Six hours had already passed. Time was ticking away. Everyone was still far from reaching the center, and they had to make it before the 24-hour limit. It was part of the challenge given to them by Varnex. If they failed, they would not be able to move forward. This challenge was not just a test of strength or skill, it was also a test of patience, teamwork, and mental strength.
---
Sylra, walking through a quiet part of her chamber, had been playing her special note again and again. It was her ability to use sound to sense people nearby, while also sending out a signal in case anyone else was trying to find her. She had been doing this for some time now, but finally, she sensed something. A response.
It wasn't clear at first. What she noticed was something floating. From the distance, it felt like a balloon with someone walking beside it. It confused her. A balloon? Here? How is that possible? Why would a balloon be here in the first place? she wondered. Still, she stayed calm. She knew better than to panic. Slowly and carefully, she moved closer to the strange sight.
As she walked a little further, she began to hear footsteps. Someone was running. She stopped and readied herself. She didn't know what was coming, so she had to be prepared for anything. But to her surprise, she saw Lila waving at her with a huge smile on her face. Next to her was the floating figure , not a balloon at all, but Fizzle. Sylra blinked. The shape she had seen wasn't a balloon , it was Fizzle the whole time.
Lila ran straight toward her, her smile wide and happy. Fizzle floated quickly behind her and gave Sylra a tight hug. Sylra hugged her back, glad to see familiar faces.
"You two okay?" Sylra asked, checking them over quickly with her eyes. "Did you face any monsters?"
Lila answered, "We're fine. No monsters so far. But while we were moving, I felt something. It felt… familiar. That's why we decided to check it out. And it turns out, it was you!"
Sylra smiled slightly and nodded. "Good. Stay close. I'll play the note again. Maybe we'll find more of us."
She took command naturally and played her note again, using her sound detection skill to search for others. The note started to spread again, and together the three of them kept moving, now with more hope that someone else might be nearby, or at least that they were heading in the right direction toward the center.
---
Meanwhile, after seven and a half hours had passed, in another part of the maze, Vaela was doing something quite different. She had made a bonfire and was just sitting near it calmly. Thick smoke rose into the air, serving as a signal. She wasn't worried at all. In fact, she was lying down and sleeping, thinking someone would surely find her eventually.
Her plan worked.
A voice called out from the distance, "Is someone there?"
Vaela opened her eyes and saw someone running toward her. She didn't shout back or wave. She simply started packing her things slowly, like it wasn't a big deal.
The person running toward her turned out to be Adrian.
As soon as he reached her, he spoke quickly, "Vaela! Are you okay?"
"Yes," she replied simply.
"Thank goodness," Adrian said with a sigh of relief. "Were you in the same place this whole time?"
"Yes."
"Seriously? Weren't you bored?"
"A lot. So I slept," she said casually.
Adrian was shocked. "Wait, what!? You really just slept here? What if some monster came while you were sleeping?!"
"I would wake up, defeat them, and go back to sleep," Vaela replied in a calm, almost lazy voice.
"You didn't try to find anyone else?" Adrian asked again.
"I made a bonfire, didn't I? I knew someone would eventually find me."
Adrian let out another sigh. "Alright, fine. But now you can't stay in one place anymore. We need to move toward the center. We'll probably find others on the way."
"Heh… tchhh, yes yes, I'll walk," she said in a mocking tone. "Can you carry me though?"
"You're a grown woman. You should walk on your own," Adrian replied firmly.
"Tchhh…So Boring," she muttered under her breath.
Even though she didn't want to move, she finally gave in and started walking with him.
---
The eighth hour passed, no changes.
The ninth hour passed, still no changes.
And now the tenth hour had arrived.
---
In another chamber, Doran was walking with Nira when suddenly someone slapped him on the back of the head.
"Ouch!! That hurts!" Doran shouted, rubbing his head. "Why did you hit me, Nira?"
Nira, who was walking slightly ahead, turned around and said, "I didn't hit you. Why would I hit you?"
"Then who did?" Doran looked around.
"Maybe the person behind you."
Doran turned around quickly, angry. "Who dares hit me from behind?!"
Standing behind him was Junith. As soon as Doran turned to look at her, she started yelling.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?! Screaming and yelling in a place like this, where you don't even know what might be around?! Are you dumb?!"
Doran quickly replied, "Aren't you speaking loudly too?"
That earned him another hit on his head from Junith.
"You're speaking in that tone to your senior?" she said, clearly annoyed.
Doran lowered his voice, his earlier confidence gone. "Okay okay, I get it. Sorry. Just don't hit me again…"
He hesitated for a second, then added softly, "Please."
Junith gave him a long stare. Then she said, "If you got it, then okay. Nira, let's move ahead."
Doran looked like he had more things to say, but he stayed quiet. That seemed like the safer option.
Junith then continued, "I've been watching carefully. I've got a rough idea of the pattern and layout of this chamber. If you both follow me, we'll get to the center soon." She took the lead.
Nira walked just ahead of her, and Doran followed silently, rubbing his head now and then.
---
Now, only 14 hours were left. Would they all reach the center before the time was up? Or would some of them fail? No one knew the answer. But all of them believed. They believed in themselves, in each other, and in the hope that they would meet again soon. They kept moving forward.
The challenge was not over yet.