They found a seam in the stone and slipped inside. The passage closed behind them with a low grind, cutting off the dark corridor.
For once, there was no system message. No rules. Just still air and a small hollow carved into the rock.
A fire pit sat in the middle, ashes cold. Someone had used this place before.
Riven dropped to the ground with a grunt. "Finally. A room that doesn't want to eat me." He pulled off his boots, wiggling his toes. "My legs are two bad steps away from falling off."
Kael leaned against the wall. His throat still burned, but the silence wasn't crushing here. He let out a long breath, almost a sigh.
Seren crouched by the pit. She pulled scraps of paper from her pouch — notes she'd crossed out earlier — and fed them to the coals. The fire caught, small and thin, but enough.
"Don't burn all your insults," Riven said, watching. "I'd miss them."
Seren looked at him flatly, scribbled: You won't. She shoved the note into his hand, then dropped another scrap into the fire.
Riven chuckled. "Hmph. Savage."
The firelight softened the room. Kael watched the flames climb. For the first time in what felt like forever, the silence in his chest didn't feel like a noose. Just quiet.
Riven stretched out, hands behind his head. "You know, we make a decent team. A broken voice, a girl who writes too much, and me — the charming idiot."
Kael muttered, rough but steady: "One out of three right."
"Ha! He talks back." Riven grinned wide. "Knew you had jokes in there somewhere."
Seren handed Kael a folded scrap. Don't listen to him.
Kael almost smiled. He tucked it into his cloak.
They shared the last of their bread. Hard, dry, but food. Riven chewed loud on purpose, earning another glare from Seren.
When the fire dimmed, the silence of the Labyrinth pressed back in. Not heavy like before. Just there. Watching.
Riven broke it. "Hey. If we make it out, first round's on me. Real stew. Meat that doesn't bite back."
Kael thought: If we make it out. But he didn't say it. He just nodded once.
Seren scribbled: I'll hold you to it.
For a moment, it felt like a promise. Something human in a place that ate names.
Then the stone shivered.
BOOOONG.
The sound rolled faint through the walls, distant but clear. The fire shook, sparks jumping.
No one moved. They just sat there, breathing quiet, waiting for the echo to fade.
Kael held the Key in his lap, metal cold against his palm. The Labyrinth hadn't forgotten them. It never did.
But for now, in this little hollow, with firelight dancing on their faces, they were alive.
And that was enough.