I pushed open the door and entered the next room.
It was a vast circular arena, bathed in a harsh, white light. The walls were smooth, without a single imperfection.
The other candidates were already there. All ten of them. They looked a little shaken, pale. They must have faced their own demons in the labyrinth. Some looked at me with a newfound glimmer of respect. Others, like Yoo-Na, with even more hatred.
The director's voice echoed through the arena, coming from nowhere.
"Congratulations on surviving the first trial. Eleven entered. Eleven succeeded. That is a record."
His voice grew harder.
"Second trial: The Judgment of the Guardian."
The floor in the center of the arena began to open. A huge platform rose up, and on that platform stood a creature.
