A Gentle Touch
“Stella, can you get up?”
A warm hand brushed across her forehead. Nestled against Zafiri’s chest, Stella forced her body to rise. “I’m… fine.”
She could not stay slumped there forever. Slowly pushing to her feet, she felt Zafiri’s elbow steady her. But the moment one step took weight, a sharp pain exploded in her ankle. The wobbling princess was caught just in time as Zafiri hurried to hold her. “Stella. Don’t push yourself. Walking will be hard.”
Despite the warning, Stella stubbornly tried to walk. But even the lightest touch sent thunderbolts through her ankle, rendering her useless. “It’s no good. Let me take care of it.”
Zafiri carefully lowered her to sit and examined the swelling. The right ankle was already badly sprained. “We’ll tape it at least. It’ll hurt less.”
Zafiri gathered vine stems and began wrapping her ankle. It was only a makeshift fix, yet it would bear the weight far better. When the knots were neatly tied, he looked at her with worried eyes. “Stella, if it hurts too much, we should turn back. We’ve barely reached the first stage.”
Just before they stepped into the maze, Seneca had warned them briefly: the maze had three stages. Succeeding at each—finding the required item or completing the task—would open a path. “You aren’t telling me what’s inside?” “I can’t. Trust that you’ll handle it well.”
“…Think about it, Stella. What else might be waiting for us after this? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Stella’s gaze lingered on her swollen ankle. She hesitated, then bit her lip and shook her head firmly. “No. I have to catch up with Draconis and Serena. I can’t quit in the middle.”
“The vines aren’t cooperating, so I can’t promise anything. Arkin and Nefetia are here too. Just don’t overdo it.”
“If this were just a lesson, I’d do the same….” Stella sighed heavily. “Waiting blindly is so boring. I want to see with my own eyes.”
Her stubbornness made Zafiri give up and help her stand. “Fine. I’ll carry you.”
Zafiri positioned himself close behind her, supporting her back and waist. Stella tried to walk alone again. “Ah…”
It was too much. The pain refused to fade. Though she had insisted she could go on, the moment Zafiri’s arms held her, she realized she was already lagging. “S-sorry, Zafiri… This is harder than I thought. I was just being stubborn. I’m really sorry.”
Stella lowered her gaze, cheeks burning red. “If I had known I’d get hurt in the maze… I was acting so superior, saying I know everything… and now look at me.”
“Stella.” Zafiri patted her back lightly. “You don’t have to say that. I only said we could turn back because I was worried about you. We can go together.”
“But—” “It’s okay. We’re not gods; we can’t predict everything.”
Stella bit her lip. No matter how much she boasted about reading fate and stars, she could not shake the shame of not noticing her own foot. “Well, I could call it an adventure.”
Teasing Zafiri lifted her again. He waited a moment, then quickly plucked a thread from the mud. Wiping the dirt off it, he said calmly, “Stella, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. And right now… look.”
He offered her the cleaned thread with a playful wink. “Because you didn’t see the injury coming, we have the perfect chance to strengthen our friendship.” >/p>
Stella took the thread, her lips curving into a smile despite everything. “…Thank you.”
“No more self-blame?” “Yeah.”
They walked slowly, matching each step. The floor was still muddy, but the vines on the ground had stopped attacking them and were quietly parting the path. “The vines are definitely watching us.”
At Stella’s words, Zafiri’s mouth lifted. “Similar. They just got scared and went quiet.”
While watching the writhing vines, Zafiri suddenly asked, “By the way, Stella, what does it mean that the maze is strange?”
“Ah, that….” After a long silence, Stella spoke. “When I was tied to those vines… I saw the things I’m afraid of.”
“Afraid things? Like monsters or nightmares?” “Yeah. The more they bound my body, the clearer they became.”
“Wait here.” Zafiri left her and approached the wall, crouching in the dim shadow and reaching toward the vines. “Come here.”
Again they refused. The moment his fingertip touched a stem, the vines startled and sank into the mud like terrified prey. “That’s weird.”
Zafiri returned, helping her up once more. As they took another step, his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. “Why are you so quiet?” Stella asked, noticing his serious expression. “I thought maybe the maze test has some kind of magic. Seneca might have cast something. But it doesn’t feel like it.”
Stella nodded too. “I thought the same. The weak test already went wild, so they probably won’t use magic like that.”
“…Yeah.” Zafiri examined the vines but couldn’t find the cause. He decided they should go further. Yet even after walking the same endless corridor, they grew tired. “How do we get out of here?”
They had turned the corner again and again, yet they were back where they started. While Zafiri ruffled his hair and looked around, Stella sat down. “Have the people ahead of us passed this too? It feels too hard.”
“Maybe….” Their expressions grew graver. They had gained nothing. They couldn’t even spy on Draconis and Serena, let alone leave the first stage… “Let’s just follow the right wall. At least we won’t loop forever.”
Zafiri added with a uneasy look, “As long as this maze doesn’t change by itself….”
After two more turns, an unusually long corridor appeared ahead. “Stella, look over there!” Zafiri pointed far down the path. At the end, two torches blazed fiercely, as if signaling something. “There’s a central altar, so that must be it, right?” “Yeah… looks like it.”
They walked carefully toward the altar. The air felt heavy; even their breathing was cautious. “What is this?”
On the altar lay only one obsidian dagger in a silver dish. Zafiri picked it up and inspected it. The black blade flashed with a cool gleam. “Obsidian. Used in rituals.”
He turned the knife in his hands, frowning. The ornate handle and heavy weight made it anything but ordinary. Stella stared at the dagger Zafiri held and whispered, “This must be for the next stage.”
“Great. If they had given it to us at the start, dealing with those annoying vines would have been easy.” Zafiri clicked his tongue.
Krrrooo… The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet. The vibration grew stronger until the floor shook so violently they had to cling to the altar and each other. Boom! The blocked wall behind the altar cracked. A grinding sound echoed as vines and branches burst open, finally clearing the path. “Wow.”
Both Stella and Zafiri stared in open-mouthed astonishment. “We’re moving to the next stage, I guess?” “Yeah… no more jumping this time.”
Stella hesitated, feeling bad for relying on him. Zafiri shook his head firmly. He sheathed the obsidian dagger at his waist, wrapped an arm around her, and began walking slowly. “Ready? Let’s go.”
The moment they passed the gap in the maze, the walls that had split apart waited patiently. With a loud clunk they slowly closed again, restoring their original shape in an instant. “That was incredible.” Zafiri muttered, watching the wall. Hoping Arkin and Nefetia passed safely, he continued supporting Stella toward the second gate.