The thought of the cookies made by the headmaster faded quickly from the three students' minds the moment they stepped inside.
The obsidian door closed behind them with a thud. Darkness pressed in from all sides, broken only by dim etherlight lines running along the stone walls.
Curiosity replaced shock. Whatever waited ahead was more important than baked sweets now. No matter how fascinating it was.
Felix walked a few steps in front of them, his pace steady and unhurried.
"Before we go any further, tell me something," he said without turning back.
They moved through a narrow corridor made from grey stone and etched with ancient carvings like before. But until now Dominic, Sevran, and Gaudia still have no idea how Felix was able to navigate this.
"What did you learn in Labyrinth History and Ethics class?"
"Labyrinths are semi-autonomous spatial anomalies. They form when ether density stabilizes around a core and reshapes the environment into repeating structures. Most of them don't change quickly, but they adapt over time," Dominic said.
Felix nodded slightly, urging him on.
"Uhm… they're classified by stability level," Dominic continued, while memorizing. "Stable ones like this are used for training and research. Unstable Labyrinths are sealed, but mostly they are located much deeper down. So we don't have to worry."
When Dominic looked in difficulty to remember, Gaudia's voice followed smoothly. "Entry protocols are strict. Exploration teams formed by first timers must log their routes, encounters, and ether fluctuations. Unauthorized entry to a Labyrinth is considered a major violation. Ethics class emphasized that we're not supposed to provoke entities or alter internal ecosystems unless given direct authorization."
"That's pretty good. At least you know your basics," Felix said.
Sevran remained silent the entire time, his gaze fixed ahead into the dim corridor, jaw set.
His hand hovered close to his side, as if ready for anything.
Dominic noticed Sevran's rigid posture and the way his eyes never stopped scanning the corridor.
"Hey," Dominic asked quietly, walking closer to him. "You alright?"
Sevran sighed through his nose. "Yeah. I'm just… still shocked from before. When that corpse suddenly woke up and almost bit you."
"Oh." Felix glanced back at them, unfazed. "Don't worry. I already have an elixir of healing ready if something happens," he said with a smile.
Gaudia frowned, looking at Felix's back with an exasperated expression. "That's not the point. It's not about whether dangerous creatures might hurt us. It's about the fact that you're already assuming they will."
Felix chuckled lightly. "Of course I'm assuming that. This is a Labyrinth. I'm just saying that we're prepared, so you can feel more reassured. Heheh."
Gaudia clicked her tongue softly, then turned to Dominic. "If you're able to use your power, you need to be ready to use it immediately. Alright?"
Dominic nodded. Then, after a moment, he asked, "How about you? What's your Bloodmark power?"
"It's nothing special. I can make the weapon I'm holding sharper." Gaudia answered without hesitation.
"I can speak to animals," Sevran added suddenly.
Gaudia looked at him, then nodded with a flat expression. "That could be very useful."
"You think so?" Sevran asked.
"Combined with your martial arts training," she replied.
Sevran paused, then smiled slightly. "Hmm… you're right."
Dominic watched the exchange, feeling a strange sense of distance. For some reason, it felt like an understanding had passed between the two of them that he couldn't grasp.
They used to argue all the time. Now, they seemed… in sync.
"I guess it's for the better," Dominic thought.
Felix finally stopped.
They had arrived at the chamber.
"This is where I found and killed the Spiderhorse last time, I mean, the first time I killed it," Felix said. "We carved it open, Dominic found the stone, and then the creature woke up again."
The corpse was gone. The pool of blood had vanished as well. The chamber looked clean, almost untouched.
"From here on, we look for anything that indicates another anomaly. That's our job now. Let's get started," Felix continued.
Without further questions, the three students spread out and began searching. They didn't know exactly what they were looking for, but the chamber wasn't large. It seemed simple enough.
Five minutes passed. Suddenly Gaudia spoke. "I found something here."
Felix moved immediately, almost running toward her. She pointed at a section of the wall.
Felix leaned closer, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the stone.
There, clinging to the surface, was a black, slimy substance. It pulsed slowly, as if it were alive.
Felix took out a small, triangle-shaped glass tool from inside his coat. He crouched and held it close to the pulsing black substance.
The glass reacted immediately. Faint blue symbols flared to life across its surface, forming layered patterns that shifted and rearranged themselves.
Dominic watched closely, but none of it made sense to him.
Felix slowly moved the glass to his left. The symbols brightened. He lifted it upward. The light intensified further. Then he turned and pointed it toward the far end of the chamber.
The symbols stabilized.
"This thing doesn't end here. It leads somewhere else." Felix said quietly. He straightened. "Let's follow it."
The three students exchanged brief looks, then fell in behind him.
They moved through another stretch of corridor, following Felix as he periodically adjusted the glass, correcting their direction.
Eventually, Felix stopped in front of a solid stone wall.
There was no visible door, markings, or seams.
Felix frowned slightly, then muttered something under his breath in a low, unfamiliar cadence. He pressed his palm against the wall.
A soft vibration ran through the stone.
With a grinding sound, the wall split apart, sections sliding inward and folding away to reveal a narrow, hidden passage beyond.
Dominic, Sevran, and Gaudia stared.
"What did he just do?" Sevran asked under his breath.
"How should I know?" Gaudia replied flatly.
Dominic swallowed. "Let's follow him."
Felix was already stepping inside.
Dominic moved right after him, feeling the pulse of power stir inside his body and sigils at the back of his hand. Ether responded to his focus.
—