The middle tunnel continued on. The faint glow of the runes flickered like the light in dying embers. Each step echoed in a most eerie manner, amplifying a silence that seemed to grow heavier with every passing instant. Rhea tightened her grip on the pendant around her neck, mind racing as she glanced at Lena walking beside her.
"Does it feel like the walls are closing in?" Lena asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Rhea cast her eye across the walls, the jagged stone walls with slick condensation flowing down their surfaces, with runes pulsing faintly across their surfaces. "It's just the Labyrinth," she said, though her tone sounded a bit less self-assured than she'd hoped for it to sound.
"Right," Lena muttered, her silver hair glimmering in the faint dim light. "The Labyrinth. You know, that sentient death trap we are currently wandering through. Nothin' to worry about."
Rhea smirked at the display. Even with the most serious situations, Lena had a quirky way of lightening them. It was a trait that Rhea was quickly learning to appreciate.
The tunnel suddenly yawned into a wide chamber, and the air was colder, thicker inside. Centered in it all was a pedestal, the surface faintly shimmering silver like the runes lining the chamber. Rhea's steps slowed as she trained her eyes on the object resting on the pedestal-a small, black vial etched with intricate runes.
That drew a question from Lena, laced with curiosity and wariness. "What is that?"
Rhea shook her head. "Whatever it is, it doesn't look friendly."
"Or it could be something truly valuable," countered Lena, stepping closer.
The low, guttural noise of the room rumbling came before they could make a decision. The walls seemed shudder as these noises emitted, and then the shadows cast by the runes began to twist momentarily and crawl along the edges of the chamber.
"Shadows," whispered Rhea, heart pounding.
The shadows, twisting and growing, formed tall, humanoid figures with hollow eyes that glowed faintly. Their jerk and unnatural movement resembled the movements of puppets dragged by invisible strings. "Well, that's just horrendous," said Lena, thrumming her fingers with electricity.
The shadows lunged towards them, their movements surprisingly fast. Rhea found herself reacting on impulse as she called upon a wall of stone that erupted from the ground sealing off the nearest shadow's attack. The other shadow, however, swerved and cut through the air with its claw-like hand.
"Behind you!" Lena shouted as she hurled a bolt of electricity at the creature. The air was filled with the smell of ozone as the lightning struck the shadow, causing it to disintegrate into a wisp of smoke.
As Rhea spun around and raised her hand, another shard of stone shot from the ground and impaled a second shadow. It let out a soundless scream before dissolving, but more shadows were already advancing." "They just keep coming!" Lena yelled, arc-splitting another shadow with her hands.
Her chest tightened; Rhea quickly glanced back at the pedestal. The vial remained untouched, glowing in the chaos. "Rhea, the vial!" Lena called out, her voice sharp.
Rhea was vacillating with her thoughts buzzing in her head. The vial could be a trap, bait to lure them in. But if it wasn't...
"Go!" roared Lena, sending another bolt of lightning cracking through the air.
Rhea rushed to the pedestal while the shadows regrettably closed in around her. She felt the cold terror of their presence and the unnatural pull of their hollow gazes as she reached out and snagged the vial.
The moment her fingers closed around it, the room erupted in blinding light. The shadows let out soundless screams as they dissolved into nothingness and the trembling of the walls ceased.
Rhea turned with a firm grip on the vial. Lena is at the center of fading smoke, breath coming with laborious troubles.
"Well," said Lena, brushing her silver hair back from her face, "that was fun."
Rhea lifted an eyebrow. "Your idea of fun certainly needs some opening."
Lena smirked, but her amber eyes held a flash of exhaustion. "Come on. Let's keep moving before this place changes its mind."
The tunnels grew darker and colder as they went deeper into the Labyrinth. The walls, that were once well-lighted by runes, now took on by shadowy shades. Only their faint illumination served to light the path just ahead of them. Each footfall weighed down more heavily in the air with something unvoiced.
"So," began Lena as they walked in silence, "really good at that whole stone-magic thing. I mean, for someone who's constantly being gawked at for her shadowy side."
Rhea stared at her in confusion: whether the remark was complimentary or observation, she could not tell. "Thanks, I guess," she said.
"I mean it," Lena said, sounding more sincere. "Most people would have freaked out back then, but you didn't. You've got this whole calmness-under-pressure thing going for you."
"Years of practice," Rhea answered, though her voice had lowered now to a whisper.
Lena studied her for a moment as the softness in her face grew. "A lot has happened to you, hasn't it?"
Rhea hesitated, her gaze concentrating on the slightly illuminated way ahead: the weight of her double affinity, the call of her family's legacy, the relentless determination to prove herself--too much had squeezed into that answer.
"Well, everyone bears their burdens," she said finally.
Lena nodded as she moved from a broad smile into something less jubilant. "Well for what it is worth, you don't have to carry yours alone."
Rhea blinked, flabbergasted at the absolute frankness in Lena's voice. She opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of grinding stone interrupted her.
The floors under their feet shook, and the walls appeared to shift.
"Is it me," Lena said tightly, "or does this place feel like it's trying to-"
And then the ground gave way underneath their feet.
Rhea slammed hard, a powerful blow knocking the air from her lungs. For a moment, she lay still, spinning her head as she hurt all over.
When she finally pushed herself up, she found herself all alone. The chamber where she had fallen seemed darker than any of the others, the air much colder and heavier. The walls seemed to close in around her, their surfaces slick with condensation and etched with faintly glowing runes.
"Lena?" she called, her voice echoing through the silence.
No response.
Her chest tightened as she reached for her pendant, its faint hum grounding her. She rose slowly, summoning a shard of stone into her hand as she scanned the room.
The shadows here were different—thicker, darker, and more oppressive. They clung to the edges of her vision, shifting and writhing like living things.
A faint sound—a whisper—drifted through the air.
"Rhea…"
Her breath caught. The voice was soft, almost familiar, but it sent a shiver down her spine.
"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the fear prickling at her skin.
The shadows didn't answer.
But they were watching.