Chapter Twenty-Six
The Rune of Returning
The labyrinth's oppressive silence returned after the stone door slammed shut behind them, black mist still curling faintly along the floor. They stood in a loose formation, weapons still drawn, breaths shallow. Kael wiped the sweat from his brow, his body heavy with exhaustion and tension. The air around them remained thick, almost oily, seeping into their clothes and armor. Every instinct screamed at him that they needed to get out — fast — before the labyrinth changed again.
Arden moved first, inspecting the walls with quick, almost feverish glances. "We can't go back the way we came," he muttered, voice clipped. "That horde is still behind the collapsed corridor. And if they find another way around—" He didn't finish. He didn't need to. The thought of facing that mass of corrupted undead again, while already battered and drained, was enough to keep everyone moving. Mara's lips tightened, and she adjusted the strap of her shield. "We find another way. Quickly."
Their steps were slower now, cautious. Every corner felt like an ambush waiting to happen. Zerai led the way without complaint, though the usual cocky spring in his step was muted. His eyes, sharp and alert, scanned every shadow. Liora and Eryndor stayed close to Arden, guarding him without a word. They all knew — without Arden's magic, their chances of survival dropped sharply. Kael kept Aethra's Sight active, grimly determined to catch any threat before it found them.
After what felt like hours weaving through narrow, sloping corridors, they entered a chamber unlike the others. The floor was a mosaic of interlocking glyphs, pulsing faintly with a dull blue light. At its center lay a raised dais, and upon it, a circular rune carved deep into the stone — intricate, old, and barely active. Arden's breath caught. He strode forward cautiously, examining the rune with wide, careful eyes. "This... this is a teleportation sigil."
Everyone froze, the weight of hope and fear falling over them simultaneously. Kael stepped up beside him, peering down at the ancient markings. "Where does it lead?" he asked, though he already suspected the answer wasn't simple. Arden shook his head grimly. "I can't be sure. It's damaged, unstable. It should return us to an upper floor. That's what it was designed for. But with the labyrinth shifting... it could send us deeper."
A thick silence followed. Mara glanced at the darkened corridors behind them, her expression strained. "Better odds than walking into the horde again," she said. Liora was less certain. "Or we end up somewhere worse. Somewhere we can't fight our way out of." Eryndor said nothing, but his grim frown spoke volumes. Zerai, lounging nearby with arms crossed, shrugged. "Sitting here's not much better. Pick your gamble."
Kael hesitated, weighing the risks. He didn't like it. None of them did. But staying here meant waiting for either the undead or the labyrinth itself to consume them. He exhaled slowly, nodding. "We take the chance." Arden pressed his lips together in a hard line, then moved to the center of the rune. His fingers traced the glyphs with expert care, whispering activation sigils under his breath. Sparks of blue energy leapt from his fingertips.
The rune flared to life, filling the room with a cold, humming light. The temperature dropped sharply. Dust rattled from the ceiling, and the stones beneath their feet seemed to grow insubstantial, half-solid. Mara instinctively grabbed Kael's arm. Liora muttered a prayer under her breath. Eryndor shifted his stance, ready to draw at the slightest threat. Only Zerai seemed unfazed, watching the magic with a tilted head and lazy interest.
Arden paused one last moment, glancing back at the group. He didn't promise them safety. He didn't assure them it would work. He only gave a tight, grim nod — a silent admission that this was their best and only chance. Deep inside, Arden swore something else entirely: if he survived this, he would study every trace of this labyrinth's magic, every thread of this broken system. He was closer now, he could feel it — closer to finding Sarya. And he would not let this trail go cold.
The rune activated fully. There was a violent tug at their bodies, like invisible hooks dragging them upward through stone and darkness. Kael closed his eyes against the disorienting pull, feeling Mara's grip tighten. Sound and color twisted into meaningless blurs. For a heartbeat, he thought he felt something brush against his mind — something cold, ancient, watching. Then the world snapped back into focus with a jarring thud.
They stumbled forward onto cold, cracked tiles — a floor they recognized. Broken pillars and crumbling walls surrounded them. A distant, familiar stairwell curved up into faint torchlight. Kael looked around quickly, heart pounding. Relief hit him like a blow to the chest. They were back. The first floor of the labyrinth. Somehow, the rune had worked. They were closer to the surface again.
Mara leaned heavily on her sword, breathing hard. Zerai clapped dust from his hands, flashing his usual reckless grin — but it didn't reach his eyes. Liora fell to one knee briefly, steadying herself. Eryndor scanned the surroundings, always alert for fresh dangers. Arden stumbled once, but caught himself against a pillar, eyes burning with the thrill of success and the weight of responsibility.
"We need to move before the labyrinth shifts again," Kael said, forcing his legs to steady. The others nodded, recovering their footing. Arden turned to study the broken walls one more time, memorizing the sigils, the way the magic had frayed around the teleport rune. He couldn't lose this knowledge. Sarya's trail, so long cold and broken, might finally have a thread leading forward.
They made their way toward the stairwell, slow but determined. Every step away from the deep levels felt lighter, but none of them dared to let their guard down. The labyrinth wasn't done with them yet. Shadows still clung to the corners, and strange whispers echoed through the broken stone. The surface might be closer — but so were new dangers.
At the base of the stairwell, they paused one last time. Kael looked up into the faint light above, feeling the tight coil of tension still wrapped around his chest. He could sense it, even now — something had been disturbed. Something ancient, something that had waited for too long. Mara stood beside him, silent and grim. Zerai spun a knife between his fingers idly, his grin sharpening. Liora and Eryndor shared a glance that needed no words.
Without speaking, they climbed the stairs, leaving the deep behind. For now.
Continue to Chapter XXVII...