Ren, Reid, and Milo followed the jagged black stone path in silence, the echo of their footsteps bouncing off the unseen walls. The darkness pressed in, faintly illuminated by the soft blue glow of the stone beneath their feet, guiding them toward a massive door looming ahead.
Reid squinted up at the imposing structure. "This can't be good."
Milo shifted nervously, wringing his hands. "Do we… really have to go through? Can't we just turn back, catch up with the others?"
Ren strode forward without hesitation, pressing a hand against the cold, smooth surface. "Too far now." He pushed the door open with a low, grinding creak. Glancing back at the others, he smirked faintly. "Couldn't be much worse than that last puzzle."
The door groaned wider, and beyond it… darkness.
As the trio stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind them, sealing with a deafening clang. Darkness swallowed them whole, save for the soft blue glow from the stone beneath their feet. Slowly, the room came alive, lines of mana igniting along the walls, revealing an immense chamber of shifting platforms, spinning mechanisms, and floating tiles suspended over a vast chasm.
"Well... this is definitely worse," Reid muttered.
A faint hum filled the air, and at the center of the chamber, a crystalline structure pulsed with energy. Its surface shimmered, projecting glowing symbols into the air. As Ren approached, the floor shifted beneath him, a tile sliding away into the darkness. He barely leapt back in time, landing with a scowl.
"The floor moves," Ren stated dryly.
"No kidding!" Milo yelped, gripping Reid's arm. "What now?"
The crystalline structure emitted a low chime, and the symbols floating above it began to rearrange. Ren narrowed his eyes. "It's a puzzle."
"Of course it is," Reid sighed. "Any idea how to solve it?"
Ren studied the symbols, noting the patterns shifting in rhythm with the tiles on the floor. "I think... each symbol corresponds to a platform. We need to step on the right ones in the right order, or..." He glanced at the chasm below.
"Or we fall to our deaths. Great," Reid muttered.
Ren stepped forward carefully, eyes scanning the symbols. He pressed his foot onto a tile marked with a glowing sigil. The platform beneath him held steady, and a distant mechanism clicked into place.
"Okay, that's good," Milo whispered.
Ren gestured for the others to follow. "Step where I step."
They moved cautiously, Ren leading them across the shifting floor. Each step triggered a soft hum, the crystalline structure glowing brighter with each correct move. Halfway across, Milo misstepped, landing on the wrong tile.
The room shuddered.
Suddenly, the platforms tilted, and several began sliding away into the abyss. A stone wall surged up from the side, separating them into different paths. Reid barely grabbed Milo before the floor vanished beneath him, hauling him onto a narrow ledge.
"Stick together, huh?" Reid called out over the grinding stone.
Ren gritted his teeth. "Just keep moving!"
The floor twisted and rearranged itself, tiles sliding into new positions. The crystal pulsed faster, and the symbols shifted, growing more complex. Ren sprinted along the new path, leaping over gaps and dodging collapsing tiles.
Ahead, a massive stone wall began sliding down, threatening to block his path. He pushed forward, heart pounding, and dove through the narrowing gap, rolling into a crouch on the other side.
"Ren!" Milo shouted.
Ren turned back, seeing Milo and Reid trapped on the other side of the wall. Above them, a set of glowing symbols shimmered in the air.
"There has to be a way to lower the wall!" Reid called.
Ren scanned the symbols, mind racing. "It's a sequence. Watch for the ones that match the floor tiles!"
Reid and Milo scrambled to match the symbols, stepping on corresponding tiles. Each correct step made the wall tremble, sinking lower. Ren watched the crystal, noting its reactions. "Faster! It's resetting!"
With a final push, Milo slammed his foot on the last tile, and the wall groaned as it retracted into the ceiling. The platforms aligned once more, creating a clear path forward.
They sprinted the last stretch, leaping onto the final platform just as the room began to shift again. The crystal's glow intensified, and with a deep, resonant chime, the platforms locked into place. A doorway slid open on the far side.
Panting, they stood before the exit, sweat slicking their brows.
"No fighting. Just a heart attack," Reid huffed.
Milo wiped his forehead, legs trembling. "I hate this place."
Ren chuckled softly. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
They stepped through the doorway, the room behind them slowly resetting, ready for its next challengers.
The path grew darker the further they ventured, the black stone walls pressing in around them. The air felt heavier.
"Hey, Sosuke..." Ryoma's voice broke the silence, his eyes darting around the corridor. "You think maybe... splitting up was a bad idea?"
Sosuke sighed, scanning the shadows ahead. "Yeah. It definitely was. We just saw how horrible it was to split the team, and then we did it again. I don't know what we were thinking."
Ryoma chuckled nervously. "Well, let's hope it works out in the end, right—"
The wall exploded.
A knightly figure burst through the thick black stone, shards of rock flying in every direction. Sosuke barely had time to react before a gauntleted hand clamped around his throat, pinning him against the cold stone.
"Ah, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you... young Sword Saint." The knight's voice was low and venomous, echoing through the steel helmet. "I used to dream about the day I'd kill your father. Now, I get to savor the moment with his son."
Ryoma's body ignited in sharp blue energy. "Azure Drive!" He lunged forward, fists crackling with power.
Vines erupted from the stone floor, wrapping around his legs. The thorns bit deep into his skin, drawing blood. Ryoma cried out, struggling against the living bonds.
"I wouldn't bother." The knight's grip tightened on Sosuke's throat. "After all, I'm more powerful than both of you." She let out a twisted laugh. "I am Guinevere Alden. Imperial Knight of Astoria."
Ryoma thrashed, but the vines only coiled tighter, the thorns digging deeper. Panic surged through him as he tried to think of a way out.
Sosuke grit his teeth and closed his eyes. Lightning surged through his veins, sparking along his body and racing toward the knight's armor.
"Oh, no, no, no." Guinevere sneered, watching the sparks dance harmlessly across her metal plating. "This armor was crafted for one purpose: to kill you. The first of its kind, fully resistant to lightning. Lord Sterling has no intention of letting you live."
She drove her blade straight through Sosuke's back. Steel pierced flesh. Blood sprayed against the black stone.
Sosuke gasped, eyes wide, a pained gurgle escaping his lips as the sword slid out through his chest. His body convulsed, and the light in his purple eyes dimmed.
"No!" Ryoma roared, straining against the vines, but they held fast, biting deeper with every movement. His fists clenched, trembling with rage and helplessness.
Guinevere tossed Sosuke aside like a discarded doll, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. She turned toward Ryoma, twisted laughter echoing through the corridor.
"I can't let you — no, I won't let you kill him!" Ryoma roared, adrenaline surging through his veins. Summoning every ounce of strength, he twisted his body and used the power of sudden movement to snap through the vines. The thorns tore through his legs, blood streaming down, but he pushed through the pain and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the knight.
Mana surged into his palms, heating the steel of Guinevere's helmet. The metal hissed and groaned under the sudden temperature change. Then, with a desperate cry, Ryoma drove his forehead into the heated steel, the impact ringing through the corridor like a hammer against an anvil.
The helmet shattered, shards of metal flying in every direction. Guinevere staggered, momentarily disoriented, as Ryoma collapsed to the ground, his legs too weak to support him.
Guinevere wiped the blood streaming down her face and grinned. "That was a good one."
Ryoma panted, pain wracking his body. "Yeah... you're welcome."
Sosuke, still lying on the cold stone, shifted slightly. His trembling palm pressed flat against the ground. "Aqua Domain."
Water burst from beneath the stone, flooding the corridor in a matter of seconds. The dark walls shimmered as the current surged around them. Sosuke pushed himself to his knees, unsheathing his katana. He drove the blade into the ground with a sharp clang.
"You said that armor was made just for me," Sosuke rasped, his purple eyes burning bright. "But a prototype is never perfect. And prototypes... always have flaws."
Lightning surged from his katana, snaking through the water and racing toward Guinevere. The current collided with her armor, sparks dancing across the surface.
"You fool," Guinevere sneered. "I already told you, this armor is—" She froze. The metal began to glow, heat spreading rapidly through the joints and seams. Sparks erupted from within as the lightning overloaded its defenses.
"The Star Eyes told me everything I needed to know." Sosuke poured more energy into his blade, the lightning crackling through the corridor. "Your armor can't handle this much power."
Guinevere's armor erupted, shards of metal flying as the force sent her crashing down the corridor.
Sosuke staggered to his feet, waving his hand to dispel the water. He rushed to Ryoma, hauling him up.
"We need to move. She'll be back."
"No kidding." Ryoma winced, leaning heavily on Sosuke. "By the way... your eyes? Way cooler than mine."
Sosuke glanced at him, purple irises blazing with a star-shaped glow. "I think I understand them now. It's not just perception — it gives me the best possible move in any situation. All I have to do is analyze the field, and the path forward becomes clear."
A rhythmic sound echoed down the corridor. Footsteps. Steady. Relentless.
"She's still alive," Ryoma muttered.
"Of course she is." Sosuke grit his teeth. "But there's one thing I know for sure — at the end of this corridor, there's another room."
They reached a pair of massive stone doors and shoved them open. The chamber beyond was vast, dimly lit, and silent. Intricate patterns snaked across the floor, puzzles etched into the stone.
"Doesn't look like a battleground," Ryoma said, eyes scanning the unfamiliar symbols.
Sosuke pushed him forward. "We'll make do."
Guinevere burst through the doors moments later, her face twisted in fury. "Where are you?!" Her voice echoed through the chamber. "I'm not done with you yet, Young Sword Saint!"
She took a step forward — and froze. Her body locked in place, as if invisible chains bound her legs.
"What... the hell?" she growled.
Sosuke, half-carrying Ryoma, turned back with a smirk. "Astoria doesn't know anything about this labyrinth, do they? You all just assumed it was dangerous." His eyes glimmered, the star-shaped pupils faintly glowing. "But my eyes? They show me the path forward. Every trap, every trigger, every step you shouldn't take. You'll be stuck there for a while."
He turned toward the next set of doors, Ryoma leaning heavily on his shoulder.
"You—!" Guinevere roared, struggling against the invisible bonds. "I *hate* you!"
Sosuke glanced back one last time, eyes cold. "Get in line."