Jiang Hao slammed his fist through another shadow's chest, golden sparks scattering like broken stars. The clone dissolved, but three more leapt in its place, laughing in his voice. His breath grew ragged, ribs burning with every movement.The seal pulsed harder, clawing at him. His vision blurred, golden cracks spreading faintly across his skin. Not yet, he told himself. If I open Level Two here, I'll drown in it.But the whispers were relentless. Pretender.Weakling.If you seal yourself away, what are you but a coward hiding from truth?He roared back, slamming two shadows together, bones cracking under the force. "If cowardice keeps me alive, then so be it!"The labyrinth shuddered, like it disapproved.Meanwhile, Mei Ling stumbled through the darkness where the jars had shattered. A hundred hands dragged at her, shadows pulling at her legs, whispering every fear she had drowned in wine.Your laughter is hollow.Your friends drink with you only to mask their own emptiness.When the wine runs dry, so will you.Tears stung her eyes, but she forced a crooked grin, snarling as she tore free from the grasping hands. "Maybe my laughter is hollow — but it's mine. And if I have to drink myself into madness to make the silence go away, then pour another cup!"She smashed her fist down, and the shadows splintered like glass, revealing a narrow path forward. Her grin widened, shaky but defiant. "Guess I'm still standing. Try harder next time."Yunxi staggered in the infirmary illusion, her hands shaking as each patient she tried to heal collapsed into dust.Failure, they whispered, surrounding her. You call yourself healer, but you bring only death.Her vision blurred, and for a terrifying moment, she almost believed them. Her knees trembled — until one voice cut through the chorus."Yunxi."It was Jiang Hao's. Not a shadow, not a ghost, but his memory — from the night he had teased her about being too strict, too serious, telling her she carried more weight than anyone else.She clung to that echo, forcing light into her trembling hands. "Even if I fail a hundred times — even if I fail a thousand — I will never stop trying."The rot hissed and shriveled before her glow. The patients still crumbled to ash, but their whispers softened. The path opened.Lin Xueyao's shadow-self circled her in the snowfield, its blank eyes cutting like blades.You long for warmth, it hissed. But warmth means weakness. You know this. The moment you take one step toward him, you risk the heights you've fought for.Her grip tightened on her blade, frost cracking around her boots. She had always told herself solitude was strength — that emotions were chains. But when the shadow spoke his name, Jiang Hao's smile flared unbidden in her mind.And for the first time, she let herself whisper the truth. "Maybe… solitude isn't strength. Maybe it's fear."The shadow lunged, blade flashing. Lin Xueyao's sword met it with a ringing clash, sparks scattering like snowflakes. "And I," she growled, "am done being afraid."The shadow shattered, the snow melting away into a new passage.Back in the heart of the labyrinth, Jiang Hao collapsed to one knee, shadows clawing at his back. Blood dripped from his lips, his vision fading.The seal's golden veins pulsed, demanding release. If he held it any longer, he would break.But if he released it — the backlash would be agony.The shadows swarmed, laughing louder, their voices merging into one: Show us what you really are.Mei Ling stumbled into a wide chamber, its walls slick with dripping shadow. In the center stood a table, laden with endless jars of wine, each labeled with a year of her life. She stared, heart hammering.The jars began to shake, cracking open, spilling not wine but scenes. Herself as a child, alone by the river. Herself, laughing too loudly in taverns so no one would notice her empty eyes. Herself watching others find bonds, while she numbed herself with drink.Her chest ached. "You think I drink because I'm weak?" she whispered.Her reflection in the wine answered, Because you're empty.Mei Ling clenched her fists, then smirked through the tears sliding down her face. "No. I drink because I'm alive. And I'll keep drinking, keep laughing, until someone drinks with me. Until it's not empty anymore."She smashed the table in two with a wild strike, the jars shattering into motes of light. A new doorway opened, and she walked through with a grin that wasn't hollow this time.Yunxi's path twisted, pulling her deeper into illusions of patients, blood, loss. Her robes clung with sweat, her hair plastered to her face. Every step was agony, every whisper a knife.But she pressed forward, clutching the memory of Jiang Hao's stubborn grin. The voices screamed louder: Failure! Powerless!She roared back, her voice cracking with fury and grief. "Then I'll fail a thousand times more! But I'll never stop trying to save one more life!"Light burst from her body, searing the shadows away. The infirmary dissolved into golden mist, and for the first time in years, she felt lighter.Lin Xueyao stood panting in the snowfield, her blade dripping frost. The last fragments of her shadow-self dissolved, leaving silence. For a moment, she simply breathed, watching her breath curl in the cold.Solitude had always been her shield. But now, the idea of standing at Jiang Hao's side no longer felt like weakness. It felt like choice.The snow melted, revealing a stone staircase ahead. She sheathed her sword, her steps steady and sure.Meanwhile, at the labyrinth's heart, Jiang Hao was crumbling.His hands pressed into the cold stone as shadow after shadow clawed at him, each bearing his face twisted in mockery. Blood streaked down his chin. His body trembled, the seal burning so hot it was like fire in his veins.Show us, the chorus of shadows demanded. Stop hiding. Show us.Golden cracks spiderwebbed across his skin. His vision swam.Not yet… he thought desperately. Not while they're still fighting their own battles. Not while I can still hold on…But the seal pulsed again, harder, and agony tore through his chest, dropping him flat against the stone. His scream echoed in the dark.The labyrinth shuddered. Somewhere, faintly, Mei Ling, Yunxi, and Lin Xueyao felt the tremor ripple through their own paths. Each of them paused, hearts jolting, as if they could feel his pain even across the labyrinth's shifting walls.
