The moonlight glistened off Kael's armor as he stared out beyond the ridge—his eyes locked onto the jagged canyon below. It pulsed faintly red under the clouds, like a heartbeat buried beneath the stone.
The Crimson Labyrinth.
The second Vault.
Behind him, Lyra and Orin packed supplies in silence. The weight of what came next had silenced even Orin's sarcasm.
Kael took a breath.
His memory drifted back to her—Elira. Her laugh. Her touch. The way her eyes lit up whenever he rambled about one of his inventions. He clenched his fist.
"I'm close now. I won't let you die a second time."
---
A Path Carved in Madness
They descended slowly, the terrain becoming more unnatural with every step. Spires of blood-colored stone jutted from the ground like claws. The air shimmered with an unnatural heat—yet the wind was cold.
"This place isn't right," Lyra muttered.
"It's alive," Kael replied.
A voice echoed suddenly through the canyon. A whisper, but it scraped across their ears like metal.
"Only those who face the monster within may reach the truth beyond."
The entrance to the Labyrinth opened on its own.
Orin stared at it.
"We really doing this?"
Kael nodded.
"One vault down. Two to go. We don't stop here."
---
Inside the Crimson Labyrinth
They stepped through the stone archway—and the world shifted.
Walls of living stone surrounded them, glowing faintly. The path split into three corridors, each pulsing red.
A statue emerged from the floor before them. It looked human, yet monstrous—wearing a cracked mask of sorrow.
It spoke.
"Three paths. Three truths. One lie. Choose wrongly, and you'll forget who you are."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
A psychological trial.
Not just monsters. Memory traps. Illusion magic. Possibly time manipulation.
Lyra whispered, "Which do we pick?"
Kael stepped forward confidently.
"I'll go alone."
Orin grabbed his shoulder.
"Are you nuts?"
Kael turned, calm but firm.
"This Labyrinth is meant to test me. My genius. My resolve. If I don't pass alone… I don't deserve to return."
Kael stepped into the middle corridor.
As he crossed the threshold, the entrance sealed behind him with a dull thud, cutting off the world outside. Dim red light illuminated the narrow stone passage, revealing glyphs etched into the walls—names. Hundreds, maybe thousands. Some scratched in fury, some barely readable, others… his own.
"Kael Veran."
He froze.
His name was carved on the wall, flickering faintly with white light while the rest glowed red.
"A test of memory," he murmured. "Or identity."
He moved forward. The air thickened with every step, pressing down on him like invisible chains.
---
The Voices Begin
Whispers slithered from the cracks.
"You left her…"
"You failed…"
"You think a second chance will matter?"
"She died because of you."
Kael gritted his teeth, pushing forward.
He wouldn't break.
But then the walls shifted.
The hallway stretched.
And in front of him appeared her.
Elira.
Dressed in the same white coat she wore in the lab that day—the day she died.
Her eyes were full of sorrow.
"Why didn't you save me, Kael?"
---
The Illusion Breaks
His knees nearly gave out.
The weight of guilt slammed into his chest like a hammer.
But he clenched his fists. This wasn't her.
"You are not Elira," he growled. "You are a trick—crafted to shatter my resolve."
She smiled faintly, her form flickering. "Even if I'm just an illusion… will you abandon me again?"
He stepped forward and walked through her.
The illusion shattered like glass, the hallway glowing white for an instant before returning to red.
"Never again," he whispered. "I will come back for the real you."
---
A Door Appears
At the end of the corridor, a black door pulsed with blue energy. Above it, glowing letters read:
"Only those who carry the burden may pass."
Kael placed his hand on the door.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then… the glyphs on the walls ignited. One by one, the names disappeared—burned away.
All except one.
Kael Veran
The door opened.
As the black door creaked open, Kael stepped through into a realm of flickering time.
The ground beneath his feet shifted constantly—stone tiles turning to grass, then sand, then steel—looping with every few steps. Above, a sky fractured like broken glass, fragments showing different moments of the same world.
Past. Present. Future. All twisted into one maze.
---
Time is Broken
A disembodied voice echoed:
"The Maze of Broken Time tests not your strength… but your ability to make choices."
Before Kael stood three paths, each showing a vivid projection:
1. A child crying, locked behind a burning door.
2. An old man clutching his chest, surrounded by darkness.
3. A woman, her figure blurry, stabbed and bleeding on a cold floor.
"You can only save one," the voice whispered.
Kael clenched his jaw. A trap. A puzzle. But also… a lesson.
---
The Choice
Kael's eyes darted between the three visions. Each felt real. Each person needed help.
But something didn't add up.
He looked closer—and then it hit him. Time was reversed in one of them.
The child's flames moved backward.
The old man wasn't dying—he was coming to life.
And the woman…
Was frozen.
Frozen in time.
---
"The only real person… is her," Kael realized.
"The others are memories—or possible futures. But she… she's happening now."
Without hesitation, Kael dashed toward the third path.
---
The World Reacts
As soon as he touched the vision, time around him began to unravel.
The floor twisted, the sky fractured louder, and a loud screech echoed as if the timeline itself was being wounded.
Kael knelt beside the woman, touching her shoulder.
Suddenly, her form became clear—
Elira.
Not the real Elira… but close. A perfect simulation.
"You still choose her," the voice murmured.
"Even here… in the maze."
"Every time," Kael whispered, holding her tightly.
---
The Maze Collapses
The labyrinth began to fall apart.
The walls crumbled into sand. The sky reassembled into a single image—Kael standing before a glowing gate.
A reward.
A small box materialized before him, sealed in runes.
"One of the goddess's gifts," he muttered.
Inside was a silver shard, glowing faintly.
"Piece 1 of the Return Sigil."
The moment Kael tucked the silver shard into his pouch, the entire maze shimmered like a mirage—its fractured timeline fusing into a single reality.
In the silence, a soft hum echoed through the ground. A path unfolded beneath his feet, leading him toward a final obsidian gate carved with glowing runes. Above it, an inscription in ancient script pulsed:
"Only the one who carries purpose over power may pass."
Kael stepped forward.
---
The Guardian Awaits
As the gate opened, a massive figure emerged—not a monster, but a man.
Clad in battle-worn armor and surrounded by floating swords, he had no face. Just a blank, reflective mask showing Kael's own reflection.
"You carry her memory," the figure said in a deep, distorted voice.
"But will you carry her burden?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What are you?"
"I am the final trial. I am who you could have been… if you gave up your heart."
With a flash, the guardian lunged.
---
Mind Over Magic
Kael ducked instinctively. He couldn't use magic in this dungeon—only raw physical skill and intelligence.
He leapt over a wide slash, using a broken pillar to vault behind the guardian. His mind raced, analyzing angles, predicting attacks.
"No weaknesses... except pattern repetition," Kael whispered.
"Just like the training simulations."
He grabbed a stone fragment and tossed it left. The guardian reacted instantly—exposing his back.
Kael slid beneath the swirling blades and jabbed a small metal rod from his belt into the guardian's ankle joint.
A burst of arc-energy surged through it—disrupting the balance matrix.
The guardian stumbled.
---
The Strike of Purpose
"You fight like a survivor," the guardian muttered.
"But are you ready to be a savior?"
Kael didn't respond with words.
He jumped, using his entire weight and momentum to drive his elbow into the mask.
Crack.
A flash of light exploded from the mask. The guardian disintegrated into fragments of stardust, whispering:
"Then go. The future bends to those who never give up."
---
The Door Opens
With the final guardian defeated, the obsidian gate dissolved. Inside, Kael found a room filled with relics and memories—fragments of timelines.
At the center stood a glowing pedestal.
On it—a second shard.
"Piece 2 of the Return Sigil," Kael said, eyes filled with resolve.
Behind him, a soft wind blew.
A voice—gentle, familiar.
"You're getting closer, Kael…"
He turned, but no one was there.
To be continue...
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