While Oliver’s inner turmoil raged, the group advanced along the canyon. Two hours after their arrival, they reached the end of the fifth layer. A cave opened at the canyon base, and through that was a whole new view.
“Here we are!” Walker cried, audibly excited. “Up ahead is the sixth layer, commonly known as the Twisted Mountains!”
Oliver and Guy both gasped. This was a view that could rob anyone of words.
If one had to describe it, it was a range of mountains where up, down, left, and right had lost all meaning. An icy wind blew through it, constantly shifting directions, with such force that hill-sized boulders were caught up in it, tossed every which way. From their perspective, these boulders were floating, but that was not technically correct. The gravitational pull itself was constantly changing; everything was simply falling unpredictably. Only rocks in contact with the walls remained fixed. This meant there were mountains in all directions, and even those were warped into elaborate three-dimensional mazes. Not a trace of life anywhere—perhaps this place simply did not allow for it.
“…I’ve read descriptions of it…,” said Oliver.
“…But it’s even worse in person,” Guy added. “All those dragons seem totally harmless.”
Oliver forgot all other concerns, matching Guy’s astonishment. This was clearly not a place either of them could possibly survive—and the fact that Walker was now working here really drove home how great his skills must be.
“Can I get an answer now, Mr. Walker?” Farquois asked, their tone urgent. “You are the sole student on record who has seriously explored this layer and returned to tell the tale. Even among the faculty, only a select few have ever ventured into these depths. What was it you saw here?”
Even as the great sage spoke, Walker had his rucksack on the ground, doing stretches. His eyes locked on the view before them.
“I’ve come back here to make sure of that. Can’t wait. My heart’s singing out loud. I get to tackle this!”
His voice quivered with excitement. This was clearly a dream come true.
Realizing further prodding would get them nowhere, Farquois hung their head. “You’ve forgotten me entirely. This entire trip was a waste of my time! Fine, so be it. I’m the one who said it wouldn’t make me break a sweat.”
Abandoning their efforts, Farquois spun on their heel and walked away. Oliver and Guy jumped and turned their way—and a voice came over the great sage’s shoulder.
“You’ve caught your glimpse, boys. Time you got on home. I’ll take you as far as the fourth layer—that should be enough, right, Mr. Walker?”
“Yeah, thanks. Sorry I’m like this, Mx. Farquois. We’ll have to have a real chat when I return.”
Walker’s tone had shifted dramatically. He hadn’t glanced their way—but this was the first real indication he was actually conscious of the great sage’s presence. That caught Farquois by surprise, and they snorted awkwardly.
“I won’t pin my hopes too high. But go on, have your fun—do try not to die.”
It was hard to tell if that was encouragement or spite; either way, Farquois was already walking back up the cave. Oliver and Guy took a step after them, then looked back once.
“We’ll await your safe return, Walker.”
“Let’s have another first-layer barbeque! I’ll make sure the whole gang’s there!”
Both meant every word. Walker said nothing more—just shot them a thumbs-up. A sight that made it hard to worry.
Putting their faith in him, the boys turned and set out upon their journey back to the campus above.