The morning sun streamed through the small window of room eight, casting golden bars across the wooden floor. James woke to the sound of Astor moving around, already dressed and preparing for the day ahead. The system timer in his peripheral vision showed:
[Time until Maze 1 Challenge]: 8:14:22 hours
But more immediate concerns pressed at him. Astor's class challenge needed to be attempted, and the anomaly from the night before still gnawed at his thoughts.
"Ready for this?" Astor asked, checking his basic gear. He'd equipped simple leather boots and a belt pouch they'd purchased from Henrik the previous evening, using some of their remaining silver. "My first Riddle Void. No idea what to expect."
James nodded, pushing aside his questions about temporal anomalies and Oracle Keys. "You said I could come with you? Two allies maximum?"
They'd decided on a simple plan. Astor would activate his class challenge in their room, allowing James to observe and potentially assist. If the void proved too dangerous, James could retreat while Astor completed whatever puzzle awaited. It seemed straightforward enough, but James had learned not to trust anything in the Domain to be simple.
"Alright," Astor said, settling cross-legged on his bed. "Here goes nothing." He closed his eyes, focusing on his class interface. "Initiating Enigma Challenge: Riddle Void."
The air in the room shimmered, reality bending like heated glass. The walls dissolved, replaced by an endless expanse of shifting gray mist. James felt a pulling sensation, as if the void was drawing him in. He didn't resist, letting himself be pulled into whatever dimension Astor's challenge had created.
They materialized in a circular chamber with smooth stone walls that curved upward into darkness. The space felt ancient, carved from some kind of black rock that seemed to absorb light. In front of them stretched a massive mural, easily twenty feet wide and twelve feet tall, depicting intricate scenes carved in relief and filled with precious metals that caught the dim illumination from an unknown source.
A system message appeared before both of them:
[Riddle Void Challenge Initiated]
[Objective]: Decipher the Mural
[Participants]: Astor (Primary), James (Ally)
[Time Limit]: 1 hour
[Failure Consequence]: Mental entrapment until next challenge cycle
James approached the mural, studying its intricate details. The craftsmanship was extraordinary, depicting what appeared to be the construction of an enormous tower. At the bottom of the scene, robed figures worked with geometric precision, laying foundation stones that seemed to glow with inner light. The tower rose through the middle sections of the mural, growing ever more elaborate as it climbed toward the top.
"Look at this," Astor said, his Puzzle Sight highlighting patterns James couldn't see. "The architecture changes as the tower gets higher. Like they were building in different styles, or maybe different time periods."
James examined the robed figures more closely. Their faces were obscured, but their postures suggested purpose and determination. Some carried tools that looked familiar, others held items that defied easy categorization. "These aren't random workers," he observed. "Look at how they're positioned. There's a hierarchy here."
At the base of the mural, text was carved in the same black stone, but filled with silver that made it readable:
"Foundations laid by twelve, each contributing their essence to the great work. What began in unity fractured in ambition, yet became both prison and gateway."
"Twelve again," James muttered. "That number keeps showing up everywhere."
Astor nodded, studying the middle sections of the mural. "And look here. The tower construction changes dramatically around the halfway point. The earlier sections show cooperation, but higher up..." He traced the carved figures with his finger. "They're working separately, building different sections that don't quite connect properly."
James could see what Astor meant. The lower portions of the tower in the mural showed seamless construction, with the robed figures working in concert. But as the tower rose, the scenes depicted separate groups working on different sections, their architectural styles clashing with each other.
"Prison and gateway," James read again. "The tower? That doesn't make sense unless..."
"Unless it serves different purposes for different people," Astor finished. His Puzzle Sight was picking up more details. "The figures at the top of the mural, they're not the same as the ones at the bottom. Different robes, different postures. Some look... trapped."
James studied the uppermost section of the mural. The tower's peak was shrouded in carved clouds, but within them he could make out forms that looked more like shadows than people. Their postures suggested anguish rather than triumph.
"The twelve masters," Astor said slowly. "They built this tower together, but something went wrong. The unity fractured, and somehow they became prisoners of their own creation."
"But it's also called a gateway," James pointed out. "So it has to lead somewhere, or allow passage of some kind."
They spent the next twenty minutes analyzing every detail of the mural. The Riddle Void's challenge wasn't about solving complex puzzles or navigating dimensional mazes. It was about understanding the story told in stone and metal, extracting meaning from artistic representation.
James noticed that each of the twelve foundation stones bore a different symbol, and these same symbols appeared throughout the tower's construction at various points. Some seemed to represent concepts: a stylized eye for observation, interlocking gears for construction or mechanism, flowing water for change or adaptation.
"I think I understand," Astor said as their time limit approached fifteen minutes remaining. "The twelve masters each brought a different skill or power to the construction. But their ambitions caused them to compete rather than cooperate, and the tower became unstable."
"And the prison aspect," James added, "is that they're now bound to it somehow. Unable to leave their creation."
"While the gateway aspect means others can use it, but perhaps not safely."
[Time Remaining]: 12:13 minutes
The understanding seemed to trigger something in the mural. The silver inlay began to glow softly, and new text appeared below the original inscription:
"When unity breaks, the builders become the built. When cooperation fails, the creators become the created. The tower stands eternal, seeking those who can succeed where the masters failed."
A doorway opened in the wall behind them, revealing the path out of the Riddle Void.
[Riddle Void Complete]
[Grade]: B+
[Reward]: 1 x Essence Shard (F)
The void began to collapse around them.
Opening their eyes, they found themselves back in room eight, both breathing heavily from the mental exertion.
"The Twelve Masters," Astor said, checking his updated status. "It looks like the challenges have trade offs between classes. My challenge was only an hour, but I was allowed to bring an ally, and it provided historical information."
"Balance," James mused. "That creep did say the Domain always keeps things balanced."
Astor nodded, but his expression remained troubled. "The tower being both prison and gateway, masters who became trapped in their own creation... it sounds disturbingly familiar to our situation."
James thought about the symbols he'd glimpsed at the mural's peak. Whatever the connection between the Twelve Masters and their current situation, he had the unsettling feeling they'd only scratched the surface.
"We should get some food," Astor said, but his earlier enthusiasm was dampened by the ominous implications of what they'd learned. "And maybe see if we can find anyone in town who knows more about the Domain."
[Time until Maze 1 Challenge]: 6:58:17 hours.