Chapter 16: **The Wailing Passage**
The cold air of the corridor bit into Vito's skin as he trudged forward, his senses heightened and his mind racing with questions. The shard in his pocket felt heavier with each step, as though it was tethering him to something deeper within the labyrinth. The distorted laughter from earlier still lingered faintly in his ears, a chilling reminder that he was never truly alone here.
The corridor eventually opened into another chamber, but this one was unlike anything he had seen before. The walls were lined with what looked like translucent glass, each pane holding faint silhouettes of figures writhing in silence. Their faces were obscured, but their movements were eerily human.
"*What fresh hell is this?*" Vito muttered, gripping his blade tightly.
The room pulsed with an oppressive energy, and the glass walls seemed to hum faintly, the sound growing louder as he stepped further in. He could feel the shard in his pocket reacting, its faint glow seeping through the fabric.
As he approached the center of the chamber, the humming intensified, and a voice echoed in his mind—soft, melodic, but filled with sorrow.
"*Why do you resist?*"
Vito froze, his eyes darting around. The voice wasn't external; it was inside his head, threading through his thoughts like a whisper carried on the wind.
"*Resist what? The urge to scream? Because I'm getting close,*" he shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm, though his grip on his blade tightened.
The voice didn't respond directly, but the air in the chamber grew colder. The glass walls shimmered, and the figures trapped within them began to move more violently, their outlines pressing against the glass as though trying to escape.
Then, one of the panes cracked.
Vito's instincts screamed at him to run, but his feet stayed rooted in place. He watched in horrified fascination as the crack spread across the surface of the glass, spiderwebbing outward until the entire pane shattered with a deafening crash.
From the shards emerged a figure cloaked in shadow, its form twisting and flickering like smoke caught in a whirlwind. Its hollow eyes locked onto Vito, and a low, guttural moan filled the chamber.
"*Oh, great. Another creepy shadow thing. Because one wasn't enough,*" Vito muttered, raising his blade.
The creature lunged at him with unnatural speed, its smoky tendrils reaching for his throat. Vito dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and slashed at the creature. His blade cut through its form, but it was like slicing through water—it reformed instantly, its hollow eyes glowing brighter.
"*Figures,*" Vito growled, rolling away from another strike. "*Why can't I ever fight something solid for once?*"
The shard in his pocket pulsed again, this time stronger, as though reacting to the creature. Without thinking, Vito pulled it out, its pale glow illuminating the chamber. The creature recoiled slightly, its tendrils retreating as though burned by the light.
"*Oh, so you don't like this, huh?*" Vito said, a grin tugging at his lips despite the danger. "*Good to know.*"
He held the shard out in front of him, its light intensifying. The creature let out a piercing wail, its form flickering erratically as it backed away. But just as Vito thought he had the upper hand, the remaining glass panes shattered all at once, releasing a dozen more shadowy figures into the chamber.
"*You've got to be kidding me,*" he groaned, glancing at the shard. "*Any chance you've got a setting for 'kill everything in the room'?*"
The shard pulsed again, and for a brief moment, Vito thought he heard a faint whisper coming from it. The words were too soft to make out, but they sent a shiver down his spine.
The creatures began to circle him, their movements slow and deliberate. Vito's mind raced. He couldn't fight all of them, not like this. He needed a way out—and fast.
His eyes darted around the chamber, searching for an escape route. That's when he noticed it: a faint outline of a door etched into the far wall, barely visible against the glass. It wasn't there before—he was sure of it. The shard's light must have revealed it.
"*Alright, time to go,*" Vito muttered, clutching the shard tightly as he bolted toward the door.
The creatures shrieked in unison, their forms twisting and stretching as they pursued him. Vito didn't look back. He could feel the air growing heavier, the creatures closing in with each step. The door seemed impossibly far away, but he pushed himself harder, his legs burning as he sprinted across the chamber.
Just as he reached the door, one of the creatures lunged at him, its tendrils brushing against his arm. A searing pain shot through him, but he didn't stop. He slammed into the door, the shard's light flaring brightly as the etchings on the door glowed in response.
The door creaked open, and Vito threw himself through the gap, landing hard on the other side. The door slammed shut behind him, cutting off the creatures' wails. Silence engulfed him, broken only by his ragged breathing.
He lay there for a moment, clutching his arm where the creature had touched him. The skin was darkened, almost burned, and the pain was sharp and unrelenting.
"*Well, that's going to leave a mark,*" he muttered, sitting up.
The new corridor he found himself in was narrow and dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of decay. The shard's glow had dimmed, but it still pulsed faintly, as though recovering from whatever power it had just unleashed.
Vito leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. The labyrinth was relentless, throwing one nightmare after another at him. And now, with his arm injured and his energy waning, he knew he was more vulnerable than ever.
But there was no time to rest. The labyrinth wasn't going to wait for him to recover. And somewhere, deep within its twisting corridors, answers—and even greater dangers—awaited.
With a grimace, Vito pushed himself to his feet, his resolve hardening. He didn't know what lay ahead, but he wasn't about to give up now. The labyrinth might be a living nightmare, but it hadn't broken him yet.
As he took his first step forward, the faint sound of whispering reached his ears once more. This time, however, the voices were clearer, more distinct.
"*You're close... closer than you think.*"
Vito's grip tightened on the shard. Whatever was waiting for him, it was watching—and it wanted him to keep going.