Chapter 10: A God Speaks His Name

The stone corridors stretched endlessly ahead, twisting in unnatural patterns that made no sense. Asher could feel the walls shifting around him, warping when he was not looking. The Labyrinth of Beasts was not just a physical maze. It was something far worse, something that defied the laws of space.

His boots pressed against the damp floor as he moved forward, every step deliberate. The blue torches flickered weakly, their glow barely illuminating the deep shadows that clung to the edges of the walls. He had learned by now that the darkness in this place was not just the absence of light. It was alive.

He kept his senses sharp, every muscle in his body coiled and ready for attack. His earlier battle with the shapeshifter had proven something important. The creatures in this labyrinth were not simple monsters. They were designed to hunt. Some were even capable of thought.

The gods had not made this place to be a simple test.

They had made it to watch people die.

The whispering had not stopped since he had absorbed the black crystal. It lingered in his mind like a faint echo, just at the edge of his consciousness. It was not words. Not exactly. It was a presence. A feeling of something pressing against his thoughts, waiting for him to acknowledge it.

He ignored it.

If something wanted to talk to him, it could speak to his face. He was not about to play mind games with something lurking in the back of his skull.

Another turn. Another long corridor. The ceiling arched high above, shifting with every flicker of torchlight. His shadow stretched unnaturally along the floor, longer than it should have been, even when he stood still.

The exit had to be close.

A distant sound made him stop.

It was not the growl of a beast or the scrape of claws against stone. It was something worse.

It was laughter.

Deep, rich, layered laughter that echoed through the halls as if it came from every direction at once.

Asher turned his head slowly, every muscle tense. He had fought countless things in his past life. Monsters, men, shadows. He had been hunted. He had been the hunter. But he had never heard something like this.

The laughter faded, replaced by a voice.

"You are an interesting one."

The voice did not come from a single source. It was everywhere, vibrating through the very walls of the labyrinth. It carried power, a weight that pressed against his skin like a physical force.

A god was speaking to him.

His fingers curled around his sword hilt. He had expected this sooner or later.

"You say that like I should care," he said evenly. His voice did not waver. He would not give this thing the satisfaction.

The presence chuckled again. "Most tremble when they hear me. Some fall to their knees, begging for favor. Others scream in terror, their minds unraveling before I even touch them."

Asher kept his stance steady. "Sounds like weak people."

Silence followed, stretching long enough that the torches around him flickered unnaturally. Then the god laughed again.

"You are bold," the voice mused. "It has been a long time since I have seen one like you."

Asher was not interested in playing this game. He wanted answers. "Why are you speaking to me?"

"Because you are interesting." The presence shifted, pressing closer. "Because you have walked my path without realizing it. Because you have already begun to devour."

A sharp pain shot through his skull. His shadow pulsed beneath him, stretching outward.

Memories that were not his own flickered at the edge of his mind. Cities drowned in darkness. Armies swallowed whole. A figure standing at the center of it all, wreathed in a crown of writhing shadows.

It was him.

Or it could be.

His breath slowed.

This god was not just speaking to him.

It was testing him.

"You do not yet understand what you are," the god continued. "But you will. You are no mere human. No simple hunter. You have touched something greater, something beyond the limits of flesh. And it is waking inside you."

Asher's pulse remained steady. "And what does that mean?"

"It means I am giving you a choice."

The torches flickered wildly. The walls trembled.

A new message appeared in his vision, glowing in dark crimson letters.

[You have been offered an Apostle's Pact.]

[Accepting will grant you the Favor of an Unnamed God.]

[Denying will sever your connection to Him permanently.]

Asher exhaled slowly. He had expected something like this.

Apostles were rare. Hunters who formed pacts with gods or demons, gaining a fraction of their power in return for servitude. Some Apostles were worshiped. Some were feared.

But all of them were owned.

"You want me to serve you," Asher said. It was not a question.

The god chuckled again. "No, child. I want you to become."

The air vibrated. The torches shattered, plunging the corridor into darkness.

Asher's shadow stretched further, deeper. For the briefest moment, he saw himself not as he was, but as he could be.

A figure wreathed in midnight, his eyes burning like dying stars.

Power that did not bow to gods.

Power that devoured them.

The voice was softer now. "Choose, Asher Damien."

His fingers unclenched. His mind was clearer now.

And he knew his answer.

He reached forward.

The moment his fingers closed around the glowing message, the darkness exploded outward.

Something rushed into him.

His vision blurred. His blood felt like liquid fire. His shadow burned, stretching beyond what should be possible.

The god's voice was filled with amusement. "Oh. You are going to be magnificent."

A final chime rang in his mind.

[You have denied the Pact.]

[But you have stolen something far greater.]

Asher gasped as reality snapped back into place.

He was alone again. The torches relit themselves, casting their eerie blue glow along the walls.

The god was gone.

But Asher could still feel him.

Or rather—he could feel what he had taken.

His hands trembled for a brief moment before he exhaled, steadying himself.

He had rejected the path of an Apostle.

But in doing so, he had carved his own path.

Something new. Something unknown.

And whatever it was, the gods would soon learn to fear it.

The exit to the labyrinth lay ahead.

It was time to move forward.