The air grew heavier with every step. Mareth coughed dramatically. "Pretty sure I just inhaled despair. Or maybe mildew. This place reeks."
Kael said nothing. His jaw was set, his eyes fixed ahead. The corridor stretched endlessly, the crimson glow of the labyrinth's veins pulsing like a heartbeat an annoyingly smug heartbeat.
"Seriously," Mareth continued, voice tight. "This floor feels alive. And not in a friendly, warm-bread-from-the-oven way. More like 'it wants to eat us.'"
Kael kept walking.
"Oh, sure, ignore me. That's healthy." Mareth gripped his sword tighter.
The corridor ended abruptly in a massive chamber. The walls stretched upward into infinite darkness, as if mocking their smallness. In the center stood an altar, jagged and ominous, glowing faintly with blood-red runes.
Mareth froze. "Oh, come on. Another altar? What is it with ancient death labyrinths and their altars? Did someone just buy these in bulk?"
Kael stepped forward. The faint glow of his sigil lit the space around him.
"Kael," Mareth said sharply. "You're doing the thing again."
"What thing?" Kael didn't stop.
"The thing where you touch ominous objects without asking questions. Remember the last altar? And the one before that?" Mareth gestured wildly. "Terrible track record!"
Kael reached the altar. The pull was stronger now, like it was tugging at his very soul.
Mareth threw up his hands. "You're not even listening! Great. Love that for us."
Kael's fingertips brushed the cold stone.
The chamber erupted.
Shadows surged from the walls and floor, twisting and writhing into humanoid shapes. Their featureless heads turned toward the two intruders, and the temperature plummeted.
"Oh, perfect," Mareth muttered. "I was just thinking we needed more nightmares."
A voice echoed through the chamber, deep and guttural. "Prove your worth. Sacrifice is the cost of power."
Kael drew his sword. The blade gleamed faintly, its light swallowed by the oppressive darkness.
"S-Sacrifice?" Mareth stammered, his grip tightening on his weapon. "What does that even mean? Like, metaphorical sacrifice? Or are we talking blood magic? Because I'm very attached to my limbs."
The shadows didn't wait. They attacked in a wave, silent and deadly.
Kael's blade flashed, cutting through the first shadow. It dissolved into smoke, but two more replaced it.
"They just keep coming!" Mareth yelled, slashing wildly. His sword connected with one shadow, but it barely slowed.
"This isn't just about fighting," Kael said, dodging an attack. His strikes were precise, each swing dispatching another shadow. "It's testing us."
"Testing us?!" Mareth ducked as a clawed hand swiped at his head. "What, like an evil personality quiz?"
Kael didn't respond. The altar's words echoed in his mind. Sacrifice is the cost of power.
The voice returned, colder and sharper. "What will you give?"
Kael faltered, the weight of the words pressing down on him.
"Kael!" Mareth's shout snapped him back. "Focus! Or we're both gonna die in this creepy, humid hole!"
Kael's eyes darted to the altar, then to Mareth, who was barely holding his ground. The answer was there. It had to be.
"Mareth!" Kael yelled. "Hold them off!"
"What do you think I'm doing?" Mareth barked, his blade a blur as he deflected another attack. "Knitting?"
Kael sprinted toward the altar.
The shadows surged toward him, a wave of darkness intent on destruction.
Mareth groaned, diving into their path. "Oh, no, you don't! I already hate this guy enough!" His strikes were wild but effective, carving a desperate path through the creatures. "Kael, I swear, if you don't fix this in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna haunt you!"
Kael slammed his hands onto the altar.
The chamber froze.
The shadows stopped mid-attack, trembling violently. The oppressive air thickened, pressing down like an invisible weight.
The voice returned, louder now. "Prove your resolve. What will you surrender?"
Kael's mind swirled. Images flashed before him his failures, his fears, every moment of weakness.
Mareth panted, leaning on his sword. "Any chance it just wants an old pair of boots or something?"
Kael ignored him, his voice steady. "I'll give my fear. I'll give my hesitation. I'll give my limits."
The runes flared with blinding light. The shadows screamed, their forms unraveling into nothingness.
Mareth staggered, blinking at the empty chamber. "What... what just happened? Did we win? Was that winning?"
Kael pulled his hands from the altar, trembling.
"It wanted us to prove we could let go," Kael said quietly.
"Let go of what?" Mareth demanded, still gripping his sword like a lifeline. "My sanity? Because, spoiler alert, it's already gone!"
The ground beneath the altar rumbled. A new passage opened, revealing a narrow spiral staircase descending into darkness.
Mareth groaned loudly. "Stairs? Really? This place has a terrible sense of pacing."
Kael managed a faint smile. "We're almost there."
"Almost where?" Mareth muttered, reluctantly following him. "The circle of hell?"
The staircase was cold and damp, the air growing heavier with each step. Mareth slipped once, muttering curses under his breath.
At the bottom, they entered another chamber. Smaller. Darker. The glow from the labyrinth's veins was faint, casting flickering shadows across the walls.
A pedestal stood at the center, holding a shard of crystal. Its faint light pulsed like a heartbeat.
Mareth squinted. "Let me guess. That's important. And probably cursed."
Kael approached the shard cautiously.
"Careful," Mareth warned. "I'm not in the mood to fight another horde of nightmares." He paused, then added, "Actually, I'm never in that mood."
Kael reached out and touched the shard.
The chamber exploded with movement.
Darkness surged, forming a massive figure. Its monstrous shape loomed over them, eyes burning like embers.
"Oh, for the love of " Mareth didn't finish. He dove to the side as the creature's claws slashed through the air.
Kael's blade flashed, deflecting the next attack. "Stay behind me!"
"Stay behind you?" Mareth laughed bitterly, swinging his sword. "What, and miss all the fun?!"
The creature roared, its voice shaking the chamber.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Mareth, distract it!"
"Distract it?!" Mareth dodged another swipe. "Do I look like a court jester to you?!"
Kael didn't answer. He focused on the shard in his hand, its energy wild and chaotic.
The creature lunged. Kael channeled the mana shard, releasing it in a blinding flash.
The light engulfed the room, and the creature dissolved into nothingness.
Mareth collapsed to the floor, panting. "I hate this place so much."
Kael held the shard tightly, its glow fading. "The trial's over."
Mareth groaned, dragging himself to his feet. "Great. Can we leave now? Or is the labyrinth planning to throw another existential crisis at us?"
Kael smiled faintly. "Let's find out."
They stepped into the next passage, the weight of the labyrinth still pressing on them.