Elliot ran.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The creature behind him wasn't just chasing him—it was hunting.
The labyrinth twisted and turned, its towering walls glowing faintly with arcane symbols. Every corner led to another dark passage, each one more suffocating than the last. The worst part? There was no exit in sight.
"Run, keeper."
The creature's voice slithered through the air, its tone dripping with amusement.
Elliot didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
The ground shook as the thing lunged after him, claws scraping against stone. Elliot barely dodged as a massive shadowy limb slammed down where he'd been just seconds before, cracking the ground.
"Pathetic."
Elliot gritted his teeth. Screw this thing.
If he kept running blindly, he was going to die.
Think, Elliot.
His mind raced. He needed a plan. He needed a weapon. He needed—
His pendant pulsed.
Elliot's eyes widened as the labyrinth walls seemed to shift. Symbols flickered, rearranging themselves, like they were… responding to him.
Oh.
Oh, this was interesting.
Elliot skidded to a stop.
The creature let out a low growl. "Giving up already?"
Elliot ignored it. He focused on the symbols, gripping his pendant tightly.
"Come on. Work with me here."
The glow of the symbols intensified.
And then—the wall beside him slid open.
Elliot didn't hesitate. He dove through the opening, just as the creature swiped at him. The wall slammed shut behind him, leaving the beast roaring in fury.
Elliot collapsed against the cool stone, panting.
"Holy shit," he muttered. "Did I just—"
"Yes."
A voice interrupted him.
Elliot's head snapped up.
Someone was standing in front of him.
A young woman, dressed in sleek black robes, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders. Her golden eyes gleamed in the dim light.
But what made Elliot's stomach twist was what she held in her hand.
A dagger.
And its blade was pointed directly at him.
"You shouldn't be here."
Elliot swallowed.
"Yeah, well," he said, forcing a weak grin. "Neither should you."
The girl didn't smile. She simply tilted her head.
"Tell me, keeper... why should I let you live?"
Elliot let out a long sigh.
"Man, I really hope that's a rhetorical question."
Elliot stared at the dagger pointed at his throat.
He had barely survived being hunted by a nightmare beast, and now he had to deal with this? Fantastic.
The girl in front of him didn't look like she was in the mood for jokes. Cold golden eyes. Perfectly still posture. She wasn't nervous. She wasn't hesitating.
She was ready to kill him.
"You shouldn't be here," she repeated.
Elliot swallowed. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
The girl didn't react. The tip of the dagger didn't waver.
"You are the keeper, aren't you?" she asked.
Elliot hesitated.
Something about the way she said it—like it wasn't just a title, but a problem—made his skin crawl.
"...Define 'keeper,'" he said carefully.
The girl's eyes narrowed. "You don't even know what you are, do you?"
"Hey, cut me some slack," Elliot muttered. "I found out about this whole magical prison apocalypse thing, like, twenty minutes ago."
Silence.
Then—**to his surprise—**the girl laughed.
It was quiet. Sharp. Amused. But not cruel.
"Unbelievable," she murmured. She lowered the dagger slightly, tilting her head as she studied him. "You're either an idiot or a liar."
Elliot forced a grin. "Can't I be both?"
The girl sighed. She slid the dagger back into its sheath, but her gaze remained sharp.
"You're lucky I found you first," she said.
Elliot frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned sharply and started walking.
"Come with me," she ordered.
Elliot blinked. "Wait—what?"
"You want to survive this labyrinth, don't you?" She glanced back at him. "Or would you rather stay here and let the beast find you again?"
Elliot hesitated.
Then, in the distance—a deep, guttural growl.
He made his decision.
"Yeah, okay," he muttered, jogging after her. "Let's go with the terrifying mystery girl. That sounds like a great idea."
---
They walked in silence for a while.
The labyrinth was... strange. The walls shifted when they weren't looking, the symbols glowing softly like they were alive. Every time Elliot glanced over his shoulder, he swore the corridors weren't the same as before.
It was like the whole place was breathing.
Eventually, he sighed. "So. Are we gonna address the fact that you pulled a knife on me, or...?"
The girl didn't look at him. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
"Wow. Comforting."
She smirked slightly. "You're not what I expected."
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And what did you expect?"
"A threat."
Elliot paused. "...Gee, thanks."
The girl stopped walking. She turned to face him, her expression unreadable.
"This place is a test," she said. "It's designed to break you."
Elliot frowned. "Break me how?"
She took a step closer.
"By showing you what you fear most."
Elliot's stomach twisted.
Before he could respond—
The walls around them shifted violently.
The air turned cold.
And then—
A new voice echoed through the corridor.
"Elliot?"
Elliot froze.
His blood ran cold.
Because that voice—
He knew that voice.
And it wasn't possible.
Slowly, he turned—
And stared.
His breath caught in his throat.
Because standing there, in the middle of the labyrinth—
Was his father.
Elliot's heart stopped.
He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
His father stood just a few feet away, looking exactly as Elliot remembered—same sharp blue eyes, same tired expression, same way he always folded his arms like he was about to lecture him.
Except…
This wasn't possible.
His father had been gone for years.
"Elliot," the man said again, taking a step forward. His voice was calm, steady—exactly how Elliot remembered it.
But something was wrong.
Elliot felt it deep in his bones. A coldness creeping into his chest, warning him that this wasn't real.
It couldn't be real.
"Don't," the girl beside him muttered. "Don't take a step closer."
Elliot barely heard her. His pulse roared in his ears.
His father smiled faintly.
"It's been a long time, son."
Elliot's throat tightened. His vision blurred.
This was a trick.
It had to be a trick.
But his father's voice—God, it sounded so real.
"You've grown," the man murmured, tilting his head. "I wish I could've seen it happen."
Elliot flinched.
That wasn't fair.
That wasn't fair at all.
"You're not real," Elliot forced out. His voice was shaking. "You're not real."
His father's smile didn't fade.
"If I'm not real," he asked softly, "why do you want to believe so badly?"
Elliot's breath caught.
And in that split second of hesitation—
The girl beside him moved.
She lunged forward, grabbing his wrist and yanking him backward just as his "father" reached for him.
The illusion shattered.
The moment Elliot blinked, his father's entire form twisted.
His kind eyes blackened. His smile split into something monstrous.
And then—he lunged.
Elliot barely had time to react. The girl threw him out of the way, drawing her dagger in one swift motion. The creature slammed into the ground where Elliot had been standing, its body warping and shifting.
No longer human.
No longer anything close to human.
Elliot's stomach churned.
"What the hell is that?" he choked out.
The girl didn't look at him. Her golden eyes burned as she raised her blade.
"A shadow," she said. "The labyrinth feeds on your mind, Elliot. It turns your memories against you."
The creature snarled. Its distorted face twitched violently, shifting between his father's features and something… wrong.
Elliot clenched his fists. His whole body was shaking.
That thing had almost fooled him.
He had wanted to believe it.
And that was exactly how it got you.
The girl tightened her grip on her dagger. "I hope you're ready."
Elliot forced himself to stand.
"No," he muttered. "But let's do this anyway."
The shadow lunged.
And Elliot fought back.