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The labyrinth had changed once again.
Kaelen, Ariella, and Seraphine had been walking for what felt like hours, the oppressive, twisting corridors gradually giving way to a new, unsettling atmosphere. The walls, once jagged and hard, now seemed smoother, almost… inviting. The stone under their feet was no longer cold, but warm, as though it pulsed with some hidden life.
The air was thick with the scent of flowers—sweet, heavy, intoxicating. Kaelen wrinkled his nose, eyes narrowing as he glanced around. "This place doesn't feel right," he muttered.
Seraphine was the first to speak, her voice tense. "It's a trap. The labyrinth is trying to lull us into a false sense of security."
Ariella's hand tightened around the hilt of her sword, her gaze focused ahead. "It's changing again. Be ready."
The mist that had been swirling around them thickened, weaving into intricate patterns along the walls. The air grew warmer, almost suffocating, as the sweet floral scent intensified. But it wasn't the flowers themselves that made Kaelen's skin prickle—it was the sound that had begun to drift through the air.
A haunting melody.
It was faint at first, a whisper at the edge of his consciousness, but it quickly grew louder, more distinct. The melody was sweet, alluring, like a lullaby, drawing him in, lulling him into a sense of calm. But Kaelen wasn't a fool. He had heard this song before.
"Well, that's just great," Kaelen grumbled, his hand once again reaching for his dagger. "A siren. This labyrinth really knows how to pick its distractions."
Ariella's eyes flickered with recognition. "A siren's song. It's meant to trap you. Lure you into a trance, make you forget everything. We need to stay alert."
"Not just alert," Seraphine added, her voice sharper than usual. "We need to be *immune* to it. These songs prey on weaknesses, on desires. If we let it in, we'll be lost."
Kaelen felt a shiver of unease run through him. He had no illusions about his own weaknesses. Anger, pride, revenge—all of these were things the labyrinth had used against him. And now, it seemed it was trying a new tactic: *seduction.*
As the haunting melody grew louder, Kaelen could feel his mind start to drift, his thoughts becoming slower, hazy. The song was beautiful, and for a moment, he almost forgot about the labyrinth, about the trials they'd faced. But something within him snapped him back to reality.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Focus, Kaelen."
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**Wrath Points: 105 / 20.**
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The song echoed through the labyrinth again, this time louder, as if it was coming from all around them. The walls themselves seemed to hum with the rhythm. Kaelen's grip on his dagger tightened, and he fought to keep his mind clear.
"Don't listen to it," Seraphine said, her voice strained. "It's trying to pull you in. All of you. Don't let it take hold."
But it was harder than it sounded.
The melody was like a drug, each note slipping into Kaelen's thoughts, making everything else fade into the background. He could feel the anger that had kept him going for so long, the fury that had shaped him, begin to wane. In its place, a desire to rest, to let go of the constant struggle, to forget about the endless fight.
The song… it made him *want* to stop. To stop running, to stop fighting.
But Kaelen wasn't some helpless fool. He wasn't going to give in to this.
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**Wrath Points: 110 / 20.**
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Kaelen's fury surged again, like a wave crashing against the tide. His anger, once a storm within him, now became a weapon—a shield to protect him from the siren's melody.
He turned to his companions, his voice low but firm. "We have to break the song's hold. Focus. Focus on *anything* but the sound."
Ariella's face was pale, but she nodded, her sword now drawn and held tightly in her hand. "We won't fall for it."
Seraphine, meanwhile, was muttering something under her breath, her eyes closed as if concentrating on something far beyond the labyrinth's walls. "It's trying to cloud our thoughts. But I won't let it. We need to find the source of the song."
Kaelen clenched his fists. "Then let's go."
The three of them pushed forward, each step harder than the last as the siren's song clawed at their minds, pulling them in like a magnetic force. But Kaelen was determined. He had faced worse—he had been broken and remade, and this labyrinth wouldn't break him again.
"Where is it coming from?" Ariella hissed, struggling to keep her focus.
"It's everywhere," Seraphine said, her voice strained. "It's like the labyrinth is singing itself. But it's not a song we can hear, not fully. It's a song that speaks directly to our minds."
The three of them continued to push forward, the melody thickening in the air. The warmth of the labyrinth grew unbearable, and Kaelen could feel his resolve slipping. The song was pulling at him, making his limbs heavy, his thoughts clouded.
Suddenly, the floor gave way beneath them, and they fell into a vast chamber below, landing hard on the stone floor.
Kaelen scrambled to his feet, a deep groan escaping his lips. His head was spinning. His body felt sluggish, as if weighed down by a hundred chains. But he refused to succumb. The wrath, the rage, was his anchor.
Standing up, he looked around. The chamber was vast—endlessly so. A shimmering pool of water lay at the center, the melody louder now, coming from the pool itself. The water's surface shimmered like a mirror, reflecting not only their physical forms but something more—a vision, a tantalizing glimpse of something they all desired.
In the reflection, Kaelen saw himself. But it was a different version—one that had never suffered. One that had never been betrayed, never been cast aside. He was the hero, the savior, the leader of an army, a king with everything he had ever wanted.
Kaelen's heart skipped. He could feel the pull, the desire to step into that reflection, to take hold of that life. But he knew better. He had walked through fire and returned. He wouldn't let this illusion take him.
"You're nothing but a lie," he spat, stepping back from the pool. "You're trying to show me something I don't need."
And with that, the reflection shattered.
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**Wrath Points: 115 / 20.**
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The chamber fell silent, the melody abruptly cutting off, as though the labyrinth had accepted defeat. The pool's water became still once more, reflecting only the three of them.
"Is it over?" Ariella asked, her voice shaky but determined.
"For now," Kaelen said, brushing the sweat from his brow. "But I have a feeling we're just getting started."
Seraphine nodded, her expression unreadable. "We need to keep moving. The labyrinth's illusions are growing stronger."
Kaelen grinned, his rage still simmering beneath the surface. "Good. I'm ready for whatever it throws at us next."
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