As the violet ripple pulsed before them, Alistair (AL-iss-ter) saw his chance to be the hero. He lunged forward, eager to be the first to breathe the mana-rich air, but Galya (GAHL-yah) effortlessly stepped in his path. She held up one slender, pale hand, her emerald eyes sparking with amusement.
"Ladies first," she said, her voice smooth and cold.
Alistair (AL-iss-ter) stopped instantly. He didn't look annoyed; instead, he swept into a deep, dramatic bow like a true gentleman. "My apologies, Lady Galya. After you."
The other two boys, seeing the chance to be charming, turned to Amala (ah-MAH-lah). They stepped aside, gesturing toward the gate. "My lady," they whispered in unison, grinning as they offered her the way forward. Amala (ah-MAH-lah) tucked a glowing strand of her saffron hair behind her ear and stepped through, followed by the rest.
The transition was seamless—like walking from one room to another. They were now standing in a cool, limestone-scented hallway.
When the team first stepped through the violet ripple, the gate behind them glowing threw a harsh, violet light deep into the tunnel, allowing them to see the jagged rock floor as they began to walk.
However, as they moved further away from the entrance, the violet glow began to fade.With every step they took into the passage, the light from the entrance grew weaker. The shadows stretched longer and longer. They walked slowly, their hands out to feel the cold, damp stone of the walls.
Galya (GAHL-yah) led the way in silence, her silver hair barely visible as the shadows swallowed the group Amala walked closely between Galya and Jim. As they moved deeper into the cave, the gate's light died away, but a soft, golden shimmer began to leak from under the edges of Amala's hat. It was just enough for Jim and Galya to see the jagged floor, but the boys behind them weren't so lucky until, quite suddenly, the group was plunged into total pitch-blackness.The darkness became thick and absolute.
Thud.
"Ow! Watch where you're going!" Alistair (AL-iss-ter) yelped.
"I can't see anything! You just stopped!" Izêm (ee-ZEM) grunted. He had walked straight into Alistair's (AL-iss-ter) back, nearly knocking them both over in the pitch black.
We can't move like this."
The group came to a halt. Jim (JIM) turned his head toward where Amala (ah-MAH-lah) was standing. Looking at the soft glow coming from Amala's head. "Amala? Is that light coming from your hat?
Amala paused, her hands hovering over the brim of her hat. "I... I was always embarrassed by it," she admitted, her voice echoing in the dark. "I felt like a giant lantern walking around. But... if it helps everyone..."
She slowly lifted the hat. As the darkness became absolute, her hair responded. The heavy, nested strings of saffron flowers ignited with a brilliant, warm golden light. Instantly, the darkness shattered. warm golden light. The glow radiated from every petal, illuminated the entire cave.
"Whoa," Jim whispered. "What do you call that?"
"Sun-Drop Glow," she replied, a small, happy smile finally appearing on her face now that she saw her light was helping.
"Much better," Izêm (ee-ZEM) muttered, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the golden radiance.
Galya (GAHL-yah), who had been standing perfectly still in the dark without hitting a single thing, looked back at them. "Now that you can see your own feet, try to use them. We have a Labyrinth to clear."
As they began to walk again, the light from Amala's (ah-MAH-lah) hair revealed the long, winding path. Izêm (ee-ZEM) looked at the twisting stone and said, "This is a big maze."
"It's a Labyrinth," Jim (JIM) corrected him. "A maze has multiple ways to get lost, but a Labyrinth only has one true way to the center. The catch is, you have to kill the Boss Monster for the exit to appear."
Amala (ah-MAH-lah) looked at him as they walked. "What about the one in Heavenport? Is that a Labyrinth too?"
"You mean the Dungeon?" Alistair (AL-iss-ter) interjected. "That's something else entirely. That makes three types of gates we know."
"Actually," Jim (JIM) said, his voice echoing, "a Dungeon doesn't have a gate. The surface is called Level Zero, and you just walk in. Once you're inside, you use teleportation circles to go to different levels. We saw that on our trip last year."
"And I am sure there is more," Izêm (ee-ZEM) added. "We studied five types in total."
"Right," Jim (JIM) agreed. "There are Domains, where a monster controls the mana and everything you see. There are Rifts, which are pieces of another world cut out and put into ours. And wormholes, which take you from one location to another."
Suddenly, Galya (GAHL-yah) stopped. the single path suddenly shattered into a dozen different directions. The wall was like a honeycomb of dark openings.
"If it's one way, why are there four tunnels?" Izêm (ee-ZEM) asked.
Alistair (AL-iss-ter) laughed. "Looks like you were wrong, Jim (JIM)!"
Galya (GAHL-yah) spoke coldly. "He isn't wrong. If every tunnel leads to the same monster, it is still a Labyrinth. It is just a choice of how we arrive."
"This is a mess," Izêm said, pointing to a tunnel dripping with water. "The damp one must lead to the center. Logic says monsters love the cold."
"No," Jim argued, pointing to a narrow, jagged crack. "The smallest path is always a trick. The real way is usually hidden!"
"Forget that!" Alistair shouted, gesturing to a high, arched tunnel. "The hero's path is always the grandest one. We go through the big arch!"
Amala looked at a small, unremarkable tunnel near the floor. "Maybe it's the one that smells like flowers?" she suggested, but the boys were too busy arguing to hear her.
Galya watched them bicker for a moment before stepping forward. "Enough," she said, her voice cutting through the noise.
She raised her hand and used her skill: "Sylph's Breath" (SILL-fs BRETH). A pulse of air shot into every single opening. She closed her eyes and she listened to the vibrations back from the depths .
Without a word, she turned away from the wet tunnel, the narrow crack, and the grand arch. She pointed to a tunnel tucked far to the side that no one had even noticed.
"This way, she commanded. As they stepped toward the dark mouth of the cave, she paused and looked back at them. "And remember: I am only here to watch. From this step forward, I will not interfere in your battles. Unless you are about to die, the Labyrinth is yours to conquer alone."
The boys went silent, the weight of her words sinking in. As they followed the golden light of Amala's hair into the new tunnel.