Hiro and Yuki walked out of the narrow hallway into a big, round room. The ceiling was so high they couldn't see it. The walls shimmered with changing colors. All around the room, there were dark openings like the one they'd come through.
"What is this place?" Hiro asked quietly.
Yuki shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't think we'll be alone for long."
As if she'd guessed it, people started coming out of the other openings. First a few, then many. The room got tense as everyone looked at each other, not sure who to trust.
A man with sharp eyes came out near Hiro. He looked around the room carefully, as if he was studying everything. When he saw Hiro, he nodded quickly before looking away.
A woman with long hair stumbled out of another opening. She held her head like she was in pain. As more people came in, she seemed to hurt more, looking at everyone like she could see something others couldn't.
"Are you okay?" Hiro called to her, stepping closer.
Before he could reach her, a loud laugh filled the room. A man with a big smile had come in. He was talking to everyone like they were at a party, not in a dangerous place.
"Well, well, what a nice group!" he said loudly. "I hope we're all ready for some fun!"
Yuki grabbed Hiro's arm tightly. "Watch out for that one," she whispered. "He's trouble."
Hiro nodded, but then he saw someone else come in. His heart jumped. "Shin?" he said softly, not believing his eyes.
The man who used to be Hiro's best friend stood at one of the far openings. He was taller now, and his face wasn't friendly anymore. When Shin looked at Hiro, his eyes were cold. It made Hiro feel uneasy.
Suddenly, a loud voice filled the room. It seemed to come from everywhere.
"Climbers," it said, the sound bouncing off the walls, "make your teams. You have five minutes before the room closes."
Everyone started moving at once. People rushed to find teams, shouting and pushing. Yuki stayed close to Hiro, showing they were already a team.
The man with sharp eyes came over to them. "You two look good," he said quickly. "I'm Ren. We should team up. I'm good at making plans. That will help in the trials ahead."
Before Hiro could answer, the woman who had been in pain earlier came up to them. Up close, her eyes were a bright purple. They looked hurt but strong. "Please," she said softly. "I... I can help. I can sense things. Important things." She looked around nervously. "I'm Mei."
Hiro had to think fast. He didn't know who to trust in all this craziness.
"Well, isn't this nice?" The smiling troublemaker had walked over. "Room for one more? I'm Loki, and I'm more useful than I look."
Yuki held Hiro's arm tighter. "We don't need someone we can't trust," she said quietly.
Hiro nodded a little, then turned to Loki. "Sorry," he said, trying to sound nice. "I think we have enough people."
Loki kept smiling, but something flashed in his eyes. Anger? Fun? Hiro couldn't tell. "No problem," Loki said with a wink. "I'm sure we'll see each other again." Then he walked away into the crowd.
The room started to shake, and Hiro had to decide fast. "Ren, Mei, you're with us," he said quickly. "Let's stay together."
As the new team huddled close, Hiro looked for Shin. His old friend had tough-looking people around him. Their eyes met across the room, and Hiro felt sad. Before he could think about it more, Shin looked away, his face showing no emotion.
The shaking got louder, and suddenly parts of the floor started falling away. There was nothing but darkness below. People screamed and ran to safe spots.
"There!" Ren shouted, pointing to a safe area near one of the openings. "That spot looks strong!"
They ran to it. Hiro helped Mei, who seemed confused by all the noise and feelings. As they got to safety, Hiro heard a scared cry. A young man couldn't find a team or a safe spot. Hiro watched, feeling helpless, as the floor under the man disappeared. The man's scream echoed as he fell into the darkness.
Mei made a sad sound next to him. Hiro realized she must have felt the man's fear and death with her special sense. He put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, even though he was scared too.
"Teams are made," the big voice said again. "Get ready for your first test."
The room shook, and the walls began to change. They turned into a maze with traps they could see – spinning blades, holes in the floor, and hallways that seemed to bend in strange ways.
Before Hiro could really look at it all, he felt a pulling feeling. Everything got blurry, and suddenly he and his team weren't in the big room anymore. They were at the start of a long hallway, facing huge swinging blades that cut through the air.
"Well," Ren said, sounding tense but in control, "this looks interesting."
Yuki stepped forward, looking closely at the trap. "Any ideas on how to get through this alive?"
Ren was already moving, looking at the floor near the first blade. "The timing is key," he said quietly. "There's a pattern, but it's tricky. Give me a minute."
While Ren worked, Hiro turned to Mei. The woman who could sense feelings had her eyes closed, breathing slowly. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
Mei opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "I will be. It's... a lot to feel. All the fear, the determination. The death." She shook a little. "But I can do this. I can help."
"I've got it," Ren said. He quickly told them his plan, explaining the pattern he'd seen and how they could use it to get through the blades safely.
With Ren's help, they started to move through the hallway. It was scary work. They had to move at just the right time and trust Ren's instructions completely. Hiro's heart beat fast as he dodged between the whistling blades, feeling the wind as they passed close to him.
They were halfway through when Mei suddenly cried out, almost falling. Hiro reacted fast, grabbing her arm and pulling her back just as a blade cut through the air where she had been.
"What happened?" Yuki asked, sounding worried.
Mei's face was white, her eyes wide with fear. "Someone... someone just died. In another part of the maze. I felt it. It was..." She stopped talking, shaking.
Hiro looked at Yuki. They both knew now how dangerous this place really was.
"We can't stop," Ren said urgently. "We have to keep moving."
Hiro nodded, even though he didn't like it. They kept going, each close call with the blades reminding them how dangerous it was.
Finally, they got through the blade hallway. They were breathing hard but alive. Hiro felt relieved for a moment before looking ahead. The maze stretched out in front of them, full of unknown dangers.
"We did it," Yuki said, sounding a little proud but still serious.
"This is just the start," Ren said, already looking at the path ahead.
Hiro heard a noise behind them and turned around. In the distance, he could see another team coming out of a different hallway. Even from far away, he recognized Shin.
"We've got company," Hiro told the others. "And I don't think this maze is big enough for all of us."
As if answering him, the walls of the maze started to move again, showing new challenges and dangers. The first test of the Labyrinth had really begun, and Hiro felt that making a team had been the easy part. The real test was just starting.