Season 1. Chapter 63: Game

Chapter: The Hidden Truth — A Game Meant to Be Broken

Far from the warm light of the lake where Yarrow and Tu Cherry addressed the majority of players, a colder, quieter glade shimmered in layered illusion. Within this space, the moss was thick, the trees slouched like watchers, and the air held a silver-blue hue—a realm twinned with the main Labyrinth but laced with deception and riddles too obscure to trust.

Here, standing upon a cracked stone rune circle, were two of the remaining Artificers.

Tu Gooseberry, her lavender-pink fur glowing faintly in the mist, leaned her petite spiritual form back lazily against a vine-entangled stump. Her robes flowed like ghost-fabric, and her mismatched eyes (yellow and black) sparkled with quiet mischief.

Beside her, arms folded in a contemplative manner, stood Tu Blackberry, his tall frame nearly vanishing into the deep purple of his geometric-lined robes. His face remained unreadable, obscured by a partial mask and ever-shadowed hood.

Zack Erebus stood off to the side, barely visible beneath a leaning pine, silent as ever—his dark aura an unmoving contrast to the glowing forest light.

Gooseberry gave a soft hum, letting the tip of her pink tail flick toward Blackberry.

> "You know…" she mused. "Tu Cherry's game is so adorably strict. Rules, zones, warning signs. It's very... orderly."

She twirled a single rune between two fingers like it was candy.

> "But this half of the Labyrinth? Oh, it's chaos, darling."

Blackberry nodded slowly, his deep voice just above a whisper.

> "That's intentional. Discipline shapes half the player field. Temptation shapes the other. That's where truth hides."

Zack glanced toward them with disinterest, sharpening one of his iron daggers out of habit. Gooseberry's smile widened.

> "You see, Mr. Erebus… the real secret of this Labyrinth game is simple."

"You can't win it by following the rules."

Zack paused.

She floated off the stump and spread her arms theatrically, stepping around him like a storyteller whispering a forbidden tale.

> "We've designed this forest to be... inescapable through obedience. The illusions loop. The law-runes self-reset. The exits? Mirages."

> "To reach the real end of the Labyrinth... you have to cheat."

Zack raised a brow but said nothing.

Blackberry now added in his colder tone:

> "But not just any cheating. It must be subtle. Clever. Undetectable."

Gooseberry floated to hover in front of Zack, tail curling.

> "And you, darling rogue, are the enforcer. The hunter. The knife in the fog."

She poked his chest gently with a rune-inscribed claw.

> "The point of this entire phase… is to see which Travelers can break the game without you catching them."

Zack's fingers tightened on his dagger. His eyes, half-shadowed, looked toward the shifting tree line.

> "And if I do catch them?"

Blackberry answered with glacial finality:

> "Then they fail. No second chances. No excuses."

> "But if no one cheats... they'll never escape."

The wind rustled—branches above seemed to whisper secrets, and runes shimmered faintly in the distance.

Gooseberry twirled again midair, laughing to herself.

> "Isn't it deliciously paradoxical?"

She hovered backward, arms outstretched as if welcoming the deception.

> "A game built to be broken. A law that demands defiance. A prison only escaped by those bold—or cunning—enough to pretend the rules never existed."

She cast Zack a playful smirk.

> "Let's see how good you really are… Silent Stalker."

Zack didn't respond, but his eyes gleamed sharper now. Whether it was challenge, amusement, or cold acceptance—only he knew.

And with that, the Labyrinth's true game began.

A race of cheaters and hunters.

Of illusion and reality.

Of truth hidden behind lies…

…watched by two Artificers who smiled every time the rules were broken just right.

--------

Chapter: The Hidden Truth — A Game Meant to Be Broken

Far from the warm light of the lake where Yarrow and Tu Cherry addressed the majority of players, a colder, quieter glade shimmered in layered illusion. Within this space, the moss was thick, the trees slouched like watchers, and the air held a silver-blue hue—a realm twinned with the main Labyrinth but laced with deception and riddles too obscure to trust.

Here, standing upon a cracked stone rune circle, were two of the remaining Artificers.

Tu Gooseberry, her lavender-pink fur glowing faintly in the mist, leaned her petite spiritual form back lazily against a vine-entangled stump. Her robes flowed like ghost-fabric, and her mismatched eyes (yellow and black) sparkled with quiet mischief.

Beside her, arms folded in a contemplative manner, stood Tu Blackberry, his tall frame nearly vanishing into the deep purple of his geometric-lined robes. His face remained unreadable, obscured by a partial mask and ever-shadowed hood.

Zack Erebus stood off to the side, barely visible beneath a leaning pine, silent as ever—his dark aura an unmoving contrast to the glowing forest light.

Gooseberry gave a soft hum, letting the tip of her pink tail flick toward Blackberry.

> "You know…" she mused. "Tu Cherry's game is so adorably strict. Rules, zones, warning signs. It's very... orderly."

She twirled a single rune between two fingers like it was candy.

> "But this half of the Labyrinth? Oh, it's chaos, darling."

Blackberry nodded slowly, his deep voice just above a whisper.

> "That's intentional. Discipline shapes half the player field. Temptation shapes the other. That's where truth hides."

Zack glanced toward them with disinterest, sharpening one of his iron daggers out of habit. Gooseberry's smile widened.

> "You see, Mr. Erebus… the real secret of this Labyrinth game is simple."

"You can't win it by following the rules."

Zack paused.

She floated off the stump and spread her arms theatrically, stepping around him like a storyteller whispering a forbidden tale.

> "We've designed this forest to be... inescapable through obedience. The illusions loop. The law-runes self-reset. The exits? Mirages."

> "To reach the real end of the Labyrinth... you have to cheat."

Zack raised a brow but said nothing.

Blackberry now added in his colder tone:

> "But not just any cheating. It must be subtle. Clever. Undetectable."

Gooseberry floated to hover in front of Zack, tail curling.

> "And you, darling rogue, are the enforcer. The hunter. The knife in the fog."

She poked his chest gently with a rune-inscribed claw.

> "The point of this entire phase… is to see which Travelers can break the game without you catching them."

Zack's fingers tightened on his dagger. His eyes, half-shadowed, looked toward the shifting tree line.

> "And if I do catch them?"

Blackberry answered with glacial finality:

> "Then they fail. No second chances. No excuses."

> "But if no one cheats... they'll never escape."

The wind rustled—branches above seemed to whisper secrets, and runes shimmered faintly in the distance.

Gooseberry twirled again midair, laughing to herself.

> "Isn't it deliciously paradoxical?"

She hovered backward, arms outstretched as if welcoming the deception.

> "A game built to be broken. A law that demands defiance. A prison only escaped by those bold—or cunning—enough to pretend the rules never existed."

She cast Zack a playful smirk.

> "Let's see how good you really are… Silent Stalker."

Zack didn't respond, but his eyes gleamed sharper now. Whether it was challenge, amusement, or cold acceptance—only he knew.

And with that, the Labyrinth's true game began.

A race of cheaters and hunters.

Of illusion and reality.

Of truth hidden behind lies…

…watched by two Artificers who smiled every time the rules were broken just right.