Chapter 10:The lost king

Chapter 10:The lost king

"You... You are not one of the chosen ones. Why are you here?"

The stranger looked deep into Ray's eyes, as if seeing through the strong front he was putting up.

"I don't understand. What is a chosen one?" Ray asked, confused.

The stranger's voice remained cautious. "You have no power, your soul is untamed. Why would the guardian send you here...?" He muttered to himself before speaking again. "...Did the guardian send you?"

Ray furrowed his brows. "If by 'guardian,' you mean a guy in a hood inside a hidden temple near the oasis, then yes."

He continued, "I was being chased by beasts while trying to reach the oasis. But in a desperate moment, the ground collapsed beneath me, and I ended up inside the temple. A dark figure in a hood sent me here—wherever this is."

The stranger seemed to relax a little. He gestured for Ray to follow. "This is not the place for talking. Come with me."

They made their way toward a narrow passage carved into the labyrinth's wall. The entrance was small, just wide enough for two people to crawl through side by side. Once inside, the stranger pulled a broken piece of the wall over the hole, concealing their entrance.

"This is safer than staying out there," he said. "I am Alkan, the King of Oasis City in the Tundar Desert."

Ray hesitated before responding. "I'm Ray. A former slave—before I was transported to the middle of this desert you mentioned."

Alkan raised an eyebrow at that but shook his head.

"It's surprising to hear there are still places left where humans survive. But what's even more shocking is that you made it across the Trial of the Desert as a mere mortal. Perhaps that's why the guardian sent you here."

Ray saw an opportunity to gather more information. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

Alkan sighed. "It's a long story, but I suppose it's good to have someone to talk to for once."

"As you may know, the world is plagued by the ever-spreading Cursed Sleep. On top of that, rifts to their lands keep opening, pouring out those insane outers. We, the Awakened, have tamed our souls to fight against them—but it's not enough. Oasis City is the last refuge, at least as far as I know.

"Thirty years ago, in our desperation, the gods bestowed a mission upon us—to find the hero, the one strong enough to lead our broken world against the outer creatures. The guardian is responsible for choosing promising young Awakened to enter this trial in search of that hero."

Ray's expression darkened. "So you're saying this labyrinth is a trial? A test to find the gods' chosen hero?"

"Yes. This ever-changing labyrinth is where the hero must prove themselves. Only one person can leave and claim that title. The rest—those who survive—will become his allies in the coming war."

Alkan's voice grew bitter. "But in thirty years, not a single person has found the way out."

Ray was stunned. Alkan's face told him how hopeless the situation truly was.

"How long have you been here?" Ray asked.

Alkan's expression became unreadable. "It's hard to track time here. But since the guardian sends people once a year... this should be my seventh year."

Ray's eyes widened. "You survived here for seven years? I've nearly died a dozen times in just the past few days! How the hell do you survive here, especially with that thing lurking outside?"

Alkan's posture stiffened. "Were you sent to the upper floors?"

"Yeah. Weren't you?"

Alkan's eyes flashed with shock. "Then how did you survive against that outer creature? It's a full rank above us. Even several of us together couldn't kill that monster."

Ray scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I didn't kill it. As you said, I'm just a mortal. All I could do was avoid it while searching for food and water. I did run into it once, but... since I was so weak, it let its guard down. That gave me a chance to escape."

Alkan exhaled slowly. "You were lucky, then. All of us died confronting that monster. How could a dormant human even face something of the Fallen rank... and a devil, no less? Dammit."

Ray hesitated before asking, "Are you the only survivor?"

"Yes," Alkan admitted. "This place is massive. Sometimes, we don't even meet new people for months. And if they're unlucky, they end up facing the swarms of dormant outers… or worse, that thing above."

Ray fell silent. 'Suspicious. He claims to be the only survivor and has been here for seven years. That means he's either strong enough to handle this place… or he's a backstabber.'

They stayed in the shelter for a few hours before moving again, eventually reaching another hidden alcove. There, Ray finally found a small source of water. He drank greedily, his parched throat finally relieved.

For the first time in days, he felt his exhaustion catch up to him. He was still suspicious of Alkan, but there was little he could do in his current state. His body was drained, his mind dull.

Even if Alkan decided to kill him in his sleep, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

His eyes fluttered shut.

And Ray slept.