The Last Move – The Moment of Losing

Something had changed.

But was it good or bad?

He couldn't tell.

But there was no stopping now.

Xyro reached for the next piece.

Veynn.

She was in the center. Elevated.

As if she was the most important piece.

Xyro's jaw tightened.

No.

She wasn't supposed to be there.

He moved her down.

Lower.

And the moment her piece shifted—

The room shook.

Not an earthquake.

Not destruction.

A warning.

Like the Labyrinth didn't like that choice.

Xyro's pulse spiked.

But he didn't put her back.

Instead—he reached for the last piece.

Zkarn.

Pushed too far away.

Too removed from the game.

But what did that mean?

That he was insignificant?

That he was safe?

Or that he was being left out of something bigger?

Xyro exhaled.

And he moved Zkarn closer.

The moment he did—

The table cracked open.

The pieces shattered.

And the world turned red.

Xyro's chest tightened violently as the walls of the room disappeared—

And something else took its place.

For the first time—

Xyro felt true fear.

Because he didn't just hear the voice.

He felt it in his skull.

"You were not supposed to move the pieces."

The pressure in the air thickened.

"You have changed something that should not have been changed."

Xyro's breath hitched.

He understood what the Labyrinth really was.

Not a test.

Not a place.

Not a prison.

A machine.

A mechanism that worked in perfect, calculated order.

And he—he had just disrupted it.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

His breath came faster.

The walls closed in.

And in the moment where he thought—this is it—

A second voice.

"You're wrong."

Everything stilled.

Because the voice wasn't his.

It wasn't the Labyrinth's.

It was—

Him.

Another Xyro.

Standing just beyond the collapsing walls.

But there was something wrong.

The second Xyro's posture was too relaxed. His smirk too familiar.

Not mocking.

Not threatening.

Just knowing.

Like he had been waiting for this moment.

The second Xyro exhaled, tilting his head slightly. "You shouldn't have done that."

Xyro's pulse spiked.

His throat was dry.

"Who are you?"

The second Xyro chuckled softly. "The same as you."

A pause.

Then—he stepped closer.

Xyro's body tensed, fingers twitching toward a weapon that wasn't there.

The second Xyro didn't react to the hostility. Didn't even acknowledge it.

Instead, his golden eyes flicked toward the shattered puzzle table, the floating remnants of the pieces Xyro had moved.

"You changed something."

Xyro's breath came faster. "I solved the puzzle."

The second Xyro smiled. "Did you?"

The moment he said it, the floating stone shards vibrated.

The red mist thickened.

And from the air itself—

The Labyrinth screamed.

A deep, ancient sound.

Not a voice.

Not words.

Just rage.

Like something had been broken.

And it was Xyro's fault.

~

People believe in solutions.

They believe that every puzzle has an answer.

That every locked door has a key.

But what if—that wasn't true?

What if some things weren't meant to be solved?

Not because they were impossible.

But because they were never meant to be touched.

And what happens when you try anyway?

The Labyrinth had been running perfectly.

Until Xyro changed the pieces.

And now—it was trying to put itself back together.

~

The second Xyro sighed.

"Do you understand what you've done?"

Xyro's jaw tightened.

"Then tell me."

The second Xyro smiled. "I could."

A pause.

Then, his expression darkened.

"But I won't."

Xyro's blood ran cold.

Before he could react, before he could even move—

The second Xyro stepped forward.

Not like a man walking.

Not like a human moving.

Like a shadow stretching.

And the moment his hand touched Xyro's shoulder—

Everything changed.

_______________________

Above, in the real world.

Veynn, Zkarn, and Orris stood at the center of the collapsed dining hall.

The table was gone.

The food was gone.

The walls had disappeared.

And before them—

Was a single, open door.

Veynn's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

Zkarn smirked. "Oh, they're making this too easy."

Orris didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Then—he spoke.

"Something is missing."

Zkarn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What's that?"

Orris exhaled slowly.

"Xyro."

Silence.

Veynn hesitated.

She turned slightly, scanning the space.

The air felt… wrong.

Not because Xyro was missing.

Because something else had taken his place.

Zkarn sighed dramatically. "Oh, don't tell me you actually care."

Orris didn't react.

Veynn, however, turned toward him.

Her voice was measured, careful.

"No." A pause. "I just don't like losing pieces before I use them."

Zkarn laughed. "See? That's why I like you."

But Orris—

Orris's hands twitched slightly.

Because deep down, he wasn't sure if Xyro was missing.

Or if he had been removed.

___________________________

Xyro

He blinked.

And suddenly—he was somewhere else.

Not the puzzle room.

Not the red mist.

Just… a space.

Endless.

Shifting.

Like the world was still deciding what to do with him.

And standing in front of him—

Was himself.

The second Xyro's golden eyes gleamed slightly.

"Now, let's see if you really deserve to be here."

Then—