While Loidon was helping James steady himself, Orane drifted closer to Leo. Her steps were hesitant at first, soft against the living ground of the maze. Leo walked ahead in silence, Thorn resting on his shoulder, his posture relaxed but his eyes scanning the ever-moving plant walls.
It didn't take long for Orane's curiosity to overflow.
"Mr. Leo… how long have you been here?" she asked, her voice quiet but edged with concern.
Leo didn't look at her at first. "About two years," he answered with the ease of someone mentioning the weather, not imprisonment inside a nightmare realm.
Orane's brows rose. "Two years? And have you seen anyone else here before us? Anyone who survived?"
"You're the first group I've met," Leo replied. "This place is massive, constantly shifting. There could be others, but most people die within hours, if not minutes."
Orane bit her lower lip, the reality settling heavily in her chest. "We would have been the same… if you hadn't shown up." A small, grateful smile warmed her features as she looked at him.
Leo's expression tightened, the corner of his mouth lowering. "I wasn't able to save all of you," he said quietly. "That monster is stronger than me."
Orane stopped mid-step. "Is…? It's still alive?"
"She was able to control your friend after the fight," Leo said, eyes straight ahead. "That means she survived."
Orane blinked. "She? You know it's a she?"
"Her voice," Leo answered simply. "In James's mind. It sounded like a woman's voice, so I made a guess."
That thought unsettled her even more. She fell silent for several minutes, listening to the soft rustling and creaking of the plant walls scraping against each other as the maze shifted. Their footsteps echoed faintly, the air thick with the scent of damp leaves and sap.
Eventually, she gathered enough courage to ask again.
"What about… a way out of this place?"
Leo finally looked at her, his expression flat but not unkind. "Well," he said, "I'm still here, right?"
Orane's face flushed. "Sorry… that was a dumb question."
Leo didn't comment, simply kept walking. Embarrassed, she fell into silence and forced herself not to speak again until much later, until they encountered the next large monster and after Leo defeated it, they carved out enough time and safety to rest for a few hours.
During that rest, Leo finally spoke more freely. He sat with them and, in a steady tone, explained everything he'd learned about the living maze.
…
As they walked through the living corridors of the maze, the walls of woven, vein-lined plants breathing faintly beside them, James suddenly halted mid-step. His head tilted, brows tightening, every muscle going still.
"Did you guys hear that?" he whispered, his voice low and alert.
Loidon turned, confused. "Hear what?"
James closed his eyes, focusing so intensely that even his burned, still-tender arm trembled slightly. "People. Talking. Multiple voices… far, but not too far."
Leo immediately stopped. He shut his eyes as well and listened, but all he could hear was the faint rustling of the maze. No voices.
He opened his eyes and activated his dual vision. His pupils sharpened, the maze's threads of life-force becoming clear, but after only a short distance, the living walls blocked everything else. Not even his enhanced sight could pierce through their dense, shifting layers.
"Are you certain?" Leo asked quietly.
James answered without hesitation. "I never doubt my ears."
Orane looked to Leo, anxious. "What should we do, Mr. Leo?"
Leo didn't respond with words. Instead, he lifted his hand and released a creation sphere. The translucent orb formed instantly, then expanded outward at an incredible speed, racing through the darkness, slipping into the cracks of the maze like liquid light.
A moment later, Leo's eyes widened. He could feel them, multiple life signatures, huddled close together not too far from their current position.
Before any of them could speak, the creation spell activated.
Space twisted. All four of them vanished then reappeared in the blink of an eye inside another corridor, one connected directly to a wide, open clearing.
Even from here, the torchlight ahead glowed warm and steady. Two guards stood at the far end of the passage, spears planted firmly in the ground. And behind them, clearly visible even through the maze's dim, pulsing atmosphere, was something none of them expected to see in this nightmare place.
A village. Small, fortified and alive. Slowly, they walked toward the village.
Leo kept his guard raised the entire time, eyes half narrowed, senses opened wide. Every few steps he sent out a small pulse of mana, a thin sweep of Watcher's Bane and Illusion gliding over roots, walls, and shadows. The Maze's living corridors normally warped vision and muffled sound, but here… here everything felt strangely normal. Too normal.
Ahead, the villagers had already noticed them.
Shapes moved between the plant-woven huts, men, women, even children gathering around a central square. Whispering. Pointing. Some pale with fear, others gripping makeshift weapons as if preparing for a siege.
At the entrance, the two guards tightened their grip on their spears. Their eyes darted between Leo's group, four intruders emerging from the dark labyrinth, and the village behind them. Though their arms trembled slightly, their stance was firm. They were trying to hold the line.
Just as Leo and the others walked within a few meters of the guards, another group stepped forward, five figures, clearly the true strength of the settlement.
The one in front was an old man with a long white beard, hair drifting like silk threads. His presence alone seemed to calm those behind him, though age had carved deep lines across his face.
To his right stood a human woman, tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakably a warrior. Her skin carried a warm brown tone, her features striking even beneath the stress of the moment. A short cut of black hair framed large, sharp brown eyes that flicked between Leo's group. The massive greatsword strapped to her back spoke louder than any introduction.
Beside her stood a man who seemed carved from the pages of a legend, a scholar-warrior in perfect balance. His sharply defined features were softened only by a contemplative calm. A neatly kept beard framed lips that looked more suited to reciting ancient passages than issuing war cries. His gray-green eyes held a distant depth, as though half his mind still lingered in one of the countless tomes he carried.
His mantle, a sweeping fall of black and pale ivory, hung over his shoulders in elegant layers, caught at the collar by twin golden clasps shaped like celestial sigils. Beneath it, practical traveling leathers hugged his form, worn by long miles. At his belt rested a heavy metal-bound tome and a glass orb swirling with muted alchemical light, clear marks of a man who wielded both knowledge and magic as weapons.
On the elder's left stood another man, wrapped in storm-dark cloth like a fragment of night given shape. His presence felt heavier than the others not in size, but in weight of experience. Deep brown skin contrasted with the faint violet glow blooming across his palm. His eyes, sharp and quietly intense, watched Leo not with fear, but calculation.
Layered armor of blackened steel protected his shoulders and arms, each plate etched with faint silver runes that pulsed like sleeping magic waking at the edges of awareness. A dark turban framed his features, giving him the air of a desert-born battlemage who had walked further, and survived more, than most men ever would. At his waist hung ornate metal plates and the curved hilt of a time-worn blade. The violet energy swirling at his fingertips was not a threat, but a warning, he was ready.
On his left stood a woman who looked as though she had stepped out of dawnlight itself, her presence bright even against the maze's dim corridors. A silver circlet framed her face, half-veiling eyes filled with quiet resolve. Her hair flowed around her shoulders like pale gold silk, catching the faint glow of the plants that formed the maze walls.
Her armor was crafted with almost celestial care, polished silver shaped to her form, covered in soft, flowing engravings that shimmered like starlight. On her neck hung a blue crystal pendant, pulsing with a steady, soothing power. Light, airy fabric wrapped her legs and drifted with every motion, held in place by golden clasps that spoke of both grace and readiness for battle. In each hand she held a slender blade, their edges glowing faintly.
"Who are you? State your business," the big warrior girl demanded, stepping forward.
"A group trying to survive," Leo replied, voice calm and steady.
The girl frowned and leaned toward the elder. "Elder, no one has ever reached us on their own. They could be shapeshifting monsters."
"I can say the same for you," Leo answered without raising his voice.
"What?" the warrior barked, anger flashing in her eyes.
Leo glanced at each of them, taking in their clean armor and ornate gear. "All these fancy clothes in a cursed place like this. Makes anyone suspicious."
"After years trapped here, you learn a thing or two," the scholar-like man said with a polite smile.
"And you?" the dark-clothed battlemage asked. "How did you survive this long?"
"I killed anything that came before me," Leo said simply.
"That's impossible. There are near–S-rank monsters in these mazes. Only Teacher can stand against them," the warrior girl snapped.
Teacher? Leo wondered. Who are they talking about? None of them feel that strong…
He lifted his hand toward the warrior girl. "Then do you want to test it?"
Her expression twisted with anger, and her hand moved toward her greatsword, only for the elder to raise his hand, stopping her in an instant.
"I agree with him," the elder said. "There's no better way to know whether you're demons or not than by fighting. But we'll do this properly."
He glanced at his group, and they all nodded. The scholar opened his tome, murmured an incantation, and a barrier of transparent blue magic rose around them, forming a circular arena.
"Only two will fight," the elder declared. "Everyone else waits outside."
Leo nodded. "Fine by me."
From Leo's side, Orane, Loidon, and James stepped out of the barrier. On the opposite side, the tall warrior girl remained in the arena while the others retreated.
As the scholar passed her, he whispered, "Be careful not to kill him."
"I know," she replied.
The moment the elder signaled the start, the warrior girl lunged. Her greatsword swung in a violent arc, only to halt abruptly against Leo's wrist.
He didn't dodge. He didn't use an illusion. He simply raised his arm and let the metal strike the bracelet on his wrist.
"B-plus. Maybe A-minus," he murmured to himself.
The girl froze in disbelief, eyes wide. The others watching were just as stunned.
Only Leo's own group smiled quietly.
She recovered quickly and prepared to attack again, but Leo stepped in first. His kick sank deep into her stomach and sent her skidding across the arena like a rag doll. She hit the ground hard, coughing and clutching her abdomen.
She tried to rise, but the other woman stepped into the arena and placed a steady hand on her shoulder.
"Leave this to me."
"But sister—"
The woman gave her a calm smile, and the warrior girl reluctantly stepped back.
The new challenger fixed her gaze on Leo, a faint smile on her lips. Then her twin blades ignited with a soft white glow, brightening with every heartbeat.
In a flash she moved, ten times faster than her so called sister. Her strike met Leo's Thorn mid-air, the impact so sharp and forceful that the ground beneath them shuddered.
Leo didn't move an inch. Her blade, wreathed in white light, pressed hard against Thorn. Sparks of energy crackled between the two weapons. The ground beneath their feet cracked in a thin spiderweb pattern, dust lifting from the impact.
She stepped in deeper, pouring more strength into the strike. Her eyes were sharp, focused in a way that showed she had fought real battles, not training-room exercises.
Leo's brow lifted slightly. "You're stronger than her. A-rank for sure."
Her smile widened. "Good. Then don't hold back."
She twisted her swords, and the second blade slashed for his ribs. Leo shifted just a fraction, letting the strike carve through air. With two clean motions he pushed her back, forcing distance.
The villagers murmured behind the barrier. Even the scholar had leaned forward, book half-closed in his grip.
The girl advanced again, her twin blades moving like streaks of light. Each strike carried precision, nothing wild, nothing wasted. She was fast enough that Orane and Loidon could barely follow her movements.
But Leo kept blocking her like he had all the time in the world.
Then, in one sudden burst, she feinted left and spun behind him, coming in low for a sweep aimed at his legs.
Leo planted his foot and let her blade slide across his shin guard with a metallic scrape.
He grabbed her wrist before she could complete the motion, and with just a pull of his arm he lifted her off the ground and tossed her a few meters back.
She flipped mid-air and landed smoothly, hair swaying back into place. There was no anger or frustration in her face. Just excitement.
"You really are something," she said, tightening her grip on her swords. "Not a monster. A real fighter."
Leo tilted his head. "Does that mean you're satisfied?"
"Not yet."
White light surged around her again, brighter this time, focused fully into her blades.
Outside the barrier, the elder finally spoke, voice firm.
"That's enough, Child of Dawn."
She froze, blades still glowing. Slowly, reluctantly, she lowered them.
"But Elder—"
"He passed," the elder said simply. "Quite easily."
The blue barrier dissolved into falling motes of magic.
Leo lowered Thorn and stepped out of the circle. His group immediately joined him.
The warrior girl, the first one, was staring in disbelief. The scholar man scratched his cheek awkwardly. The shadow-clad battlemage only nodded once, measuring Leo with a new seriousness.
The Dawn girl sheathed her swords and walked toward Leo with a gentle bow of her head.
"We welcome you to Haven Village," she said. "All of you."
Leo only nodded back and together they walked into the village.