Without giving the children time to process what had just been said, a figure clad in a black mask and robe shouted, "Move!" Upon hearing this voice, the knights, with their large round shields made of black metal and their long, serrated swords, began to close in slowly, pushing the children towards the labyrinth. Those who resisted entering would only be met with death.
The children, seeing what was happening, began to retreat slowly, almost all of them refusing to enter as they didn't know what danger awaited them. This hesitation ended abruptly when a piercing scream, filled with agony and pain, shattered their doubts. A girl, too close to the formation of knights, had been stabbed in the stomach. She fell to the ground and, in a desperate attempt to save her life, crawled towards the labyrinth. Unfortunately, being so far from it, the soldiers gave her no chance to get closer, as nothing would stop them from advancing to the entrance of the labyrinth.
The knights trampled over her, crushing her alive; the only sounds heard were those of weeping and pain, which ceased seconds later.
This was the last straw, as witnessing all this left the children trembling and horrified at what would happen to them. They began to run desperately, shoving each other as they entered the labyrinth.
Eric, witnessing all this, tried to step away from the chaos, observing each entrance to the labyrinth where the children were entering. His concerns about not entering the labyrinth earlier proved correct, as he soon heard the terrified and horrified screams coming from some passages. He waited a bit, then chose the passage where a group of children had entered. It seemed that nothing had happened there.
Quickly running to the passage located almost in the center of the labyrinth, he tried to let his eyes adjust as quickly as possible to the dark surroundings, cautiously continuing forward. "How big is this labyrinth, and what could be causing the children's screams?" Eric wondered, concerned about these mysteries.
Unfortunately for Eric, no one answered, so he continued moving through the narrow and occasionally large passages of this place. The only sound, apart from his breathing and pounding heart, was the sound of that strange liquid dripping from the ceiling. He still didn't know what that liquid was, but he hoped it wasn't anything bad. He walked slowly through the labyrinth, trying to make as little noise as possible so that whatever inhabited this place wouldn't find him.
Eric honestly couldn't remember where he had come from; each wall and cavernous passage looked practically the same, making him wander aimlessly. That was until, as he turned, Eric spotted a sort of hole with something shiny in it. Getting closer, he moved cautiously, not knowing if it was something good or bad, so he picked up a stone from the ground to throw it into the hole.
After the stone hit and he waited a minute, fortunately, nothing happened, slightly relieving him, so he decided to approach. When Eric got close enough, he saw a kind of bottle containing a strange golden liquid inside.
Eric picked it up and examined it, hoping to find something on the bottle that would give him a clue about what it was, but unfortunately, he found nothing. However, due to the quality of the bottle and the color of the liquid, he was sure it was something valuable. The problem was, what was it for?
"Well, if I'm in dire need of water, this is better than nothing; after all, it doesn't hurt to try," he decided, wrapping it up by taking off his jacket to prevent its light from attracting creatures or others' greed.
"This place is huge; I think I've been wandering for almost an hour, and I'm starting to doubt if I'll ever find the way out of here," Eric murmured with a trace of concern on his face.
"Fortunately, I haven't encountered anything so far, but what's really strange is that I don't hear anyone around. Since the moment I set foot in the labyrinth, the screams have stopped." This last thought worried Eric; having seen how he teleported through a whirlpool and three moons in the sky, a spell that reorganized the labyrinth's walls or something affecting the senses here wouldn't surprise him.
When this last thought crossed Eric's mind, he was startled and quickly decided to pick up a sharp stone and try to carve his name into the wall to distinguish where he had been.
After making the mark, Eric dropped the stone and continued forward. After several minutes, he noticed traces of what seemed to be the black liquid in front of him. He wanted to turn back, but it also appeared from where he had come. Alarmed, Eric didn't know what to do; he picked up a stone and, though it might be useless, he decided to try to defend himself and fight until the end, as he was cornered.
The level of the black liquid continued to rise slowly; Eric could only wait and pray that whatever was in the liquid wouldn't harm his body. When it touched his skin, Eric was surprised to find it only felt slightly cold.
"Mm, it seems like water. Only its color inspires distrust," murmured Eric.
When the liquid level reached his knees, Eric suddenly felt something grabbing his right leg. Terrified, Eric, with the stone in his hand, struck with all the force he could muster at whatever was grabbing him.
The entity released his leg, and a thick blue liquid covered the surface of the black liquid surrounding him. Eric, seeing this, took a step back and, with the stone in hand, watched as the trail of blue liquid approached him.
From the black liquid emerged protrusions and white ridges resembling spines, which looked as hard and sharp as freshly sharpened blades. A long, segmented form, similar to a tail, also appeared, with a lance-like point at its end.
Then, as if being pushed from within, an elongated, humanoid head emerged. This head, with pale, sickly skin, was marked with black veins that writhed like serpents. At the top of the head, a wound caused by a rock impact oozed a blue liquid that looked like its blood. The mouth was grotesque, filled with sharp and uneven teeth that moved unsettlingly, as if in constant agitation. The mouth opened wide, revealing internal jaws that snapped shut with a menacing click.
From its throat came a sharp and shrill roar: "AHHHRRRRRR!" that echoed through the cavern with a terrifying resonance.