The moment we stepped through the left path, a putrid smell slithered its way into our nostrils, as if a titanoboa was slowly constricting me, squeezing the air from my lungs and robbing me of one of my most valued senses. The oppressive smell danced at our unease, shifting in its intensity but only growing fouler with each passing second. It felt alive, like a cruel entity savoring our discomfort. In a moment of desperation, I made the fatal mistake of opening my mouth to breathe.
The taste that followed was beyond horrific. Words barely scratched the surface of its vileness. But if I were to try, imagine being a child again, forced to eat something you abhorred. You sit there at the dinner table, staring at the plate as if it holds radioactive waste. Your mother watches you with a smile that tries to be comforting, but your mind warps it into something oppressive,not out of her anger, but from your own growing fear.
Eventually, you cave. Trembling hands lift the spoon to your mouth, and the dreaded food slides across your tongue. Its slimy texture fights your throat every step of the way, but you swallow, desperate to end the experience. You don't taste it; you endure it. But the aftertaste remains, stubborn and vile, taunting you long after the bite is gone. And when your stomach finally rebels, when you find yourself bent over the toilet, retching up the meal and replacing the aftertaste of the food with the acrid sting of bile... somehow, inexplicably, the vomit tastes better.
Do you remember that feeling? Multiply it tenfold, then toss it into the abyss of Tartarus. That's what it felt like to breathe in this cursed corridor. And yet, we had no choice but to keep moving forward, forced to endure each wretched breath. I silently prayed that, if I ever got stronger, breathing would become optional.
"Hudson, you fucking asshole!" Rebecca's voice cut through the darkness behind me, sharp and angry. I could hear her footsteps approaching, heavy with frustration. But something was odd. I could feel her presence behind me,not just hear her, but feel her. How? Predatorial Vision was supposed to enhance my sight, not my sense of touch or presence.
A faint, high-pitched bell rang in my ears. I shook my head, trying to dispel the noise, and focused back on our path.
The corridor stretched out before us, a serpentine maze shrouded in oppressive darkness. It was thick, tangible, like a living shadow pressing down on us, herding us backward with invisible hands. My skill, my so-called advantage, felt useless here. I had activated Predatorial Vision with smug confidence, thinking myself clever, but now I could almost hear Athena laughing at me from some celestial throne. How foolish of me to think I could outwit a goddess.
And then, amidst the choking blackness, I saw it,a glimmer of gold, faint but unmistakable. My eyes locked onto it. It felt surreal, like a mirage in a desert. I took a step forward, drawn toward it, but an invisible force slammed against me, halting my movement entirely.
"What the hell?" I whispered, gritting my teeth as another bell rang softly in my ears.
"Guys, can you see that? The gold light?" I called out behind me.
A chorus of agreement followed.
"Wait, Hudson," Rebecca spoke again, her voice softer now, cautious. "Is this... is this a guide? Like some kind of sign?"
"I don't know. Rebecca, can you try moving toward it?"
She stepped past me without hesitation, her confidence almost infuriating. But then, as she moved forward, I felt it again,the force pulling at me, and the ringing in my ears growing sharper.
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Hey! What the hell?" she snapped, wrenching her arm free. "I'm not into guys, Hudson, back off!"
I held up my hands in surrender. "Calm down. Just... was there a force stopping you? Did you feel anything?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "No. Nothing."
"Let me try," Rebecca's healer twin chimed in, stepping forward. As she passed me, I grabbed her arm, and the bell rang again.
"Hey, Hudson, man," Shawn spoke up, his voice low and wary. "Don't you think this might be a guide? Like a checkpoint or something?"
But the ringing, the pulling sensation,it was screaming at me now. It wasn't a guide. It wasn't salvation.
"No," I said firmly. "It's not a guide. It's a trap. A false grace. Everyone, grab hands. Now."
Groans of reluctance filled the air, but eventually, everyone complied. One by one, we linked hands, forming an unsteady chain in the oppressive dark. I could feel the weight of their trust resting heavily on my shoulders, and I pushed forward.
The golden glimmers taunted us, whispering promises of safety, of rest, of warmth. The shadows seemed to breathe around us, pressing closer, their murmurings like a lullaby. My eyelids feel heavy. My legs are weak. A deep, bone-weary exhaustion seeped into my muscles.
Rest, the shadows whispered. You deserve it. Just close your eyes. Stop walking. Stop...
No.
I grit my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut. The darkness was clever, weaponizing our exhaustion, our weaknesses. I forced one foot in front of the other, dragging the chain of teammates behind me.
"Keep walking!" I barked, my voice cracking with effort. "Don't stop! Don't listen to it!"
And then,a break. A faint light, this time clear and warm, broke through the shadows.
"There!" I choked out. "We're almost there! Keep moving!"
The air shifted. The oppressive force pushing against us began to wane, and suddenly, we stumbled into an open space. A dim, flickering light illuminated the room,a lantern set atop a cracked stone pedestal.
We had made it.
The group spread out, catching their breath. Rebecca leaned against a nearby wall, her arms crossed, her expression tight but relieved.
"Okay," I said, exhaling slowly. "Five minutes. Just... five minutes to get our bearings."
No one argued. No one complained. For five minutes, we stood in silence, gathering our strength, staring into the flickering lantern light. And for now, that was enough.
Before we could even properly catch our breath, a notification rang through our ears.
Congratulations! You have all passed through the lesser domain of Morpheus, managed by Epiales.
Time used: 10 Hours
Time Remaining: 2 Hours
Distance Travelled: 100 Kilometers
Challenge Complete!
Contribution:
Shawn Adams: 42%
Hudson Mitchell: 41%
Rebecca Harris: 12%
Anna Harris: 5%
Allocating Rewards.
Ha, I thought to myself, even after all that I still wasn't the highest contributor. How fun. I grimaced as I looked around at my allies. Mentally preparing myself for being whisked to the king's palace once more.
Once I reopened my eyes, we were all seated on chairs in an imposing marble hall. The king towered above us on his golden throne, his stern gaze weighing heavily upon each of us. His crown, a circlet of sharp, glimmering laurels, sat proudly on his brow, and his robes were embroidered with symbols of power and dominance. He was not just a ruler; he was a monument to kingship itself.
This was no ordinary trial. The air itself seemed to hum with tension, and an unshakable feeling of inevitability pressed down on me like a vice. The former King of Athens, Erikthonius, regarded us with a gaze sharp enough to cut steel.
"Congratulations," he began, his voice reverberating in the vast hall. "You are on trial. You were not meant to pass beyond thirty kilometers in the lesser realm of Morpheus."
His words were measured, deliberate, yet carried the weight of finality. "You defied the laws of his domain, and now you must answer for your transgressions."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. We were not just facing punishment; we were facing a ruler whose power stretched beyond the mortal coil, a king who had seen empires rise and fall. There was no sympathy in his eyes, only the expectation of obedience and explanation.
A potential patron is interested in this development.
That small notification floated in my vision, and it took every ounce of willpower not to react visibly. Someone was watching us, someone powerful enough to influence this trial. An Olympian? A god? Whoever it was, they were pulling strings in ways I couldn't yet fathom.
Fucking hell, I thought. It's like every act of ours is being watched. Can I not even get a moment of peace?
But no, there would be no peace here. If I showed weakness now, the consequences would be irreversible. I had to stay composed, had to think my way out of this.
The king's glare fell upon Anna first. She squirmed in her chair, her sister Rebecca gripping her hand tightly.
"How?" Erikthonius asked, his voice booming. "Explain to me how you managed to survive trekking through one of the domains of Morpheus?"
The curiosity from before was gone. This was interrogation, cold and cutting.
Anna cracked instantly. "We just followed Hudson!" she blurted out.
I closed my eyes briefly. This bitch. Throwing me under the bus without even a moment's hesitation. I glanced at Rebecca and Shawn, but they were frozen in fear.
The king's snarl reverberated through the hall. "Do not think I don't see through your schemes, woman." His words dripped with disdain, his piercing gaze making Anna shrink further into her seat. "However, you are right. And for now, I let it pass. Know this: if not for your potential patron," he spat the word like venom, ",I would have had you receive a fate worse than your sister for your lacking contribution."
Anna's face was pale with fear, but her eyes,those deceitful eyes,flickered with something else. Calculation? Defiance? Perhaps both.
The king then turned his focus to me, his gaze pinning me down like a butterfly on display.
"So, Hudson," he began, his voice a blade wrapped in silk. "You were the leader in their eyes. You made the call to take the leftmost path, the most dangerous route. And yet, here you all stand, alive. Tell me, mortal, why?"
My mind went blank. His eyes were suffocating, his aura oppressive. He knew. He somehow knew that I had been aware of the danger and chosen it anyway. I couldn't lie. Not to him. Not under this gaze.
"That's the thing, Your Majesty," I began weakly, my voice faltering. "I,I wasn't thinking,"
The king's roar interrupted me. "You weren't thinking?! Hilarious. Well, you can think now, can't you? Explain it to me, mortal. What went through your head?"
My throat was dry, and my chest felt tight. But something sparked in me, some ember of defiance.
"I wasn't thinking because I couldn't," I said. "I knew I couldn't match the wisdom of a goddess. I couldn't calculate the plans of someone so far above me. So I trusted my instincts."
The words hung heavy in the air. The king stared at me, his expression unreadable, his golden eyes fixed on mine.
"Interesting," he said at last, his voice softer but no less dangerous. "And what of the traps? The golden lights? How did you resist their pull?"
I hesitated, trying to form a plausible answer. But the king's gaze sharpened, and he leaned forward slightly.
"Cease your plotting, mortal," he said with quiet menace. "You cannot deceive me."
Then, like lightning, an idea struck me.
"A skill," I said confidently.
"Elaborate," the king commanded.
"I believe it was due to a skill I possess," I repeated, my smirk slipping out despite myself.
The king's nostrils flared. "Do not belittle me, mortal."
"Why are you feeling belittled, Your Majesty?" I asked, voice syrupy with false innocence. "I simply answered your question."
For a brief moment, the king seemed ready to unleash his wrath upon me. But before he could, a chime rang out in the air.
Your potential patron is proud and interfering.
It lasted less than a heartbeat, but I saw it,a flash of fear in the king's eyes. Fear. And then it was gone, replaced by the cold mask of royalty.
"Fine," the king said, straightening in his throne. "First and foremost, you are all banned from seeing your status until the end of the final challenge. You have two trials remaining. But Hudson,"
He leaned forward, his grin cruel.
"For the last trial, you will fight a beast. Alone."
My stomach sank.
"Now, as you know, the next challenge will be a viewing of your past,your trauma. What made you who you are. I will not see this trial, for it is something the system itself permits."
He leaned back, his final words heavy.
"I pray this makes you better people."
But I knew those words were aimed squarely at me. And I wasn't looking forward to this trial. Not one bit.
The king,his presence an oppressive weight in the air,gave us one last unreadable look before turning away, his heavy cloak trailing behind him as he disappeared into the shadows. His parting words echoed in my head like a death knell: "Five minutes to prepare yourselves."
Five minutes. Five measly minutes to brace for whatever fresh hell awaited us. Naturally, I had no time for such luxuries because, of course, Dumb and Dumber immediately descended upon me with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball.
"You knew it was the most dangerous?" Rebecca's voice was sharp, her eyes aflame with fury. "Are you insane?" She didn't even pause for breath before continuing. "No, scratch that,you are insane! Do you have any idea what you put us through?"
"Man," Shawn cut in, arms crossed over his broad chest, his brow furrowed in a way that suggested genuine confusion rather than anger. "Why the fuck did you antagonize the former king of Athens, bro? Nah, seriously, explain that shit."
"Wait a damn second, pudgy," Rebecca snapped her head toward Shawn briefly before focusing her glare back on me. "Don't you understand? This fucker",she jabbed an accusatory finger in my direction,"decided to put all of us in danger for shits and giggles. WHY?" She inhaled sharply, her face a furious shade of crimson. "No, better yet, HOW did you know?"
"You better have answers for us, Hudson," Shawn added, his voice low, but it carried weight.
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! Fuck! Could you two back off for one goddamn second?"
Rebecca's glare intensified, and for a moment, I wondered if she might actually lunge at me. Her makeshift bandage, wrapped around the place where her hand used to be, was dark with dried blood. She noticed me glancing at it and let out a bitter laugh.
"Oh, don't even start with that pity look," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite the venom.
"Fine," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "First,I don't know how to explain it, okay? I just... knew. I knew it was the most dangerous challenge, but I also felt like I could survive it. It was like... a gut feeling. So I wasn't scared."
Rebecca scoffed. "Oh, wonderful. A gut feeling. That makes it all better, doesn't it?"
"There you go with this whole 'I' thing,' Hudson," she continued, her voice dropping low, her words cutting like shards of glass. "'I knew.' 'I felt.' Did you ever,even for a second,think about us?"
She had me there. For all my bravado and faux confidence, she had me dead to rights. They were little more than flickering afterthoughts to me until we were all neck-deep in one of Morpheus' twisted domains.
I did what any self-respecting idiot would do: I ignored her accusation.
"Look, as you all know, we did survive," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "And as for why I antagonized the former king... simple. It was fun."
Shawn blinked at me. Rebecca's mouth fell open.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I continued hurriedly. "I have a bad habit, okay? I hate being looked down on. I can't stand it. And no, I will not elaborate further. But hey,I got my divine retribution, didn't I?" I gestured broadly at myself, trying to lighten the mood with an exaggerated grimace.
Silence.
Rebecca and Shawn exchanged glances, some unspoken agreement passing between them. Without another word, they turned and walked away, their shoulders tense, their expressions unreadable.
Good. That was over.
Except it wasn't.
Because then came Anna.
The oh-so-gentle healer, her every step calculated, her smile serene and unreadable. Where Rebecca was fire and Shawn was stone, Anna was ice,cool, quiet, and sharp enough to cut deep without leaving a mark.
"This is why I don't like being a leader," she said softly, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "So many naysayers. So many... annoying people."
Her voice was even, but there was a dangerous undercurrent beneath it,like a placid lake hiding razor-sharp rocks just below the surface.
Huh. That was... surprisingly honest. Interesting.
She sighed, brushing a strand of pale hair behind her ear. "But it's such a shame, isn't it? That I have to make myself known now."
Something clicked in my brain.
"Anna," I said, narrowing my eyes at her. "Why didn't you heal us throughout the last trial?"
Her smile widened slightly, but her eyes stayed cold.
"There wasn't a need," she said simply.
My stomach turned, and I had to remind myself,very firmly,who the most dangerous person in this group really was.
Oh, how I wished it was me.
Before I could respond, the air around us shimmered with a blinding flash of light, sharp and searing. I threw my arm up to shield my eyes, but it was too late. The world folded in on itself, and I felt myself being pulled,no, wrenched,into the void.
The next trial had begun.