The night in the temple was eerily silent, save for the occasional creak of old stone settling in the cold. Erhling hadn't slept well, his mind plagued by restless thoughts and a gnawing sense of unease. Every shadow in the room seemed to shift and twist as if the darkness itself were alive and watching.
Kara sat nearby, her back against the wall, her gaze distant as she stared at the altar. Karl had somehow managed to fall asleep, his soft snores the only indication that he hadn't succumbed to the same tension gripping Erhling and Kara.
"Do you think we're really safe here?" Erhling finally asked, breaking the silence.
Kara didn't answer right away. Her fingers traced absent patterns in the dust on the floor, her mind clearly somewhere else. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, almost as if she were afraid to disturb the oppressive quiet around them.
"Safe enough," she said. "For now."
It wasn't exactly the reassuring response Erhling had hoped for, but it was enough to quiet his concerns, at least for the moment. He leaned his head back against the cold stone wall, closing his eyes. His muscles ached, and his mind raced with memories of the attack. The way those Phantoms had moved through the Common Area, striking down contestants as if they were nothing. The raw chaos of it still lingered like a bitter taste in his mouth.
Just as he was about to drift into an uneasy sleep, a low, keening sound pierced the air. His eyes snapped open, and Kara was already on her feet, her posture tense, her gaze locked on the shadows just beyond the temple's entrance.
"Did you hear that?" she asked, her voice low but sharp.
Erhling nodded, rising to his feet as well. "It's them."
Karl stirred from his slumber, blinking in confusion as he sat up. "What's going on?" he asked groggily.
But before anyone could answer, the keening sound grew louder, and from the darkened doorway, a shape materialized—a wraith-like figure, barely more than a shifting shadow, its form twisting and undulating like smoke in the wind. A Phantom.
"Get back!" Erhling shouted, grabbing Karl and pulling him to his feet.
The Phantom hovered for a moment, its formless head tilting toward them as if sensing their presence. Then, with a sudden, chilling speed, it lunged toward them.
Kara was already moving, a flash of light erupting from her hand as she sent a blast of energy toward the creature. The light hit the Phantom, but instead of destroying it, the creature merely rippled, absorbing the attack as though it had never happened.
"Spirit essence doesn't work on them!" Erhling yelled, pulling Karl behind him.
"Then what does?" Karl asked,
The trio stood in silence, their breaths the only sound filling the air. The haven Kara had led them to was modest, to say the least. The structure, though seemingly abandoned for years, had the air of safety, like it had been waiting for them.
Erhling could see the remnants of what might have once been a stone altar, cracked and overgrown with vines. The walls, etched with faded carvings of figures and symbols, were worn down by time. But it was more than just a shelter from the elements. It felt ancient, connected to something deeper in the Labyrinth. Something Erhling couldn't yet understand.
Kara crouched down near the altar, her fingers brushing across the stone as if she were deciphering the stories left behind. Erhling watched her carefully, noting the subtle tension still present in her shoulders. She hadn't spoken much since the attack, but it was clear she had thoughts racing through her mind—concerns, fears, plans she hadn't yet shared.
"This place…" Karl's voice cut through the quiet, pulling Erhling's attention to the younger man. "Do you think it's really safe?"
Kara glanced up but didn't immediately respond. Erhling, however, felt a strange pull, something almost familiar about the place they were standing in. The carvings, the air—it reminded him of the void, the place between worlds where he'd first sensed the Architect's presence. But no, it couldn't be that simple. This was different.
"I don't think anywhere in the Labyrinth is 'safe,'" Kara finally answered, her voice low. "But this place is… forgotten. That makes it safer than most."
Erhling could sense the truth in her words. The labyrinth was alive in a way—constantly shifting, evolving, and adapting to challenge those trapped within it. The Phantoms were part of that, an ever-present threat hunting the contestants, feeding off their spirit essence. But this place, whatever it was, felt like it had been lost to the Labyrinth itself. It had been forgotten long enough to become a sanctuary of sorts, hidden from the ever-watchful eyes of the creatures that roamed the shadows.
Kara stood abruptly, her sharp movements betraying her frustration. "But it won't last forever," she continued. "We'll need to keep moving. The Phantoms are drawn to spirit essence, and every time we use it, they'll find us again."
"We're going to have to find another way to fight them," Erhling said, rubbing his hand across the symbol on the back of his wrist. The swirling nebula etched into his skin glowed faintly under the dim light, a constant reminder of the Architect's enigmatic influence. "Raw spirit essence worked… but it's dangerous to rely on that. If we use too much, we'll burn ourselves out before we can even reach the next trial."
Karl, sitting cross-legged nearby, frowned. "Then what do we do? The Phantoms… they're terrifying, but if we're being hunted, we can't just keep running."
Kara exhaled slowly, her gaze flicking to Erhling. "We find their weakness. Everything in the Labyrinth has a flaw. We just need to figure out what theirs is before it's too late."
Erhling nodded, though he wasn't entirely sure how they'd manage it. They were grasping in the dark, trying to survive a deadly game without all the pieces in place. But Kara was right about one thing—the Phantoms weren't invincible. If they could be harmed by raw essence, there had to be something more they could exploit.
He just hoped they had enough time to figure it out before more of them showed up.
The oppressive silence hung over them for several more minutes before Karl broke it again, his voice soft and uncertain. "Back in the Common Area, when they attacked… did either of you see—" His words caught in his throat as he tried to phrase what he was thinking. "Did you see what happened to the others?"
Erhling's chest tightened as the memories of the attack flashed in his mind. Screams, shadows, and blood. So many had fallen in mere minutes, the Phantoms moving through the crowd like predators. There had been no mercy, no hesitation. Just death.
"I saw," Erhling replied quietly. "There wasn't much anyone could do."
Kara nodded. "The Cull was already brutal, but this…" Her voice trailed off, and for a brief moment, Erhling saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Grief? Regret? Whatever it was, she quickly buried it again, her expression hardening. "We were lucky to make it out."
Karl looked away, his expression pale as the reality of their situation settled in. "I didn't even see what hit them," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
Erhling stepped forward, placing a hand on Karl's shoulder. "We're still here. That's what matters. And we have to keep moving forward. Whatever this trial is, it's not over yet."
Kara glanced at Erhling, her sharp eyes locking onto his for a moment longer than necessary. "You seem sure of that."
"I don't think the Labyrinth lets anyone off that easy," he said, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "And something tells me this is only the beginning."
The silence returned, but this time it felt heavier, weighed down by the knowledge of what was waiting for them outside their small sanctuary. They couldn't stay here forever, but for the moment, it was all they had.
Erhling stared up at the crumbling walls of the haven, his thoughts drifting. The Architect's voice had been quiet since the attack, but he could still feel the presence lingering at the edge of his consciousness, watching, waiting. He still didn't fully understand the entity's purpose, nor why it had chosen him, but one thing was clear—the Labyrinth was testing them all, and the Architect had plans beyond what Erhling could see.
As if sensing his thoughts, Kara stood and dusted off her hands. "We should rest while we can," she said, her tone brisk. "It's only a matter of time before something else finds us."
Erhling nodded, though he doubted sleep would come easily. He leaned back against the rough stone wall, closing his eyes as the tension in his muscles began to fade, if only slightly.
But just as his body began to relax, a faint sound reached his ears—a whisper, soft and distant, like the wind passing through the trees. It was barely audible, but it sent a chill down his spine.
He opened his eyes, his gaze flicking to the entrance of the haven. Nothing. Just the endless darkness of the Labyrinth beyond.
Kara noticed his shift in posture and tensed. "What is it?"
Erhling shook his head, listening carefully. The whisper came again, slightly louder this time. It wasn't the wind. It was something else—something alive.
Before he could say anything, the shadows at the edge of the clearing began to shift. Erhling's heart raced as the darkness thickened, coalescing into a familiar shape. A Phantom.
"No," Kara whispered, her hand already glowing with spirit essence.
Erhling stood quickly, his senses on high alert as more shadows gathered around the clearing. They were surrounded.
"We need to move," Erhling said urgently, his voice low. "Now."
Kara was already preparing to defend, but Erhling grabbed her arm, his grip firm. "There's too many. We can't fight them all. We need to run."
Karl scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with fear as the Phantoms closed in.
Erhling felt a surge of adrenaline as the Phantoms' keening cries filled the air. There was no time to think. No time to plan.
"Run!"