Alden limped along the twisting passageway, each step weighed by fatigue and the persistent dull ache in his injured arm. His breath reverberated softly in the enclosing darkness, accompanied by a faint rustle—perhaps the wind, perhaps something else entirely—skittering through the labyrinth's halls. He could feel the Maze of Ymir's Labyrinth watching him, the very stones harboring secrets that thrummed beneath his feet.
The corridor emptied into another open chamber, this one much larger than the courtyard where he'd fought the runic insects. A faint glow—similar to moonlight but tinged with a sickly green—emanated from fractured pillars spaced unevenly around the chamber. Between them sprawled a floor of polished black stone so reflective it seemed like a pool of obsidian water.
Alden paused at the threshold, his instincts screaming caution. The silence here was deeper, heavier, as though the air itself held its breath. Slowly, he reached into his pouch and grasped the Rune of Clarity (Fragment) he'd claimed. The swirling patterns on its surface pulsed in time with his heartbeat, a subtle but reassuring presence. He hoped it would shield him from whatever illusions lurked beyond.
Taking a tentative step onto the obsidian floor, Alden watched his reflection ripple. Immediately, the labyrinth's gloom rippled back—only now, it wasn't a perfect mirror. He saw himself as a young boy, no older than ten, wearing the same threadbare tunic he once had during his earliest sword drills. The boy's eyes glistened with tears, and his lips trembled with unspoken fear.
"Alden," the child's reflection whispered, voice quivering. "Why did you leave me behind?"
The words lanced through Alden's mind. He hadn't heard that voice in years—long enough to forget the exact pitch of it. A memory from a lifetime ago, a younger brother's plea on a storm-tossed night. Alden clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus on the flickering symbols of the rune fragment. The Maze was drawing on his memories, using them as a weapon.
DING!
Familiar ghostly text hovered in his vision, but it was glitching, fracturing in and out as if struggling to manifest:
Warning: High-Intensity Illusion Field Detected
Rune of Clarity (Fragment) Insufficient for Full Protection
Adaptive Will [Lv. 3] → [Lv. 4]
Effect: Fortify Mind
Alden felt a surge in his chest—Adaptive Will was evolving again. The swirl of illusions pressed tighter, as though enraged by his resistance. He shut his eyes, exhaling a ragged breath, and when he looked up again, the reflection of his younger brother had changed into something worse: a figure Alden recognized but wished he could forget—an old teacher who had beaten every spark of confidence out of him. The man's sneering face towered above him, lips curled in a scowl.
"You will never surpass mediocrity," it spat, voice reverberating unnaturally in the chamber. "Weak. Worthless."
He felt a tremor of old shame cut through him. But this time, he refused to cower. He tightened his grip around the Rune of Clarity and invoked the new wellspring of mental strength from Adaptive Will. The illusions flickered, contorting into swirling shadows of anguish.
A second later, the black stone at his feet began to shift, liquefying into a swirling current that threatened to drag him under. He stumbled, nearly dropping the rune fragment. Ahead, an exit beckoned: a narrow corridor framed by two broken pillars. One was carved with images of knights and heroes; the other etched with frantic runes that pulsed in a heartbeat rhythm, inviting him closer.
His vision blurred, the illusions assaulting him from all angles—a collage of regrets, lost friends, unspoken words. Faceless shapes clawed at him from the churning floor, each one a phantom of mistakes and insecurities. Alden's mind reeled, but he managed to steady his stance, forcing each breath in and out.
"This isn't real," he told himself through gritted teeth, ignoring the hollow ache in his heart. "Not anymore."
The illusions snarled in protest, but their voices grew faint as the Rune of Clarity glowed brighter. Alden forced himself to move—step by trembling step—across the liquid black. Every inch forward felt like crossing a river of thick tar. His body screamed for rest, his lungs burned, but something inside him refused to yield. That unyielding blade of curiosity and ambition drove him on, cutting through the labyrinth's attempts to break him.
At last, he lunged forward, dragging himself free of the swirling floor and stumbling into the narrow corridor. Behind him, the illusions writhed in silent fury, the dark chamber sealing itself once more, leaving only faint memories of his past regrets in its wake.
He collapsed against a broken pillar, chest heaving. The corridor ahead was darker than anything he'd yet encountered, but at least it was free of the swirling illusions—for now. As he pushed a sweat-soaked lock of hair from his eyes, the System's interface flickered weakly, as though exhausted by the ordeal:
Stage Two: Progress Update
Illusion Threshold Crossed
Partial Synchronization with Rune of Clarity
+1 Level
A gentle warmth coursed through his veins, easing the throbbing in his wounded arm. His Level had increased again. Somewhere deep within his soul, he felt a tiny flame of triumph flicker.
Still shaking from the illusions' onslaught, Alden stood. The Maze of Ymir's Labyrinth was unrelenting, but so was his will. He'd come too far—survived too much—to let the labyrinth trap him in the hollow cage of his own fears.
His path lay forward, deeper into the unknown, and he would not face it empty-handed. With the Rune of Clarity pulsing in his grip and a renewed sense of resolve thrumming in his blood, Alden stepped into the blackness, prepared to confront whatever hidden trials awaited him next.