The battle was over. The blood had dried, the screams had faded, and the rewards were given. Yet, instead of examining the gifts before me, my mind was ensnared in a suffocating fog. Is this who I am now? A twisted reflection of the beast within, sacrificing my very soul for a fleeting moment of hollow triumph? Have I become something more monstrous than I ever feared? How foolish I've been. The thrill of battle, the intoxication of power, it blinded me, consumed me. I ignored everyone but myself. But what if I wasn't the only one? What if they too are harbouring secrets, playing their own games, with me as just another piece on their board? Am I the selfish one, or are we all just using each other, pretending to care until it no longer suits us? Is this truly who I'm meant to be?
I replayed the battle in my mind, recognizing my comrades, their faces blurred by my single-minded focus. But instead of feeling gratitude for their help, I merely acknowledged their positions, moving only where I could inflict the most damage. They were tools, pawns in a game that I had convinced myself was mine to win. But they're not.
Shawn, an admirable man, with a heart too big for this cruel world. Arrogant at times, but loyal to his people to a fault. As the eldest among us, he treated us like his children, as if it were his duty to shield us from the horrors we faced. His combat style reflected this: a natural tank, a soldier whose instincts were to protect rather than to destroy. He was a better man than I, for I could never be like him. I couldn't even fathom the strength it took to care that deeply, to fight with such selflessness.
Next was Rebecca, a true enigma. A predator by nature, her eyes always calculating, always assessing. A natural huntress, she chose her prey with care, avoiding battles she couldn't win. I thought we were alike, both prideful, both prioritising our own paths above all else. But I was wrong. She loved someone more than herself, her sister, Anna. A love so pure it was almost alien to me, something I couldn't grasp, let alone feel.
And Anna… even more of an enigma than Rebecca. A healer, yes, but not the fragile, innocent girl I had once believed her to be. When we started this journey, she was kinder than anyone, her heart bleeding for every drop of bloodshed. But this tutorial changed her, much like it changed us all. Or perhaps, like me, the tutorial only unearthed a side of her she never knew existed, a darkness lurking beneath the surface.
She blessed me despite never showing that ability before. Maybe she wasn't as naive as we thought, but instead portrayed herself that way out of convenience. As Stephen King once said, "The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool." How true those words ring now.
And then there's me. An utterly contemptible excuse for a human being. I could blame my upbringing, the twisted childhood that shaped me, or the unfortunate circumstances I was thrust into, but none of that excuses the monster I've become. I only care for myself. I revel in the chaos, in the destruction, yet I despise myself for the suffering I cause. My paradoxical nature is not something I enjoy; it's just who I am. A walking contradiction, forever teetering on the edge between good and evil. Do I even have a conscience? Or is it merely the echo of a dying soul, desperately clinging to the remnants of its humanity?
This world we're trapped in seems to bring out the truth in people. The raw, unfiltered truth that we keep hidden even from ourselves. The Oracle told me Shawn wasn't the one to look out for, yet he's the most reliable. How ironic. I should have heeded the latter half of the Oracle's warning: "Trust no one." Maybe then I would have learned not to trust myself. Maybe then I would have seen the abyss lurking within me, waiting to consume me whole.
This nature of mine, it's a curse, a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. I fear it, but I also fear that the others see it too, that they're just waiting for the moment when I become more of a liability than an asset. Will they stand by me, or will they turn against me when the time comes? It's a double-edged sword, and I've been careless with how I wield it. How can I continue my path without addressing this? One wrong move, one moment of weakness, and it will lead to my demise. I need to understand who I am. I need to understand what drives me, what fuels the darkness inside me. Only then can I let go of my past and continue without regret. But for now, our priority is the tutorial.
Mission: Survive.
Time Limit: 17:21:38:24.
Survivors: 218/1000.
We still had more than half the time remaining, yet here I was, drowning in my own thoughts, paralyzed by introspection. How pathetic can I be? While others fight for survival, I'm lost in a mire of self-loathing and doubt. When I speak with my patron, I'll ask who I am, but will I even recognize the answer? Do I really want to know what lurks beneath this façade, or am I afraid that the truth will only confirm my worst fears, that I'm nothing more than the beast I've become?
Rebecca broke the sombre silence. "Alright, guys, we now know this truth. We can only trust ourselves." Her words were cold, calculated, a stark contrast to the warmth she once displayed.
Shawn was the first to respond. "Yeah, you're right. This was shit frankly. But we got to move on. After all, it might happen again." His voice was steady, reassuring, but there was an edge to it, a weariness that hadn't been there before. Even he was beginning to crack under the pressure.
Noticing the indifferent glare in Anna's eyes, I knew I had to shake myself out of my stupor. "Look, let's be honest with each other for once. We don't know each other. We pretend to, we trust each other in combat, but we don't truly know one another." I wasn't sure if I was convincing them or myself at this point. The words felt hollow, like a script I was reciting to keep the darkness at bay. "But the fact is, we need to move on. Things will only get tougher from here. I know for a fact that this battle caught the attention of some gods, so let's continue our struggles. I don't want to die, I've done too much to give up now. So please, let's move on." The plea in my voice was unmistakable, a desperation I could no longer hide.
With a few nods of agreement, we started moving toward a new destination. And at that moment it struck me. The real reason I didn't want to die was simple: it seemed like the coward's way out. A final escape from the torment that plagued me, the torment that I deserved. I will live if I want to; I will die if I have to. This is the only way I can make peace with the monster I've become. And hopefully, when this tutorial is dead and done, I will finally know who I am. Or perhaps, I will discover that there's nothing left to know.
We gathered around the hearth once again, the crackling flames doing little to break the sombre silence that enveloped us. Our relationships were more than just strained at this point; they were fraying at the edges. We relied on each other for survival, and that was about it. Yet, despite the tension, we had no choice but to continue down this path, so we had no choice but to begin to think of our next move.
"We can't just sit here," Shawn finally spoke up, his voice cracking under the weight of the nervous atmosphere. I could feel the others' eyes turn to him, their glares heavy with doubt. "We need a plan. Something that will allow us to move on. Please, does anyone have any ideas?"
He was right. A bit blunt, but correct nevertheless. He was still him, just more pragmatic. I couldn't tell if his intention was to motivate us or to expose his vulnerability, but either way, his words struck a chord. Before I could process what he'd said, Rebecca spoke up, her voice carrying a mix of fear and defiance.
"I need to confess something," she began, glancing around at us with a look that was equal parts fear and hostility. "In the last battle, I gained something… valuable, or at least I think it is. We've been fighting for our survival, and I just can't take it anymore. An interested goddess offered me an invitation to her sister's labyrinth. She said that it would be an intellectual challenge rather than physical. And I think that's what we need.."
There was defiance in her voice, almost as if she was issuing an ultimatum rather than making a suggestion. Join her, or lose her. I had countless questions, but it was clear she wasn't going to answer any of them.
"Okay, I think I agree with you. We all deserve a break," I said, masking my true thoughts. It wasn't physical exhaustion that plagued me, it was my mind that was unravelling. I needed to stop killing, to stop this endless cycle of violence, even if just for a moment. An intellectual journey might be exactly what I needed.
Shawn, however, wasn't ready to let it go. "Wait a second, are we not going to address the goddess-sized elephant in the room?" His voice was tense, the unspoken suspicion hanging between us. I could tell he was more comfortable around me than the twins, and his frustration was palpable.
"What's the problem, Shawn?" Anna snapped defensively. "My sister suggested something we all clearly need; a break! Why are you still so skeptical of us? Don't you think we've been through enough?"
"All I want to know is which goddess' labyrinth we're heading into," Shawn countered, his tone sharp despite his attempt to be polite. The message was clear: Don't try to take control without including us.
"I don't know!" Rebecca's voice rose in frustration. "All I know is that she's an Olympian goddess, close to the one who gave me the invitation. And no, I'm not going to tell you which goddess gave it to me because it's not important!" Her words dripped with hostility, making Shawn and I instinctively reach for our weapons before we realised we weren't in a battle.
Shawn hesitated, clearly torn between wanting to confront the issue and lacking the patience or respect to do so. He looked at me, almost pleading for support.
"Shawn, it's an Olympian. One of the twelve most powerful gods in the Greco-Roman pantheon. This is too big an opportunity to pass up," I said, my voice steady. I needed him to agree with me. I needed this break as much as anyone. After a moment of tension, he nodded, and I felt a wave of relief.
Anna spoke up next. "Alright, tomorrow we accept the invitation, and then we'll be teleported to the labyrinth." I clenched my fists, feeling a wave of disgust. How dare they share this information with each other and then spring it on us after they'd already made their decision? What else were they hiding?
Later that night, Shawn and I lay beside each other, the weight of the day pressing down on us. I spent my time reading the book, opening a random page and landing on the chapter on the history of Athens. But I was still uneasy, and sensing it, Shawn broke the silence.
"Today was fucked, man. We just finished a war, and not four hours later we're apparently chosen by an Olympian goddess. What kind of luck is that? I'm exhausted, but this is too big an opportunity to ignore. But I don't get it,why are the twins so against us? Don't you think what we've been through should have earned some trust by now? They aren't even grateful that without us, they'd be dead." he stated, clearly needing to get some stuff off his chest. Without allowing me to interrupt he continued on in an act of defense, " But at least we're getting a break, right? Not sure how much of a break it'll be, but it's something. Speaking of the labyrinth, who do you think it belongs to? And who do you think is Rebecca's 'secret little goddess'?"
I turned to face him, seeing the mischievous grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood. "Alright, Shawn, use your brain for once-"
"Hey-" Shawn interrupted.
"Just listen, fatass," I teased, the lighthearted insult easing the tension. "Think about it. We're dealing with Olympian goddesses. The council usually includes Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Artemis, and Athena. Out of all of them, it's pretty obvious whose labyrinth we're headed into."
I paused, letting the thought linger in the air. Shawn shifted beside me, clearly trying to piece it all together. I could see the gears turning in his head, but I wasn't going to hand him the conclusion. Part of me wanted him to work through it, to see if he'd come to the same realisation I had. But I couldn't help the small grin that crept onto my face, I already knew where this was going.
"If you think about it," I continued, keeping my voice measured, "Hestia's role has always been about stability, keeping the hearth burning, maintaining peace within the home. But does that really fit with the kind of challenge we're about to face? A labyrinth? That's not her style. It's about strategy, intellect… and who better embodies that than Athena?"
I glanced at Shawn, who looked like he was on the verge of asking more questions, but I didn't let him interrupt. "Then there's Athena's connection to Artemis. The two have always been close, both goddesses who value discipline, skill, and wisdom. And if you think about Rebecca's skills with the bow… Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?"
I let the implication hang. Shawn didn't need to know every detail swirling in my head. He just needed to know enough to trust the path we were on. And honestly, I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to voice my full thoughts out loud,there was something unsettling about the connections I was making.
"Anyway," I said, leaning back and letting the tension ease out of my voice, "it's just a theory. Could be Athena, could be Hestia. But given what we've seen, I'd say we're walking into Athena's domain. But who knows? Maybe we'll find out soon enough." I said whilst glancing at the chapter I was reading. It felt fitting that we would go into Athena's labyrinth when I was reading about her city.
Shawn groaned in frustration, but I could see the acceptance settling in his eyes. He didn't have to agree with me entirely, just enough to follow through. That was enough for now. I wasn't ready to lay all my cards on the table, especially not when the stakes were this high.
The next morning, we followed Rebecca, and with her nod, the world around us blurred, and the forest dissolved into a swirl of light and shadow. My stomach lurched as we were pulled through space, but the sensation quickly passed. When the world settled again, we stood on rough, uneven ground, the air cooler and scented with ancient stone and moss.
I blinked, adjusting to the dim light. Before us loomed the entrance to Athena's Labyrinth. The ruins surrounding it were both breathtaking and mournful,a haunting reminder of a forgotten past. The once-grand structure was now a mix of beauty and decay, its cracked columns wrapped in ivy, the worn carvings on the stone walls hinting at a glory long past.
Statues of owls, Athena's sacred creatures, flanked the entrance, their chipped eyes still commanding respect despite the ravages of time. The archway, a blend of majesty and ruin, stood firm, as if determined to protect whatever lay within.
Instinctively, I activated my Identify skill. The words appeared in my vision:
Athena's Labyrinth: Property of the Goddess of Wisdom. A trial for the mind, heart, and soul.
I shared the information with the others, my voice hushed by the weight of what lay before us. "This isn't just any labyrinth. It's Athena's, her trial."
Rebecca glanced at the worn carvings, a mix of awe and apprehension in her eyes. "So, this is it… the real test."
Anna nodded silently, gripping her staff tighter. Shawn let out a slow breath, his eyes tracing the crumbling ruins. "Whatever we face there, it's not just about fighting. We'll need more than brute strength."
I nodded, my gaze fixed on the dark, gaping maw of the labyrinth before us. The steps leading down were slick with moss, inviting us into the depths below. There was no turning back now. The labyrinth called to us, not just as a test of our abilities, but as a challenge to our very souls.
"We've come this far," I said, more to myself than to the others. "Let's see if we're worthy of what comes next."
And with that, I led the way, stepping forward into the shadows of Athena's Labyrinth, where beauty and ruin intertwined, and where our true trials were about to begin.