“Aah! What’s happening to me?” Ide screamed, clutching her leg. Her face contorted in agony as tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. The invincible armor of the mighty Iron Lady had finally cracked.

“Stop! I beg you! Stop it!”

Suri held onto Ide’s hand, trying to separate her convulsive fingers. She struggled to stop Ide from clawing at her thigh, preventing her nails from tearing skin and drawing blood. Beneath the surface, Ide’s new core was spreading, sending out thin, web-like roots, slowly embedding itself in its new host. The process was excruciating.

The transformation wracked Ide’s body. A cough tore through her, and when she raised her hand, it was smeared with dark, thick clots of blood. Her once lush hair hung in sweaty, dirt-matted strands, swinging wildly with every pained shake of her head. She shook in denial, refusing to accept what was happening to her, until a fresh wave of pain ripped another scream from her throat. Driven by madness, her veins bulged, and she shoved Suri away with surprising force.

Suri tumbled backward, barely avoiding sharp stalagmites jutting out from the ground. Gasping, she pressed a hand to her side, where a sharp pain throbbed under her fingers.

“Did I make a mistake?” Suri froze, her heart sinking as she watched Ide writhe in pain. Her lip trembled as despair threatened to overwhelm her.

Freed from Suri’s hold, Ide resumed clawing at her leg. Without wasting time, Suri exchanged a glance with Avalon and Cassia, silently pleading for their help. Soon, it took five hunters to subdue the frenzied captain, restraining her from further self-harm.

Maxat knelt beside her, though he didn’t intervene. With more than enough hands already keeping Ide in check, he simply clicked his tongue, offering the most pity he could muster. “You started off so strong. When did you become so weak, sister? Just look at yourself. Tsk, you hardly resemble a blood mage anymore. This power is far beyond you.”

Suri’s stomach turned. “How does he know so much about what’s happening to her? Or is it just my imagination?” Tilek’s name flitted through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. “Now isn’t the time for this,” she scolded herself, frustrated by the unwelcome distractions at such a crucial moment.

Ide hissed in response, her anger swelling. Every trait she hated seemed to converge in this one man, intensifying her fury. For a brief moment, the rage dulled her pain.

Maxat leaned in close, gently brushing the tangled hair from her face. His voice was low, almost coaxing. “So, what did you find there?”

“Your rotting corpse,” Ide didn’t say, but spat bitterly instead.

Maxat grimaced, unfazed. “I never put much stock in that nonsense about rebirth. What does it matter where you die? They’ll devour you anywhere.” He shrugged casually before continuing. “I can do you a favor, though. I can’t bring you back whole, but I might be able to return a part of you to Azur. What do you think? Are you even worthy of that?” His smirk twisted. “I think not.”

Ide clenched her jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response. She turned away from Maxat and the others, her struggle subsiding. Her expression hardened, her eyes reflecting a fierce determination. She no longer fought against the hands that restrained her.

“He understands her weaknesses better than anyone,” Suri realized with surprise. There was something about Ide’s unyielding nature that Suri found almost admirable, a stubbornness that bordered on defiance.

Maxat caught Suri’s eye and gave a nod, silently assuring her that she could continue without worrying that Ide would harm herself or anyone else.

“Without the second core, she’ll die. But with it, she won’t survive long either,” Suri’s mind raced with uncertainty.

[The creature was close to death anyway,] grumbled a sleepy voice within her mind. Suri felt an odd sensation, like a weight lifting off her shoulders, clearing her thoughts as the melodious voice spoke.

[You’ve been quiet for a while,] Suri mused, surprised. Shug, her inner companion, spent most of his time asleep, so much so that she often forgot he was even there. In those moments, a sharp loneliness would creep in. [Do you know what’s wrong with her?]

[The creature still asks?] Shug’s voice dripped with sarcasm. [It’s obvious—the blood carrier’s core was ripped out.]

Ide’s wounds were severe. But Suri knew it wasn’t as dire as it appeared; the woman’s accelerated regeneration was working, though the real problem lay deeper.

[What about her new core?] Suri asked.

[Doesn’t the creature see the imbalance?] Shug scoffed. [They’re incompatible. Neither wants to yield.]

Suri’s gaze shifted to Ide. A deep blue flame flickered inside the woman, a battle between two forces—each a universe unto itself, with its own gravity pulling in opposite directions. The energy churned violently, tearing Ide apart from within.

[I understand what you’re saying,] Suri acknowledged, her brow furrowed. [If nothing changes, Ide will die from her own suppression. But what can I do?]

[The creature can and must return Shug’s core,] the voice grumbled. [Time and again, the creature deprives Shug of well-deserved sustenance. If Shug hadn’t intervened, he’d have lost all his energy by now.]

[Don’t grumble, I remember,] Suri responded, trying to keep the peace. [Still, nothing feels quite right.] Shug snorted but stayed quiet long enough for Suri to continue. [Knowing you, I’m sure you’ve already got a solution to stabilize her core. There’s nothing you don’t know.]

Flattery worked well on the strange creature. A melodic, honeyed purr echoed in Suri’s mind, followed by Shug’s response: [The creature has done this before. It does so constantly. Even now, right here, in this very place, at this very moment.]

[But I’m not doing anything,] Suri muttered.

[Is that so?] Shug asked slyly. [The creature accepts the Labyrinth’s influence without even realizing it. The creature must help this owner of two seeds to do the same—to accept, not resist.]

Suri could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze—the hunters, the blood mages, even the Judge, all watching her. This kind of power, the ability to influence another blood mage’s energy, was almost unheard of. The pressure mounted.

“Focus”. She watched Ide’s twin blue cores pulse, the energy from each heart surging and clashing like waves in a storm. “How do I handle suppression?” The question gnawed at her, the answer hovering just out of reach. “And what is Labyrinth suppression, anyway?” Her eyes followed the swirling energy inside Ide, where the two opposing forces rippled through her body.

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Suri extended her hand, feeling the familiar waves of energy radiating from the Thorn. Just like before, the energy passed through her, leaving her unharmed. “But it’s not hurting me”, she thought, her mind racing to make sense of it. Then, it hit her—the cores, the seed. Her eyes widened as an idea sparked.

The girl leaned in closer, her voice barely audible but filled with urgency. “It fears death just as much as you do,” she whispered. Ide flinched, her body tense. Suri continued, her words gentle yet firm. “Its power might scare you, but it’s your way out of this. Can’t you hear it? Your new core… it’s still fighting for you.”

Ide’s pale lips trembled. “No… I can’t hear anything,” she murmured.

Suri grasped Ide by the shoulders, her voice taking on a comforting, almost maternal tone. “It’s clinging to life, just as much as you are. But because you’re rejecting it, it’s struggling. That pain you’re feeling? That’s your core. Your power. You need to accept it, just as it’s trying to accept you.”

Ide suddenly broke free from Suri’s grip, her body twisting in agony. Violent spasms wracked her, pulling strangled wheezes from her chest.

“My… core. My… power,” Ide muttered, as if entranced. Her gaze found Maxat among the hunters, and a bloodthirsty gleam lit up her eyes. Her blood-smeared lips stretched into a feral snarl, like a cornered predator ready to unleash one last desperate attack.

“Sup…” she exhaled, then swallowed and spoke more clearly, “Suppression.”

Power exploded from Ide, directed solely at Maxat, her long-hated rival. A massive pressure crashed down on him, though he simply shrugged, brushing it off like an irritating fly.

“That’s not all,” Ide croaked, sending out another surge of energy that was ripping her apart from within. This time, Maxat didn’t look so smug. The focused wave of suppression hit him squarely, and he staggered, barely managing to stay on his feet.

“Not bad for prey,” he sneered, though his smile faltered.

Ide’s eyes blazed with fury. “May you rot in the dirt. And I’ll make sure you never escape,” she spat, rising to her feet. Her body bore no visible wounds, though her armor hung in tatters.

Maxat smiled, savoring the pleasurable sight. “Good job,” he praised, a rare acknowledgment from him to the younger blood mage.

***

The earlier threats had been empty, and the squard didn’t break camp. Blood mages were too valuable to abandon, especially one like Ide.

“Or is it just because it’s Ide?” Suri mused, watching the exchange of sharp words between the two senior blood mages.

Maxat, without a trace of modesty, remarked, “I’m well aware of your high opinion of all my virtues. Now, tell me something I don’t know. What were you hoping to find behind that door, fool?”

Ide’s eyes narrowed. “Your tongue will rot from your own venom,” she hissed, lunging at Maxat with a hand aimed at his mouth. But he easily dodged, rolling his eyes as if this was all too familiar.

He shot a glance at Suri, implying that this bickering could go on forever.

“Aera Ide,” Suri began, but Ide cut her off. “Just Ide. And yes, speak.”

“We saw them—your people,” Suri said cautiously. “Up there. But what happened?”

Ide lowered her head, and when she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “The descent was doomed from the start. I should have known. Halfway down, we were hit by tremors, then madness. My people—” her voice cracked, but she pushed on, “they begged me to turn back. I can still see the look in their eyes, the fear… and the trust. They trusted me, a blood mage, to lead them. But I wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t. I told myself the only reason I kept losing was because I never went all the way. I thought if I just pushed harder, I could break through.”

She paused, her fists clenched at her sides, trembling. “One by one, I watched them die.”

Her hands fell limp at her sides as she continued, her voice hollow. “I thought I could make it right, that if I just kept going, I could make their deaths mean something. But by the time I realize it, almost everyone was gone.”

The silence stretched, heavy with grief. “In the end, I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t save anyone. And for what? To prove something to myself? To chase after power that was never mine to take?”

She fell silent for a moment before Maxat’s voice cut through. “How did you get through the main tunnel?”

Ide flinched at the sound of his question.

“We opened a new passage.”

“And the door?” Maxat continued to question.

“I have no idea how we ended up there. But you know how it is—the Labyrinth leads you where it wants. At first, I thought, ‘Oh, what luck! It’s finally open,’ but the next moment, nearly all my people were dead.” She covered her face with her hands, her eyes dry though her heart bled with sorrow.

“What was there?” Maxat leaned in, eager for answers.

“What we always suspected,” Ide replied, her voice hollow. “A passage down… and a creature. Something that shouldn’t exist in this world. I didn’t have time to do anything—nothing.” She sighed heavily. “As soon as I escaped its lair, it didn’t chase me. But I could still hear it—this horrible, grinding noise behind me, the sound of metal scraping against rock, chilling me to the bone.” She shuddered involuntarily, her shoulders trembling at the memory.

Maxat, not satisfied, pressed on, his voice sharp. “What did it look like? Shape? Venom? Tell me everything.”

“Damn you, I told you I don’t know!” Ide snapped, her frustration palpable. “The one time I managed to attack, I couldn’t even scratch it. It was enormous, towering over me like a nightmare, and with one strike, it impaled me. Its body—” she hesitated, searching for the words, “—it was made of that shiny material you see scattered all over the Labyrinth, like obsidian or dark glass, only alive.”

Her voice wavered, the horror creeping back in. “It didn’t move like a needle. And the worst part? It felt like the Labyrinth itself was guiding it.”

Maxat scoffed. “It must have hit you harder than I thought. You’re starting to sound unhinged. Any creature can be killed. And the stronger it is, the better its core.” He paused, a glint of excitement flickering in his eyes. “A creature like that? Its core would be worth more than anything we’ve ever seen. Power like that doesn’t come without risk. Besides, I’ve been waiting for something like this—something that can challenge me.”

“You’re not seriously planning to lead the squad there, are you?” Ide’s voice trembled with horror, ignoring his biting remark.

Maxat grinned, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “No matter how much the Labyrinth shifts, there’s no descent in these tunnels. You feel it too, don’t you?” He tossed a map in front of Ide, the ink on it already faded.

Turning to the hunters, Maxat raised his voice. “Azur is crumbling, stone by stone. You see its collapse with every descent. Death is waiting for us, regardless. So, the first rank will go down. Better than dying with the Heart, as the spineless Council will. Judge, what do you say?”

The Judge, a warrior cloaked in shadows, peeled himself off the wall. “The first rank will be destroyed,” he replied calmly.

Maxat’s lip curled. “Your confidence is impressive, as if you actually know what you’re talking about.” His tone shifted, more cunning now. “By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask—how did you survive in the Labyrinth all this time? How long were you down here, completely alone, with no other hunters able to find any trace of a living soul?”

His pale silver eyes narrowed. “Or maybe… you spent that time on another level?”

The suggestion hung in the air, unbelievable yet compelling.

Suri’s thoughts swirled as she watched the exchange. “Could it be true? Does he really know what’s down there?” Her pulse quickened, but before she could dwell on the thought, Maxat broke the tension with a grunt, stretching his neck.

“It’s useless to wait for an answer,” he said, smirking at the Judge. “But one way or another, we’ll find out what’s below. Maybe one of us will survive and turn into a monster like you, huh?” His dark chuckle echoed through the cave. “First, we deal with the creature.”

“It’s a warden,” the Judge said, his voice cold and detached. “It doesn’t tire. It doesn’t hunger. It has no weaknesses. And it never leaves its lair.”

Suri’s hand flew to her mouth as the Judge’s words sank in. “He really knows what’s down there.” The revelation sent a chill through her, but before she could dwell on it, Maxat’s triumphant shout cut through the silence.

“I knew it!” He threw his hands up, his grin wild. “So, what now? How do we get past this thing?”

“There is no way,” the Judge said, his voice cold and unyielding. His icy gaze shifted toward Suri, locking onto her with a penetrating intensity. She felt a chill crawl down her spine as if he were looking straight through her, seeing into her very soul.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze—time itself holding its breath. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken meaning. The Judge hesitated, his eyes narrowing slightly, as though weighing his next words with great care.

“But she…” he finally continued, his voice lower, more deliberate, “she can subdue it.”