"Lionel, are you sure of the way we're taking?"
Aster's uneasy voice came out. The four of them were currently moving through the path of the labyrinth. Tall trees surrounded them, giving them shade.
"Yes. Trust me. This is the right direction." Lionel told them. There was a confident air surrounding him.
"Well, you did get us second place on that quiz," Simon muttered before shrugging his shoulders. "I guess that's enough proof for me to trust Lionel."
Rufus also smiled at it, "It's just a pity that Cassian's group won instead of us."
"Mm." Lionel hummed at that.
Cassian's group had indeed placed first in the quiz. Their explanations for the questions were fast, clear, and strategic. It was the same back then.
But that didn't change anything.
Because today, what really mattered the most was the labyrinth. The quiz was just a mere thing that could give them an advantage in this game.
"Don't worry," Lionel reminded them. "We placed 2nd on the quiz. That means it's only Cassian's team that is ahead of us in this labyrinth game."
"Okay… you're right." Aster exhaled and followed closer.
They followed Lionel deeper into the forest. They took their time walking, memorizing the path in case it led them to a dead end. They turned here and there while Lionel walked with certainty.
Sometimes, when the path was wide and straightforward, he would let the others walk ahead.
"You two can lead for a bit," Lionel said casually.
Rufus raised a brow. "You're sure?"
"If I wasn't, I'd already be walking in front," Lionel replied simply.
It was enough to convince them.
The group moved smoothly. They would switch positions here and there, but they would always ask Lionel if they were doing it right. Inside the labyrinth, they couldn't hear anything except themselves because of how huge it was.
After a few minutes, the path they were taking began to widen.
The trees thinned out, revealing an open area where multiple trails intersected at the site.
"Is this a crossroads?" Rufus slowed down first.
Before Lionel could answer, a voice sounded from another path.
"Group 1, stay alert. We might have taken the wrong turn—"
Cassian stepped out from between two large trees and stopped. His three teammates followed closely from behind, equally surprised.
Lionel's group froze as well. Both teams met in the center of the open area.
Cassian blinked, clearly startled that he was Lionel in there.
"Lionel?"
"Cassian," Lionel raised a brow but showed a smile.
Arwen looked between the two groups in confusion.
"This isn't supposed to happen, right? We started first."
"Well, maybe you're just slow?" Simon crossed his arms, a small grin tugging at his lips.
Nathaniel looked offended. "We are not slow!"
Cassian studied Lionel for a moment. He pressed his lips together. After a second, a small smile tugged at his lips.
"I'm surprised that you found this place… faster than expected," he said carefully.
Lionel nodded and pointed at Rufus.
"Yeah, Rufus was leading us."
Rufus's eyes widened a little. "H–huh? I was—"
Before he could even finish, Lionel casually slipped an arm around Rufus's shoulders and gave him a light squeeze. It was only enough for Rufus to feel and realize that what he was about to say was wrong.
Rufus blinked, then let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah—yeah. Yep. I… led us."
Cassian watched them. He nodded his head dismissively.
"I see. Then we'll get going now." He stepped back, gesturing to his teammates. "I guess let's just meet at the end of this."
"Don't worry," Nathaniel added with a cocky tilt of his chin. "We'll wait for you there."
Simon's eyebrow twitched. "Oh really—?"
But before he could finish, Cassian raised a hand, stopping him from talking without even looking in his direction.
"Let's go," Cassian instructed his teammates calmly. He deliberately cut Simon off as he turned to leave.
Simon froze, jaw dropping.
"He— did he just—?!"
Cassian and his teammates didn't spare another glance back. They simply moved forward, vanishing into another path.
Once their footsteps faded, Aster groaned loudly.
"Ha! Did you hear Nathaniel? Why are they like that? They're also like that in the academy."
"They're so annoying," Simon agreed, throwing his hands up. "Who waits at the end for someone just so they can brag?!"
Lionel laughed under his breath, shaking his head.
"That's fine. That's just how they are. All of you should get used to it by now."
Rufus glanced sideways at Lionel while he was saying that. There was something in his expression. There was uncertainty mixed with curiosity. Lionel felt the look but didn't comment on it.
Instead, he clapped his hands lightly.
"What we need to do now is get moving. Let's show them that we can finish first."
Aster and Simon straightened instantly.
"Right!"
"We trust you, Lionel. Lead us!"
Lionel nodded once and stepped forward onto the next path that they should take.
"Then let's continue."
And together, the group disappeared deeper into the labyrinth once more. The next several minutes tested all four of them.
Even with Lionel confidently guiding the way, the labyrinth became more confusing the further they went. The trees became thick, and the paths grew in numbers. Once in a while, they would get lost, but would immediately retreat and try a new way.
They walked for another 30 minutes before Simon suddenly stopped.
"Uh… Lionel?" he called out, pointing forward.
Ahead of them was a solid wall of tangled roots. It was another dead end.
"Another dead end," Aster groaned.
"Sorry," Lionel also sighed. This part of the maze was already weary in his brain, so he couldn't fully remember it.
Rufus looked at him closely. "You're not confident on this part?"
Lionel nodded his head. He knew it was not that time to be all confident.
"Yeah."
"…"
"…"
For a moment, the four of them simply stared at the dead end. They have been arriving in several dead ends lately, which was starting to frustrate them.
Aster took a deep breath and looked at his teammates.
"So… what do we do? We can't just stay here."
Lionel turned around, scanning the trees, the ground, even the branches overhead. After a moment, he exhaled sharply.
"Alright. Let's retrace our steps exactly two turns back. Simon, you can check the left. Rufus, check the right. Aster, look behind us. Then I'll see the other path."
"Alright!" The three immediately split up, searching carefully.
After a minute, Rufus called out, "Uh… I think this is a path?" He pointed at a barely visible path.
Lionel approached Rufus, inspecting the narrow passageway closely. The branches above it curved like an arch. It didn't look like a normal pathway.
"This is the only one we haven't checked yet,/Lionel confirmed. "I guess this should be the right one?"
"Let's take this," Aster's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Let's go then!" Simon grumbled.
The four regrouped and walked into the thin path. They had to go one by one and force themselves in the tight space. Unlike the others, this one stretched farther than the others. But fortunately, no dead ends appeared in this part. Not even once.
"I don't know if this is a good sign…" Rufus murmured.
Lionel nodded. "Yeah…" he was also scared that this path would lead them nowhere.
They kept walking for minutes. The path stayed clear too. Soon, the forest around them began to change. The air suddenly became lighter, and the ground they were stepping on also became harder.
Then, all of a sudden, a small light glowed between the trees.
Simon squinted his eyes. "Hey… is that—?"
As they walked closer, the light grew brighter, clearer, until the source finally revealed itself.
Suspended in the air ahead of them was a golden light. It pulsed softly, as if breathing.
"The exit marker…!" Aster gasped.
Lionel's lips curved upward.
"We found it."