The staircase descended forever.
Each step dripped with blood. The stench was unbearable—sulfur, rot, iron. Every breath was a mouthful of corpses. The deeper they went, the tighter the air pressed against their lungs, as if the labyrinth itself wanted to choke them.
Argon's boots left red prints on the slick stairs. His chest heaved, his body still trembling with the corruption burning in his veins. The hacksaw dripped black ichor, his grip too tight, his knuckles bone white.
Selene limped behind him, her body battered, shadows flickering faintly at her fingertips. Her eyes never left his back.
And Vanessa? She descended without fear, humming softly, her hand trailing along the pulsing wall as though caressing a lover.
The Weight of Silence
The deeper they went, the quieter it became. No dripping. No whispers. Just silence.
Then Argon heard it. A heartbeat. Not his own. Not Selene's. Not Vanessa's.
The walls.
They pulsed, slow and steady, veins glowing faintly. The entire staircase throbbed like a massive artery.
"Do you feel it, darling?" Vanessa's voice purred behind him. "The maze itself welcomes you now. You've tasted me, and through me, it tastes you. You're becoming part of it."
"Shut up," Argon muttered, though his voice was weak. The words rang hollow. Because part of him already knew she wasn't lying.
Selene's whisper was sharp, broken. "She's corrupting you… don't listen to her."
Vanessa laughed. "Oh, sweet Selene. He's already listening."
Stage Three
At last, the staircase ended.
They stepped into a vast chamber, the air colder, heavier. The walls weren't flesh this time—they were mirrors. Dozens. Hundreds. Each one cracked, smeared with dried blood.
Argon froze. His reflection stared back at him in every direction—eyes glowing faint crimson, his face pale and hollow, his body drenched in gore.
Selene's reflection showed her shadows wrapped tighter, writhing, her face twisted with pain.
Vanessa's reflection? Smiling. Always smiling. But her mirrored versions whispered, their lips moving in words no one could hear.
The Game's voice boomed, deep and cruel:
"Stage Three. The Chamber of Mirrors. Confront yourselves, or be devoured by who you truly are."
The mirrors rippled like water.
And the reflections stepped out.
The Dark Doubles
The air snapped cold. From the glass, a figure stepped forward—a perfect copy of Argon, only worse.
Its skin was paler, its eyes blazing crimson, its grin feral. Blood dripped endlessly from its hacksaw.
It tilted its head, watching him like a predator. "You're me. Or rather… I'm what you've always wanted to be. Strong. Merciless. Free."
Selene gasped as her own double emerged—a twisted half-shadow creature, her face cracked like porcelain, her voice warped. "You'll kill them all, Selene. That's all your power was ever for."
And Vanessa? Her reflection slinked from the glass, eyes darker, smile sharper. But unlike the others, she didn't confront herself. She only laughed.
"Well now," she said, clapping her hands. "This should be fun."
The First Clash
The corrupted Argon lunged.
The hacksaw screamed through the air, striking with inhuman force. Argon barely raised his weapon in time. The impact rang through his bones, sparks flying. He staggered back, blood spraying from his lips.
His double grinned. "Pathetic. Even with her gift, you're still weaker than me."
Argon roared and swung, hacking at the creature. Sparks of crimson light flashed as metal clashed. Their strikes shook the chamber, mirror shards raining down like glass rain.
Selene screamed as her shadow-double lashed out, tendrils whipping toward her. She blocked them with her own shadows, the collision tearing her to her knees. Blood gushed from her nose.
Vanessa? She only watched. Amused.
Vanessa's Whisper
Argon's chest burned. Every strike from his double shook him, made the corruption in his veins surge. He couldn't keep up.
"Darling…" Vanessa's voice slid across his mind, though her lips didn't move. "Why fight it? He is you. Embrace him. Embrace me. And you'll tear him apart."
He gritted his teeth, blocking another blow. "Shut… up…"
But his grin faltered. Because part of him wanted to.
Selene's Plea
Selene screamed as her shadow-double wrapped tendrils around her throat. She clawed at them, her voice hoarse.
"Argon! Don't listen! Fight it—fight her! Please!"
Her eyes met his, wide with fear, with desperation. For him.
Her double whispered in her ear: "He's already gone. He's hers now. You'll die choking, and he'll watch."
Breaking Point
The corrupted Argon slammed him against a mirror, shards biting into his back. Blood poured down. His double leaned close, its breath hot, rancid.
"You already chose her," it whispered. "That kiss was your surrender. Now finish it. Kill me… or I'll kill you, and then Selene."
The labyrinth pulsed. The mirrors rattled. Faces pressed against the glass, screaming silently.
His hand trembled on the hacksaw. His blood dripped onto the floor, feeding the chamber.
Vanessa stepped closer, her shadow stretching long, her voice velvet and venom.
"Do it, darling. Kill him. Kill yourself. And be mine forever."
Cliffhanger
Argon roared. The hacksaw rose.
Selene screamed.
The corrupted double grinned, waiting, welcoming the strike.
And in that moment, Argon's crimson eyes blazed brighter than ever.
The hacksaw came down.
But whether it struck his double… or himself… no one could tell.
The chamber shattered into blackness.