Chapter 2 – The Labyrinth Wakes
From the tall windows of her chambers, Rubia often stared out at the dead forest surrounding the palace like a sea of twisted, lifeless trees. A heavy fog clung to the land, swallowing the horizon in silence. Even the sky offered no mercy—black and endless, just like the hollow inside her soul.
But Rubia didn't fear the darkness.
She belonged to it.
Sometimes, as she wandered the lonely, dim-lit halls of the palace, a warm golden light would flicker at the end of a corridor—always near the throne room. She would catch sight of Ravi, bathed in the soft glow. His face, tender as he looked toward the king and queen, would shift the moment he noticed her. He would turn, eyes locking onto hers. The warmth vanished. His smile died.
There was something about that child—Something that didn't quite fit.
Without a word, Rubia turned away, her steps echoing through the halls—into the dark, into silence, where no one ever followed.
When Rubia opened her eyes... she didn't even remember her name.
Where was she?
Who was she?
Why was it so cold—and so dark?
Panic slithered up her spine like venom. She stumbled forward, blind in the shadows, chasing the faintest idea of escape. There had to be something beyond this suffocating emptiness. She just had to find it.
And then—voices.
People.
She wasn't alone.
"What is this place?" she asked the strangers.
They stared at her like she was some kind of freak.
Sure, she had horns. But that wasn't the weird part.
"This?" one scoffed. "Sweetheart, you're in the Labyrinth."
The others laughed grimly. "First time?"
"I... don't remember."
A loud tick tore through the silence—sharp and metallic. A clock counting down to something.
"Well," one of the boys muttered, already backing away, "if you don't wanna vanish, you'd better start running."
And just like that—they were gone.
Rubia chased after them, legs burning, lungs screaming. She didn't know what was chasing her, only that something was. Something fast. Not only one, but many.
The ticking stopped. So did the chasing.
"You're fast," said a voice behind her.
She spun around. That boy again, crooked grin on his face.
"So are you," she muttered, still catching her breath.
"Do you know how to get out of here?"
He gave a dry laugh.
"Even if you could get out... who knows what's waiting on the other side? Could be worse."
"Could be better," she countered.
"…Touché."
"So—can we escape it or not?" she pressed.
He hesitated, then tilted his head upward.
"See that clock?"
She followed his gaze. High above the maze, a massive clock loomed, its ticking slow and heavy.
With one look, she could tell. It was the beating heart of the place.
"This place is a race against time. You stop at the wrong second—you're gone. Move too slow—you're gone. Blink too long? Gone."
He pointed into the endless dark.
"The only way out is to reach the gate before the final tick."
"Has anyone ever made it?"
He scoffed, voice hollow.
"If they had, would any of us still be here? This place resets. Over and over. It never ends."
Rubia wanted to ask more, but she didn't.
Instead, she watched.
She listened.
And waited.