The Labyrinth’s Judgment

The clearing was heavy with silence, the air charged with the weight of the labyrinth's wrath. The bandit leader knelt, his body trembling under the piercing gaze of the glowing eyes that filled the walls. Around him, fleshy vines writhed like living shadows, tightening their grip on the fleeing abnormals who had dared to run. Their shrieks of terror filled the Glow Gardens as they were dragged back, each one caught in the labyrinth's merciless grasp.

"I didn't know!" the leader cried, his clawed hands raised in a desperate plea. "I didn't know it was you, Kuro!" His voice cracked, echoing with panic as the vines edged closer to him. The walls themselves seemed alive, their surfaces throbbing, the flesh rippling as if the labyrinth were breathing in its rage.

The glowing eyes burned brighter, their silent judgment unrelenting.

"Wait."

Kuro's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. He stepped forward, his figure looming against the glowing tendrils. The labyrinth obeyed without hesitation, its vines halting mid-strike, though their tension remained palpable. The abnormals, now immobilized, writhed in futile terror.

The leader froze, his breath shallow as he looked up at Kuro, hope flickering in his eyes. "Y-you'll spare me?" he stammered, his voice shaking.

Kuro didn't answer immediately. His expression was a mask of cold indifference, his movements deliberate as he stopped a few paces from the trembling abnormal. "This attack wasn't a coincidence," he said, his voice low but steady. "You knew we'd be here. You anticipated our arrival."

The leader's jaw tightened, his earlier panic giving way to defensive anger. "That's ridiculous!" he spat. "We were just—"

"Quiet." Kuro's interruption was ice-cold, his words slicing through the leader's protests like a blade. "If your goal was to claim the Glow Gardens, you had no reason to engage us directly. You could've waited for us to leave. But you didn't."

Luke exchanged a tense glance with Eleanor. His grip on the femur-turned-blade tightened as he fought the rising tide of unease in his chest. Kuro isn't guessing. He knows something.

The leader's claws scraped against the soil as he hissed, "You don't know anything! We—"

"I know you were sent," Kuro said, cutting him off again. "And you've just confirmed it."

Kuro's form began to shift, the grotesque transformation fluid and deliberate. His antennae sprouted like twisted roots, twitching in precise, unnatural movements. The compound eyes that replaced his human ones reflected the labyrinth's glow, their fractured surface glinting as they locked onto the leader.

Luke shuddered at the sight, a cold pit forming in his stomach. He's reading him. Every breath, every twitch, every heartbeat.

Kuro inhaled deeply, his antennae quivering as though tasting the air. "Your heartbeat spiked the moment I mentioned being sent," he observed, his voice disturbingly calm. "Your sweat reeks of fear—and guilt. You've avoided eye contact with me this entire time."

The leader flinched, his claws curling into fists. "That doesn't prove anything," he muttered, his tone defensive but wavering.

Kuro stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "It proves enough." His compound eyes narrowed, their many facets gleaming. "Who sent you?"

The leader's gaze darted wildly, his breaths growing shallow. "I—I wasn't—"

The sound came out of nowhere, sharp and sudden. A whistling noise, followed by the sickening thud of an arrow piercing flesh. The leader's words died in his throat, replaced by a choked gasp as he crumpled forward, clutching at the shaft embedded in his neck. Blood pooled beneath him, dark and viscous.

Eleanor whirled around, her bow raised, scanning the shadows. Luke followed suit, his heart racing as he searched for the source of the arrow. But the Glow Gardens revealed nothing—no movement, no trace of an assailant.

"Who…" Eleanor whispered, her voice tight with tension. "Who shot him?"

Kuro remained still, his sensory form glinting in the labyrinth's light. His antennae twitched, but he didn't speak. After a long moment, he exhaled and turned back to the labyrinth. "Dispose of them," he commanded.

The labyrinth responded instantly. The vines encircling the remaining bandits tightened with brutal precision, cutting off their screams as they were crushed. The flesh of the walls seemed to ripple hungrily, and the bodies of the abnormals were absorbed into the labyrinth's living structure.

The clearing fell silent again, save for the grotesque squelching of the labyrinth consuming its prey. The walls grew thicker, their pulsating surface now marked with new pairs of glowing eyes that blinked open one by one.

Luke swallowed hard, his knuckles white around the femur. The labyrinth really is made of dead abnormals...

Kuro turned to the walls, addressing the labyrinth itself. "The Abnormal Relic," he said. "Is it here?"

The vines shifted, pulling together to form crude shapes. Slowly, deliberately, they spelled out a single word: NO.

Kuro nodded, his expression unreadable. "Thank you."

The labyrinth's vines receded, and the glow of the clearing dimmed slightly. Kuro returned to Luke and Eleanor, his form shifting back to Base Form as he approached. He moved with quiet efficiency, his expression calm but distant.

"We're done here," Kuro said, his voice neutral. "We have one location left to search."

Eleanor lowered her bow, her brow furrowed as she watched him. "What just happened? Kuro, who sent them?"

Kuro glanced at her but didn't answer, his gaze shifting to Luke instead. "Stay close to me," he said simply.

Luke hesitated, his thoughts racing. Who was behind this? Why were they so certain we'd be here? The memory of Kuro's words from the house under the tree resurfaced, unbidden:

"If it wasn't for Aldric's letter," Kuro had said, venom dripping from every word, "or the fact that I know you want to kill Solen—"

"I would've killed you. Tortured you. Dragged your corpse for the people to feast on."

Luke's stomach churned. What if he's still planning to? What if this is all some twisted game between him and Solen? The thought clung to him like a shadow, growing heavier with every step.

Before he could dwell on it further, Kuro spoke again, his tone steady but carrying an undertone of finality. "As long as you're with me, Luke, you'll be safe."

Luke stiffened, his eyes snapping to Kuro. The words felt pointed, almost as though Kuro had plucked them straight from his thoughts.

For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the labyrinth.

Then Kuro turned and began walking, leaving Luke and Eleanor to follow in tense silence.