The bone door shut behind them with a dull scrape. The noise of the market faded, but the weight of it stayed.
Kael still felt the mark burning on his back. Not his name this time — Riven's debt. Owes One. The Ledger had carved it into the board. The Labyrinth wouldn't just let that go.
The new corridor was wide, almost too wide. Dust hung in the air. Chains dangled from the ceiling, swaying slow, like something had brushed them not long ago.
The system whispered:
[Room Detected: The Debt Collector] Rule: A debt unpaid must be carried. Condition: Repay or be claimed.
Riven groaned. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Really? One bad snack and now the whole dungeon wants interest?"
Seren scribbled fast: Labyrinth always collects.
Kael thought, And it always writes it down. He tightened his grip on the Key.
A low sound stirred in the dark ahead. Not a gong. Not yet. Something dragging. Chains rattled.
Then it appeared.
A figure stepped out of the shadows — tall, draped in cloth like a ruined cloak. Its head was wrapped tight in ledgers and scraps of parchment, pages fluttering though there was no wind. From its chest hung a heavy book, chained shut.
It lifted its arm. Dozens of thin slips of paper unfurled, each with a name.
Kael's blood went cold.
One slip glowed faint. Riven — Owes One.
"Shit," Riven muttered. He raised his sword like it would help.
The system chimed again:
[Debt Identified] Bearer: Riven Interest: Shared with group.
Darkness crawled higher on Riven's legs, reaching his thighs. Kael's throat tightened. He could feel Echo bleeding from all three of them, slow and steady.
Seren shoved a note at Kael: Pay. With something else.
"What?" Riven barked. "I'm not giving it my ass if that's what you mean."
Kael almost smiled, bitter. He forced out words: "Tokens. Memory. Something."
The Debt Collector stepped forward. Each step left faint letters burned into the stone: names, debts, numbers.
Kael pulled a token from his pouch and held it out. "Take it."
The book at its chest opened with a snap. The token vanished inside.
The system whispered:
[Partial Payment] Debt reduced. Balance remains.
Riven swore. "Figures. Wants more."
The Collector's slips fluttered again. The glowing line pulsed brighter.
Kael thought fast. If it wanted more than tokens…
He touched the Key of Low Tide, pressed it against the ground, and twisted. The stone cracked, pulling some of the slips down like water washing away chalk.
The Collector shuddered. The book snapped shut.
The system flickered:
[Debt bent] Tide lowered. Cost spread: Echo -1 (all).
Kael gasped, chest burning. Seren staggered. Even Riven swayed, cursing under his breath.
But the slip with his name dimmed.
The Collector's head tilted, parchment fluttering. It hissed — not sound, but the scrape of pen on paper. Then it turned, chains dragging, and stepped back into the dark.
The system's last note etched across Kael's mind:
[Debt settled. For now.] Warning: Debts never vanish.
Silence fell.
Riven let out a long breath. "That's it? It just… left? Well, shit. Guess I'm not worth collecting after all."
Seren wrote Idiot and slapped the paper into his chest.
"Pfft." Riven grinned anyway, though sweat dripped down his face.
Kael stayed still a moment longer. His chest hurt, his throat burned, and the word Hollow still echoed in his skull. But now there was something else too:
The Labyrinth didn't just keep records. It kept score.
From somewhere deep behind them, the gong tolled once, low and long.
BOOOONG.
It rolled down the corridor, chasing their backs like a shadow.
Kael gripped the Key tighter and started walking.