Alice Dragonroad.
I'd say it's an eight-out-of-ten name.
Alice already sounds extravagant and captivating, but Dragonroad was a bit out of place in the grand scheme of things.
Elinalise, on the other hand, is a pretty solid name, and looking at her, she appeared satisfied with receiving a new one despite lamenting the loss of her old identity.
I hope she regains her memories soon.
Anyway, after Perugius bestowed us with our brand new names, his entourage picked up the shiny crystals scattered across the floor.
Observing those materials, I couldn't help but ask, "What are those exactly?"
"Those were fragments of magic crystals," Sylvaril calmly responded.
Nodding attentively, I pressed onwards, "Why are they collecting them?"
"Because those were the ones that sealed you and Elinalise at the bottom of the Dragonroad Labyrinth," she explained matter-a-factly. "We need samples for preparation."
So the mana crystals were some kind of prison that—hold on.
The labyrinth has the same name as the one Perugius gave to Elinalise and me.
When I turned my attention to the silver-haired man, he subtly averted his gaze as though he knew I would connect the dots behind our surnames.
Ahh, I see what you did there, Perugius. I'm onto you.
Aside from learning about the room we're in, I was getting used to the vocabulary I picked up after recalling foreign memories. It made communicating much easier and less of a hassle.
"What happens next after they're done collecting?" I asked again, mostly out of boredom.
Sylvaril exhaled softly, growing weary of answering my questions. "Lord Perugius will instruct us on our next move, so please be patient."
"It's fine, Sylvaril, I'll handle this," Perugius interjected, turning to me. "Alice, once my familiars are done collecting the crystal shards, we will leave this labyrinth and invite you and Elinalise to Chaos Breaker, my sky fortress, for assessment."
Hearing his response and tone left little room for ambiguity.
Our fates were no longer bound to this labyrinth, but neither were we free to choose our own path just yet. The idea of a fortress in the sky sounds fantastic, but something about the way he said assessment tied a knot of unease in my stomach.
As I looked to my side, Elinalise quietly shifted beside me, her fingers brushing over her arms as if attempting to soothe herself. Even without her memories, she understood that we would be stepping into potential danger.
Returning my attention to Perugius, I saw him nod curtly to his familiars, and they all finished gathering the remaining mana crystal fragments, securing the samples they had collected in their leather sacks. He turned to the doorway at the far end, raising his hand.
"Prepare the exit, Sylvaril. We will not stay here any longer than needed."
Sylvaril bowed deeply. "At once, my lord."
As she moved to carry out his order, the dungeon around us answered—lights dimming, wind whispering through unseen cracks, and an unsettling sense of threat stirring as if resentful at being disturbed outside the metal doors at the far end.
"Alice..."
Suddenly, Elinalise leaned closer, voice barely above a whisper.
"What do you think was beyond that door?"
I wasn't sure how to answer, nor where we even were.
But as they began to unlock the metal doors, squeaking open with a deep groan that echoed through the labyrinth's depths, I swallowed hard and answered her question.
"I guess we're about to find out."
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As we walked out of the room, a vast hall unfolded before us. Its walls were lined with mirrors of various shapes and sizes. The polished floor reflected the ceiling above so perfectly that it felt as though we were walking on a perfectly still lake.
At the center lies the corpse of a massive beast riddled with numerous blades and arrows. Its fur resembled crystallized fiber, melted and smashed into pieces. Several mismatched animal heads were scattered across the ground, each severed cleanly from its neck.
"Geez, what is that hideous creature?" I blurted out unconsciously.
"That's a Crystalline Chimera," Perugius replied, unbothered. "It's the labyrinth's guardian."
I see... so just like the boss in an MMORPG raid. Judging by the state of the beast's body—and the lack of panic among Perugius's people—they had clearly taken care of it long before freeing Elinalise and me.
"We were... unconscious close to that thing?" Elinalise asked nervously, her eyes darting as if expecting the creature to come alive again.
Perugius's cloak swayed as he stepped past us, sparing the creature no further glance. "You two were sealed behind a defensive barrier, which prevented the guardian from reaching the room, so there's nothing to worry about."
Not exactly the reassurance we were hoping for, but at least that barrier protected us.
Moving my gaze away from the corpse, I noticed the familiars placing the mana crystals they had collected on a vacant spot in the hall and drawing something circular.
"What are they doing over there?" I asked curiously.
"They are setting up a teleportation circle," Perugius replied steadily. "This will make it easier to escort you two than navigating five floors of locked doors and maze-like halls."
Looking back, the familiars completed the preparation, and one of them, a blonde man with a fox mask, stepped inside the circle. The crystal shards began to glow, their luster permeating from the teleportation circle's edge up to its center.
Vooosh~
Seconds later, the blonde man vanishes, leaving behind several particles of light.
The rest of the familiars stared at the circle, as though waiting for something to happen.
"Now what?" I blurted again, getting bored.
"Be patient," Perugius answered, raising his hand to silence me. "They are testing if the circle is safe to use, so they sent Almanfi to check the other side before returning."
Following his instructions, we waited for the familiar to come back.
...
...
...
After several minutes, Almanfi remained absent. With nothing else to do, I entertained myself by examining every mirror lining the wall and even poked the chimera's corpse—purely out of scientific purpose, of course.
...
...
...
Tap... tap... tap...
Another few minutes slipped by before heavy footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the hall. A familiar figure limped into view—Almanfi, visibly injured. The nearest familiar hurried to heal him, while Perugius strode forward with unusual urgency.
Seeing that, Elinalise and I followed closely behind.
"Almanfi, what happened?" Perugius demanded, his voice slightly raised.
The blonde familiar bowed his head despite the stress. "Bad news, my lord. The teleportation circle transported me to the third floor, instead of the Chaos Breaker."
A pulse of tension rippled through the hall.
Ever so slightly, Perugius's expression shifted, but enough to worry anyone paying attention.
Did the teleportation circle fail—or did the labyrinth twist its destination on purpose?
Before anyone could speak, the mirrors along the wall began to shake. Their surfaces rippled like disturbed water, distorting the room's reflection.
"My lord... the hall is reacting violently," Sylvaril informed, her eyes narrowing at the walls.
Perugius swept his gaze over the mirrors, then towards us. "It seems this place doesn't allow its final secrets to be released so easily."
A deep rumble echoed beneath the floor—slow at first, then growing like distant thunder.
Elinalise hid behind me, her hand grasping mine.
"What's happening now?" I asked nervously.
Darting to face the shaking hall, Perugius's cloak billowed as if caught in an invisible current.
"The labyrinth," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, "is activating its failsafe."
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A failsafe in a labyrinth? Are you kidding me?
Only a modern military facility would have something like that hanging around.
But in a medieval dungeon? That's a bunch of baloney.
The mirrors on the walls grew dark, and a thick, black liquid began to bleed from their edges, cascading down to the floor. The teleportation circle's glowing outline fades away before the chalked sigils dissolve entirely under the downpour.
"Oh no, the teleportation circle is being erased," Elinalise pointed out anxiously.
"It's alright," Perugius replied, gaze fixed on a single point ahead. "We have a bigger problem."
Following his gaze, I noticed that the black liquid was crawling toward the deceased chimera, seemingly enveloping the body. Slowly, the corpse began to rise like a broken mannequin, its headless necks gushing darkened blood as the body convulsed unnaturally.
"The guardian is still alive?!" I shouted in shock.
"Not quite," Perugius corrected, calm as ever. "The black liquid is puppeteering its corpse."
At that sight, Sylvaril and the eleven familiars moved into formation, creating a defensive wall between the rising beast and us as they drew their weapons.
RAAAAAAWWWWR!!
Thunderous roars erupted from the severed heads scattered on the floor, causing the entire room to shake. More of the black liquid surged from the mirrors, flooding the space faster.
"My lord, the hall will be flooded soon," Sylvaril noted, calm but urgent. "Tell us what to do?"
"Sylvaril, take those two out of here," Perugius commanded gravely. "The rest of you help me slay this beast once more."
"Understood."
The bird-masked woman flew back, barely skimming the ground as she carved a path ahead with a gust of wind. Behind her, Perugius and his familiars charged at the resurrected beast.
"Come here now," Sylvaril commanded urgently.
Elinalise and I obeyed her, footsteps echoing as the black liquid barely grazed our heels. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I glanced back, catching the guardian getting brutally decimated by the familiars.
Some sliced at its limbs with clean, precise strikes when it tried to strike them. Others barked words I didn't understand, conjuring bursts of fire, water, and earth that thrashed against the chimera's reanimated body, giving it no chance to recover.
Perugius then raised his hand as light gathered in his palm. At the same time, a massive gate suddenly appeared and swung open, siphoning the black liquid from the creature. In the end, he swept his hand downward, splitting the chimera in half.
So, this is what the fantasy enthusiasts call magic.
"Alice!"
Suddenly, I heard Elinalise call my name, so I turned to see her approaching in my direction.
"Why are you still standing there? Sylvaril is waiting for us."
"Alright, I'm coming."
Crack!
The moment my foot left the puddle beneath me, the mirrors above shattered in unison. Thin fractures webbed across each reflective surface, distorting our surroundings like a funhouse shifting into something hostile.
Shards loosened from the frames and clattered to the ground, dissolving into the same black liquid the instant they touched it.
"Hurry up, you two!" Sylvaril shouted, swooping toward us. She seized our hands and dashed forward, dragging us faster than our legs could manage.
While we were being pulled, I looked back again to see Perugius and his familiars barricading the mouth of the hallway with some kind of translucent wall before sprinting towards us.
Keep moving," Perugius ordered, his face grim and his voice firm. "The flood is still rising, and the magic barrier we have set up won't hold for long."
Excuse me, what? What does he mean by that?
To answer my concerns, I asked, "Why? Those look perfectly fine. What's the—"
Crack!
Before I could finish, several cracks formed in the barrier, and the black flood started to leak through the crevices, slowly pouring into the hallway.
"Oh..."
"The liquid can apparently dissolve mana," Perugius explained in annoyance. "Sooner or later, those barriers will fail if we keep lingering here."
You've got to be joking. Who designed this labyrinth?
We continued to follow Sylvaril through the hallway, her wings grazing the walls as she led us to a spiral staircase going upwards. Before ascending, she turned to Elinalise and me.
"These stairs will lead us to the fourth floor," she explained carefully. "The corridors there will be constantly shifting, and some will lead you to danger rooms, so stick to us closely."
That certainly didn't sound reassuring.
But for some reason, it's starting to get interesting.