Darkness swallowed the entire floor Ryo had just entered.
No sound could be heard except his soft footsteps on the ever-changing ground beneath him—shifting from stone, to mud, to glass.
The maze was constantly reshaping itself, as if searching for its own form.
Ryo (whispering):
"This floor... doesn't feel natural... visibility is completely gone... even my senses are weakening..."
System:
"The current floor is an Perception Absorption Zone. The longer you stay here, the more you will gradually forget who you are, and why you came."
Ryo (clenching his single fist):
"So... the maze doesn't just try to delay me... it tries to erase me from existence?"
System:
"Exactly."
Ryo (smirking sarcastically):
"Hilarious... am I going to forget myself here?
Who would've thought I'd be defeated by something like this?!"
He closed his eyes and focused deeply.
Suddenly...
The maze trembled violently, and the atmosphere shifted sharply!
System (sharp voice):
"Watch out! The maze has become aware of your presence... It is now sending a defensive entity—some kind of guardian it created to protect itself!"
Before Ryo appeared a massive creature, with no clear features, like a constantly shifting liquid mass made of shadows and screams.
Ryo (stepping back, shocked):
"This... isn't an ordinary monster... what is this thing?!"
System:
"Its name is [Perception Guardian]. Its purpose is simple: remove you from the maze, or erase your identity forever."
Ryo (taking a deep breath):
"So I have to fight. No hand, no full power, inside a child's body?... Great! I'll beat it easily."
He spread his wings and dashed forward, punching the beast in its stomach—but the attack bounced back as if he hit a rubber wall.
Ryo (gasping):
"Impossible... what's happening?!"
System:
"It seems unaffected by any physical damage!"
A moment of silence passed.
Ryo (in a low voice):
"How is that possible?! How can I fight a creature unaffected by physical things?!"
System:
"This is a very big problem. You must find a solution.
Attack it, and I will try to analyze it, but... be careful not to let it touch you.
If it touches you, it will completely erase your perception as if you forgot history itself!"
Ryo (worried):
"Alright! But analyze fast, or we'll vanish into nothingness!"
Ryo charged at the beast, unleashing a series of attacks with his skills, punches, and sword strikes, but nothing affected it.
He decided to use his strongest sword technique.
He shouted loudly:
"Kagutsuchi — Soul Burner!!"
The strike overwhelmed the guardian itself, cutting off one of its arms!
Ryo (excited, smiling victoriously):
"Finally!... Something affected it."
But the guardian's arm quickly regenerated. Roaring with all its might, it unleashed a single attack that shook the entire first floor.
Ryo (feeling danger and sweating):
"System, hurry!"
System:
"Analysis complete!"
But before the system could finish, the sword was already heading straight for Ryo's head.
Ryo (seeing death before his eyes, tears falling):
"I'm still just a child... I haven't lived my life yet... Yui, Rin... I'll miss you!"
Before the guardian could cut off Ryo's head, a girl's voice screamed:
"...Great Fire Spell — Exfire—"
As she whispered the spell, the air around her ignited as if time itself was burning.
A wave of flames surged—not red, but black gold—carrying the power to burn not only flesh but entire mountains.
The attack struck the guardian like a mountain of supreme fire, unavoidable.
When it collided with the guardian, nothing remained—no scream, no ash, not even a trace in perception—only a hole ripped in the fabric of the floor.
The floor's wall tore open, revealing another floor behind it—a new floor...
And the guardian was completely erased, not a speck left!
The girl ran to Ryo.
Her red hair like flickering flames, her eyes resembling a blood moon, her clear white skin—her beauty was breathtaking.
Girl:
"Child?! What are you doing here?"
Shock was still painted on Ryo's face from the attack.
Ryo (with childish enthusiasm):
"Hey! Tell me about that attack... how do I do it?!"
Girl:
"Wait, do you really think a child like you could use such a powerful attack? Don't joke with me."
Ryo (smiling proudly and childishly):
"That monster I erased? I cut off one of its arms."
Yui (thinking):
"Boy... I completely erased it, and you only cut off one arm? How can you brag to me?!"
The girl sighed.
Girl:
"Then tell me, who are you?"
Ryo:
"I'm Ryo, eight years old. I came here to rescue two girls."
Girl (surprised, thinking):
"Hmm… does he mean the two girls are me and Zalarosa?"
Girl:
"Then what are their names and what do they look like?"
Ryo:
"Let's not talk about that yet."
Girl:
"Don't tell me you don't even know who they are, and you just came here?"
Ryo:
"I do know what they look like, but not their names."
Ryo began pacing around the girl, investigating something.
Girl (starting to get annoyed and shy):
"What are you doing?"
Ryo (smiling widely and naturally):
"It's you… isn't it?"
Girl:
"Who do you mean?"
Ryo (wiping his nose, standing proudly like a knight, speaking formally as if addressing a queen):
"You're one of the princesses I'm looking for. I came here for you."
The girl thought for a moment, closing her eyes slightly.
Girl:
"Really… what's wrong with this kid?"
Then another person appeared, carrying a weapon.
They charged an attack at Ryo.
---
To be continued...