Kieran wiped the blood from his side, ignoring the sharp sting as he pressed forward through the twisting corridors of the labyrinth. The first floor of the Tower of Ascension had revealed its cruelty immediately—this wasn't a simple test. It was a warzone where only the most ruthless, the most cunning, and the most prepared would survive.
Beside him, Selene walked with effortless grace, her dagger twirling between her fingers as if the danger surrounding them was little more than an amusing game.
"How's the wound?" she asked, her voice casual.
"Still bleeding," Kieran muttered.
She glanced at him, eyes sharp as ever. "You should take care of it. The last thing we need is for you to drop dead from blood loss before we even reach the second floor."
Kieran sighed. "I'll manage."
He was lying, of course. His side hurt like hell. The wound left by that shadow creature wasn't just deep—it burned, an unnatural, searing pain that refused to fade.
It wasn't just a normal injury.
Whatever that thing had been, it left a mark.
Something was lingering beneath his skin.
Something dark.
Selene studied him for a moment, then shrugged. "Your problem."
And just like that, she pressed forward, moving through the labyrinth like a predator on the hunt.
Kieran exhaled, following after her.
They had 24 hours to find the exit.
And judging by the screams echoing through the distance, the Tower wasn't going to make it easy.
---
A World of Shadows
The labyrinth was massive.
Stone corridors stretched endlessly in all directions, twisting and turning without pattern. The walls were ancient, covered in strange markings that pulsed faintly with an eerie blue light. Some passages led to dead ends. Others branched into even darker places, where the air was thick with an unnatural, hungry silence.
It wasn't just a maze.
It was alive.
Kieran could feel it.
Something about this place was watching them.
Judging them.
And waiting.
Selene must have felt it too because she suddenly stopped, tilting her head as if listening.
Kieran froze. "What is it?"
Selene didn't answer. Instead, she reached out and touched the wall.
A soft vibration ran through the stone.
Then—
The markings shifted.
The walls trembled.
And before Kieran could react—
The entire labyrinth began to change.
---
The Shifting Maze
A deep, guttural grinding sound filled the air as the very structure of the labyrinth moved.
Walls collapsed.
New paths formed out of nowhere.
The corridors they had just walked through vanished, swallowed by the shifting stone.
Kieran barely managed to keep his balance as the ground trembled beneath him.
Selene took a step back, watching with narrowed eyes. "So that's how it is…"
Kieran clenched his fists. "The maze isn't fixed. It keeps changing."
"Exactly."
A new notification appeared in the air before them.
[Labyrinth of Shadows: Stage Two]
The Maze shifts every hour.
All previous paths are erased.
Failure to keep moving = Certain Death.
Kieran exhaled sharply. "Great. Just great."
Selene smirked. "I hope you weren't planning on taking a break."
Kieran shook his head.
Rest?
In this nightmare?
Not a chance.
---
The Hunters in the Dark
They moved quickly, navigating the ever-changing maze with every sense on high alert.
The deeper they went, the more the darkness thickened.
And with the darkness—came the creatures.
The first one attacked silently.
A shape lurking in the shadows.
Kieran barely had time to register the movement before it struck—a blur of inky black claws lunging straight for his throat.
He reacted on instinct.
Abyssal Threads.
His power surged to life, shadows snapping outward like living chains—catching the creature mid-air.
For the first time, Kieran got a good look at what they were fighting.
It wasn't just a monster.
It was something worse.
A Shade.
Tall, thin, and featureless, its entire body was made of writhing shadows, shifting and pulsing like a living nightmare. Its elongated arms ended in razor-sharp claws, and though it had no eyes, Kieran could feel it staring straight into his soul.
Then—
It screamed.
The sound was wrong—a fractured, inhuman wail that sent ice through Kieran's veins.
The Shade twisted violently, its body morphing around his Threads.
Kieran cursed. "It's adapting—"
Selene didn't wait.
A dagger flashed.
Silver steel cut through the air—severing the creature's neck in one clean motion.
For a second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The Shade dissolved, melting into the darkness as if it had never existed.
Selene flicked the blood off her dagger, unimpressed. "They're faster than I expected."
Kieran exhaled. "And they can counter abilities. That's bad."
Selene nodded. "They're not just monsters. They're hunters."
Kieran's stomach twisted.
That meant one thing—
They weren't just prey.
They were being tested.
---
The Realization
Kieran and Selene moved faster after that.
The deeper they went, the more Shades they encountered.
Some they fought.
Others—they avoided.
But the more they saw, the more one thing became clear.
The Shades weren't random.
They were organized.
They stalked them from the edges of the darkness.
They waited when they moved too quickly.
They attacked when they hesitated.
They were intelligent.
Selene noticed it too. "They're driving us somewhere," she muttered. "Forcing us deeper into the maze."
Kieran's fists tightened. "Why?"
She gave him a sharp look. "Isn't it obvious?"
Then—
A new notification flashed before their eyes.
[The Labyrinth of Shadows: Final Trial Activated.]
The Boss of the First Floor Awakens.
All remaining Participants must face it.
Kieran barely had time to process the words before the ground trembled.
A sound ripped through the air.
A howl.
Deep. Ancient.
And filled with pure, unrelenting hunger.
Kieran's breath caught in his throat.
From the shadows ahead—
Something massive began to emerge.