The Labyrinth Awakens

“You waited long, didn't you. The two of you come next.”

Seneca welcomed Nefetia and Arkin with a calm step. The priest's eyes held a faint trace of amusement, as though the daringly strenuous maze training had been perfectly concluded. He handed a spool of thread to Arkin and began reciting the crucial information one must know upon entering the maze. “Here, take this. This thread was crafted by the artisan of our Credo Island, Arachne, and...”

His tone had grown somewhat monotonous after repeating the same explanation multiple times. “The maze is divided into three stages. At each stage you must find a hidden item or complete the assigned task before the next door opens...”

“Seneca, we've already heard all of it.”

Nefetia cut him off with a curt interruption. There was no need to listen to every word when she could simply enter at once. The desire to check the interior of the maze left no room for politeness. “You said it so many times we all heard it. I'm going in right now.”

“Ah, how fortunate. I was starting to worry about chapped lips.”

Seneca grinned with open relief and lifted the end of the thread. He tied it to a stake and then carefully straightened the long strand. “The difficulty isn't overly harsh, but you may still get lost. Keep hold of Arachne's thread to the very end. If anything happens, touch the thread and call my name. Shout 'Seneca!' and I'll come immediately. Understood?” ***

Entering the maze for the first time left them stunned. The air was thick with the fresh, earthy scent of wet soil and a delicate floral fragrance that mingled so enchantingly it was almost overwhelming. This path—built for the general's inspection or even worthy of a wedding feast—felt more beautiful than the word could describe. Within the maze pulsing with life, Nefetia and Arkin felt as though they had been invited into the paradise of the beginning of time. “This maze isn't so bad, is it?”

Nefetia's face brightened like sunlight. The walls had looked dull and monotonous from the outside, but once inside they revealed themselves as an entire garden heavy with multicolored flowers and fruit. Arkin walked slowly, absorbing the unreal scene. Unlike her, he could not easily shake off the unease that clung to him. Just keep walking, then? Really? Could there really be no obstacles? That seemed impossible...

Arkin recalled the sharp, piercing scream of Kaichen that had echoed through the air. Would anyone scream like that in a place like this? As he let out a half-suppressed sigh, his gaze drifted several steps ahead to Nefetia. She had rolled up the hem of her tunic and was playfully kicking at the empty air while walking. It looked as though she were stepping into an invisible lake and splashing about. “This part is just as flat. No matter how many turns we take, the path only grows more lush and beautiful—nothing else happens.”

The ground slowly deteriorated. After several more turns the path became a veritable swamp of thick mud. Only then did Arkin—and for the first time, Nefetia—hesitate. “Still, it doesn't look that dangerous.”

Nefetia gathered her courage and extended her foot into the muck. Before her sandal could touch anything, something shocking occurred. A loud creaking sound split the air as thick vine stems suddenly shot up from both walls, racing toward her feet at terrifying speed. In the moment of surprise, the vines began wrestling with each other like a snake in heat, twisting and tangling until they formed a single thick, sturdy vine leg beneath Nefetia and Arkin's feet. “Whoa!”

Nefetia stared at him in amazement. The vine leg not only supported them but also served as a guide. Thanks to it they reached the altar holding the obsidian daggers without a single drop of mud on their shoes. As the great wall behind the altar slowly parted, opening the way, Arkin felt a strange surge of confidence. “Nefetia, this must be the second stage.”

“Let's go then!”

Fortune favored them. Even after reaching the second stage the maze's scenery remained unchanged. The vine leg that faithfully supported their feet beneath, and the walls heavy with ripe fruit, looked exactly as they had before. Nefetia stepped up to the wall and plucked a perfectly ripe apple. “Arkin, want an apple?”

Arkin hesitated for a moment, then took the fruit and bit into it with a loud crunch. The crisp, cool flesh sliding down his throat was surprisingly refreshing. “Mmm, good, right?”

Nefetia chewed the apple noisily and grinned. Arkin reached out to gently stroke her round cheek and then finished the rest. Breathing a sigh of relief after the tension eased a little, he said, “Let's go.”

He tossed the apple core into the underbrush and the two of them resumed walking on the vine leg. No threats, no strange signs—nothing. Then, from somewhere ahead, a clear, pure songbird's trill rang out. The clean, beautiful melody made both Arkin and Nefetia instinctively meet each other's eyes. “That must be it.”

They immediately hurried toward the sound. As they moved closer the song never once faltered, as if the bird were waiting for them to find it. “Found it!”

Nefetia exclaimed. Just like in the previous stage, at the end of a dead end stood another altar. As they drew nearer they noticed a small birdcage perched on it. “A bird?”

“Looks like one. How cute!”

Inside the cage was a tiny bird with feathers the color of dawn sky—deep azure shot through with rare flashes of violet. “Why are you locked up here?”

Nefetia asked gently. The blue bird stopped singing, tilted its head, and gazed at her with black eyes full of curiosity rather than fear. “Come here.”

She reached her fingers through the bars. The bird tilted its head, rested its head and beak against her fingertips, and rubbed its body against her hand in clear affection. Nefetia smiled proudly. Arkin, however, set the small clay pot aside and picked up the parchment inside it. As he slowly unfolded and read, his face grew tighter and tighter. Nefetia, still unaware of the situation, continued chatting warmly with the blue bird. “It's so small. Still a baby?”

She reached out to stroke its soft feathers, but Arkin slowly lowered the parchment and drew the dagger from his waist. The obsidian blade gleamed with an eerie, dark light. “Why are you pulling out the knife, Arkin?”

Nefetia looked at him, puzzled. Arkin glanced back and forth between Nefetia and the small bird that had been so intimately responding to her. Finally, after a long moment, he opened his mouth. “Nefetia... this bird...”

“What? What are you going to do with it?”

A dark premonition flashed across Nefetia's eyes. Arkin let out a long, steadying sigh and pointed toward the clay pot. “To pass the second stage... blood is required.”

“What?”

Nefetia grabbed the cage in shock. “You're telling me to kill it? Why?”

“It seems to be the rule of the second stage. But I can't kill an innocent baby bird...”

Arkin answered calmly and tightened his grip on the dagger. The blade was no longer pointed at the bird—it was aimed at his own palm. “Arkin...!” ***

“The maze exploration of the trainees is proceeding smoothly. A few have sustained minor injuries, but they are all safely resting at the current rest area. The previous team—Elio and Petra—also safely passed the third stage just moments ago.”

As Seneca nodded along, listening to the assistant priest's report, he suddenly stiffened. What was that...? “Wait. Just a moment.”

Seneca stopped the report, shoved the assistant priest aside, and strode toward the stake at the entrance. The last one. Arkin and Nefetia's thread was quivering violently, resonating with a strange vibration. The assistant priest's eyes widened as he turned. “Priest! That is...”

While the assistant priest trembled visibly, Seneca examined the thread with perfect calm. The thread leading deep into the maze was not only trembling but suddenly burst into a brilliant, blinding light—the kind of powerful glow he had never witnessed in his life. He clapped both hands over the thread, squeezed his eyes shut, and then opened them again. His vision had been completely flooded white by the overwhelming radiance.