Labyrinth with no escape

In order to get rid of this special Minotaur child and also to cover up the shame so that the world would not know about it, King Minos ordered people to build this labyrinth.

The famed craftsman who built this labyrinth was Daedalus, and he had a son named Icarus.

After finishing the labyrinth, Minos, satisfied with the design, decided to kill both Daedalus and his son to ensure that no one could ever escape this place.

To escape, Daedalus collected feathers from all kinds of birds and crafted wings for himself and his son Icarus, allowing them to soar into the sky.

It was just that Icarus was fascinated by the freedom and thrill of flying, so he forgot his father's warning, and flew higher and higher, even attempting to fly into the sun.

Eventually, the high temperature melted his wings, and Icarus, who had lost his wings, fell into the deep sea and drowned.

Now, Theseus finds himself inside that same labyrinth.

Because of the punishment from Hades, the god of the underworld, he was not allowed to carry any weapons, so naturally he did not leave any ropes or even torches in front of the door of the maze.

Theseus had been wandering the labyrinth for an entire day.

He tried to leave marks on the road, but because there were no torches, even if he left marks, he might not notice them if he passed by again.

So, Theseus had no idea where he was, let alone how to move forward.

He even prayed for help from the gods, but no one answered him.

In the dark and gloomy maze, silence and darkness gradually eroded his mind, while fatigue and hunger made his steps even heavier.

And even if he managed to reach the labyrinth's end, what awaited him was not treasure or glory, but the fearsome creature known as Asterius—the Minotaur, a being blessed with the power of lightning.

To defeat it, escape the labyrinth, and survive—this was the impossible trial Hades had given him for daring to intrude into the Underworld.

With no weapons, this trial was essentially a death sentence.

But you can't really blame Hades—Theseus and his friend didn't just visit the Underworld to have fun; they planned to kidnap his beautiful wife, goddess Persephone.

In Hades' eyes, Theseus was already dead.

Throwing him into the labyrinth wasn't about letting him escape on his own, it was merely waiting for someone else's decision.

Promise came back to Pegasus and Helen, telling them that he was going to the labyrinth, however before Pegasus could even respond, the girl protested in a terrified voice.

Helen's experience with Antaeus left a profound impression on her, as she witnessed how Promise defeated the giant and saved her.

But she couldn't forget the previous night's arm-wrestling match, which left her with a different perspective on Promise's strength.

"This is too dangerous!" she insisted.

Hearing her words, Promise looked at the girl in front of him who was worried about him, walked up to her touched her head, and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Helen. I'll be fine, and I'll be back quickly—"

However, before he could finish, Helen interrupted him with something he hadn't expected.

"Big brother Theseus said the same thing to me before he left!"

Promise froze, surprised by her words.

Tears welled up in Helen's purple eyes as she took two steps back, looked up at him and finally confessed what she had been holding back all this time.

"That's what Brother Theseus told me when he left. He will be back soon and take me to find my sister and brother."

"But after he left, he never came back. I waited so long. Everyone said he was dead and would never come back. They wanted to take me away, but I didn't want to go with them, so I ran away in fear..."

She paused, remembering how she had been captured by Antaeus before Promise saved her.

Hearing her words, Promise remained silent for a moment, then softly asked, "So it wasn't Theseus who took you away, but..."

"It was me. I was the one who asked Big Brother Theseus to take me away," Helen admitted, her voice trembling with guilt. "I'm sorry, Brother Promise. I lied to you. I'm not an honest person."

"It was because I wanted to find my siblings. I was curious about the Golden Fleece adventure, so I begged big brother Theseus to take me with him. It's all my fault. I'm really, really sorry..."

Promise looked at the little girl who was crying softly in front of him and didn't say anything for a while, but he suddenly realized why Theseus had taken Helen away.

As for Helen's deception, he wasn't upset about it.

After all, she had gone through a lot, especially with the terrifying ordeal involving Antaeus.

It was only natural that she would be afraid to tell him the truth.

Well...she was just an overly frightened child, afraid of being hated and abandoned again.

"If that's the case, do you hate Theseus?" Promise asked.

Hearing this, Helen quickly shook her head.

"Then isn't it even more important that I go find him?" Promise smiled again. "After all, he's in danger now, and besides, I promised you to bring him back so he could apologize to you."

"But it's not really big brother Theseus's fault..."

"But he still did not keep his promise to you," Promise countered gently. "He left you in danger, didn't protect you properly, and hasn't even come back yet."

Even though the misunderstanding was cleared up, he still believed Theseus was a lolita complex and had made a mistake by taking Helen along.

He was determined to give Theseus a good beating, after all, no matter whether this was Helen's active request or not, you kidnapped someone else's daughter, and the key point is that she was only eleven or twelve years old.

If you say that there was no element of lust, I would never believe you, even if you killed me.

If Theseus knew what Promise was thinking, he'd probably feel utterly exasperated and wronged.

You are noble and you are amazing...

This is Helen, and with those bewitching purple eyes, not to mention a hero like Theseus, who couldn't resist her plea.

Even someone as mighty as Heracles might have struggled to refuse.

When someone like Helen sheds tears, even the gods would feel sympathy.

But you, Promise, seem to be the only one completely unaffected by her charms!

"I, on the other hand, will keep my promise," Promise said as he crouched down, gently wiping away Helen's tears. "I promise you, I'll come back soon, and I'll bring Theseus with me. We'll take you home."

Helen looked at the boy in front of her with her purple eyes and said carefully, "Brother Promise, are you... not mad at me? I lied to you."

"I am a little mad."

Promise nodded, observing how Helen's expression became visibly panicked. He then smiled softly and said, "But since Helen is so adorable, I'll forgive you this time...

But there won't be a next time, so no more lies, okay? That's not a good thing. Do you understand?"

"Mm!" Hearing this, Helen nodded quickly and promised him very seriously: "There will definitely not be a next time!"

"Pegasus, please take care of Helen for me. I'll be back soon—"

Before he could finish, Promise felt his arm being tightly held.

He looked down and saw Helen clinging to his arm very tightly.

As he wondered what was going on, Helen, struggling with her thoughts, suddenly declared with determined eyes, "Brother Promise, if you really want to go, then I, I..… I'm going with you!"

"Helen, don't you trust me?"

"I do, but I just…" Helen tightened her grip even more as she said.

"I don't want to be left behind again, waiting and doing nothing. And I know all this trouble Brother Theseus is in is because of me."

Seeing her tear-streaked face mixed with a pleading look, Promise felt a headache coming on.

He instinctively glanced at Pegasus for help.

However, the latter, noticing his gaze, immediately turned around, presenting its back and flicking its tail as if to say, "I didn't hear anything. I'm not involved."

"Helen, be a good girl." Promise was about to say more when Helen interrupted him.

"Brother Promise, I won't let go! If you don't take me, I'll just cling to you and not let you leave!"

Promise was left speechless. He sighed and tried reasoning with her patiently. "But Helen, it's really dangerous in there."

"That's exactly why I can't let you go in alone, Brother Promise."

"Don't forget who saved you last time."

"It was you, Brother Promise, but… but you're not even as strong as me! You couldn't beat me in strength!"

Her words left Promise completely silent for a moment, unable to find a counterargument.

He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

Finding he couldn't retort at all.

Seeing his state, Pegasus almost laughed out loud again, but when he thought that if he angered Promise again, he would really be put into the little notebook, he quickly lowered his head and pretended to eat grass, as if he didn't care about what was happening outside the window.

"There's a monster inside,"

After thinking about it for a while, Promise warned the girl. "It devours every boy and girl who enters the labyrinth."

This wasn't a lie—Asterius had indeed devoured many youths offered to him.

The mention of the monster made Helen tremble with fear, but in the end, she bit her lip and kept her gaze fixed on Promise with determination.

Seeing her resolve, Promise finally gave in and agreed to take her along.

They reached the dark entrance of the labyrinth.

Throughout the journey, Helen clung tightly to Promise's arm, gripping so hard that it hurt.

She was terrified of being left behind again.

When they finally arrived at the labyrinth, the imposing structure of the labyrinth loomed before them like a monstrous maw, its dark depths radiating a chilling aura.

Looking at that dark aura, Helen's body stiffened as she recalled the terrifying stories about this place. Her eyes reflected fear and hesitation.

Promise, noticing her reaction, asked, "Are you scared?"

In fact, he still didn't fully intend to bring Helen inside, hoping that if she saw the entrance herself, she might reconsider and back down.

But when Helen met his gaze, she shook her head firmly and said,

"I'm not scared."

"No lying, Helen…"

Promise had not even finished speaking when Helen abruptly cut him off, saying, "I didn't lie, Brother Promise. After all, I promised Brother Promise that I wouldn't lie anymore." Her purple eyes met Promise's startled gaze as she released his arm and held his hand instead.

"I know you'll protect me, so as long as you're by my side, I won't be afraid!"

…