The market stayed loud, but the gong still sat in Kael's bones. Every laugh and shout felt too sharp, like the Labyrinth was listening for the next slip.
Riven shoved through the crowd, eyeing every stall. "Alright, who's selling decent food? Not this boiled shoe leather."
A man waved them over. His stall was stacked with meat skewers dripping grease. "Fresh," he said, smiling too wide. "One token each."
Riven sniffed the air. "Smells like heaven." He dropped a token without thinking.
The man handed him a skewer. The meat twitched.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "That's not—"
Too late. Riven had already bitten in. He chewed once, froze, then spat. "The fuck?!"
The system chimed in Kael's head:
[Trade: One token accepted] Item: Echo-Tainted Meat Burden: +1 (Riven)
Darkness surged higher on Riven's legs, crawling to his knees.
The stall keeper laughed. "Trade's fair. No refunds."
Riven's sword was half out when Kael grabbed his arm. "Don't. Debt gets written."
The board at the center scratched itself. New words carved: Riven — Owes One.
"Son of a—" Riven snapped the sword back in its sheath. "Fine. I'll live. For now."
Seren scribbled quick: Stop buying first. Think later. She smacked the note into his chest.
"Pfft." Riven grinned anyway, though his face was pale. "Worth a shot."
They pushed deeper into the market. Walkers bargained for torches, ropes, scraps of maps. One woman sold "echo water" for three tokens — the bottle glowed faintly, dangerous.
At a corner, a hunched trader called out. "You. Hollow boy."
Kael stiffened.
The man's eyes gleamed. "Name's written already. Can't hide it. But maybe… you can change how it's read. For a price."
Kael didn't move. "Not interested."
The man chuckled, showing black teeth. "You will be."
Seren tugged Kael's sleeve hard, dragging him away before the debt could even form.
They found a quieter spot near a broken arch. Kael leaned on the wall, Key warm in his fist. His throat burned every time he spoke, but the silence in his chest felt louder.
Riven chewed the last of his ruined skewer, grimacing. "We need more tokens. Otherwise, next time we'll be trading our teeth."
Kael muttered, "Or worse."
Seren wrote fast: Market not safe. Next room better than here.
He nodded. The market wasn't safe. Nothing here was safe. At least in the trials, the rules were clear.
A voice drifted over the crowd, smooth and sharp.
"Leaving already?"
Lyra leaned against a pillar, arms folded, grin bright. "Thought you'd stay. The market loves fresh faces. Loves fresh debts more."
Riven groaned. "Why is it always you?"
Lyra ignored him, eyes on Kael. "The Ledger wrote you Hollow twice now. You're building a story. People will want to read it… or tear the page out."
Kael said nothing. His throat ached too much, and words wouldn't help.
Lyra smirked, stepping aside. "Go on then. Run from the market. But remember: debts walk faster than people."
Kael tightened his grip on the Key. He walked past her without a word. Seren and Riven followed, silent for once.
At the far end, a bone door waited, carved with faint grooves that looked like threads. It was the way forward.
The system scratched again:
[Exit Found] Condition: Clear debt or carry it.
Riven cursed under his breath. "Figures."
Kael stared at the door. Behind them, the market roared on, names still being written. In front of them, another room waited.
Then the gong tolled.
BOOOONG.
The whole chamber paused. For one breath, even Lyra went still.
Kael felt the sound crawl through his ribs. The Labyrinth wasn't finished.
Not yet.