The depressing wails of missing spirits pierced the maze while their pitiful shrieks echoed throughout the unstable passages. The shadows formed into misty shapes that reached to the limits of reality while delivering sounds which resonated with unwanted familiarity.
As the team of Natasha decreased their pace the labyrinth continually rearranged its paths to surround them. The shifting paths vanished into existence so that everyone lost their sense of direction.
They were trapped.
The darkened corridor glinted with the weapon of Alison as he used his sword to destroy the souls that would not rest. His posture stayed firm yet she noticed his fingers strangle the sword handle with excessive force.
Ira fell backward as spells from her hands released feeble magic sparks. The power surrounding her modified her abilities by making her lose control of her spells.
Dren normally excellent with his footing lost control while he swung at the ghostly figures circling him. He breathed heavily between gasps and his strong demeanor seemed broken.
And then—Natasha froze.
A figure materialized in front of her through the clouded darkness and floating ash.
Her pulse stopped.
A boy.
Thin, worn, but alive.
His tussled dark hair revealed his familiar wide eyes which showed both relief and betrayal to her. His thin voice emerged through barely non-existent volume.
"Natasha… why did you leave me?"
Her blood ran cold.
Her respiration jerked and her lungs became constricted like an immense force pressed down on her torso.
This wasn't possible.
This wasn't real.
The person standing there possessed every feature that she had kept in her memory.
Her brother.
The boy who existed years before her departure was the very one who stood before her.
A storm of feelings swept over her body when she lost sight—grief blended with guilt and homesickness—forcing her to relive all she had hidden for many years.
The atmosphere became silent as her heartbeat overpowered all other noises including the distant moaning of dead souls.
The labyrinth had pulled each one away from the group as she listened to their desperate efforts.
Ira emitted an awkward groan as she held her skull. She pierced her hairline while trying to inhale deeply.
She spoke fast but firm saying it was not just mind tricks. These memories of ours have been stolen to turn us against each other!
Dren swore out loud because he recognized the ghostly figure targeting him from his own memories.
[Sanity Drain: Critical]
The mental damage causes people to see things differently while their emotions become unsteady.
The labyrinth was breaking them.
As he fought towards Natasha his vocals sliced through the mess as effectively as any blade. "Natasha! It's not him—don't listen!"
But she couldn't move.
The boy stepped nearer while his feet disturbed the moving ash. His gaze pierced her right through with an unknown emotion.
"Natasha," he whispered, his voice softer this time. "I waited for you. You promised you'd come back."
A painful feeling formed at her core.
This was an illusion. She knew that.
And yet…
What if?
What if it wasn't?
The weapon handle shook as she held it in her hand.
Her memories appeared unexpectedly and she could not stop them.
The night she had failed him. The helplessness. The regret. The endless, gut-wrenching guilt.
She swallowed hard. No. She refused to develop feelings with him.
But his eyes didn't change.
The suffering in his gaze felt completely recognizable to her.
"Natasha," he said again, his voice breaking, "don't leave me again."
Her throat tightened.
Her feet refused to move.
Her breath came shaky, uneven.
"Natasha!" Alison interrupted Natasha with an urgent tone that woke her from her trance. "Move!"
An inappropriate icy hand seized her wrist.
Her brother's fingers.
And suddenly—
The world around her shifted.
The light rippled and turned the darkness into nightmarish forms. His features transformed into an empty vision of evil that took over his face.
His dead stare penetrated her eyes while his freezing fingers pressed against her flesh.
"You belong here with us."
She ripped her hand away.
She slashed her blade through the false image.
The figure dissolved into smoke.
And then—the entire labyrinth trembled.
The illusions that controlled the others dissolved instantly.
The shock sent Ira falling back while her eyesight returned. With weak hands Dren released a deep tremor.
Alison seized Natasha's arm to urge her ahead. "We need to go. Now."
Below them the ground shifted and the ash pieces pushed themselves back down.
The labyrinth was closing in.
They believed they had discovered an exit until a new danger emerged.
A new presence emerged.
One that wasn't an illusion.
A powerful pressure made the atmosphere harder to breathe.
As the ash within the maze rose it merged together to form a shadowy figure.
In the shadows two eye sockets opened for the first time.
The actual guardian of the labyrinth came to life.
And it was hungry.