In the labyrinth, Noah stood atop the Minotaur, pressing his foot against its chest where its heart lay. The Minotaur screamed in pain, its back arching as it dug its sharp, vicious claws into the ground beneath, grinding its teeth together with force. Yet even so, cries and groans of agony still escaped its mouth.
As this unfolded, Liam's eyes widened in shock and terror. He slowly rose from the ground, watching the beast on the ground, his mouth agape in disbelief, as if his jaw were about to touch the floor.
"I-Is this the Noah I know?" Liam thought to himself, confused and tense. Then his eyes flared a dark shade of blue. Looking at the sprawled Minotaur, he saw through its body a form that twisted and stretched with no stable shape, a blindingly white presence. It was the Minotaur's spirit, oscillating and extending along its limbs like smooth water filling a vessel.
"He's of Rank E…" Liam thought, gaining a faint understanding, Rank E beast wasn't that difficult—worse high school students could defeat it—but this did nothing to lessen his shock. Noah was supposed to be far weaker than that rank. It made no sense.
Liam lifted his gaze toward Noah to see his spirit, but before he could, the Minotaur swung its hand over its chest to strike Noah. Yet Noah vanished, appearing beside Liam in an instant.
"W-What—?!" Liam thought, stunned and staggered by the suddenness. He hadn't seen Noah move, and yet he appeared by his side.
"N-Noah—" Liam said, flustered. He didn't know why he spoke the name, but he wanted to ask anything to understand what was happening, perhaps to confirm that this was indeed the boy he knew.
"I don't need your help!" Noah snapped sharply, not even looking at him.
"W-Wait a moment—" Liam said stubbornly, trying to reach out to Noah's shoulder, to make him turn, but Noah had already vanished again, reappearing atop the Minotaur. During that time, the beast had struggled to regain its balance, but Noah gave it no respite. Each foot clamped onto a shoulder while he grabbed its twisted, curved horns. The Minotaur let out a deafening wail like thunder, shaking the ground and walls around them in a pain that froze all who heard it. Still, Liam did not flinch; his full attention remained on Noah.
"I don't need anyone's help! I can do this myself… I have to prove to them that I am capable like them! That I'm not different! That I'm not a stranger! I have to prove it!" Noah thought to himself, teeth gritted, as he pulled the horns toward him, trying to wrench them from the beast's skull. He heard cracks and splits, causing the Minotaur to scream in pain. Noah noticed tears streaming from its eyes instead of blood, but that did not stop him.
Noah's muscles tensed further, intensifying. Then the Minotaur's horns shattered. Noah nearly fell from the recoil but regained his balance. The Minotaur struck back, raising its hands toward his head to grab him, but Noah leapt away between them with lightness and agility, landing gracefully near the creature. Its claws sank into its own head, causing bleeding where it had shocked both Noah and Liam. The Minotaur rubbed and scratched at its horns' missing spot while crying and groaning in pain, the scratches drawing blood that trickled from its head to its chin and dripped onto the ground, flowing into the cracks in the floor, slipping smoothly between them.
"What is he doing now?" Liam thought, tense, watching silently. Shock had stirred his curiosity, a desire to see the outcome, to witness what would happen next, keeping him rooted in place.
Noah raised the Minotaur's horns in his hands, aiming them at the beast—or rather, at its heart—as if they were weapons. The Minotaur charged at him, mouth wide, revealing massive flat teeth, the smallest as big as a human head. Its tongue dangled, drool dripping, as it lunged with all its might, trying to devour Noah in a single bite. Tension threatened to overwhelm him, making him falter and lose focus. Yet he calmed himself. Before he knew it, he was caught between the beast's jaws, moments from being crushed.
The Minotaur's body slammed into the ground with a deafening impact, sending a dense cloud of dust into the air. Its jaws clamped around Noah, leaving no escape. All Liam heard next was the metallic clash of teeth, followed by the sound of flesh being torn. He strained through the dust, trying to catch even a glimpse of what occurred. Not long passed before the dust cleared, vanishing with the breeze.
Liam's eyes widened in shock and horror. Before he realized it, a tense smile appeared on his face. He gripped his shirt tightly, heart racing, breath shallow, as if his chest were shrinking from fear.
"N-Noah…"
Before him, Noah sat in the middle of a growing pool of blood. His clothes were saturated in red, dark stains covering his chest and arms, droplets scattered across his face and hair. His body bore traces of blood but showed no visible wounds. He sat between the Minotaur's jaws, now motionless on the ground, its massive teeth still partially clamped around him. The creature's skull was tilted to one side, blood flowing slowly from its torn body, feeding the red pool that spread around Noah.
Noah's rapid breaths slowed. He raised his eyes toward Liam, perhaps feeling a flicker of hope and joy, desiring but one thing: approval. But his hope quickly faded when he saw the terror in Liam's eyes, pupils quivering, hand clutching his chest, breathing quickened. The reaction was different, certainly, but it led to only one conclusion: rejection.
Noah clenched his teeth and clicked his tongue in irritation, standing to take the Minotaur's horns with him to use in future battles. Blood dripped from his clothes, sticking to his body, as he began walking away. Liam quickly ran after him.
"N-Noah, wait—" Liam called, rushing to catch up, reaching out to grab his arm, but Noah blocked him, swatting his hand away.
"What the hell do you want now?"
"I told you, I want to protect you," Liam replied, flustered.
"Protect me? You still want to protect me after seeing what I can do? I don't need your help. I can handle it alone."
"I know, but… you're still weak," Liam said sharply, his tension gone.
Noah's eyes widened in alarm."Aren't i Weak to finish the labyrinth?" This question had haunted him since entering it. Hearing it from Liam was different—a bitter, sharp flavor. After all, truth always lingered in the eyes of the Graves.
"I haven't used my eyes…" Liam added. Noah felt some relief. As long as Liam hadn't looked inside him, even if the lie was what gave him strength to finish the test, he would cling to it.
The spiritual eyes of the Graves family operated on an entirely different level. They were not merely a skill but fell under a unique, separate category: "Vestiges". These were abilities developed over time in certain individuals who later founded families leading the current order. One such Vestige was the "Spectral Eye", inherited by the Graves family, allowing them to peer into anyone's spirit—to know their rank, thoughts, physical and mental state, and soul color. Had Liam used his eye on Noah and called him weak, it would have caused bleeding wounds. But luckily, he had not yet.
"Even if I am weak, I don't need your help. Why are you so stubborn?"
Liam remained silent for a moment, staring down. Noah stared back, equally silent, before turning his back and starting to walk away.
"Focus on the test and stay out of my way anyway."
Liam lifted his head, clenched his fist tightly, tried to call out to Noah, but the words stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no sound came, before loosening his fist and smiling lightly.
"The Principal said that if we were in danger, he'd save us, right?" Liam said, catching Noah's attention. Successful in making him look.
"So… if I leave you near death, he'll have to save you, drag you out of the test whether you like it or not," Liam said, smiling lightly—a cold, angerless smile that unnerved Noah.
Noah jumped back, tense and cautious. He activated his field of influence with a subtle flick of his fingers. This was a big problem—Liam was one of the greatest talents at this high school. His inherited power as a Graves was frightening on its own. But here lay the issue: throughout their friendship, or rather, his time accompanying Noah, he had never revealed his skill. Fine—Liam doesn't know Noah's abilities either. So, the two were evenly matched, or so Noah thought.
Noah blinked, only to open his eyes wide the next instant, horror and confusion flooding them. The space around him was immersed in fog, enveloping and engulfing the area as if drawing it toward the abyss.
"W-When did—?!" Noah thought, tense and flustered.
Then he felt heavy, hot breaths on his neck. He dared not move his head, fear gripping him. His breaths quickened as he glimpsed sideways through the corners of his eyes. They widened further, turning red, veins appearing around them.
A creature stood on the ground, its body black and viscous, flowing endlessly, pooling in drops with each movement. Its flat, hammer-like head extended from a long, flexible neck. Its massive maw was filled with long, sharp teeth. On its sides, huge apertures bristling with sharp teeth protruded like metal blades, moving independently to reach any approaching target. Its arms were long and thin, tipped with sharp, claw-like nails. Its point pressed against Noah's neck from the side, drawing a slow trickle of blood.
Noah's breathing quickened. He tried to escape, only to realize the monster had him. Its other hand, massive, gripped him, nails curling around his body like a cage, preventing any movement.
Noah's chest tightened, breaths growing labored. His heart pounded, shaking his whole body in fear. The creature let out a continuous low hum, layered with faint vibrations and intermittent tremors, rising and falling slowly, mingled with a muted gurgling, echoing as if it were laughing.
Then Noah heard footsteps approaching. He turned, seeing Liam draw near. His steps were slow, but each echo made Noah shiver, even as the fog thinned and Liam emerged closer.
Noah noticed another creature floating nearby Liam's shoulder. Its round, bloated body resembled a balloon, its long tail like a strange leg for support or swimming. On its main face, a wide smile stretched across its mouth, eyes glowing red, fixed as if observing everything. On its side, another face like a mask, hollow, empty eye and mouth holes, adding a sense of void. Three long fangs descended from its head, each longer than the last, insect-like, moving slowly as if trying to touch anything near. Its body seemed both fragile and supple, capable of stretching and bending.
Liam stood before Noah, gazing into his eyes with cold indifference, his face emotionless, a part of him seemingly enjoying it.
"You wanted to protect me… now you want to hurt me? What a twisted scheme," Noah said, smirking despite his tension and confusion.
"Who are you trying to deceive? Clearly you're scared… I don't intend to harm you… yet… I'll give you a chance. Withdraw from the test now, avoid danger. No one will blame you; everyone knows you're weak," Liam said calmly, his expression cold like he's stating a fact.
Noah remained silent for a while, before finally letting a faint laugh slip from his lips, perhaps driven mad by fear and confusion.
"You—You don't understand, do you?! Of course not! You upper-class bastards, you'll never understand! Born with a talent capable of splitting the skies from nothing because of your parents—and their ancestors before them—you live your lives secluded in your palaces like foolish narcissists, refusing to mingle with others. Don't make me start on how you treat 'Flaws' like me! Someone vomited just for looking my way! I had to skip an entire week just because you advised me it was best to avoid them. Isn't that what you said? Guess what happened next? Yes, you guessed right—the bastard came, and I became his new victim!…" Noah said between cackles, eyes wide, a grin of madness etched on his face, before calming and looking downward.
"Listen, Liam… do you know what it feels like to be hated just for breathing? Just for being born? Just for existing?… You don't know. Everyone loves you… and why even try to understand? You tried to deny my dream, claiming it was a way to save me… You know what? Screw you… screw everyone, screw the teachers, the students, the Principal, especially Blake! Screw the gods! And screw all of you… I'll survive… I'll get out of here successful, so forget convincing me otherwise… If you want to fight me hard, show me what you've got. I'm not afraid of you…" Noah said, lifting his head to meet Liam's gaze once more.
"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" Noah shouted before vanishing suddenly from sight, between the beast's claws.
Liam froze, Noah's words repeating in his ears like the buzzing of bees. He pointed at the creature, searching for Noah.
"Find him, Neamhglaise."
The creature let out a terrifying screech, pressing its body against the labyrinth walls, disintegrating into black, viscous matter covered in eyes of varying sizes. With each passing second, the black viscous matter grew, covering the walls entirely and extending through the narrow corridors and corners.
Liam sighed, annoyed, running his hand through his hair before turning toward the creature floating beside him.
"…Pan…"