Crystal, Ice and Fire ✔

CHAPTER 15

Paradise.

That's the word for it.

Suddenly, all the trouble we had gone through getting there was worth it, because....

A gigantic waterfall crashed down from our right. The ceiling was so high, eagles could do loop-the-loops. Tress and flowers surrounded us in a complex but simple pattern. Or was it random? I was just too mesmerized to see. Animals and birds roamed freely too.

I even saw a rainbow.

See?

Paradise.

We just walked through it, shocked to the point where we couldn't even talk.

Finally, Erza said, 'It's... beautiful.'

'Amazing,' Gray agreed.

Dragneel, Happy and I didn't say anything for a while. Finally, I said, 'This is awesome beyond words, but weren't we here for something?'

They all snapped out of it.

And then suddenly, it all disappeared.

'Whoa, what?' Dragneel asked. It was pitch black, I couldn't even see Happy's bright blue colour. 'Um, is everyone alright?' I asked. Before they could reply, a voice boomed out.

'Welcome!'

On instinct, I whirled around to the direction from which the sound was coming from. When I did, everything lightened, and my sight came back. I saw a man sitting on a mat, fanning himself. He was wearing a kimono, with an oil lamp sitting beside him.

'Welcome,' he repeated. I arched an eyebrow.

'Where did the beautiful scenery go?' Dragneel whined. I rolled my eyes. Did he still not figure out that it was illusion magic?!

Bakayaru.

'Are you the sage? Uh... Praige?' I asked. He beamed at us. 'The one and only!' he said. 'Now, what can I do to help you?'

We all shared looks with each other.

'I need to understand something first,' I said, 'you use illusion magic, don't you?'

He nodded.

'I will explain it all,' he said, 'if you have come for a wish to be granted, first, I will put you in an illusion, to see if you can snap out of it. You have passed the first test. Now, I will ask you a riddle. If you answer it correctly, I will grant you a wish.'

I scowled. 'But,' I argued, 'if you use Illusion Magic, then how is it reality to everyone except the person who the spell is cast on?'

Praige shook his head.

'That's now how it works,' he said, 'after I put the person who asked for a wish in a illusion, he passes the illusion to every person he meets. Then, they pass it to every person they meet. In that way, once everyone believes the illusion, it slowly becomes reality.'

I stared at him, wide-eyed.

'You possess magic this powerful?!' I gushed. 'And you grant wishes. What if you grant the wish to the wrong person for the wrong thing?'

Praige grinned.

'That's what the previous illusion and riddle are for,' he said. 'Only the righteous can solve it.'

I blinked. Wow, that was awesome.

'So,' Praige continued, 'shall I ask my riddle?'

We nodded. He cleared his throat and said-