The path to the furnace was a descent into madness itself. The molten rivers that once laced the tunnels now converged into a single, roaring chasm — a sea of liquid fire that boiled beneath a cathedral of black iron and stone. The heat was suffocating, alive, pressing against their lungs like invisible hands. Each breath tasted of smoke and rust.
They stood at the edge of the Heart Furnace, the beating core of the second level — a monstrous construct built before memory, where machine and magma had fused into one. Massive pistons the size of towers rose and fell in slow rhythm, slamming into the molten pool with earth-shaking force. Each impact sent up plumes of vapor that hissed and curled into shapes that almost resembled faces — screaming, whispering, pleading.
The structure itself was a labyrinth within the Labyrinth. Bridges of iron crossed above the lava streams, leading to colossal furnaces shaped like the ribcage of a dying god. Chains thick as tree trunks dangled from the ceiling, suspending cages filled with prisoners who glowed faintly from the heat, their bodies turned into silhouettes against the light. Some were still alive — others were statues of ash, their last moments preserved mid-scream.
At the center rose the Core Engine, a tower of black metal, pulsing like a heart. Its surface was covered with glowing sigils that shifted and twisted when looked at directly. Every few seconds, it exhaled a burst of molten vapor, and from deep within, a faint heartbeat echoed — slow, rhythmic, ancient.
Tarko had called it the beast that feeds the Labyrinth.
The air trembled with energy. Magma veins crawled up the walls, feeding into the machine through metal arteries that throbbed with red light. Around the base of the Core Engine, a dozen Seers stood guard — tall, hooded figures whose faces were hidden behind masks of obsidian glass. They didn't move like humans; they glided, their robes dragging through molten dust without burning. Their presence bent the air, and each time they turned their heads, the metal around them groaned.
"This place…" Mahin whispered, sweat pouring down his face. "It's alive."
Oscar nodded. "And it's watching us."
From high above, a faint metallic groan rolled through the chamber, like the world itself was exhaling. Sparks drifted down like molten rain, vanishing before they touched the ground. Somewhere behind the Core Engine, a shadow moved — slow, deliberate. Cloaked in tattered black, its presence drew every eye without effort.
Could it be the Fallen One?
Oscar, Mahin, and Tarko crouched on a ledge above the chaos, the blistering heat of the furnace making the air ripple around them. Dozens of Seers patrolled the lower platforms, their masks glowing with eerie red light. To reach the Core — to reach the Emperor — they would have to pass through them.
But only Tarko had a way forward.
Oscar leaned closer and whispered, "You said if they catch anyone without a pass, they send them to the fourth level, right?"
Tarko gave a slow nod. "Aye, that's the rule."
Oscar smirked. "Then there's one thing left to do — you're going to get the Emperor."
Tarko blinked. "What? There's a problem with that plan."
Oscar frowned. "What problem?"
Tarko scratched his head awkwardly. "I… don't have a pass."
Both Oscar and Mahin stared at him in disbelief.
"What do you mean you don't have a pass?" Oscar hissed. "You just said no one can mine here without one!"
"Well, I lied," Tarko admitted, shrugging. "It's a trick we pull on the newcomers. Makes 'em cough up a few coins. The only place you really need a pass is here — at the Furnace."
Oscar rubbed his face, exasperated. "Brilliant. What are we supposed to do now?"
Mahin stepped forward, his jaw set. "Listen. I'll distract the Seers. Draw them off. You two get His Highness out of there."
Oscar's eyes widened. "You're unarmed. If they catch you, they'll send you to the fourth!"
"It doesn't matter," Mahin said. "They won't take me that far — just the fourth."
Tarko turned to him sharply. "You don't get it. The fourth level is where the Beast sleeps. No one who deviates from the path to the fifth ever returns. And if the Seers take you, they won't send you on the path…" His voice dropped. "…they'll send you into the forest."
Mahin hesitated, his courage faltering. The Emperor — his Emperor — was only a few meters away, chained beside the glowing heart of the furnace. He could almost reach him. But not without dying for it.
Oscar broke the silence. "I think I've got a better idea."
Tarko eyed him warily. "You planning to charm the Seers with words?"
Oscar smirked. "No. We'll outsmart them." He crouched, tracing a line into the ash at his feet. "The furnace runs on these magma veins. They're not just for heat — they feed the Seers' sight. That glow around them? It's not magic — it's power. If we cut one of the veins, even for a moment, they'll go blind."
Mahin's eyes widened. "You mean… shut off their link to the Labyrinth?"
"Exactly," Oscar said. "We create a short blackout. Just long enough to grab Kaiser and slip back before the furnace restarts." He looked up, the glow of the magma reflecting in his eyes. "Tarko, you know the tunnels better than anyone. There must be an access vent — something that leads beneath the core."
The old prisoner hesitated. "There is… but it's suicide. The pressure down there can melt a man alive."
"Then we move fast," Oscar said. "You guide me to it. Mahin — when the light dies, you go for the emperor. No noise, no hesitation. Get him out and meet us at the catwalk on the north side. We'll head for the third before the Seers reboot their sight."
Tarko looked at him for a long moment, the weight of thirty years in his stare. "You're mad," he said finally. "But maybe madness is what this place needs."
Oscar's smirk hardened into resolve. "Then let's give the Labyrinth something to remember."
The ground trembled beneath them as the furnace exhaled another molten breath, a deep, rhythmic thump-thump — the heartbeat of the beast itself.
The deeper they went, the louder the furnace's pulse became — a sound that wasn't heard so much as felt in the bones. The tunnels beneath the main chamber were narrow and blistering hot, veins of magma running through translucent pipes in the walls like glowing arteries. Every few meters, the ground quaked under the rhythmic beat of the Core Engine above them.
Tarko led the way, limping but swift, muttering curses under his breath. "This way… but stay close. The air here can boil your lungs if you breathe too deep."
Oscar followed, sweat streaking down his face, every breath a struggle. The light was dim and red, flickering with the furnace's pulse. "Where's the access vent?" he asked.
Tarko pointed to a circular hatch at the end of the corridor — thick iron, rimmed with rust and heat cracks. "That's it. The control vein runs beneath that. You break it, the Seers go blind for about… twenty seconds, maybe less."
"Twenty seconds is all we need." Oscar turned toward him. "You get clear once it starts. No heroics."
The old man snorted. "I stopped being a hero thirty years ago. But… I'll see it through."
They pried open the hatch, a rush of red steam bursting out, burning their faces. Inside, the pipe glowed with molten light, energy pulsing through it like a living thing. Oscar gripped his tool, its metal already bending from the heat.
"Ready?" he said.
Tarko nodded. "Do it fast."
Oscar slammed the tool down into the glowing vein. The sound was deafening — a shriek of metal, a flash of white light, and then the entire chamber above them shuddered.
The furnace's heartbeat faltered.
The molten glow in the air dimmed.
And then — silence.
Mahin had been waiting for that very heartbeat to die. The moment the world went dark, he ran. The bridges stopped glowing, the Seers' obsidian masks flickered with confusion — their connection to the Core momentarily severed.
Through the veil of smoke, Mahin saw him — Kaiser the Second, chained to a support beam beside the furnace's base. His cloak was burned, his face half-hidden, but those eyes still burned with defiance.
"Your Majesty!" Mahin hissed, cutting the chains with a heated claw tool. The metal snapped, sending sparks into the darkness.
Kaiser looked up, weak but conscious. Mahin pulled his arm over his shoulder, supporting him as they moved. "We're getting you out!"
The Seers began to stir, their heads twitching as faint red light returned to their masks. The blackout was ending.
From below, the furnace roared again — Oscar's warning signal. The Core was reigniting.
Mahin gritted his teeth. "Move!"
They ran across the bridge as the lava veins lit up again, one by one, like the eyes of something waking from sleep. Behind them, the Seers screamed in distorted voices — inhuman, furious. Chains lashed out like serpents.
From the side tunnels, Oscar and Tarko emerged, covered in ash and sweat, the vent door blown apart behind them. "Go!" Oscar shouted. "The Seers are back online!"
The group sprinted together, ducking under collapsing metal beams as molten debris rained around them. Tarko led them toward a spiral shaft carved into the stone wall — a half-hidden maintenance route used by miners long ago.
"This way! It leads to the descent shaft!" he yelled.
They climbed fast, the roar of the furnace echoing below like the growl of a beast cheated of its prey. One of the Seers' screams rose, sharp and hollow — a sound that seemed to pierce through solid rock.
As they reached the upper ridge, a gust of cool air struck their faces — the first in what felt like an eternity. Before them stretched a black tunnel sloping downward, marked with faint symbols of blue light.