---
The deeper they ventured into the labyrinth, the more Kaelen could feel the oppressive weight of its power. The maze seemed to be adapting to him, responding to his anger and his strength. It no longer felt like they were walking through mere corridors, but rather, through the mind of something that was very much alive—something that understood their every move, every thought.
Despite the gnawing feeling at the back of his mind, Kaelen couldn't suppress the thrill that surged through him. Each trial, each twisted illusion, only made him more powerful. The Wrath Points he accumulated gave him more confidence, more certainty. He was unstoppable now. Or so he thought.
The trio had entered another large chamber, its ceiling towering above them. The walls were adorned with strange symbols that seemed to pulse with an eerie light, casting long shadows across the stone floor. The air smelled of damp earth and something else—something metallic, like blood.
Kaelen's senses were on high alert. "Something's off," he muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger.
Ariella nodded, her eyes scanning the room. "I feel it too. The labyrinth is… *aware* of us. It's starting to *anticipate* our moves."
Seraphine stepped forward, her expression thoughtful. "The deeper we go, the more we push the labyrinth. It doesn't just want to trap us anymore. It wants to *break* us, to force us to confront everything we're running from."
Kaelen felt the familiar surge of Wrath Points at the mention of being *broken*, but he quickly suppressed it. He wasn't about to let his anger dictate his actions. Not this time.
"I'm not running," he said firmly. "Let it try. Let it do its worst."
---
**Wrath Points: 75 / 20.**
---
Suddenly, the symbols on the walls flickered, and the room shifted. The floor beneath them cracked open, revealing a deep pit filled with swirling mist. The walls began to close in, and the air became thick with a strange energy. The trio was surrounded, the exit blocked by the shifting stone.
Kaelen's muscles tensed. He was ready. Whatever came next, he was going to face it head-on.
But as the walls continued to move, a voice echoed from the shadows, low and seductive.
"Kaelen…" the voice whispered, the sound coming from all directions. "You think you're free of the labyrinth, don't you? You think you've won."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. This voice—it was the same as before, the one from the Hall of Echoes. "Not this again," he muttered, barely able to contain his irritation. "What is it this time? Another cheap trick?"
The voice laughed, a soft, chilling sound that sent a shiver down his spine. "Oh, no. This time, it's different. This time, you'll face the truth. The truth about *yourself*."
The air around them shifted again, and the mist in the pit below seemed to rise, swirling in a vortex. Out of the swirling fog, a figure began to materialize—a tall, imposing silhouette with glowing red eyes. The figure's face was hidden in shadow, but Kaelen could feel its presence like a weight pressing down on him.
"It's not the labyrinth that's your enemy," the figure said, its voice a hollow echo of Kaelen's own thoughts. "It's *you*. The anger you've been hiding. The rage you've been feeding. It's the only thing keeping you alive, but it's also the thing that's going to destroy you."
Kaelen's fists clenched. He wasn't going to listen to this. He wasn't going to let it get to him again. "You don't know anything about me."
The figure's laugh was like a sickening mockery. "I know everything, Kaelen. The labyrinth doesn't need to twist your mind. It just needs to remind you of the truth. You are nothing more than a puppet—an instrument of destruction. You've been running from yourself your entire life."
Kaelen took a step forward, his anger surging with every word the figure spoke. "I'm not running anymore," he snarled, his voice thick with conviction. "I'm done being controlled by my past. Done being controlled by the anger."
But as the figure stepped forward, its red eyes burned brighter, and a cold wave of fear washed over Kaelen. For a moment, doubt crept into his heart. Was this true? Was he really just a puppet, a vessel for his anger? Could he really change?
---
**Wrath Points: 80 / 20.**
---
Before Kaelen could respond, the figure lunged at him, its form shifting like smoke, moving with inhuman speed. Kaelen reacted instinctively, pulling out his dagger and slashing at the apparition. His strike connected, but the figure merely dissolved into mist, reappearing behind him in an instant.
"You think you can escape the truth?" the figure whispered, its voice like a cold breath against his ear. "You think you can keep running from what you've done?"
Kaelen spun, slashing again, but the figure was gone. It wasn't physical—it was something deeper, something far more insidious. The labyrinth had turned against him, pulling at his soul, pulling at the very core of his being.
"Kaelen," the voice crooned, seductive and deadly. "You think you can survive without embracing who you really are. But you're a monster. You always have been."
His breathing quickened, his mind racing. The anger inside him surged again, like a storm threatening to break free. Kaelen didn't want to listen to this. He didn't want to believe it. But the doubt… the doubt gnawed at him.
"Shut up!" Kaelen shouted, his voice raw with fury. "I'm not a monster! I *choose* who I am!"
The figure reappeared again, its glowing eyes piercing the darkness. "Do you?" it asked, its voice echoing in his mind. "Or do you just choose to ignore the truth?"
---
**Wrath Points: 90 / 20.**
---
Kaelen's rage exploded. A violent surge of power coursed through him, and his Wrath Points flared up, like a fire consuming everything in its path. The mist around him began to evaporate, the figure fading with every passing second.
"No!" Kaelen roared. "I'm not your puppet. I'm not anyone's pawn!"
The figure seemed to waver for a moment, as if unsure of how to proceed. "You cannot escape who you are," it repeated, but the confidence in its voice was fading. Kaelen's wrath burned hotter now, stronger than ever before.
"You don't get to control me," Kaelen said, his voice firm, unyielding. "I've been through worse. And I'm still standing."
With that, the figure screamed, its form cracking apart like glass, shattering into nothingness. The mist vanished, the oppressive atmosphere lifting, leaving Kaelen and his companions in silence.
Ariella and Seraphine were watching him, their faces unreadable. Kaelen stood tall, his heart still pounding, but his mind clear. He had faced the labyrinth's latest trick—and won.
"Is it over?" Ariella asked, her voice low.
"For now," Kaelen said, his grin returning. "But something tells me the labyrinth isn't done with us yet."
---
**Wrath Points: 100 / 20.**
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"Let's keep moving," Kaelen said, determination shining in his eyes. "We've got a maze to *break*."
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