Adam stood between two enormous walls of black stone, trying to work out where he had been sent. He had been standing beside Nova moments earlier, but now the only sound was a faint rumble beyond the maze.
He started walking, keeping close to one side of the passage. The walls blocked most of the view, and every corner led into another identical corridor. After several turns, he stopped and looked behind him.
Wait. Did I come from there, or the other way?
Neither passage looked familiar. Even the scratches on the stone seemed alike. He was beginning to suspect that the disorientation had something to do with the teleportation, although he had no way of knowing for sure.
"Great," he muttered. "I've been here for a few minutes, and I'm already lost."
He took a breath and tried to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help, especially when he still hadn't awakened. Nova had been clear about what to do if they were separated. They needed to find the volcano, which rose above the maze's walls and was visible whenever the passages opened enough to reveal the sky.
Adam looked up until he found its dark summit. Smoke drifted from the peak, spreading beneath the clouds. From a distance, the mountain looked strangely alive, even though nothing lived on its immense, rocky slopes. He didn't like the thought of getting closer to it, but it was the only landmark he had.
The volcano. Nova said to head toward the volcano. So that's what I'll do.
He set off again, checking the mountain at every junction. He hoped Nova was doing the same and that they would find each other soon.
* * *
Nova, meanwhile, had been running since the moment he arrived.
He turned another corner, then another, his footsteps echoing between the walls. To his surprise, his stamina held up well. Weeks of training had begun to show results. He was moving faster and longer than he could have when he first arrived on Earth.
Finally, something about this body made sense, he thought. All those mornings spent running weren't for nothing.
His satisfaction was interrupted by a scream.
It echoed through several passages behind him, unmistakably human and filled with terror. The cry stopped abruptly. Nova slowed, listening.
The tournament's rules were supposed to prevent permanent deaths. Defeated contestants would be teleported out and healed, at least according to what he understood. But that didn't mean the pain would disappear before they were taken away. Whoever had screamed had suffered enough to make Nova's stomach tighten.
Part of him felt excited at facing dangerous creatures without his divine strength. But then he thought of Adam, alone and unawakened somewhere among them.
I need to find him quickly. If one of the E-rank monsters reaches him first, he won't have much of a chance.
Nova continued running, keeping his eyes on the passages ahead. He watched for loose stones and listened for movements besides his own footsteps. A creature waiting around the next corner might tear him apart.
He turned sharply into another corridor and stopped.
A wolf stood in the middle of the passage.
At least, that was the closest thing he could compare it to. The creature was much larger than an ordinary wolf, with broad shoulders and uneven patches of black fur growing over scarred, exposed skin. Six claws extended from each paw, scraping against the stone as it adjusted its stance. Its muzzle was abnormally long, and jagged teeth protruded at angles that made its mouth look almost impossible to close.
It exhaled a wet hiss that carried the stink of rotting flesh. Its deep red eyes fixed on him as though he were already prey.
The Circle of Pillars indicated an F-rank creature. He had seen E-rank monsters from the waiting area. Encountering one now would have been worse.
Still, an F-rank monster was not harmless, especially to someone who hadn't awakened.
Nova planted his feet and watched the wolf's movements. It lowered its head, shifting its weight from side to side, while he moved slowly around it. The creature followed, keeping the distance between them almost unchanged.
Those claws are going to be a problem, he thought. If it gets hold of me, I doubt I'll walk away without losing something.
Oddly enough, he smiled.
His heart beat faster. This was the danger he had wanted to experience since deciding to reincarnate. One mistake might end his tournament, and the uncertainty thrilled him.
He cracked his knuckles.
The wolf's ears twitched. Its lips pulled back, exposing another row of uneven teeth.
Nova noticed the reaction and cracked his neck. The creature flinched again, then growled, its paws digging into the ground.
Oh? Don't you like that sound?
He flexed his shoulders and made another sharp cracking noise. The wolf became visibly agitated. It took a quick step toward him before stopping, as if struggling to decide whether to attack immediately.
Nova continued circling. While the creature focused on the sounds, he crouched slightly and picked up a pointed stone from the ground. It was heavy enough to use as a weapon, with one jagged edge that looked capable of causing serious damage if he struck the right place. He kept it low beside his leg, partly hidden from the wolf's view.
Nova cracked the fingers of his free hand once more.
That was enough.
The wolf lunged, its front paws rising as its jaws opened wide. Nova moved sideways, but only barely. One of the claws passed close enough for him to feel the air shift near his arm. He drove the pointed stone into one of its eyes.
The wolf let out a terrible howl. Blood ran down the side of its muzzle as it stumbled, striking the wall with its shoulder. Nova pulled the stone free and backed away, breathing harder now. The creature thrashed blindly for a moment, then turned its remaining eye toward him.
"Still coming?" Nova murmured.
The wolf rushed forward again, more wildly this time. Without both eyes working together, it had trouble judging his position. Nova waited until it committed to the attack, moved out of its path, and let out a short whistle.
The sound made the creature twist its head toward him. Nova stepped in and struck its other eye with the same stone.
Another howl filled the corridor. The wolf recoiled, shaking its head and scraping at the ground. Its attacks became frantic, driven by pain rather than any clear sense of where Nova stood. He stayed beyond its claws, stone still in hand.
For a moment, he considered finishing it. The creature was still dangerous, and leaving it alive meant someone else might stumble into its path. But each second he spent here was another second Adam would be moving through the maze alone. He had already lost enough time.
"Sorry, but I have somewhere to be," Nova said, glancing at the injured beast.
He turned and ran, leaving the wolf howling behind him.
* * *
The corridors changed as Nova pushed farther into the maze. The stone grew damp, and thick vines spread across the walls and disappeared into cracks underfoot. Some were wider than his arms, while smaller strands twitched against the stone.
He recognized them immediately. They were the same vines he had seen moving outside the waiting area. The volcano also looked larger now, its summit rising above the wall ahead of him. He was getting closer to the center, although that did little to reassure him.
A vine shifted when his foot struck a loose pebble.
Nova stopped. The movement had been slight, but he had seen enough to suspect what caused it. He took another step, carefully placing his foot on a patch of smooth stone. The vine settled again.
Sound, he realized. They're reacting to sound.
Vines covered nearly every wall, some hanging low enough to brush his shoulders. Running through the area would be foolish. He would have to cross quietly.
Nova began moving with deliberate steps, controlling his breathing and avoiding the loose stones scattered across the floor. The vines remained still as he passed. After a while, he reached what he estimated was the middle of the overgrown section.
Then he heard voices.
Several contestants came around the corner, talking loudly. One laughed, and the sound echoed between the walls.
A vine lifted behind the group.
Nova stopped moving entirely.
One of the contestants noticed him and slowed. "Hey! You there!"
Nova didn't answer. His eyes followed the vine as it rose higher, its tip drawing back as though preparing to strike.
"What's wrong with him?" another contestant asked. "Is he ignoring us?"
The first man took a few steps toward Nova. "I'm talking to you!"
The vines struck before he reached him.
A thick tendril wrapped around the man's waist and lifted him from the ground. His companions shouted and tried to scatter, but the noise only brought more vines to life. Several shot forward from the walls, grabbing at legs, arms, and torsos.
Some of the contestants were awakened and fought back immediately. Flashes of their abilities lit the narrow passage, but the vines barely seemed affected. One man managed to tear a smaller strand away from his leg before a much thicker tendril struck him across the chest and sent him flying.
Nova watched him disappear above the passage wall. An instant later, the man's body vanished in a flash of teleportation light before he could strike the ground.
Another contestant was hurled toward the opposite wall. Two more were dragged across the stone before sharp vines pierced through their stomachs. Their cries ended as the tournament's protection removed them from the maze, leaving the passage in a terrible silence.
Nova had not moved.
He wanted to run, but the vines were still responding to noise and movement. If awakened contestants couldn't escape them, he wouldn't have better luck.
Several tendrils turned toward him. They moved slowly, exploring the air around his shoulders and face. Nova kept his mouth closed, resisting the urge to swallow. One vine hovered inches from his nose before lowering toward his chest.
Please don't decide to touch me, he thought. Staying quiet won't help if you start poking around.
The tendril paused, then retreated. Another followed it, slipping back into the wall. Without any sound to draw their attention, the vines gradually settled, leaving Nova standing alone among the marks of the attack.
He waited a few more seconds before moving again.
Well, that worked better than expected.
He carefully raised one foot, searching for a clear place to put it. Unfortunately, his heel came down on a loose stone half-hidden beneath a hanging vine.
Crack.
The sound rang through the passage, much louder than he expected. The stone shifted beneath him, striking another rock, and the resulting vibration traveled along the floor and up the walls. All around him, the vines began to stir.
Nova slowly looked up. Tendrils peeled away from the stone overhead, their pointed ends turning toward him.
For a moment, he stared at them in silence.
"Oops. I guess I made a sound," he said with an awkward smile.