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Chapter 38 - Chapter 37 The Grand Maze

"What the—" I looked down.

My hands were disappearing. Skin, bone, blood—evaporating like dust in the wind. Beside me, Rona and Isaac were undergoing the same strange transformation.

"Teleportation?" Isaac mused, as if he were inspecting a piece of faulty tech. "It's already been invented? Hmm… I wonder what the mechanism behind it is."

Not a hint of panic. His body crumbling, and he treated it like a science problem.

"Rona is fading? Oo~ Body feels tingly!" Rona giggled, enjoying the sensation like a kid on a roller coaster.

I turned. The other children—less fortunate—screamed. Some pounded on the central pillar, desperate to break the unseen system pulling us apart. A few just collapsed, empty-eyed, already broken.

My first thought?

'This is going to be hell.'

Whoosh.

We vanished—leaving the dungeon behind.

[The Grand Maze]

When I opened my eyes, I was already overwhelmed.

A towering steel pillar loomed above us—impossibly tall, like it scraped the ceiling of the world.

"Holy crap. That's freaking tall," I muttered.

"We shrunk?" Rona asked, eyes sparkling. "Big food!" she cheered.

A massive floating blue screen materialized with a cheerful, mocking smiley face. Around it, smaller screens flickered to life, each one displaying cheering audiences. Not just cheering—howling. Clapping. Barking like wolves thirsting for blood.

[Ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thank you for coming. I am Mr. James, your host for this lovely evening.]

The voice oozed charisma and cruelty.

[Looking at you all here, I know many of you are eager for the game to start. Therefore, let's wait no further as I humbly present to you... the last game of the main event of the year—The Grand Maze!]

The crowd erupted. Compared to the first game, this was a stadium filled to the brim—more spectators, more excitement, more madness. And none of it was for us. The cheering wasn't for the kids standing on this platform.

They were screaming for something deep inside the maze.

[Before we begin, I would like to announce something important. Today is a special day—The Day of the Valley. The day our ancestors built the Valley from scratch. Their sacrifices shall be remembered. Let us all pray in honor of their courage.]

The crowd fell silent instantly.

Even the wind stopped moving.

"No wonder he's so prideful. Everyone shuts up the moment he talks," Isaac muttered beside me.

I nodded. "Yeah… He's got them in the palm of his hand."

After what felt like a ritual more than a tribute, Mr. James continued:

[Now… since this is the first time we've held the main event on the Day of the Valley, we decided to tweak the Grand Maze a little—to make it more exciting. Previously, our little bunnies would just hop along, but this time… they'll have some company.]

"Blood! Blood! Blood!" the crowd screamed, thundering the words until the ground trembled.

[That's right. More blood shall be shed, more screams shall be heard, and most important of all… more euphoria for all!]

They were eating it up. We were trembling in it.

I grabbed Isaac's arm, whispering, "Oui… this might really be our last ride."

[For those who don't know how the maze game works, allow me to demonstrate.]

Creak.

A door behind us groaned open.

Two small, cute brown dogs trotted out, tails wagging. "Arf!" they barked.

Some kids around us melted. "Awwww~" they cooed, forgetting where they were.

Rona tilted her head, clearly unimpressed.

Isaac leaned towards me. "Rona doesn't like dogs?" 

"Maybe."

The dogs wagged their tails, then looked up—mouths unhinging like machines. Rows upon rows of serrated fangs shimmered with saliva.

I backed away. "Knew it. There's something wrong with those dogs. Nothing here is ever cute without a price."

"Cute doggies!" Rona still cheered.

Isaac stared at her, stunned. "Before they opened their mouths, you had no reaction. And now they're cute?"

The dogs strutted into the maze, tails wagging.

On the floating screen, we saw the world through surveillance eyes—watching as they entered… a mirror maze.

"Mirrors?" I asked, squinting.

"Mirror maze," Isaac confirmed. "No wonder your Master warned you about being blind."

"Oui... a maze is bad enough—but mirrors? Who the hell designed this crap?!"

As the dogs navigated, the tension spiked. My skin prickled. Something was off.

Then it happened.

Crunch.

A shadow lunged from the mirrors. The screen didn't censor a thing.

"Crunch. Crunch. Crunch."

It devoured them like they were snacks—fur, bone, flesh. The sound echoed louder than it should've.

Children screamed. Some cried. Others couldn't look away.

But I—I didn't blink.

I watched as blood painted the mirrors. The monster's face emerged from the carnage. Guts slithered out of its jaw like wet ropes. Its eyes gleamed with human hunger.

I didn't look away. I couldn't.

"Llyne? Llyne." Isaac's voice cut through the trance. He shook me. "You okay?"

I blinked. "Huh? Oh… yeah. Just… this place messes with your head, huh?"

I laughed. It was hollow.

"Tell me about it," he muttered. "Was that a chimera? I didn't know they existed. And it passed through the mirrors like it wasn't even there..."

My head buzzed. "B-But… do we really need to go into the—"

"Maze," he finished for me. "Yeah. That's the only way to win."

[My, oh my~ Looks like I couldn't finish the demo. What a pity! But worry not, my bunnies and dear audience. Let me explain. The objective is simple: reach the centre of the maze.]

[However, monsters like the one you just saw will be waiting. And once you reach the centre, a guardian will challenge you. Pass the guardian and climb the ladder to proceed to the next level.]

"What?! There's more than one level?" someone screamed.

Dogs can't climb ladders…

I sweated.

[Indeed! The Grand Maze now has a total of five levels. And with each level, the difficulty will increase. Complete all five, and hit the red buzzer at the top… and you will be granted any wish you desire.]

The kids froze. The moment 'wish' was mentioned, the atmosphere twisted.

Their eyes sharpened. No longer allies. Predators.

This just got dangerous…

[Ah, and the rules~ Each bunny must travel in pairs.]

WHOOSH.

Before I could react, a force split us all apart.

I landed with a screech and blinked. Someone was right beside me.

A little girl. Pale. Long black hair covering her face. Clutching a teddy bear. Her nails were bitten to the skin. She peeked at me—then shrieked.

"Eeek!"

I recoiled. "What the—"

I glanced around. Rona was with the boy with bloodshot eyes. Isaac stood beside a brown-haired boy who looked like he just woke up from a bad nap.

Mr. James's voice boomed again.

[And if one of you loses your pair… there will be punishment.]

I turned back to the girl. She muttered softly, voice trembling.

"Die… all… hopeless."

I knelt down and offered my hand. "Hi. I'm Llyne. What's your name?"

She looked up, teary-eyed. I smiled.

And she screamed again.

"We're all going to die! We won't make it! We'll be stuck here forever! The monsters will eat us! Our blood will splatter, our guts will hang out—just like those dogs—just like those dogs—"

She rambled endlessly.

I took a step back.

"…Before the monsters eat us, I'll probably die from your negativity," I mumbled.

And just like that, the game had begun.

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