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[h1][color=f49ac2]Amaris Marivaldi[/color][/h1]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=fc8686]Madalyn[/color] [@Achronum][/sub]
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The countess froze as the sound of Madalyn’s voice filled the space around her. It didn’t seem to originate from anywhere in particular making it impossible to locate which of the boxes actually contained her partner. Even with her sight returned, her eyes could not be trusted down in these depths. She would have to play the game on her own and quickly, the panic laced through the mage’s tone was clearer than the words she had actually spoken.

[i][color=f49ac2]Have you learned nothing since father? You cannot continue to lose focus over those that have been lost to you. Maddie needs you here, now. Don’t let her down too.[/color][/i] Amaris berated herself silently, curling her hands into tight fists until the tips of her nails were digging into the flesh of her palms. She wanted to scream into the darkness, let loose all of her built up frustrations and feelings of helplessness but what help would it be? It wouldn’t change Minfilia… It wouldn’t bring Cassandra back… And it wouldn’t save Madalyn.

With a snarl, Amaris refocused her sights on the blue text that would serve as her choices but recalled the instructions spoken to her by the serpent. Four truths, two lies, but only three statements before her. So either she was in for a couple of rounds of true/false statements, or it was up to her to pick apart each line and find the more subtle lies within.

“[color=f49ac2]I’m here Maddie, just try to stay as calm as you can ok?[/color]” She called out, hoping her voice would carry back to Madalyn just as hers had before. It was difficult to tell if her words would reach when her voice sounded so normal but she would have to trust that it wasn’t just some one way taunt. Though if her words were truly for Maddie or for herself had yet to be seen.

[i][color=f49ac2]A riddle with a time limit. Not comforting but not unheard of, just have to tackle what I know and the rest will work itself out… hopefully.[/color][/i]

‘[color=deepskyblue]A book with secrets of the lineage holds the name of a father slain.[/color]’ Amaris took pause with the first line, shaking her head to herself with disbelief.

“[color=f49ac2]Ryner really knows how to pull her punches.[/color]” She read the sentence three times over to see if there were any particularly dangerous tells, but from what she could see there was little to be concerned about. ‘Secret’ could refer to quite a many things, all of which were perfectly legal and easy to explain away. As much as Amaris would have preferred to avoid acknowledging the book’s existence in the first place, she couldn’t see the hurt in admitting the riddle’s truth.

Amaris had hoped the second statement would be equally as obvious as its predecessor, however, such luck was not on her side. If the aforementioned raven was supposed to represent something, or someone, she hadn’t the faintest idea of what. Unfortunately, not immediately recognizing something that Ryner had put together didn’t mean the statement was inherently false. She would have to reinforce her established truth with the third statement.

‘[color=deepskyblue]One partner now, two partners past, lack all trust in you.[/color]’

Just reading the words packed a punch that Amaris had not been expecting. A cruel taunt reminding her of all the ways she had failed since the start of the semester. She recalled the sight she had been met with initially, with Casandra slumped over and Minfilia banging against the walls of her enclosure. The images sent a shiver down her spine unrelated to the cold that was permeating her whole body.

[i][color=f49ac2]You don’t have time for this. Dwelling on the past will change nothing. There is a job to do, and you will NOT fail Maddie too.[/color][/i]

Something still felt off to the countess though. According to the rules there was meant to be two lies but the second statement didn’t seem to be split. Without any idea of what the raven could be referencing it was difficult to tell, but from where she was sitting, it sounded like a singular thought. Would there be consequences for an incorrect guess other than time lost? There had to be something she was missing, a clue that would help filter out the necessary information.

“[color=f49ac2]Wait a minute… ‘Four truths do bury two simple lies… things that hide within [i]two[/i] minds? Hey Maddie?[/color]” Amaris called out, still holding on to the hope that her voice would carry to her partner the same way her partner’s had carried before.

“[color=f49ac2]I think I’ve made some progress but there are still a couple of missing links. Is a raven meaningful to you in any way? It’s the only part of the three I don’t understand.[/color]”