Chapter 5 – The First Threshold

There was no light. No darkness.

Only a white that seemed to breathe and live.

I floated in perfect emptiness.

No sound. No smell. No body. Only thoughts — and not even mine. It felt like I was hearing a voice inside me I'd never known before.

Then something changed.

A presence.

I didn't see it, but I felt it. Like a massive eye aimed straight at my skull.

"Expected something more dramatic?"

The voice came from everywhere. Cheerful. Sarcastic. Annoying.

Like a teenager playing with something they didn't understand, but loved to break.

"Lip Angelus... The boy who wants everything, but doesn't know yet what he'll have to lose."

He appeared. Or maybe he had always been there.

The Angel.

He didn't look dangerous. He had the face of a young man, disturbingly beautiful. But it was a mask. The eyes were too alive. Too empty.

The smile... too wide.

Instinctively, I felt hatred.

Not fear. Hatred. Pure.

"You're the cause of the end," I muttered.

"You're the one who destroyed everything."

"More or less." He shrugged. "I was sent for that. But then I got bored. So I made something better. I built this place."

"The Labyrinth."

"A new world. A playground. For me. For you. Fun, right?"

His voice irritated me. Every word seemed crafted to wound without striking.

"There's nothing fun about this."

"Depends on where you're standing. You cry, I study. And I enjoy it. You people are incredible. You never give up, not even when it's the most logical thing to do."

He paused. His gaze sharpened.

"And you… you're interesting. There's something in you. A hunger. I've seen it before. But it's different."

"Hunger for power?" I asked.

"No. You want everything. That's... intriguing."

I was about to reply, but stopped. For a moment, I thought of Klaus.

Of the way he smiled even when the world fell apart. How he looked at me, always trusting. How he didn't know what I was about to do.

It hurt.

And that moment was enough for him to notice.

"Oh..." the Angel tilted his head. "Still have ties. Interesting. The strongest ones are usually already empty."

"They won't last."

"We'll see."

We stared at each other.

"You know what I wonder?" I said quietly. "Everyone who enters here offers you something. And you give them power in return. But it's not just a trade... it's like you feed on us."

For a moment, the Angel said nothing. Then he laughed. Light, fake, almost bored.

"Oh, I like that one. Clever. Usually people realize that when there's nothing left to offer."

"Is it true?"

"Depends what you mean by 'feed'. I absorb. Every sacrifice leaves a trace. A taste. A memory. They become part of me. I was once pure. Now... not so much."

"Why memories?"

"Because they're not yours. Not even God's. They're human. Invented. Forged in pain. Bonds, dreams, illusions. You're the only beings who can suffer over things that never existed. And it's beautiful."

My stomach tightened.

I wanted to scream at him. Punch him. But I had no body.

And he... had no face to punch. Only that smile.

"Then make your offer," I said. "What do you want?"

"You already know. You've carried it inside you for years. Like a slow poison."

"The memory of my parents."

"The ones you made up so you wouldn't go insane as a kid. The mother who waited for you. The father who would save you. The hugs never received. The smiles never seen. That little dream that kept you standing."

"I'll erase it."

"You know what that means, right? It won't just be forgotten. It'll be like they never existed. Not even in your mind. You'll feel something missing, but you won't know what. You'll be hollow."

"Better than false pain. Better than illusion."

The Angel grinned wider.

"You know, Lip... you're further along than I thought. But you're still not ready to give up everything. I can see it. Not a reproach. Just... fascinating."

"Tell me what I get."

"A power. But not all at once. It will grow. Every time you lose something... or someone. Every time you sacrifice, every time you give up, every time you fail. You'll become stronger. But also less human."

"And if I end up alone? Empty?"

"Then, maybe, you'll be ready for the truth."

He held out his hand.

"Do you accept?"

I hesitated.

I thought again of Klaus. Of Themdo. Of Elena.

Then I closed my eyes.

And said:

"Yes."

The touch was like being struck by a silent lightning bolt.

I saw images: my mother — imagined — caressing me. A father laughing. Memories I'd carved into myself to survive.

They burned. Disintegrated.

Vanished.

I opened my eyes. I was different.

Less... full.

But colder. Steadier. Truer.

"Welcome to the game, Lip. We'll meet again. Every time the Labyrinth breaks. Every crossroad is a breach. And I... am very curious to see where your hunger leads."

He took a step back.

"Survive the First Level, and maybe... we'll start having real conversations."

**Light.**

---

I woke up.

On a wet stone, naked, with short breath and burning skin.

I didn't remember my mother.

I didn't feel pain.

I only felt... that it had begun.

I had crossed the **first threshold**.