The stairway dissolved behind them the moment their feet touched solid earth.
Not stone.
Soil.
It felt wrong. After the steel of Island One and the crumbling echoes of Greyhold, this island breathed with wildness. The air was humid, thick with the scent of moss and something else—something ancient.
Above them, a jungle canopy stretched like a cathedral roof, vines spiraling around trees that pulsed faintly with bioluminescent veins. Leaves shimmered in the wind, even when there wasn't any. Roots broke through stone paths in jagged waves, making the ground feel alive.
Island Three—Verdant Labyrinth.
Caesar narrowed his eyes, already on edge.
"This place is watching us."
Jack's voice was low. "I think it is. And I think it remembers."
Leo squinted at a massive stone pillar covered in vines. Etched into it were names. Hundreds of names—scratched, carved, painted in blood.
Some were crossed out.
Caesar stepped closer. One of the names shimmered faintly.
> CAESAR.
Not scratched in. Grown into the bark.
Jack swore. "How the hell—"
A whisper, barely audible, passed through the trees: "All who enter are marked."
They drew their decks instinctively.
---
The Forest's First Trial
A low growl echoed from deep in the underbrush.
Something moved—fast.
A beast emerged from the brush, not fully animal, not fully human. Its body was covered in bark-like armor, its eyes glowing green. It had no mouth.
Instead, branches protruded where a jaw should be, cracking open and closed like insect mandibles.
A card appeared above its head:
> Card: Forestbound Alpha
Ability: Camouflage Phase – Only visible when moving or when struck.
Weakness: Fire-based synergy. Vulnerable during regeneration.
Leo grinned. "Time for a fight I can see."
He dashed forward, activating his card Inferno Fang, slashing with a blade wreathed in flames.
But the beast vanished before impact.
"Camouflage Phase!" Caesar barked. "Move, now!"
Jack dropped Sound Pulse Trap, a card they hadn't used since Island One. The forest floor rang with echo pulses, and the beast reappeared mid-lunge.
Caesar struck with Anchor Bind—a card that used summoned chains of gravity to root an enemy to the earth. It latched onto the beast's limbs, holding it in place.
Leo's blade found its mark. The beast let out a silent shriek before crumbling into ash and roots.
A card floated in its place.
> Card Acquired: "Sylvan Blood"
When active in a forested environment, gain passive regeneration and increased detection radius.
Jack picked it up. "This one's going to be useful."
They didn't speak it aloud, but each of them felt it: the forest wasn't just alive—it was aware. And it had noticed them now.
---
The Green Path
As they moved deeper, the jungle began to shift.
Paths closed behind them. Trees rearranged. Time lost consistency—sometimes the sun would flash through the trees like a strobe, other times it was dark for minutes at a time.
They encountered other inmates.
Some had gone feral, their minds eroded by the forest. Others formed groups—small tribes of survivors, using "Naturebound" cards. One woman called herself Kira of the Thornroot. She warned them of the island's two rules:
1. The Labyrinth moves with memory.
2. The Watcher sees all lies.
Caesar asked her what that meant.
She only smiled and disappeared into the leaves.
Later, they found her name carved onto a tree. It was crossed out.
---
Trial of the Vine Warden
The deeper they went, the more twisted the forest became. Vines pulsed like veins. Flowers opened and hissed when approached. The team began to feel watched—not just by the forest, but something within it.
Then they came to a glade.
At its center was a tree like none they had ever seen. Black bark. Golden leaves. A single figure knelt before it—half-buried in roots, as if the tree was feeding off him.
The figure looked up.
It was a man—barely alive, eyes glowing green.
"My name," he rasped, "was Orion. I failed the trial. I lied… to myself."
Roots tightened around his limbs.
"I was told I could leave if I reached the Heart Tree… but I couldn't admit… why I wanted to."
A card pulsed in the air above him.
> Trial Begins: The Vine Warden
To pass, each participant must face a root-truth—a buried belief. Lie, and the forest binds you forever.
Roots slithered forward and wrapped around their legs.
One by one, hallucinations took hold.
---
Caesar's Truth
He stood before a younger version of himself.
The boy looked up with sharp, intelligent eyes—eyes full of certainty and ambition.
"You were going to be someone important," the boy said. "You were supposed to change everything. Lead. Uplift."
Caesar said nothing.
"But you got scared. You let others steer you. You let the world happen to you. And now you're here."
A card hovered between them:
> Say why you still deserve freedom.
Caesar's voice trembled. "Because… I chose to keep going. Even when I wanted to vanish. I still care. I still protect them. That's all I have."
The hallucination smiled—and vanished.
---
Leo's Truth
He saw his brother.
Not real—but real enough.
"Why didn't you save me?" the boy asked.
Leo collapsed to his knees. "I tried—God, I tried—"
"You didn't trust yourself."
Leo sobbed. "I still don't."
The boy placed a hand on his head. "Then start with trusting them."
Leo whispered, "I will."
Truth accepted. Vision faded.
---
Jack's Truth
He stood in a void.
There was no one there.
No memories. No voices. Just emptiness.
A voice asked: "What are you without secrets?"
Jack answered: "Just a boy who wants to belong."
The void released him.
---
Awakening
They returned to the glade. The roots around them slithered back.
The man—Orion—was gone. In his place, a new tree had grown. It bore three glowing fruit. Each fruit pulsed with energy.
> Card Evolution Unlocked
Caesar's new card: "Voice of the Unseen"
Reveals hidden motives of any target during conflict. Can disrupt synergy cards based on deception.
Leo's new card: "Brother's Wrath"
Once per battle, if an ally falls, unleash a firestorm fueled by stored pain. The more suppressed, the stronger it is.
Jack's new card: "Empty Echo"
Nullifies one opponent's card effect per turn. If used silently, can reflect the effect back once per cycle.
They stepped back from the tree, stronger, wiser—but shaken.
Jack broke the silence. "That was… different."
Leo muttered, "I never want to see that place again."
Caesar didn't respond.
The trees began to part ahead of them, revealing a mountain at the center of the island.
The next trial awaited.
---
The Heart of the Labyrinth
As they neared the mountain, the forest thinned—but the tension thickened.
The trees whispered again.
"Two paths. One reveals the way. The other, your end."
A fork lay ahead.
No signs. No clues.
Caesar studied the paths. Both identical.
Leo growled. "We have to guess?"
Jack shook his head. "No. We have to trust. That's been the theme of this island."
Caesar turned to his deck—and pulled the new card.
> Voice of the Unseen.
He activated it—and saw the path to the left shimmer briefly, a flicker of hidden chains buried in the soil.
"The right one," he said.
They walked.
No traps. No illusions.
Just wind, the sound of leaves—and above them, the mountaintop.
---
End of Chapter 12