden statues on the puzzle gleamed, as if anticipating his arrival. Their formation remained from the last move Michael Salinode had made before giving up on solving it. Raven peered closely around the barrier, and quickly spotted a small, circular layer of white sand close to the podium, surreptitious against the light-colored brick floor. Three holes had been poked into the layer of sand at even intervals.

  He smiled. Well done, Van and Valentine.

  He held up a hand to stop the masters in their tracks just as they escaped the bluster under the shelter of the Tower. “Please move to the side. As far away as possible,” he ordered.

  As they retreated in obedience, Raven produced his pandora pen and quickly flicked it through the air. The holy tenth rune was drawn up on the floor within each of the three holes poked into the sandy patch. He then stashed his pandora before anyone else noticed.

  “The time has come!” he announced. He smiled, ignoring the ever-ascending pain of the poison inflicting his body. “Fanny… the last contest, please.”

  She obliged, producing the golden sphere once more. The final challenge from Rook Czeslaw slipped from the orb, floating up into the air until catching fire. The words appeared as a divine announcement, a dream he had envisioned for years.

  Solve Panka’s Riddle

  Czeslaw took a step forward, still glowering, but his forehead possessed a thick sheen of sweat.

  “Do you understand what you are doing, Whitesong? Do you truly realize the consequences of your actions if you step up onto that podium and solve the riddle? Please… reconsider your actions. The Titan… he—”

  “Why do you assume I’m going up on the podium?” he interrupted.

  Czeslaw frowned, looking back at his colleagues, who were equally puzzled. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Someone has to step onto the podium to solve the riddle. If not you, then who?”

  Raven smirked and raised a finger before turning it to Rue.

  “She will.”

  The collective gasp from the masters echoed in the nearly empty chamber.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Czeslaw growled. “Why? She’s a child! You save her life just to endanger it again?”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Up you go, Rue,” he said folding his arms.

  She smiled and crossed the barrier before anyone could object. The blue barrier turned red, barring anyone else access. She nimbly stepped onto the small podium, looking over the map of the puzzle.

  “Oh, this looks fun!” she exclaimed.

  She took hold of one of the golden warriors on the miniature map, sliding it down a track and then up. The larger replica on the puzzle slab copied the action with noisy clacks. A glowing light followed the path along the track, slicing through other lit paths and darkening them. She joyfully continued to play with the figurines, rapidly shifting them along the tracks haphazardly. Despite the intense, worried looks of the masters, she laughed, carefree like a kid at play.

  Raven coughed, clutching his chest and wincing. “I’m sure it’s fun to play with, Rue, but time is a little short.”

  She gasped. “Oh yes! I’m sorry, Raven.” Her hand reached out to grasp the golden lever.

  Fanny gasped in horror. “Wait! You can’t do that! Raven, what are you doing? Tell her to stop!”

  “Don’t do it, kid,” Czeslaw said, coming up to the barrier. “You’ll die! Whatever Whitesong told you is a lie. You will die.”

  She stared at him blankly before issuing a confident smile. “Silly Mr. Czeslaw. Don’t you understand yet?”

  “Understand what?”

  “Raven is my best friend.”

  She pulled the lever. The nine figurines on the slab reacted, sliding across the tracks to return to their starting positions, with all the tracks lit up just as they had when Stephon Salinode pulled the lever. Fanny rushed to join Czeslaw, face littered with concern as they watched, waiting for the inevitable curse to condemn her.

  But as Rue rocked back and forth on her feet, smiling all the more, it became evident nothing was happening.

  “I… I don’t understand,” Fanny whispered after a long moment of dread.

  “Did she actually solve the puzzle?” Master Smith asked, astonished.

  Raven sniffed in bemusement. “No.”

  “Then why…?”

  Rue stepped down and crossed the barrier, returning to her friend with an impish grin. The blue shade of the magical barricade immediately returned.

  Kneeling, Raven cupped her face with one hand. “Sheeharu possesses a special attribute, unique only to herself: she is unaffected by any Hydra. This amazing girl could pull that lever a thousand times, and the curse would never affect her.”

  “Astounding!” Master Bastille said.

  “Truly. But I still don’t understand,” Fanny said. “If she didn’t solve the riddle, why have her pull the lever at all?”

  Raven looked upon Rue with solemn affection. She seemed to understand, because her expression plummeted, and she hugged him.

  “I need you to go with Fanny now, Rue,” he said gently, hugging her close. He looked at Fanny, who returned a confused expression, but nodded.

  “I’m scared,” Rue said.

  “I am, too.”

  “You are?”

  “Of course. But I never looked back… because of you. You are my rock. You make me brave and strong. And only you made this possible.” He parted from her, but held her shoulders. “Now I need you to be strong. And live, Rue. Live well. Never stop smiling.”

  She nodded bravely, tears streaming down her face.

  “I love you, Raven. You saved me.”

  She raced to Fanny, who gathered her in like a mama hen and held her tight. Raven stood, breathing deep. He could feel the cruel poison inching closer to his heart. But only one thing remained.

  He crossed the barrier, which abruptly turned red. Stepping up to the podium, he surveyed the map with pleasure.

  “Erelticus zentor su vinus,” he said, reading the script on the slab. “At the beginning, find the end.”

  “Everyone knows what that says,” Czeslaw replied.

  “You know what is says, but do you know what it means?”

  He became silent.

  “Of course not. Otherwise, why would we all be here? Roespeye’s guardian, Panka, was long ago tasked by the Holy One to guard a precious treasure. But being who he is, he desired to make a game of it, despite the devastating risk required. If you think such an idea is demented… I agree. Panka’s idea of fun can be irrational sometimes. But the task remains. He devised this riddle to guard the treasure, and so it has for generations because no one has figured it out, and few have even attempted it. The cost of one’s own life is… quite steep.”

  He motioned to the slab. “Common assumption has always been that some special combination of positioning of the nine figurines and light paths unlocks the riddle.”

  “It doesn’t?” Fanny asked.

  “Oh, there’s a combination. Just not the one anybody anticipated. As I am sure you all have noted at one point or another, the positioning of the statues always remains from the last point anyone else attempted to work on it. Only when the lever is pulled does the board reset. As you can see, when Rue pulled the lever just now, all of the statues returned to their original slots and the lever switched back up on its own.”

  Master Cooley groaned, shaking his head. “It can’t be…”

  Raven laughed. “Panka at his best. A dreadful, rotten, clever trick. The moment a person even attempts to solve the riddle, he’s already lost. ‘At the beginning, find the end’ – it means a puzzle never existed at all. At least not until someone messes it all up by trying to solve it. The true solution existed at the very start. People have worked on this for centuries and never stood a chance, because someone had to pull the lever and reset the board to the starting position… the right position.”

  “That’s why you were so angry with Michael Salinode!” Cooley exclaimed. “His brother had reset the board when he pulled the lever. A rare chance. But before you could jump in, Michael ruined it.”

  “So, you needed someone else,” Czeslaw said in awe. “That’s why you needed the girl.”

  “Sheeharu Rendan.” Raven nodded. “My helper to the very end. Because sometimes, schemes need partners. With her special ability protecting her, she did the work.”

  “But how do you know this is the solution? You could be wrong, too!”

  Raven sniffed. He raised his fist and took hold of the lever with his other hand. “You’re right. So, watch closely, Masters of Nine Star! I’m risking everything on this bet. Let’s find out what I’m made of!”

  He pulled the lever with a shout. A deep rumble shook the tower. Blinding beams of light emitted from the golden slab. The masters shielded their eyes, but Raven refused to turn his gaze, smiling wildly.

  A pandora suddenly popped out from a nearly invisible slot right next to the lever. He plucked it before anyone noticed, pocketing the item.

  The gong of Funny Tower clanged with a riotous peal. The slab slowly sank into the ground, and an opening emerged in the stone floor. The gong rang again and again, ear-splitting as it echoed through the chamber. The red barrier vanished. The masters inched closer, eager to see what emerged from the expanding space in the floor. A shallow set of stone stairs formed, leading down to a glowing chamber. And their mouths fell agape at what they beheld.

  Gold, jewels, tapestries, and other fine articles gleamed with dazzling luster. Mighty forged weapons hung on walls, and dusty tomes and scrolls filled ornate bookshelves. Piles of priceless treasures sat in high mounds or spilled out from overflowing chests. And a single marble column sat at the bottom of the staircase. Three luminous pandora hovered above the pedestal. One glowed fiercely red, a second emitted an icy blue radiance, and the third appeared as pure gold. All three pandora were Class Eight.

  Master Bastille gasped in wonder and horror. “Those are… those are the Three Kings of Provote!”

  The gong of the tower continued to blare, relentless in its spirited announcement of Raven’s victory.

  “The what?” Turngood shouted over the din.

  “The original pandora! The very first ones! Kings of old responsible for the creation of the Titandom! I can’t believe that’s Panka’s treasure! Their power was rumored to be absolutely unparalleled!”

  Finally, Panka’s gong relented, leaving violent echoes to resonate in the shallow hall. Then something subtle and wondrous happened, so refined is took a moment for anyone but Raven to realize what occurred. The gong of Funny Tower fell in sync with the other eight towers. No longer did Panka’s playful tone contrast to the others. Rather, for the first time since the formation of Nine Star Academy, the nine towers made a perfect, harmonious round of chimes.

  Funny Tower was funny no longer. Panka’s Riddle had been solved.

  Raven closed his eye, and breathed deep. He raised his head and dropped his hands. Relief washed over him.

  It’s done.

  As the masters basked in the wonderful sounds and sights newly provided, he stepped down from the podium, discreetly moving to the side until he stood directly on the white circle of sand, looking away from the revealed treasure room. His observers realized his new actions and apprehension gripped them once more. They slowly retreated, looking all around. Raven breathed deep again before glaring out into the open space.

  “Show yourself,” he said.

  The masters held their breath. Nothing happened.

  Raven’s look turned furious. “SHOW YOURSELF, WICKED WRETCH!” he roared.

  The Masters gasped. Fanny held Rue tight.

  Raven smiled like a devil.

  Akin to a vision, his quarry finally appeared. First his boots. Then, lumpy legs and a golden scepter hanging nearly to the ground. A bulbous belly next. Up and up, the man appeared until finally the oily grin materialized. His fearsome crown emerged last, alight with madness. The Horde abandoned invisibility next to surround him, a massive army closed in and filling the tower with nary a sound. A thousand silver swords were drawn, pointed at Raven and ready to drive him through.