The Abyss Beckons

As Kaiza and Mina trekked deeper into the maze, the echo of their footsteps became distant, the thrum of the walls fading into unsettling silence. The air, previously rife with danger, now crackled with new energy. He felt, at the back of his neck, the sensation of being watched, as if the labyrinth itself had eyes, and was simply biding its time to strike anew. Mina walked alongside him, her face a black hole, but he could feel her aura thrumming with tension. They'd vanquished the sorcerer, but the threat was not over. Actually, it seemed like the maize had just started showing its colors. The shadowed warlock was nothing more than a piece in a far grander scheme, a game entirely beyond their comprehension. "What was he talking about? " Breaking the quiet, Mina asked. "About the future … about us? " Kaiza looked over at her, clenching his jaw. "He wasn't just a sorcerer. He was older than that, and he was part of that—part of something older, something much more dangerous. He's been waiting for us waiting for you." Mina's expression hardened, but she said nothing. The weight of his words settled like an elephant between them, but there was no time for that. In the maze, the walls were closing in on them, and every moment spent there was a countdown to something terrible. The ground beneath them rumbled suddenly again, louder this time. Kaiza's gaze snapped toward the shifting rocks just beyond them, his muscles coiling in anticipation at the return of the familiar, threatening power that hummed in the air. "Mina, stay close," he growled, his voice low, urgent. "This is it." In the same instant that he finally started to react, the stone floor cracked apart with a deep roar, revealing the true force that had been lurking beneath their feet, the Labyrinth Beast. It was immense, giant, and horrific, a shape crawled and twisted like a snake, and its body was a wriggling mass of black shadow and uneven stones. Its red eyes glowed with malevolence as its jaws parted to expose rows of teeth that glimmered in the dark gloom of the maze. "It issued a low, guttural growl, too low to hear with the ears, but one that rumbled inside her like a distant storm, visceral and bestial. The creature was a guardian of the heart of the labyrinth, and it was not here to negotiate. Kaiza immediately moved in front of Mina, placing his body between her and the beast. He didn't know how he was going to take down anything this big, but he couldn't let it touch her. Not after all they had been through. "You've no chance of getting me," Kaiza growled as he tightened his grip on the obsidian fragment in his right hand, the glow of it flickering as it responded to whatever the creature was. Mina moved beside him, eyes narrowed as she studied the creature. She had no illusions about the challenge they faced, but she was not going to back down. No longer was she the girl who had nearly walked into Kaiza's life. She was in it, their fight, their survival. She would defend him as fiercely as he would defend her. The Labyrinth Beast roared, its massive jaws opening to reveal row upon row of razor-like teeth, and, at the same time, letting out a blast of wind from its mouth. Kaiza had little time to react as he ducked just as the wind's force knocked pieces of stone from the ceiling. The beast's tail thrashed in their direction, dwarfing the pair. It was too quick, too powerful. Kaiza whirled, jumping clear of the beast's blow, the air screaming past him. His body slung in on itself as he landed and growled, swinging the piece of obsidian with all of his strength, the jagged edges of the blade splitting the air before crashing hard against the creature's earthen exterior. But it didn't even flinch. "Damn it! " Kaiza swore under his breath. Brute force could not tame the creature. "Mina, now! " he shouted. Mina didn't hesitate. She lifted her hand, and in an instant, there was a lightning storm of power crawling from her fingertips. The ancient magic she had wielded, the magic that had once been a puzzle even to herself, lit up and became an intense, blinding light. This light was pure, untainted by the darkness of the labyrinth, and it hit the Labyrinth Beast head-on. The beast howled in pain, rearing back, but the light was brief. The creature's tenacity was too powerful, and it wasn't long before the shadow started to pour back into its body, repairing the wounds. "But you have to do more than that! " Kaiza called out, grunting as he deflected another strike from the creature's tail. He was fast, but the sheer size of the beast turned it into an almost unbeatable foe. Mina's brows knit together, her intensity of focus deepening as she started to tap into more of her power. She had to be stronger. For Kaiza. For both of them. A deep voice within her heard iTaboo/i were the ancient powers that had always been woven into her family line, powers that bound might so she might help but also be a burden. The power had come alive when the sorcerer had first seen her. Use it, the voice said. Unlock your true potential. Trust in yourself. Mina's eyes widened, determination glinting within as the energy coursed through her. The other thing was magic, but this was a part of her. Her soul ran with the ichor of the old gods, and with it, the power to twist the very shape of creation. Both her hands rose, the fingers shimmering with an avalanche of crackling energy. The Labyrinth Beast lunged forward, snapping its great maw toward Kaiza, only for Mina to be faster. With a cry, she pressed her palms outward; a focused bolt of brilliance erupted out of her, blasting through the air and consuming the beast in a shining burst. The beast howled, its flesh quaking as the light seared its body. For a moment it appeared the beast might break. But the maze had one more twist to come. Growling viciously, the fiend reshaped herself, her figure warping into a more terrifying beam of ruin, pieces of it scattering like melted shadows—before patching up back together. It was no longer a monster, though it was something much worse. The beast's eyes settled on Mina, and for the first time, Kaiza saw fear kindle in her gaze. "Get back! " Get back! " Kaiza shouted, jerking Mina by the arm and dragging her away from the creature barreling toward them. It lunged again, only this time Kaiza was ready. He sprang toward the beast, his obsidian blade held high, and in a blur of motion slashed at the creature's dark heart. The blade penetrated deep, and for the briefest of moments, the creature faltered. Mina caught her breath watching Kaiza in combat. Every step he took, every punch he endured, was for her. And that was enough to spark the fire in her. She would not make him do this alone. With a battle cry, she stepped forward, hands going up again. Light flooded in her, flowing like blood into every corner of the labyrinth. Together, they could do this. The Labrynth Beast roared in rage, but Kaiza and Mina were beyond fighting for their lives. They were fighting for one another, fighting for the future they'd build together. And their strength together crashed on the creature, and the labyrinth shivered in answer. In a final, thunderous roar, the Labyrinth Beast was blasted into the light and the darkness. The monster broke apart into dust and fell and blew away. Kaiza dropped to his knees, gasping and drenched in sweat. Mina lurched next to him, her strength gone but not her spirit. "We did it," Kaiza whispered, awe in his voice. Mina nodded; a smile, albeit a small one, formed on her lips. "Yeah, we did." But when the dust settled, neither was given the chance to shake off the feeling that the real fight was just beginning. The labyrinth was still breathing, and whatever was to come, it demanded every last drop of their strength and more.