Vincent and Amelia walked through the gold door into another room, that was still like the last.

    "Again,” Amelia commented.

    Vincent nodded in response.

    Before the conversation continued, The familiar deep booming voice was heard.

    “Congratulations on passing the last trial, Descendant of mine.”

    “In this place, The third and final trial shall commence.”

    “However, This is not a trial.”

    ‘!?’ Amelia and Vincent were surprised.

    “Yes, This is not a trial.”

    “This is training!”

    “Training!” Amelia muttered surprised.

    “Here you shall train against the main strength of our clan''s sworn enemy.”

    “…”

    “The Cadmean Clan.”

    ‘What!’ Vincent almost blurted out; He was greatly shocked by this discovery.

    The Cadmean Clan and The Maeth Clan have always had rivalry and hatred between them, mostly from the Maeth Clan.

    ‘Does Amelia know this?’ He asked himself, as he turned his head to Amelia and saw her calm, solemn expression, ‘She does!’

    ‘I should act like I don’t know what the Cadmean Clan is and confirm my guess.’

    Thereafter, he proceeded to bend to her ear and ask, “What is the Cadmean Clan?”

    Amelia turned to Vincent, Her eyebrows raised as she stared at his act of a puzzled expression, “You don''t know the Cadmean Clan?” She asked.

    Vincent avoided making eye contact a little disturbed by her intense stare. “N-not really.” He stuttered.

    “I lived a secluded life with my parents away from the clan. So, I don’t know much about the major clans or happenings in Migas.”

    Amelia relaxed her stare as she realized that he was right. That was Vincent''s backstory after all.

    “Oh right, You were raised away from the Pryde Clan. It’s no wonder that you don’t know what happened.” She realized.

    “In that case let me tell you what the Cadmean Clan is.”

    “The Cadmean Clan is, rather was, one of the founding clans in Migas, They were not only seen as the strongest but also the smartest. Their displays of strength were not based on raw power, but rather on how well they used their unmatched intelligence in canny and shrewd ways.”

    “They were also seen as an object of beauty with each generation being even more beautiful than the last.”

    “Their main trait was loyalty and commitment to whatever they believed in, Something that made them loved more by Earthland and Eulogeo.”

    “I see, So why are they the sworn enemies of the Maeth Clan?”

    “Well although the Cadmean Clan were a fine and great set of people in the eyes of many, In the eyes of the Maeth they were the living personas of evil.”

    “According to my clan''s history, The Cadmean Clan was responsible for the death of the Ancestor''s wife and the killing of numerous clan members on their way to an expedition. After that, they ransacked and stole most if not all of the clan treasures within our banks.”

    “However, When charged with these claims, The Cadmeans denied it with sufficient evidence. Yet, the Maeth choose to not believe them.”

    “Their thinking was [How can a clan well known for their prowess in acts of illusion and falsehood provide evidence of the truth?].”

    “Ever since then, The Maeth Clan and The Cadmean Clan have been at war with each other. Sometimes in the form of demeaning words, other times in the form of skirmishes.”

    “This continued over the centuries. Until one day, Battalions of warriors formulated by the combined strength of the lower clans were led by the Maeths, and attacked the Cadmeans unawares.”

    “What proceeded after that was the massacre of the Cadmean Clan. Of course, the Cadmean Clan did not go down without a fight.”

    “The Onyx Clan.”

    “The Apophr Clan.”

    “The Millia Clan.”

    “And a few others were taken down by the Cadmean Clan. It was a gruesome battle that seemed never-ending but ended the next day.”

    “After that, the Cadmean Clan was gone and the Maeth Clan injured but happy.”

    “Some should have escaped right?” Vincent stuttered on his words due to a sense of rage he felt within him.

    Amelia looked upwards with a thinking expression, a finger on her plump lips. “Who knows?... However, Even if a few cadmeans survived they are either dead now or have been sold to slavery.”

    “That’s the fate of the losers, After all.” She added.

    Vincent could feel the rage bubbled within him, While indeed he wasn’t necessarily close with the Cadmean Clan, not only because he was a transmigrator but also because he wasn’t raised in the clan even in this world.

    Yet he still felt uncomfortable hearing the fate of his supposed brethren.

    ‘Stupid carnal instincts.’ Vincent cursed.

    Yes, the cause of his rage is the fox bloodline within him.

    Unfortunately, the anger wasn’t quenching and there was nothing to take out the anger on… except.

    Vincent had to suppress himself from lashing out at Amelia, so he decided to ask her a question that would either quench his anger or push him off the edge, “So what are your thoughts on the Cadmean Clan?" He asked.

    “Mmh… Well, I have no qualms against them. There seems to be more to the story than what is written.”

    “Moreover, why should I care about a clan that has only taken from me.” She added in a whisper.

    Vincent didn’t hear this as he was focused more on calming himself. Thankfully, Amelia’s answer was what he needed. If not, there’s no telling what he might do.

    With their mini conversation over, they decided to listen to the voice again.

    “The greatest strength of the Cadmean Clan is the ability to make illusions. At its weakest, it can manipulate the 5 senses and at the strongest, it''s capable of tricking manifestations, abstracts, dimensions, and even the very laws that bind everything in existence.”

    “Here you shall train with such illusions and slowly gain resistance to it. After you pass the basic level, You will be able to proceed to the treasure room where your heart’s desire shall be granted.”

    “This illusion entails your greatest desire and your greatest fear, Many have lost themselves in this illusion. I hope you won’t be one of them.”

    “Good luck, My Descendant.”

    “The trial begins now!”

    As soon as the voice finished, Amelia''s eyes went dull and her body fell limp toward the floor.

    Vincent moved forward and caught her then laid her on the wall.

    ‘Limp body, Empty eyes. She’s in an illusion.’ He figured easily, ‘I too can feel it threatening to pull me within its space.’

    “However, I already know my greatest fear and desires. I do not need to be reminded of them. Begone!” He said particularly passionately, His way of dispelling the illusion was more of Instinct than anything else.

    “Sigh.” He could feel a slight drain on himself that caused him to sigh.

    [Are you okay?] The system asked.

    “Yeah.” He replied.

    [The Cad-]

    “I’m okay.” He interrupted the system

    “I was never born to the clan in the first place. I do not care for them.”

    […]

    ‘I should dispel the illusion on Amelia too.’ He reasoned, He stretched out his hand toward Amelia''s head.

    [I suggest you let her go through it. It will help her grow and will be profitable down the line.]

    “Mmh.”, His hand halted mid-air as he pondered.

    “Ok.”

    ///// Amelia Inner Trials/////

    What is failure?

    The lack of success.

    A situation where one does not succeed.

    That is Amelia’s fear.

    It is a basic fear, Nonetheless, It has plagued Amelia for most of her life.

    In a dark space that seemingly had no end nor beginning, Amelia found herself staring into the distance.

    “Where am I?” She asked herself, She tried to move but found herself unable to.

    “Why can’t I move!?” She began to panic slightly, struggling to control or even feel her body.

    All of a sudden, She could hear the loud thud of a door being opened from behind her. She would have felt startled if she could even feel anything.

    Amelia felt apprehensive when the sound of footsteps came closer to her but the footsteps soon halted; however, she couldn’t sense the person. Suddenly, she was lifted and carried somewhere. Amelia struggled even more against this movement. Yet her body still refused to respond.

    ‘Why don’t you move!’ She thought angrily.

    After a short while, Amelia felt her carrier slow down and herself being placed upon the ground again. However, she was in front of a person that made her forget her current situation and in return be filled with rage and understanding.

    Although she couldn’t speak, she did.

    “So it is you.”

    The one that she spoke to had a wide smile of madness on his face.

    “Of course it is me, Who else would it be?.. My dear niece.”