The morning sun bathed the Academy grounds in a golden hue, but its warmth did little to soothe my nerves. Today was the day—the labyrinth trial. The instructors had kept the details vague, hinting only at the dangers that awaited us. I couldn't tell if the ambiguity was meant to heighten our anticipation or simply to terrify us.
"Ready for this?" Lyric asked as we made our way toward the central plaza where the students were gathering.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, forcing a steadiness into my voice that I didn't feel.
Corwin was already waiting for us when we arrived, his expression a mixture of excitement and impatience. "Finally. Thought you'd chickened out," he teased, though his tone lacked its usual sting.
"Don't flatter yourself," Lyric shot back, her words accompanied by a playful shove.
The plaza buzzed with nervous energy as Aurelius stepped onto the raised platform at its center. His commanding presence silenced the crowd almost instantly.
"Today, you face the labyrinth," he began, his voice carrying effortlessly across the plaza. "This is not a game. It is a test of your resolve, your resourcefulness, and your ability to work as a team. Succeed, and you take your first step toward mastering the challenges of this world. Fail…"
He let the word hang in the air, its implications clear.
"The rules are simple," Aurelius continued. "Each group will be given an entry token. This token is your key to exiting the labyrinth. Lose it, and you'll have to find another way out—if you can. Inside, you'll face a series of trials. Some will test your mind, others your body, and a few… well, you'll see."
Lyric and I exchanged uneasy glances. Corwin, however, seemed unfazed, his arms crossed and a cocky grin plastered across his face.
"Stay together," Aurelius warned. "The labyrinth is designed to separate the careless from the cautious. And remember, not everything you encounter is as it seems."
With that ominous note, he gestured to the massive stone gates at the far end of the plaza. They rumbled open with a deep, resonant groan, revealing a dark, twisting corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly into the shadows.
One by one, the groups were called forward, each receiving their entry token before disappearing into the labyrinth's maw. When our turn came, Aurelius handed me a small, intricately carved disk. The markings on its surface were similar to those on the chest we'd unlocked the day before.
"Good luck," he said, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer than necessary.
I swallowed hard and stepped toward the gate, Lyric and Corwin close behind.
The air inside the labyrinth was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and stone. Torches flickered along the walls, their light casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance and writhe.
"This is it," Lyric whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of our footsteps.
"Stick close," I said, gripping the token tightly.
We hadn't gone far when the corridor split into three separate paths. Each was identical, their entrances framed by crumbling stone archways.
"Which way?" Corwin asked, his bravado replaced by genuine uncertainty.
I studied the paths carefully, searching for any clue that might indicate the correct choice. That's when I noticed the faintest trace of a marking etched into the archway of the middle path.
"This one," I said, pointing to it.
"Why?" Corwin asked, skepticism evident in his tone.
"Because it's the only one marked," I replied, already stepping forward.
The others followed without further argument, and for a while, we walked in silence, the labyrinth's oppressive atmosphere pressing down on us.
It wasn't long before we encountered our first trial. The corridor opened into a circular chamber, its floor covered in an intricate mosaic of tiles. At the center stood a pedestal, atop which rested a small, glowing orb.
"This looks… ominous," Lyric muttered.
As we stepped closer, the ground beneath us began to shift. The tiles rearranged themselves, forming a new pattern that radiated outward from the pedestal.
"It's a puzzle," I said, studying the shifting tiles.
"And probably a trap," Corwin added, eyeing the orb warily.
The markings on the tiles reminded me of the symbols we'd seen before, their patterns forming what appeared to be a sequence. But as the tiles continued to move, it became clear that they weren't just random—they were reacting to us.
"Step carefully," Lyric warned. "One wrong move could trigger something."
Corwin scoffed but followed her advice, watching his footing as we moved closer to the pedestal.
The tiles seemed to pulse with light as we stepped onto them, their patterns shifting to form new sequences. I realized then that the key to the puzzle wasn't just about solving it—it was about understanding the labyrinth's logic.
"Look," I said, pointing to a series of symbols that matched those on our entry token. "We need to follow this path."
With careful precision, we navigated the tiles, each step bringing us closer to the pedestal. When we finally reached it, I hesitated, unsure whether to take the orb.
"Do it," Corwin said, his impatience getting the better of him.
I reached out, my fingers brushing against the orb's smooth surface. As soon as I lifted it from the pedestal, the tiles stopped moving, their light fading into darkness.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Corwin said, his cocky grin returning.
But as the words left his mouth, the chamber began to shake. The walls groaned, and the floor beneath us started to crack.
"Run!" Lyric shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the nearest exit.
We sprinted down the corridor as the chamber collapsed behind us, the sound of falling stone echoing in our ears. When we finally stopped, gasping for breath, I looked down at the orb still clutched in my hand.
"It's just the beginning," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
And I knew, deep down, that the labyrinth had far more in store for us than just puzzles.