The air around us seemed to shift, thickening as we ventured deeper into the labyrinth. The oppressive silence weighed heavily on my shoulders, but the faint hum of magic was unmistakable—this place was alive, or at least, it had once been.
Every corner we turned led us into another layer of darkness, and every step we took felt more like an intrusion. I could feel the weight of the world pressing against me, a palpable tension that only grew with every passing moment.
We moved cautiously, a tight formation that only allowed for a single person to lead at a time.
The labyrinth wasn't exactly the nightmare I'd imagined. The creatures that popped up—these lesser entities—were weak compared to the overseers we faced earlier, but still unnerving in their own right.
Some looked like twisted versions of animals, their flesh warped by the labyrinth's influence. Others were barely humanoid, their eyes glowing with a hunger I knew too well.
But despite the eerie sights, the journey itself felt strangely easy. The creatures we faced posed little challenge, and with the system's updates constantly pushing us toward our goal, I couldn't help but feel we were on the right path.
The system beeped in my mind, a persistent reminder of our objective.
[System notification: Goal location updated]
[Objective: Reach the heart of the labyrinth]
[Current level: Fourth level]
[Progress: 25% complete]
We continued onward with little resistance. Each battle seemed to be over in moments. My sword flashed through the air, cutting down creatures that barely registered as threats.
The layers of the labyrinth seemed to ascend, like a mismatched and ancient staircase with multiple floors that seemed unending.
I signaled for us to stop, the weight of our journey now vivid in the faces and faint groanings from behind me. We settled in a chamber-like floor surrounded by rocks, a smooth floor and minimal lighting.
Everyone settled easily, a fire already cackling the instant I turned to rest myself.
In the labyrinth, silence was both a shield and a curse. It hid you from predators but deafened you to your allies. That's why tonight, the fire crackled louder than I'd like. The voices were louder still.
I sat cross-legged at the edge of the group, my back against a smooth rock wall. The flames threw jagged shadows across the faces around me—Lira, Oran, Faco, Myra, and Toren.
I was slowly beginning to note the names of the one's I felt important and with a bit of training and experience.
They were huddled close, as if the flickering light could ward off the cold memories they shared. But It couldn't.
I stayed quiet, not out of disinterest but necessity. Listening was safer. Revealing too much, even to slaves as broken as me, was a mistake I couldn't afford. Still, I asked enough questions to keep the conversation alive.
"So, what were you before...this?" I murmured, tilting my head toward the labyrinth's yawning darkness.
Lira glanced at me, her scar catching the firelight. She was the kind of person who kept her spine straight even when the weight of the world pressed down. Her black hair shimmering in the light the fire cast.
"I was a hunter," she said, her voice steady. "We lived near the cliffs of Verun. Good game there—mountain boars, rock lizards. Tough to catch, tougher to kill."
Faco snorted. "You must've been terrible at it. Hunters don't get caught."
Lira's eyes narrowed. "And what were you, a bard?"
Faco bristled, but Myra cut in before the argument flared. "Leave him, Lira. He's a child." She wrapped an arm around the boy. "Besides, you wouldn't know what it's like to have a family depending on you."
Lira's jaw clenched, but she didn't argue. I didn't intervene. Instead, I let them fight; it kept them awake.
Myra spoke again, her tone softer now. "I was a weaver. My husband and I ran a small shop in Sareth. We had...a daughter." Her voice cracked, and she fell silent.
Toren, sitting beside her, reached over and squeezed her hand. He was a mountain of a man, his muscles corded and scarred from whatever brutal work he'd been forced into. He rarely spoke, but when he did, it was with a quiet authority.
"My family was taken too," he said simply. "Didn't matter how hard I fought. They always take something you can't protect."
The fire popped, a sharp sound that made more than one of them flinch.
"And you?" Lira asked me suddenly, her eyes sharp. "You've barely said a word since we escaped. What were you?"
I shrugged, keeping my voice light. "Alive. Like I am now."
"Cryptic," she muttered, turning back to the fire.
They talked for a while longer, trading fragments of lives they'd lost. I caught pieces—a song Dov's mother used to sing, the smell of Myra's weaving dyes, the first time Terek held his newborn son. Each story was a reminder of what this labyrinth had stolen from them.
I listened, nodding where appropriate, prodding gently when the conversation lagged. My questions were simple—"What happened then?" "Did they know you'd escaped?"—but they kept the group talking, kept them human.
The regions they had mentioned seemed familiar, although distant from my previous empire but still—familiar.
The air grew colder as the hours passed, and their voices began to falter. Weariness set in, pulling them toward restless sleep. I stayed awake, scanning the shadows beyond the firelight.
That's when I felt it.
A shift in the air, subtle but undeniable. The labyrinth was alive, and it had noticed us.
"Get up," I whispered, my voice sharp enough to cut through their exhaustion.
"What—" Lira started, but I silenced her with a gesture.
The fire flickered wildly, as if a giant had exhaled. Then it appeared.
The entity stepped into the light, a towering figure of polished obsidian and glowing crimson veins. It was humanoid in shape but grotesque in detail—its limbs too long, its face a blank mask of smooth black stone. Two glowing orbs sat where its eyes should've been, casting a blood-red hue across our camp.
'A guardian?'
"Move!" I barked, shoving Faco toward the shadows.
The guardian lunged, faster than anything its size should be. Its massive arm swung down, shattering the rock where we'd been sitting moments before.
I didn't think. I acted.
Darting to the side, I drew the only weapon I had—a jagged piece of metal scavenged from a previous fight. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
"Toren keep it busy!" I shouted.
The big man roared, charging the guardian with nothing but his fists. He was brave, I'd give him that, but bravery didn't mean much against a creature like this. The guardian backhanded him with terrifying ease, sending him crashing into the wall.
"Lira, flank it! Faco, Myra and the rest of you, find higher ground and throw whatever you can!"
They moved, their fear overridden by sheer survival instinct. Lira darted to the creature's side, slashing at its leg with a blade she'd stolen during our escape. Sparks flew, but the obsidian was too thick.
The guardian turned its blank face toward her, raising a massive fist.
"Over here!" I yelled, hurling a rock at its head.
It worked. The creature turned, its glowing eyes locking onto me. I ran, leading it away from the others.
The labyrinth twisted around us, its walls shifting as if alive. I didn't have time to wonder if the others could see it; all I knew was that the paths I chose didn't exist moments before.
The guardian pursued relentlessly, each step shaking the ground. My lungs burned, but I couldn't stop. Not yet.
"Now, Lira!" I shouted, skidding to a halt.
She appeared from the shadows, leaping onto the creature's back. Her blade found a weak spot near its neck, and this time, the obsidian cracked. The guardian let out a deafening screech, flailing wildly.
"Keep going!" I called to the others. "It's weakening!"
Toren was back on his feet, blood streaming from a cut above his eye. He grabbed a fallen branch, its end sharpened to a crude point, and charged again. This time, he aimed for the crack Lira had made.
The branch splintered on impact, but the guardian staggered.
"Faco, Myra, now!"
From above, the two rained down rocks and debris, pelting the creature's head. It roared, its movements growing more erratic.
I seized the moment, rushing in with my jagged metal blade. The crack near its neck was wider now, glowing with crimson light. I drove the blade in with all my strength, twisting until the light dimmed.
The guardian froze, its limbs twitching. Then, with a final, bone-shaking roar, it collapsed, shattering into a pile of obsidian shards.
For a moment, none of us moved. The air was heavy with the smell of stone and burnt air.
"Is it...dead?" Faco asked, his voice trembling.
I nodded, though I wasn't entirely sure. "For now."
Lira slumped against the wall, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "What the hell was that?"
"A guardian," I said simply, wiping the sweat from my brow.
"Guarding what?"
I didn't answer. I wasn't sure they'd believe me if I told them.
The fire was gone, snuffed out during the fight. In the darkness, the labyrinth felt closer than ever.
"We need to move," I said. "Now."
No one argued. We gathered what little we had and slipped into the shadows, leaving the shards of the guardian behind. The labyrinth was awake, and it wasn't done with us yet.