The air weighed heavy in the maze, thick and damp like it was trying to suffocate him. Every step Enel took felt harder than the last, the uneven ground digging into his boots while the shadows clung stubbornly to the edges of his flickering lamp light. Two pulses left. Thirty minutes left. He felt like he was sprinting in circles, even though his legs couldn't keep up the pace.
The maze was alive. Not in a way Enel wanted to think about—he didn't have time for that kind of introspection—but in the way it moved, the way it reacted. It didn't care that he was there. No, that was the worst part. The walls shifted, the ground trembled, the passages twisted, and yet it barely noticed him. He was just bait in something bigger.
The beast's growl rumbled faintly from behind him, deep and guttural, like thunder rolling through the stone. But that wasn't what froze Enel where he stood. It was the vibration. Not from the beast, but from the walls themselves. A faint, subtle shift in the air—a soft scrape of stone moving before the growl reached his ears.
The maze was targeting the beast.
Enel swallowed hard and leaned into the cold stone, his breath shallow. It was unsettling in a way that made his skin crawl. He thought about running again, but his legs didn't listen, so he stood there gripping his blade like it was the last piece of control he had left. The beast wasn't just hunting him anymore. It was trapped too. A predator turned prey.
When the growl grew louder, closer, Enel jolted into motion. His knees wobbled as he forced himself to move—left, right, anywhere—but forward. He squeezed through a narrow passage, the jagged walls scraping his arms as he shoved his way through. The vibrations followed him, the soft, rhythmic pulse of the maze adjusting itself. He stumbled into an open corridor, clutching the aether lamp tightly as the dim glow flickered weakly.
The beast roared, loud enough to make the walls tremble. Enel ducked instinctively, his perception flaring to life as the pain tore through his skull. The shimmer of aether trailed ahead—a massive, erratic outline lunging toward him, its movements frantic. For the first time, Enel thought he saw desperation in the beast's movements. It wasn't chasing him. It was running from something.
"You're scared too, huh?" The words slipped out of him involuntarily, a bitter laugh accompanying them. It made him feel hollow.
He pressed his back against the wall, watching as the shimmer grew closer. The map he clutched in his other hand felt useless now, its shifting lines mocking him. The western junction was close, so close, but the beast's erratic path made it impossible to predict what would happen next. The maze was shifting faster, more deliberately. This wasn't about him anymore—it never was. He was just a piece in its bigger game.
The beast slammed into the wall, claws scraping violently against the stone. It let out another guttural roar, a sound that reverberated through the corridor and made Enel's chest tighten. He stumbled backward, the flickering lamp casting erratic shadows across the ground. The maze trembled harder now, the walls twitching with every movement the beast made. It was fighting the maze, clawing at its edges, trying to escape.
It wouldn't.
Enel moved forward, forcing his legs to obey. The narrow passage ahead twisted sharply, forcing him to squeeze through as the walls vibrated heavily under his palms. He could hear the groaning of stone shifting, as though the maze itself was breathing down his neck. It didn't acknowledge him—not really—but its movements were relentless, precise. He was caught between two predators, neither of which cared what happened to him.
His perception flared again as he reached a widening corridor. The dead end loomed ahead, jagged and foreboding, like a trap waiting to spring shut. Enel's pulse quickened as he glanced back, his grip tightening around the blade. The beast was close—too close. Its glowing eyes burned with hunger and fear alike, and its heavy footsteps thundered louder with every passing second.
Enel barely had time to react before the beast lunged toward him, its massive claws tearing through the ground. He dove forward instinctively, rolling across the floor as the walls shuddered violently. The dead end was shifting—he could feel it. The maze's movements were erratic now, closing faster than he anticipated. He scrambled to his feet, nearly collapsing as his knees buckled, and darted toward the narrow passage just as the walls began to close behind him.
The vibrations reached their peak, and the beast roared again, its body caught in the tightening confines of the maze. For one brief moment, Enel thought he saw it hesitate, its massive head turning toward the jagged edges of the dead end as though it understood what was happening. It clawed at the walls desperately, but the maze didn't budge. It was merciless.
Enel collapsed to the ground outside the passage, his chest heaving as the final shift sealed the beast behind a wall of solid stone. The muffled sound of its roar echoed faintly, distant now, as the maze went silent once more. He pressed his forehead against the cool floor, his limbs trembling from the effort. It was over. For now.
The aether gem in his lamp pulsed faintly, casting just enough light to illuminate the faint shimmer of the path ahead. It wasn't far now. The western junction. Freedom. Enel pushed himself to his feet, every part of him aching, and forced himself to move forward.
The maze wasn't done with him yet. But the beast was.
While lying down and catching his breath, he heard someone yell at him, "Enel!" He stood up, looking around while holding the lamp. "Who's there?" he called out, scanning the darkness, but found no one. Rubbing his temples, he picked up the rest of his belongings and started walking. The whispers returned, faint at first, but growing louder. He turned his head, trying to locate their source, but there was no one. Clutching his ears, he banged his head against the wall until the whispers stopped.
"Damn whispers… trying to drive me crazy. I should try to get some sleep," he muttered under his breath. He had been hearing the whispers ever since the third day he arrived, though they were barely audible before, cropping up from time to time. Now they were louder, persistent. Then he heard his name again. Turning back toward the place that had closed up and trapped the beast, he froze. "Enel," the voice called again. Spinning around to find whoever was calling him, he shook his head and muttered, "I should get out now before something bad happens."
Hurrying toward the end of the tunnel, he heard his name again. This time, it seemed to come from the wall that had previously closed up behind him. Strangely, the wall wasn't sealed anymore—it was open again. From within, he heard footsteps echo through the cave. His heart swelled with hope. He ran toward the voice. "Grandma Lisa, is that you? I'm so happy you're here!" he called out, his voice cracking as he moved toward the passage. The voice replied, "Yes, Enel, I'm right here. Why don't you come so we can get out of here?"
He stopped abruptly at the opening, an uneasy feeling gnawing at him. Something was wrong. "Grandma Lisa, I found the way out! It's just at the end of the passage I'm in, so follow the sound of my voice," he said to the voice. Silence hung heavy in the air for a moment. Stepping back slowly, his doubts were confirmed by her next response: "Enel, come to me." Her voice sounded warm, almost magnetic, drawing him closer to the passage.
But his instincts screamed at him. He banged his head against the wall until it bled, chanting to himself, "You're not real… you're not real… you can't be." He knew, deep down, it wasn't Lisa. Gritting his teeth, blood trickling down his forehead, he stepped away from the passage and forced himself to head toward the tunnel's end.
The whispers grew louder, threatening to overwhelm his mind. This time, they weren't just whispers. He heard the screams of children, pleas for mercy, and his name being called over and over. Holding his ears shut, he yelled, "You're not real!" But his own voice was drowned out by the cacophony of whispers. He heard the voices of people from his village calling his name—each one more chilling than the last. Then, amidst the chaos, came another voice. It was different. Calm, soothing, and familiar. It drowned out all the other whispers, stopping him in his tracks.
Light footsteps approached him from behind, stopping mere steps away. "Enel, is that really you?" The voice was gentle, filled with warmth. He turned slowly, and there she was—a woman standing with a relaxing smile on her face. Her white hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, catching the dim light like frost kissed by dawn. It framed her face with serene elegance, accentuating the quiet glow of her crimson eyes. They weren't harsh or piercing but deep and unwavering, like embers that refused to fade. She carried an air of calm, the kind that soothed rather than commanded—a presence that wrapped around him like the gentle touch of early morning fog.
She stepped forward, her figure wrapped in a gown that seemed to echo the calmness of the morning sky. The fabric, soft and unassuming, flowed gently with her every move, its muted hues of subtle gold giving her an air of quiet grace. A simple sash tied neatly at her waist hinted at practicality that didn't betray her warmth. The sleeves, loose and slightly flared, swayed like leaves caught in a gentle breeze, giving the impression of stillness that couldn't be disturbed.
The edges of the gown bore the faintest touch of embroidery—subtle enough to miss at first glance, but intricate in its quiet beauty. Her hair, gathered loosely at the back, framed a face marked not by fierceness but by strength—the kind that comes from enduring and choosing kindness in the face of hardship. She moved with a calm certainty, her understated elegance mirroring the serenity she carried with her like a shield.