The chanting continued as an endless wave of harmonized sounds. Tevell appeared the most affected of the two, eventually taking a step forward, and another; his movements seemed unnatural, like a puppet on strings. Controlled by an invisible force. Flores on the other hand, sensed its effect to be more benevolent, as she felt an increase for both her spellforce and lifeforce. A shimmering orb surfaced out of the water, and hovered around her in a slow and irregular pattern, like a curious little winged creature scrutinizing the one that stood before it. Her eyes followed the peculiar sphere, its aura that of immense yet benign power. She stretched an arm, as to feed a bird; the orb spiraled around her a few more times, before coming to a halt in the palm of her hand. A burst of knowledge jolted in her mind upon contact: this was not the Void of Mors, but an illusion conjured as an assessment. And with that, the strange melody came to a halt; the interior now purged in complete silence. The sphere flew off, and disappeared into the darkness.

"Tevell-" She reached for him, and circled around to face him. "Tevell..." She called out to him, in an attempt to break him free from his entranced state. "Listen to me... we are inside the House of Thecarius." She pierced through his eyes. "This place was built upon which all six Elementals converged into an Hexad locus - a focal point with a large amount of concentrated Magicae."

"Con... cen... trated... Magi... cae..." Her words seemed effective. "Concentrated... Magicae..." His amethyst eye gleamed brighter, his body no longer feeling controlled.

"The House of Thecarius can change its interior at will- it is not just a building, but an entity... it is alive in more than one way-" She shared her newfound knowledge, earning her all of his attention. "What we saw outside- it was the work of a Maleveos... but also a part of Thecarius itself, and most likely its most powerful safeguard."

"A house that fight off intruders..!?" The very concept was unfamiliar to him. "So the person I saw- the one who killed that kid... was it a figure created by the house to protect itself..?" His expression creased.

"I believe so-" She replied.

"Words of Old to lay bare Spellwardens." He recalled. "Words of Old to sunder Light from Shadows... This is what the cloaked man said-" His eyes traveled across the endless darkness; nothing in sight but an emptiness, a vastness of obsidian shade. "How do you suddenly know so much about this place, when back at the House of Pales, only the name seemed familiar to you?"

"I'm not sure..." She spoke truthfully. "But just a few moments ago, a curious looking orb appeared from the ground... it circled around me for a while, before landing in my hand-" She glimpsed in the direction to whence it had vanished. "As soon as it touched my palm, I felt small bursts of knowledge seeping through my mind... as if the sphere had shared with me, some of Thecarius' secrets."

"And what if that strange orb is just a ruse- a part of the house meant to mislead us?" His distrustful nature reflected some logic.

"I do not believe it wicked..." She answered with assurance, to which he replied with an unsettled expression.

"The cloaked man I encountered in here... he tried killing me-" Remembrances resurfaced. "Your fate shall mirror his, child... these were his words, followed by a Magicae only a pure Wind Crystal could produce... of strength I had never felt before... he should've killed me, but something counterattacked the deadly gale-" His eyes locked with hers, as a child would look at a parent when seeking solace.

"What I sensed within the orb- what this house had created... an illusion meant to assess the nature of our spellforce, lifeforce and soulforce..." She explained the best she could. "Perhaps it was also part of its trial- you came here seeking rare items, so Thecarius might've first perceived your goal as greed... those guards, the young one- whatever task they were here to accomplish... the house most likely felt it sinful-" Arrays of blue flames glinted opposite one another, siding a newly formed path beneath them.

"Words of Old to lay bare Spellwardens." A familiar voice echoed. "A path to fare towards the Veilhell Gardens... dare walk forwards to the Thecarius Guardians." A gust of wind hurtled across the boundless interior, the flames merging into a heatless firestorm. A grueling trial laid before the pair, Thecarius itself awaited for them. Watchful eyes all around, its melody once again reaching out to them; a ancient chant, a lullaby of Old, a motherly embrace at the core of a spider's web. Hungry.