Footsteps echoed along the sealed cavern walls, their rhythm hollow and distant, reverberating through the narrow stone corridor like faint reminders that they were trespassers in a place that had long since swallowed its original architect. A thin veil of fog clung stubbornly to the cold stone floor, curling around their boots in slow, reluctant spirals as though the labyrinth itself hesitated to let them advance any further into its suffocating depths.

  The air felt heavy.

  Not merely cold.

  Oppressive.

  Cold pressed inward from every direction, seeping past fabric and skin, settling into bone and marrow with an intimacy that felt deliberate rather than natural. Each breath carried a faint metallic sharpness, tinged with the scent of damp minerals and distant crystal residue.

  Haruto and Haruna walked side by side through the narrow tunnel that gradually widened toward a darker chamber ahead. Their shoulders nearly brushed with each step, yet silence stretched between them in a taut, fragile thread.

  It was not hostile silence.

  But neither was it comfortable.

  It was the kind born from unfinished thoughts and shared awareness.

  It was unlike her to be this quiet.

  Unlike her to feel… uncertain.

  Haruna adjusted the blessed mask resting lightly against her face, the smooth surface catching faint reflections from scattered crystal shards embedded in the walls. The mask felt heavier than usual, not because of its weight, but because of the presence pulsing faintly within it.

  Hana sat lazily atop Haruna’s head, half-melted over her hair like an unbothered, translucent crown. Her gelatinous form draped over strands of pink hair in a way that looked careless but deliberate, faint light rippling through her body in idle pulses. Haruki’s presence hummed from within the mask, steady and distant, like a second heartbeat echoing beneath Haruna’s own.

  Her gaze drifted downward.

  Herbs and pale strands of moss crept along the edges of the cavern floor, clinging stubbornly to cracks in the stone. Shards of magic crystal lay scattered across the ground, fractured and splintered. Some still glowed faintly, exhausted remnants of what they once were.

  Empty clusters lay nearby as well.

  Hollowed.

  Cleanly harvested.

  Stripped with intention.

  They hadn’t been like this before.

  She slowed.

  Her fingertips brushed along the cavern wall, trailing across grooves carved deep into the stone. The marks were long and jagged, running parallel as though something with weight and resistance had been dragged through the corridor.

  Not natural erosion.

  Not time.

  Something deliberate.

  Something forceful.

  “I wonder…” she murmured quietly, more to herself than to anyone else.

  Haruto stopped almost immediately at the subtle shift in her tone. “What’s the matter?”

  She turned toward him, expression tightening slightly beneath the mask. “Did you encounter monsters in this section? Or further ahead?”

  He glanced toward the darkness ahead, recalling the path he had taken alone. “A few hobgoblins. They ambushed me. I dealt with them.”

  Silence followed.

  “…You did what?” Haruki’s voice rang sharply from within the mask, echoing faintly in the enclosed tunnel.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Hana lifted her head in one smooth motion, translucent eyes narrowing. “Why didn’t you come back? What if there were more of them?”

  “It was manageable,” Haruto replied evenly, though a faint stiffness crept into his shoulders. “Once you understand how they move, they’re predictable.”

  Cold sweat slid slowly down his temple as two distinct waves of disapproval settled over him.

  “Haru’s right,” Hana snapped, her tone sharp and unamused. “You don’t attack alone. If there were ten of them—”

  “There weren’t,” he muttered defensively.

  “How many did you kill?” she asked flatly, unimpressed.

  He coughed lightly. “Just a few. Anyway—”

  “I’ll ignore it this time,” Hana cut in firmly. “Don’t do it again.”

  “…Okay. Sorry.”

  Haruki exhaled with exaggerated annoyance. “What a drag…”

  Haruna listened quietly to the exchange, a strange mixture of awe and faint amusement settling beneath her composure.

  Hours had passed while she had been unconscious.

  In that time, he had not remained idle.

  He had refined himself.

  Experimented with Astron flow.

  Sharpened his physical enhancement.

  Nothing explosive.

  Nothing dramatic.

  But precise.

  Efficient.

  Measured improvement.

  He had even scouted ahead alone.

  He claimed he had found what looked like an exit.

  She knew better.

  This was the Chaos Maw.

  Lord Charybdis did not create labyrinths that allowed challengers to walk out empty-handed. There were always trials. Always rewards. And always traps woven subtly into the architecture.

  “If everything’s been harvested,” Haruna said quietly as they resumed walking, her voice carrying a thoughtful edge, “then whoever passed through wasn’t wandering aimlessly. They came for the crystals. For monster materials.”

  Haruki responded from within the mask. “But we didn’t meet anyone. And there weren’t many crystals in the chamber where we fought the hobgoblin.”

  “Exactly.” Haruna frowned faintly. “The deeper areas usually hold greater treasure. Why avoid them?”

  “Maybe treasure wasn’t their goal,” Haruto said.

  The others turned toward him.

  “What if they were targeting the monsters?”

  She blinked. “Beast tamers are rare. Especially among humans. And labyrinth beasts are berserk. They’re not suitable for taming.”

  “I saw the goblin camp,” he continued, thoughtful. “But nothing else. It’s almost like they were… spared.”

  Her eyes widened slightly beneath the mask as realization settled in.

  Haruna stopped walking altogether.

  The faint scrape of her boot against stone echoed in the tunnel.

  Haruto noticed immediately and stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked up at him, concern tightening her features. “I think… we shouldn’t go forward for now, master. Could we wait down here for a while?”

  “Do you want to rest, or…” Hana asked gently.

  Haruna hesitated, gathering her thoughts before answering.

  “It’s the… Crimson Battalion.”

  The name clicked instantly in Haruto’s mind. “Wait—you mean the—”

  “Yes. They’re definitely here. I’m sure of it.”

  Haruki sounded skeptical. “How can you be so sure? Didn’t you say this place was where that god was sleeping? Why would they—”

  “The god WAS sleeping here,” Haruto cut in calmly. Then, turning toward Haruna, he asked, “Since the deity vanished, they made their move to take over the labyrinth. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yes.” Haruna nodded, voice steady but grim. “The Crimson Battalion is known for their ruthless way of enslaving beasts. It’s entirely possible they eliminated anything that resisted and enslaved the mindless beasts that obeyed them. Leaving only the savaged hobgoblins who would bend to them so easily.”

  Her tone darkened.

  “They could be moving into the Chaos Maw, exploiting Lord Charybdis’s disappearance.”

  Hana frowned faintly. “But if that’s true… shouldn’t they still be nearby?”

  Haruna nodded again. “Yes. That’s why I’m hesitant to move upward. They could be searching every section. We might even encounter a general.”

  Her voice lowered further.

  “That would mean certain death.”

  “How strong are they?” Haruki asked. “Compared to us.”

  Haruna paused briefly before answering.

  “They’re insectoids. Some as large as a carriage. Their mandibles can crunch through solid rock. Their exoskeleton rivals steel. And they have eight limbs—coordinated, fast, relentless.”

  “Wait—these are insects?” Haruto cut in, startled.

  Haruna nodded calmly. “Organized. Disciplined. Tactical.”

  Haruto fell into quiet thought.

  The situation was dangerous.

  Yet he felt strangely calm.

  Too calm.

  Was it because of that woman from the dream?

  The one who reshaped something within him?

  He hadn’t told them.

  Something about it felt sealed.

  Untouchable.

  As though speaking it aloud would fracture something delicate and unseen.

  The thought unsettled him briefly.

  But there was something tangible he could do now.

  Hana broke the silence. “Even if we stay here, we’ll be found eventually, no?”

  “Y-yes, but—”

  “We’ll go up.”

  Haruto cut her off gently but firmly.

  “B-but, master… we’re not—”

  “Don’t worry, Haruna. I have a plan.” He patted her head lightly, a quiet gesture meant to ground rather than dismiss.

  She stiffened slightly.

  Then relaxed.

  He could feel it.

  The hesitation.

  The memory.

  The fear tied to that name.

  But she needed to know she wasn’t alone in this labyrinth.

  His gaze drifted briefly toward her chest.

  Not improper.

  Observational.

  The faint Astron patterns beneath her skin.

  Hana’s integration.

  His mind ignited.

  Originally, he had planned to sneak.

  Avoid.

  Circumvent.

  But now—

  A new approach unfolded.

  A slow, deliberate smirk curved across his lips.

  He crossed his arms, nodding faintly to himself as the idea solidified.

  Hana squinted. “You look like you’re about to do something reckless.”

  Haruto blinked, clearing his throat out of habit.

  Then, with a grin edged in confident calculation, he raised one finger slightly.

  “Now…”

  His eyes gleamed faintly in the dim crystal light.

  “Who’s ready to learn some magic?”

  ...