It was circular—massive, spanning miles beneath them. The walls moved, shifting up and down in smooth, mechanical motions, revealing and sealing paths at random. The sheer scale of it sent a shiver through Simon's body.
"This is…" Daniel adjusted his glasses, his voice barely above a whisper. "This is designed."
Kayla stared at him. "No kidding."
"No, I mean…" Daniel gestured to the walls. "This isn't random. Look—there's a pattern. A system. The walls don't move chaotically; they cycle. It's like a living puzzle."
Simon's stomach twisted as he scanned the vast space. Other viewing platforms surrounded the maze, built along the upper walls. He could barely make out figures in the distance—people, other competitors, just like them. Some were staring, just as stunned as they were. Others were already moving, descending into the maze below.
But the most important detail?
There were five rooms embedded within the labyrinth.
Four were larger chambers, placed evenly at the edges of the maze—unchanging, unmoving, while the rest of the walls constantly shifted. The fifth was at the center.
Simon exhaled slowly. "Those rooms. They're important."
Daniel nodded. "They have to be. Otherwise, why wouldn't they be moving like everything else?"
Kayla rubbed her temple. "Alright, genius, so what's the play? We going in blind, or you got some secret cheat code?"
Daniel hesitated, then pointed to the nearest chamber. "That one's closest. If we're right, those rooms are part of the solution."
Simon studied the shifting maze. There were two possible routes forward—one that seemed more direct, but had walls rising and falling unpredictably, and another that was longer, but looked safer.
"…We need to be careful," he said finally. "We don't know what's in there."
Kayla huffed. "Great. Love that confidence."