Darker than the Labyrinth

Kaiza and Mina forged ahead, the ancient walls of the labyrinth throbbing around them as if it had a heartbeat of its own. The air was heavy, redolent of damp ground and just a trace of blood that still lingered from the wraith's short-lived but bloody attack. While the creature had been defeated, the tunnel felt heavier with its oppression, as if it had been steeped in malevolence for millennia.

A presence of something malign and incomprehensible, deeper, older, and deadlier than anything they had felt so far. Each step felt heavier, and the air was thicker and worse; it knew worse and worse would come. His knuckles turned white around the shard of obsidian, its paltry dark flame leaving shadows that stretched long upon the walls, a few scant comfort in the crushing blackness.

Mina followed at his side, her eyes narrowed to a glare, surveying their surroundings with a caution that defied her ignorance just days before. The girl he had once sheltered from the world's dangers had become a warrior herself. Her insight into the ancient arts, into the dark forces that had dictated this world, had been invaluable. But now, deeper into the labyrinth, she was more than that, more than an ally, more than the girl who had first barged into his life. She was his peer, and, more important, she was the reason he fought.

"We're getting close," Kaiza said under his breath, voice low and careful.

Mina didn't require him to explain. She could feel it too. The labyrinth was a living thing—its huge lungs inhaling, exhaling along with their footsteps. Something old churned beneath them. Its presence lingered even in the walls.

Then, all of a sudden, the ground shook, and a dull stampede could be heard far away. The noise started coming closer and closer until the walls felt like they were closing in on them.

Kaiza's hand went to Mina's shoulder. Not right now, stop. "Get behind me," he said in a voice that brooked no counterargument.

Mina didn't hesitate. She retreated, just coming out of the perimeter of the protective circle Kaiza had created. There was no time to talk about it. No time to question. Whatever it was that was coming was close, and Kaiza could already feel his heart starting to race.

From the darkness loomed a man, tall and wrapped in a tattered black robe. His hooded face was shrouded in shadow, but Kaiza could feel the power rolling off him. This was no ordinary enemy.

The shape glided with an alien fluidity, never so much as casting a sound upon the stone. "Well, well, the chosen one has come," the figure said, his voice frigid and mocking. "And I see you brought your little pet with you."

Kaiza's muscles tensed. The words stung more than they should have, but he was not going to betray his anger. Mina's safety came first. Always.

"You're wrong if you think I'm here for anything other than to protect her," Kaiza growled, voice low and dangerous. "You're in my way. Leave now, or I'll make you."

The figure laughed, a cruel sound that reverberated through the tunnel. "Protect her? From what? The truth? The reality that she's just a pawn in a much bigger game? She was never supposed to make it this far."

Mina shook as she held the vial of light, hands trembling as she gripped the glass. She'd heard tales, old whispers about the dark ones, those who watched over the very heart of the labyrinth: guardians of old magic, wardens of an unnameable truth. But she was not going to be cowed by some anonymous figure.

"I've lived through worse than you," Mina said, her voice firm, but fire burning in her eyes. "And if you think you can tear me down with your lies, you are wrong."

The figure's smile widened into something much more sinister. "You're stronger than you're aware of, child. But you're not prepared for what's in store. For what he awaits."

As Kaiza was still processing that, moments later, before he could even react, the man brought up his hand, and the air around them rippled. The earth cracked open beneath them, and dark tendrils of shadow shot up from the ground, coiling around Kaiza's limbs with unnatural swiftness. The dark hurt, blistering across his flesh, sucking away his power.

"Mina! " Kaiza yelled, fighting against the shadows that ensnared him.

But it was too late. The power of the figure was tremendous. He was frozen, the dark tendrils keeping him where he was.

Mina's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't waver. She knew what she had to do. In one fast snake motion, she catapulted the bottle of light toward the figure, and the glass shattered with such force that a wave of lusterful energy rippled through the atmosphere. There was a blinding explosion of light; the figure simply stumbled backward, the hood slipping down, exposing his face.

It was a face Kaiza knew, a face from long ago. The evil wizard who had originally cursed Kaiza, who had linked his very soul to the mermaid's form.

"You," Kaiza snarled, his voice low and quaking with rage.

The sorcerer smiled, as if Kaiza's recognition had been the final thing on his agenda. "I take it you remember me, Kaiza. It's been so long. But the whole time, you were nothing but a pawn in my game."

Mina sets, her face white yet determined. "You're wrong. I'm not just a pawn. And neither is Kaiza."

The sorcerer smiled, but for a fraction of a second it was interrupted—and that was all the time Kaiza needed. He mustered the last of his strength and ripped free of the shadow tendrils with a roar. The sorcerer summoned a wave of darkness before him, and as he raised his hand, the very environment began to collapse around him. "Pawns do not defy their masters!"

"Mina, get down! " Kaiza yelled, his voice heavy with urgency.

Mina didn't hesitate. She hit the ground, rolling to the side just as a tide of dark energy crashed into the area she had just occupied. The blast knocked the ground below them, Mina already on her feet, taking off.

"Kaiza, I'm behind you," she said, her voice fierce.

They pushed onward as one, together. Kaiza brought the obsidian piece down with all his strength, light slashing through the dark like a sword. When the fragment hit him, the sorcerer's eyes widened, and he stumbled back.

"Do you think you can beat me? " the sorcerer spat, wiping his mouth of blood. "I've seen the future, Kaiza. I know what's coming. And there is nothing you can do to stop it."

But Kaiza was done listening. He was no longer only fighting for himself. He was fighting for Mina. And with that determination thrumming through him, he leapt in again, his energy replenished. This time, the sorcerer didn't move quick enough.

The piece of obsidian drove deep into the sorcerer's chest, and the light exploded from it, a burst powerful enough to shatter the darkness surrounding them. The light spread all around, and the sorceress cried, her body fading away into dust transformed into a pile of rubble between us.

Kaiza was panting, still taking in the scene; his chest rose and fell heavily. Mina sprinted to his side, her eyes gleaming with a mix of awe and concern.

"Kaiza… are you okay? "

Kaiza met her gaze, his lips curling with a small smile. "I'm fine. But we're not out of the woods yet."

They exchanged a short, understanding glance. They had just won a battle, but the war was hardly over.

The maze ahead of them and the path ahead were a blur, but they were ready. And together they would confront whichever horrors lay ahead of them.