Season 1. Chapter 65: Game III
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CHAPTER: The Labyrinth Games – Woodland Region, Level 3
The forest whispered.
Massive pines and amber-flecked fir trees loomed over the players as clouds shifted across the sun, casting dappled shadows along the soft mossy ground. Welcome to Woodland Region, Level 3—a taiga-stretched dream of green and gold, interrupted only by a lake so still it reflected the sky like glass.
Birds called in strange tongues above, but no one dared to reply. Everyone knew this place wasn't safe.
The air shimmered with rules that weren't real, and truths that only applied until they were seen. Somewhere—hidden and watching—was Zack Erebus, the Catcher. His unseen threads could be anywhere, coiled in branches, trailing across footprints, or waiting in silence like cobwebs across time.
This was the Paradoxical Game.
—"Cheating is required. Just don't get caught."—
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Clusters of players moved between stations, each wearing the symbol of their class—emblems painted into fabric or burned into leather. No one spoke. Eyes darted to the trees. Every action was suspicious. Every step measured.
From a fog-covered wooden stage, the three instructors observed like forest spirits:
Yarrow, the demon dressed in a white-gray uniform and distant eyes, arms crossed. Calm as winter before the storm.
Tu Cherry, the pink-furred catkin, half-spiritual, humming a forgotten tune, paws wrapped around a gourd staff.
Tu Gooseberry, her sister in yellow-pink fur, smiling lazily with half-lidded mischief as if she already knew who would fail.
They did not interfere. They only watched.
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The Bucket Game Begins
A whistle cut through the trees.
Players scattered like startled deer toward the lakeside. Wooden buckets—dozens of them—lined the shore, each slightly different in shape, weight, or wood grain. One was right. Most were traps.
Shura darted forward first—barefoot, cloak of white fur fluttering behind her, glowing faintly with clerical sigils of the Fourth Great Spirits. Her small height gave her speed. She chose a silver-handled bucket without hesitation, already sensing its clean spirit aura.
Farther back, a moss-hatted druid shuffled, his head bowed, murmuring to mushrooms under his breath. His name wasn't known, but he worked for a Traveler named Leroy, and that earned him distance from others. He took the heaviest bucket and whispered thanks to it.
Elowen moved gracefully, blue hair bobbing behind her witch hat, eyes locked on three buckets at once. She cast a faint Vita surge through her hand—harmless to life, but enough to identify the right wood. She smiled and took hers.
The players sprinted across a waist-high stream that cut into the basin of an ancient lake. The water was freezing—alive with magic—but they pushed through. One by one they filled their chosen buckets with water and dashed back toward the opposite pond, a smaller reflective pool surrounded by runes.
Time was short. Strategy mattered.
Shura leapt from rock to rock, ignoring the safe path entirely. The moss druid sprouted a living raft from reeds. Elowen conjured a brief spiral of air to carry droplets without slowing down—technically cheating. Technically brilliant.
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The Catcher Moves
Somewhere in the trees, invisible threads stirred. Zack Erebus tilted his head beneath his white headband. His black sleeves caught the wind as he watched two players break into sprinting speed far too quickly—light enchantments hidden in their soles.
He raised his hand.
The threads coiled.
The players didn't scream. They just stopped—frozen in place, bound by something that didn't exist.
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The Waterfall Gate
At the pond's edge, the final act awaited.
Each contestant plunged a hand into the enchanted water after their bucket was emptied. If correct, they'd pull out a wet parchment note.
Shura pulled hers out first, whispering a prayer to the Black Tortoise. The note unfurled itself: a hand-drawn map with a red arrow pointing forward—into the waterfall itself.
The forest fell quiet again.
Behind the lake's eastern edge, towering rocks opened into a massive waterfall shrouded in white mist and silverlight. No obvious path beyond—only current and deafening sound.
Yarrow finally spoke, his voice quiet but resonant.
> "Beyond the waterfall is the path to Level 4. Only the unseen will find it."
Tu Gooseberry flicked her tail, grinning.
Tu Cherry simply hummed louder.
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Ending Scene
Elowen stepped forward, water dripping from her robe.
Shura followed, still dry as if the water refused to touch her.
The moss druid croaked a laugh and shuffled beside them.
And behind them, more contestants arrived. Some limped, others grinned.
Above them all, hidden among the branches, Zack watched. One hand lowered. His threads settled.
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CHAPTER: Labyrinth Games – Woodland Region, Level 4
Title: "The Grove of False Paths"
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The waterfall parted.
Mist and roaring water gave way to a hidden passage, slick stone turning into moss-lined tunnels and root-woven ceilings. The few who passed the bucket trial stepped forward cautiously—dripping, cold, and unknowing.
Behind them, the lake sealed. The sound of Zack's threads whispered no further.
They had entered Level 4—where paths lied, trees listened, and nothing led where it should.
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Setting: The Forest Maze
The sun no longer reached here. The air was thick with fog, as if the trees exhaled secrets. Branches curled like fingers. Paths wound in loops, and some trees walked when unobserved. Strange insects hummed riddles. Footsteps echoed where no one had stepped.
> A signpost carved from bone read:
"Only the wrong direction leads right."
Beneath it, a broken compass spun endlessly.
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The Players Who Advanced:
Shura, her spirit-bound cleric senses dulled by enchantments
Elowen, casting pulses of Vita through her staff to "feel" natural leylines
The Moss Hat Druid, now murmuring cryptic songs as his mushrooms bloomed like guideposts
Two unnamed Blue Rank players—one a twin-dagger thief, the other a beastkin tamer
Together, they navigated what would soon split them apart.
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The Maze's Trials:
🌲 1. Trick Chests
Chests hidden among twisted roots promised gear and power—but many were decoys, or worse.
One chest, when opened, released a fog clone of the opener—aggressive, identical, and bound to silence.
Another had real treasure... but left the opener glued to the ground for 10 minutes, defenseless.
A third played a lullaby, soothing anyone nearby to sleep. Only the moss druid remained unaffected, due to his fungal resistance.
🧩 2. Riddle Trees
Massive hollow trunks stood at dead ends, each carved with symbols.
One such tree whispered to Elowen:
> "Tell me your name in reverse, and I'll open. Lie, and I'll scream."
She whispered, "Newole."
The tree chuckled and allowed passage—but another player who lied was attacked by grasping roots and dragged into the earth.
🌀 3. Loop Paths
Some trails led back to the exact same location after minutes of walking. To break the loop, someone had to walk backwards, while another sang, and a third stood still—impossible without communication or trust.
It was Shura who figured it out—divining the puzzle from a dream given by the White Tiger spirit.
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Conflict Brews
As they advanced deeper, one of the Blue Rank players began hoarding hints and solving puzzles alone, believing the reward ahead was limited.
The Moss Druid confronted him in silence. The thief vanished into a false tunnel after that. The forest doesn't take betrayal kindly.
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Final Puzzle – The Three Roots Gate
At the maze's end stood a massive root-wrapped door with three keyholes, each guarded by a puzzle:
1. A light pattern game, requiring understanding of magical runes
2. A musical memory challenge, played on a hollow stump
3. A truth-or-lie logic game with two statues—one always lies, one tells the truth
Each puzzle had to be completed simultaneously.
Elowen, Shura, and the Druid split and handled each task with tension, near-misses, and clever teamwork—trusting each other despite the deception woven into the level.
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Chapter End:
The door creaked open. The fog thinned.
In the distance, they heard cheering—other games finishing, other contestants failing or winning. But deeper still was silence, and the beginning of Level 5.
> A whisper followed them:
"The Games are only fair to those who stop believing they are."
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Next Level Tease: Level 5 – The Hollow Coliseum (Combat-Focused / Spectator Trap)