At the very last second, as if by some twist of fate, someone stumbled into our circle. Dark hair, a face that would slip from memory the second you looked away, and barely out of his teens—a Seeker type, if I had to guess, and one of the more luck-driven ones at that. I'd watched him darting aimlessly across the battlefield, barely avoiding attacks through sheer dumb luck, like a headless chicken somehow staying upright in the middle of a storm.
Selena's jaw dropped as indignation and disbelief colored her face. "How—how did he even get through?!" she stammered, her voice brimming with a rare frustration. "With that level of aura? My disguise, Kara's barrier… that shouldn't be possible!"
The kid, blissfully unaware of how close he was to immediate expulsion from our circle, blinked around in shock, clearly as surprised as we were that he'd found a safe haven. He looked over his shoulder as if expecting another attack, his eyes darting everywhere but at us.
Selena's eyes narrowed, and her pride kicked in with full force. "Oh, I'm not letting this one slide." She moved to cast him out, her fingers sparking as she reached for the tendrils of her aura.
But just as she began her aura manifestation, the announcer's voice boomed over the arena once again. "Stage Three has concluded!" The words echoed through the battlefield, cutting through the noise and silencing any further attacks. "Congratulations to the 5,782 contenders who remain standing!"
I felt the tension in the air dissipate as the announcement settled over us, and the kid finally relaxed, still blissfully unaware of how close he'd come to being thrown out. He glanced up at us, realizing for the first time he wasn't alone in the circle. He gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head as if to apologize for invading our space.
Selena huffed, crossing her arms, clearly unsatisfied. Kara, though, smirked, her amusement evident as she leaned in toward me. "Surviving on pure luck… I suppose we should commend him."
The announcer's voice returned with a note of triumph. "We began with exactly 12,245 contenders, and now, only 5,782 remain! Congratulations to those who survived this far!" His voice rose in a gleeful crescendo. "Prepare yourselves, my brave hunters, for what awaits in the next stage!"
The arena floor began to shift and rearrange beneath us, but I stayed focused, watching the kid. There was something about his dumb luck that intrigued me. Even if he didn't know it, he'd just survived one of the most chaotic stages we'd had yet.
And if that luck held, he might just prove to be more than he seemed.
Admittedly—
I couldn't deny it—this kid put me on edge more than he intrigued me. Luck could only carry someone so far before it turned into something else, something potentially dangerous. His unassuming appearance only made it worse, his forgettable face and hesitant movements barely masking a presence that somehow lingered just enough to make me cautious.
"Name?" I asked, keeping my tone casual but not unfriendly.
He looked at me with wide, almost surprised eyes, like no one had ever bothered asking. "Wolf."
Selena snorted, unimpressed. "More like Cub Wolf," she shot back, her tone dry. "A very dumb but lucky cub wolf."
Wolf chuckled awkwardly, clearly missing the edge in her comment. But I didn't dwell on him long; the ground around us had shifted and reshaped entirely, and we were now standing in what looked like the mouth of a maze, the corridors stretching far into the distance, winding into darkness.
Kara had already taken a few steps forward, testing the ground. She extended her hand, focusing her aura as she tried to lift herself up, likely aiming to scout the area. But the moment she attempted to fly, her aura stuttered and faded, her feet remaining firmly on the ground. I noticed the slight twitch of her eyes as she turned back to us.
"What was that?" I asked, taking note of her reaction.
She shook her head, clearly annoyed. "Tried to fly. My aura just… malfunctioned. It's like it's been suppressed somehow."
Intrigued, I studied the energy around us. I wasn't the best at sensing aura changes, but I understood enough about aura manipulation to get the basics. The walls seemed unusually dense, with a solid, unyielding aura that was somehow both physically impenetrable and mentally adaptable. It was as if the maze had a mind of its own, shifting to contain us not only in a literal sense but also by constraining specific types of abilities—flying, in this case.
More troubling was the feeling I got when I examined it further; there was a strong suppressive layer woven in, a subtle barrier against any aura manipulation that would normally allow us to bypass obstacles or—more importantly—engage in lethal force.
Just then, the announcer's voice returned, brimming with barely contained excitement. "Welcome, contenders, to the Labyrinth of Minos!" His tone dripped with theatrical delight. "This next stage is one of my finest works, a real feat of folklore-inspired ingenuity! Here in the labyrinth, you will face both physical and mental challenges, and killing remains off-limits!"
The announcer's voice carried an almost gleeful malice as he laid out the rules. "Welcome to the Fourth Stage, the Seeker test!" His tone dripped with a mocking cheerfulness as if he relished every word. "This time, it's a hunt! Scattered through this labyrinth will be a random number of minotaur-like constructs—beasts with strength that nearly rivals cryptids. And if you're wondering just how tough that is, let me make it clear: those beasts are strong as hell." He gave a pause, letting the weight of his words settle. "My advice? Hunt them down as a team."
He didn't leave it there, of course. "Now, for those wondering, each minotaur kill will count toward your team of four. Creating a team is simple—find your designated party leader, shake hands, and form your alliances! If you're chosen as a leader, you just need a group willing to swear to aid you. Once those conditions are met, the labyrinth's rules will bind your auras together."
Four? Not five?
I was just beginning to wonder why it was limited to four people per team when his voice dropped into a conspiratorial tone. "Why four? Well, let's just say, because I'm a discordant little devil!" He laughed, high-pitched and maniacal. "Now, hunters, your objective is simple: complete your hunt within the next three hours, or you'll be labeled a failure. And who knows? Maybe a loser for the rest of your lives!"
A bold red countdown appeared above us, ticking down from three hours.
Wolf grinned, clearly pleased. "Well, convenient, isn't it? We're already four." He glanced at Selena with a friendly grin, extending his hand. "I swear to aid you, lady!"
She rolled her eyes, smacking his hand away with a sharp slap. "Absolutely not. No chance I'm leading this team."
Wolf flinched back, rubbing his hand, looking slightly deflated. "Ouch. Just trying to be helpful… Sorry for the misunderstanding… I thought you were the leader…"
What made him think that?
Hmmm… probably the fact he might have seen her relaxing from the sling chair back in the 3rd stage.
Selena turned to me, crossing her arms. "I swear to give you my aid." She softened a bit and extended her hand toward me with a wry smile. "Better you than me in charge."
I took her hand, feeling the faint surge as her aura intertwined with mine. "It's mutual, Selena. Trust me."
Selena winced at my words.
Kara watched as she assessed me. "I guess we're all in, then." She stepped forward, her words a bit more formal but casual in her tone. "I swear to aid you in this exam, in exchange, you have to lead us well," she said, her gaze studying me intently as she offered her hand.
I shook her hand, sealing the promise. "Glad to have you onboard, Kara."
Wolf gave a small shrug, stepping up with his hand stretched out again, still sporting that innocent enthusiasm. "I swear to aid you, too, mister! Let's make a good team, huh?"
"Of course, Wolf. Let's do this."
As our hands broke apart, a subtle pricking sensation ran through me, almost like pins and needles, as the labyrinth's aura started to siphon tendrils from my own, binding me to each of them. The connection pulsed faintly, my aura now twining with theirs as the labyrinth sealed the bond. I extended my Soul Link to all three of them without a word.
Selena, ever perceptive, raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you just... connect to us?"
I gave her a half-smile. "Think of it as an extra precaution. A little trick during emergencies to support you guys better."
Wolf tilted his head, looking a bit confused. "Support? What do you mean?"
"It means," I said with a glint of humor, "if things go sideways, we'll have a little extra aura to draw from. I could draw from the others' aura and then supply it to you," I paused, considering their reactions. "If we are a little lacking in the aura department, I think I can siphon aura from the labyrinth and then use it to our advantage.
Theoretically, the labyrinth could shoulder my aura debt if I'm careful.
Selena let out a soft laugh, catching my drift immediately. "Using its own rules to your advantage, huh?"