The profound, heavy rumbling that had seized the labyrinth guided Kane, Missy, and Linia through the maze of impossible architecture. When they finally reached the source of the noise, they were met not with a monster, but with a scene of utter, senseless destruction. The structure they were approaching was collapsing inward—a cascading nightmare of stone and concrete. Walls were crashing down upon each other, and all that remained was a growing mountain of pulverized rubble.
Linia, recovering quickly, cautiously approached the site. She began removing the broken pieces, her face grim. Kane and Missy quickly joined her, the three of them clearing the debris until they uncovered something large, black, and unmistakable: a giant feather, thick as a man's arm, lying scorched and frayed on the ground.
Linia picked it up, examining the grotesque structure. "It was from that creature," she stated, her voice tight with suppressed fear.
"It seems to have been imprisoned here," Kane murmured, turning the feather over in his gloved hand. "Somehow, it escaped."
After a meticulous examination of the wreckage, Kane came to a terrifying conclusion: the act of him taking the armor, of triggering that horrific process of absorption, had been the catalyst. He had not just claimed an artifact; he had unleashed a primal, destructive force back into the world.
As Kane was about to turn away, he caught sight of a message etched into a slab of stone that had survived the collapse. It was written in the runes he could read, and as his mind translated the archaic script, a fresh wave of existential horror washed over him.
When Dread killed him, he raised a grave stone for his sibling . From the place where the blood sank, a seed of sorrow took root, and a tree was born. Its leaves bore a terrible consciousness.
The Embodiment of truth, came to know of this. He felt the heavy pulse of the tree's memory, the weight of the past. He did not prune; he did not carve; he chopped it to give to Destiny.
Destiny, the crafter, took the wood of suffering. With it, he forged two things: an armor and a weapon.
"What is their purpose?" Dread asked.
Destiny answered in a subtle, chilling voice: "The armor shall choose one fated for a life worse than death. It is a desire to be broken. That is life."
"And the weapon?"
"The weapon shall choose one who is destined to face the flame of desire and overcome it," Destiny laughed, a sound that echoed like a thousand dying stars. "It is a desire to un-become. That is life, as well."
The armor and the weapon waited in the beautiful darkness.
Kane's heart seized in a panicked vice. A tidal wave of despair crashed over him. 'Don't tell me the armor was destined to be in me. Is it true that I am destined to be like this?' The chilling prophecy about a life worse than death made him tremble, a torrent of dark emotions overwhelming his usually stoic resolve. He had no idea what the weapon's choice implied, but the armor's choice made him wish the golden river had simply melted him into oblivion. His only hope was that the words were purely metaphorical, but deep down, a terrifying truth was taking root.
Linia, seeing the abject fear on his face, gently put a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"
Kane explained everything, his voice hushed and hollow.
Linia listened, her expression thoughtful. "It might be possible," she conceded, the weight of the ancient script hanging between them. "But it might also not be possible. These prophecies are often poetry, not maps." She didn't press for details, but simply dragged him away from that chilling wall, away from the weight of the text.
They retreated into a secure, enclosed section of the cathedral—a temporary sanctuary in the impossible maze. Kane was lying down on the cold floor, his arms crossed over his chest, utterly consumed by thoughts of his cursed fate. Linia, meanwhile, was sitting nearby, meticulously braiding Missy's hair, which had reformed into long, shimmering strands of white mist. Missy hummed a soft, toneless song, a sound that oddly calmed the terrifying atmosphere.
Linia finally sighed, the small domestic scene ending abruptly. "Okay, snap out of it," she said, her voice commanding.
Kane looked up at her. "I was just thinking about it." He paused, his gaze drifting to the scarred plates of his new armor. "Actually, I'm just tired of everything."
"Actually, he—" Missy started, her voice defensive.
"Stop it, Missy!" Kane shouted, the sudden harshness shocking both women.
Missy flinched, her mist body trembling. "But she can be trusted—"
"You're a damn Echo!" Kane retorted, his voice strained and cruel, the pressure of his fate making him lash out. "Just listen and stay quiet. No need to lecture me on whom to trust."
Missy immediately went silent, her face contorted in sadness. Her eyes welled up with unshed tears, and her braided hair slumped, a tangible manifestation of her hurt.
Linia's eyes narrowed, her face hardening with disbelief. "Do you not trust me?" she demanded.
Kane looked at her, the sadness in his eyes replacing the anger. "I once trusted a person I shouldn't have," he said quietly. "And that ended terribly."
Linia looked at him, ready to unleash a retort, but after a small, heavy silence, she softened her tone. "Okay. But in order to survive here, we must trust each other."
"How?" Kane challenged, sitting up. "We don't know a single thing about each other. Even if we fight until the end, what is the chance that you won't stab me in the back for some greater goal?"
Linia met his gaze, her voice now sharp with philosophical conviction. "Because Belief is everything."
Kane looked confused. "Explain."
Linia offered a subtle, knowing smile. "If you have a treasure that can't be carried by you, and you have a choice to give it to a good guy or a bad guy, whom would you choose?"
"A good guy, of course," Kane answered without hesitation.
"Exactly," Linia continued. "Because you believed in the good guy, that he would be good to you. That is what belief is. Of course, you can have a backup plan, but the moment you choose the good guy, it still says that you have some belief in him."
Kane looked bewildered. "But the 'good guys' you mentioned will be the ones first to die."
Linia nodded. "Yeah, but they are pillars for the future. Moreover, I'm asking you to be good, not naive."
Kane thought about it. He had survived Nephis's attack precisely because he had never showcased his full potential in front of her. That caution had given him the edge he needed. 'Maybe this is what she meant,' he reasoned. 'Being good enough to give her a chance, but still cautious enough to hide my true power.'
Kane looked at her. "I understand. So, you are asking me to believe you to a certain extent."
Linia smiled warmly. "Yes. You can tell me your story whenever you want. I will share mine at that moment." Linia then proposed, "If you want, we can exchange a single question right now. How about it?"
Kane considered the offer. It was a fair way to start building the necessary foundation of trust. "Sure," he agreed. "Who will start?"
Linia looked at him, then thought for a moment, her eyes momentarily far away. "Well, let me ask the first question. Tell me about your parents?"
Kane looked at her, surprised by the simple, personal question. "Well, my mother's name is Clara, and my father's name is Sam. Both of them were Awakened who worked for the government on a contract basis. I lost them at a young age and ended up in the Outskirts. Don't ask me how they died; I won't tell you about that. But I had their diary, and that guided me to a certain extent."
Linia was momentarily stunned by the raw honesty. "I… I am sorry," she stammered.
Kane's face momentarily tightened with sadness. "Okay, my turn. What is your goal?"
Linia thought for a moment before answering. "I am searching for my brother. His name might be Antigonus."
"Might be Antigonus?" Kane repeated, confused.
Linia offered a mischievous smile. "Well, I can't tell you that."
Kane's eyes widened for a moment, before a wry grin spread across his face. "Well, that makes us even. I hope you find your brother."
The conversation was interrupted when Missy, who had been listening with deep concentration, launched herself at Kane and crashed right into him. The sudden, unexpected force sent Kane flying backward, crashing into the stone wall with a loud THUD.
"Idiot!" Missy's faint, angry voice echoed in his mind.
Linia just covered her mouth, her eyes curled in amusement. "Well, you shouldn't have spoken to her like that."
Kane pushed himself off the wall, feeling a fresh ache in his back. He looked at Missy, guilt washing over him. Missy might be an Echo of a trained killer, but she had the qualities of a child—a paradox that he had deeply wounded with his harsh words. Kane gently scruffed her braided hair. "I am sorry, Missy."
Linia immediately looked at him with a sharp, warning tone. "It took quite some time to braid her hair."
Kane stared at the mess he had just made of Missy's beautiful, shimmering braids, and offered a wry smile. "Oops."
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How was the chapter?
1.Peak
2.Good
3.Meh
4.Worst