Book One – Chapter 9

This desperate plight became the driving force behind his pursuit of artefacts. He set out in pursuit of knowledge, seeking tomes and tools that extended beyond the academy’s resources. Conventional teachings and methods had failed him, all that was taught and done offered no salvation, so he ventured into the realms of the lost, the forbidden and the unknown. He sought travellers who had witnessed the obscure and mythical, wizards whose arcane wisdom stemmed from unconventional sources, and other peoples who honed unique skills. He was granted audiences with esteemed healers like The Wizard With Six Arms, oracles, shamans, and, in his most desperate and darkest moments, even witches.

The only individual claiming the power to fully restore Yves’ eyesight was the witch mother who reigned in the Yellowtop Mountain Range. In stark contrast to the legion of healers and shamans who had often made promises only to falter, she presented a unique proposition — three challenges that, if met, promised the restoration of his eyesight.

From the moment her first challenge was issued, Yves dedicated his life to fulfilling her demands. The enigmatic tasks revolved around gaining mastery over the mirror dimension. Under her guidance, he delved into the creation of his ethereal mirrors, the initial requirement she had imposed. Mastering access to the mirror dimension was the prerequisite for the next task. To fulfil her second demand, yet undisclosed, he first needed to see and navigate the dimension, and to wield magic there. Whenever Yves pressed for explanations and transparency, the witch mother had remained cryptic about the purpose behind these challenges, asserting only that they were integral to unlocking the solution for restoring his eyesight. Upon fulfilling her third demand, she claimed the key to fixing his eyes would be revealed. Their pact had been forged many years ago, when Yves had still been young and oblivious to the existence and complexities of dimensional planes — let alone 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔬𝔡𝔰, as the Stalker had called it.