The combined squad pressed onward, scouts leading the way and clearing the path, while hunters at the rear ensured their safety. The route ascended, offering a rare sense of hope to many. Enthusiasm rippled through the air, and with each step, the weary members found renewed energy.

“I’ll lead my people to the exit,” Ide declared, turning sharply. “Let the sky fall before I make the same mistake twice.” She clenched her fist, and the petrified root blocking their path crumbled to dust in her grip. But unlike the others, Ide did not share their growing optimism. A shiver crawled over her skin, a warning of unseen misfortune. Though she couldn’t pinpoint the source, the feeling gnawed at her.

Maxat shrugged indifferently and sighed tiredly. “Do what you want, sister. I’ve said my piece.”

“You can gloat all you want,” the woman hissed. “I admit I failed this time. But you… you’re nearing your downfall.”

The blood mage chuckled, raising his hands in a mock display of surrender. “The second rank’s got its captain. No one’s forcing you. I don’t owe an explanation to some old man about why a blood mage might lose her breath.”

Ide gritted her teeth so loudly that if she’d pressed any harder, she might have chipped one. She wanted to argue—needed to—but the truth weighed too heavily. Her entire squad had been decimated. She had barely survived. The last thing she wanted was to relive that terror.

Maxat nudged her shoulder, pushing her forward. “Tell those above to hold the other squads back.”

Ide, usually quick with a biting retort, responded only with a curt “Shh.” Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared as if catching a scent. A bad feeling twisted in her gut, cold and unrelenting. She raised her fist, tightly clenched, and the entire squad came to a halt. The hunters, though not perfectly synchronized, responded to the signal. After a brief pause, the warriors split into two groups, taking defensive positions on either side.

The squad, sensitive to even the slightest shift in the mood of one of their strongest members, exchanged nervous glances.

Kneeling on one knee, Ide pressed her palm against the damp earth. A faint, sweet aroma rose from the exposed patches of her skin, lending an unsettling contrast to the cursed underground.

“Bad omen,” Suri thought, her eyes narrowing as she watched Ide’s movements. She turned to confirm her suspicion. The Judge stood motionless nearby, his eyes closed, a deep furrow between his brows. “He sensed it too.” Her breath caught at the sight.

Ide pressed her other hand to the ground, her instincts screaming of danger, yet she couldn’t quite grasp why chills were running up her spine. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

Suddenly, the Judge surged forward, moving with such speed that time seemed to slow around him. Nimbly avoiding the other hunters, he closed the distance between himself and Suri in an instant. “So fast!” The thought flashed in Suri’s mind. Before she could react, his hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to the ground.

Cassia, who had been standing beside Suri, tried to intervene, but even she couldn’t match the Judge’s speed. Her face paled as she grabbed his arm in a desperate attempt to stop him, but her efforts were as futile as an insect resisting a mighty beast.

“Step back, Cass,” Suri whispered, secretly impressed by Cassia’s bravery in opposing the Judge. Confusion clouded her mind, but before she could process it, a thick black cloak enveloped her, and her body was squeezed as if caught in a vise. The Judge’s arm tightened around her back, pulling her head against his chest. His sharp scent filled her senses. His movements were precise and deliberate, his strength overwhelming—though lacking any trace of gentleness. Her cheek scraped against the hardened leather of his armor, and the heat between them intensified. Suri’s heart began to race, both from the sudden danger and the closeness of their bodies. She pressed her palms against his chest, but her strength was no match for his iron hold.

At that moment, Ide felt a tremor ripple through the ground beneath her hands. Springing to her feet, the blood mage exhaled sharply, “Tremor! Five breaths!”

“Damn!” Maxat cursed under his breath, his voice harsh. His next words came short and sharp: “Pair up! Cover your heads! Don’t breathe! And don’t even think about dying!”

The frantic sounds of clattering gear and quick movements echoed through the darkness around them. Suri`s breathing grew labored, and numbness crept into her limbs, causing her to squirm in discomfort. A sharp pain radiated from beneath her ribs. “I really did break a rib,” she thought, gasping for air.

“Let go,” she pleaded softly.

“I won’t,” the Judge responded, his voice calm despite the chaos around them. Still, his grip loosened slightly—until the first shock hit.

Like a tidal wave, the rumble surged from the depths of the earth. An explosion beneath their feet sent fragments of stone raining down, peppering the hunters huddled under their cloaks and gear. The tunnel walls trembled and collapsed, kicking up clouds of yellow dust that swirled thickly, turning the air into a suffocating fog.

Tremors followed in quick succession, each more violent than the last. Suri held her breath, but the dust still clogged her lungs. Nearby, the sound of cracking stone pierced the air, and Suri’s mind flashed with an image of a boulder crashing down on her. Her heart raced with fear. Instinctively, she tried to pull away from the terrifying sound. Words of the True Speech, the magical language, formed on her dry lips, ready to be spoken. The air thickened with potential.

“No need. I won’t hurt you,” murmured the Judge in her ear, misinterpreting her movements. His voice was calm, almost reassuring.

“How does he know? I was only thinking about using ‘Shield’”, she wondered. “But I’m not desperate enough to cast it blindly”. She swallowed hard and pressed closer to the Judge, seeking the faint rhythm of his heartbeat. Amid the deafening chaos, she found a strange comfort in imagining that steady pulse under her cheek. The noise around her began to fade, her focus narrowing to that single imagined beat.

“Cass was wrong. He does have a heart,” she thought, letting out a quiet sigh. “How calm he is, even now.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Suri,” Cassia’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. “Are you hurt?”

The Judge loosened his arms and stood up, shaking pebbles from his cloak. He felt a twinge of confusion over his own actions, unsure of why he had held her so tightly. He convinced himself it was justified, a response to the danger. Yet, even now, his hand clenched into a fist, reluctant to let go of the lingering warmth of her body.

Suri glanced around, realizing she hadn’t noticed when the earthquake had ended. A wave of embarrassment washed over her. The ground still crumbled in small chunks, scattering dirt and stones over the hunters. The air reeked of dampness and rotten lichen, heavy with the sour stench of decay.

“Khh, khh,” Ide coughed as she pulled her cloak off her head. Even with more than nine operational crystals, the dust in the air made it nearly impossible to see clearly.

“Damn… khh! Abyss! A second tremor on this descent… Khh! I’ll swallow green rot before I believe it!” Ide spat out, her curses interrupted by another coughing fit. “Just half a day more, and we would’ve been back in the main tunnel,” she added, her hoarse voice tinged with frustration.

Maxat wetted a cloth from his wineskin and wrapped it around his nose and mouth, then raised his hand to issue orders. As his team followed his commands, he surveyed the scene. The hunters, especially those who had recently joined the first rank, were in shock. Many had never experienced a tremor underground, and the tales from veteran hunters couldn’t fully capture the terror of being trapped beneath tons of earth.

“The Labyrinth has shifted. No point rushing now,” Maxat said after giving instructions to the scouts.

Luckily, the squad had only suffered minor injuries—cuts and bruises—but no one seemed relieved. While new passages opening and closing in the Labyrinth wasn’t uncommon, it was entirely different when it happened with them inside.

Cassia approached Suri and handed her a piece of wet cloth. Her cheek was already showing signs of swelling, but she moved freely, showing no serious injury.

“Fortunate,” Imber muttered, his hand resting on his side—a habit he’d developed after his healing, one that became more pronounced in tense moments. “Didn’t even feel it. Blood mages have an unnatural perception.”

Suri flinched. “I didn’t sense it either. If it weren’t for him…” Her gaze shifted to the warrior, now covering his face with a damp cloth. She took a sip from her wineskin to soothe her dry throat, then pressed a hand under her chest and winced. Hoping to avoid Cassia’s inevitable questions, she asked, “No one’s hurt, so what’s the fuss?”

Imber tossed a jar of salve to his sister. “There’s only one way now. The path the Labyrinth has chosen for us,” he replied, watching her scrunch her nose at the strong smell of the ointment.

“And what awaits us?” Suri pressed, though she could have stopped there. Imber, however, seemed willing to fill the silence, despite the strain of communicating in such harsh conditions.

“The Labyrinth won’t let us go easily,” Imber answered, his cautious gaze flicking toward the Judge. The man was a fortress of his own, impenetrable. Though the Judge had earned his title by claiming their father’s head, Imber held no hatred—only wariness and a measure of respect.

“One day, maybe I’ll have the courage to ask about the former Judge”, Suri thought, watching the brother and sister. Cassia’s gaze was different—full of open admiration. “Her ability to adapt is enviable”, Suri mused with a smile. Since the Judge hadn’t shown any hostility toward them, Cassia had accepted him as one of their own.

The scouts who had gone back to check their previous route returned. Avalon shook his head—the way was blocked.

The scouts sent ahead brought different news. “There’s a collapse, but we found a breach,” one reported. This dungeon always seemed to offer a detour.

Maxat’s eyes gleamed as he slung his gear over his shoulder. “That’s our invitation. Move out!”

Ide stepped in front of them. “Wait! This is an obvious trap. Help clear the path first,” she urged hastily.

Maxat walked past her without a word.

“At least part of it!” she called after him, her voice more pleading now.

“I won’t waste my people’s strength on a pointless task. If you want to escape, find another way,” Maxat replied, his voice muffled through his mask. He turned briefly and raised his voice. “Changed your mind?”

Suri shook her head, signaling no. Seeing this, Ide stomped her foot in frustration, sending up a new cloud of dust.

“Fine,” she spat reluctantly. “But we’ll regret this.”

The newly revealed tunnel ahead was in far better condition than anything Suri had seen in the dungeon before. There were no signs of destruction, as if the earthquake had never touched this place. The air felt cleaner, and the squad inhaled deeply, savoring the refreshing, sweet aroma. Its source remained a mystery, hidden among the smooth steel walls.

As they moved forward, crystals embedded in shallow nests along the walls began to glow, reacting to their presence. Suri’s eyes lingered on every symbol and marking they passed. “I’ve never been here, yet everything feels so familiar”, she thought, becoming more introspective as the blood pulsed in her temples.

Suddenly, a sickly-sweet, acrid smell filled the air. Light flared ahead, illuminating the end of the tunnel where a massive door loomed before them. The colossal panels were marked with faded traces of a symbol, its white paint nearly erased by time or some other force. Whatever message it once conveyed was now lost, but in the uniformity of the tunnel, it gave the door a name. Beneath it lay dozens of creatures, collapsed in a heap, some piled on top of others.

“Form up,” Maxat commanded. The heavily armed hunters moved into position at the front, while the second row prepared to fire on his signal.

“They weren’t here last time,” Ide whispered, breaking the deathly silence. She unsheathed a dagger, her body tense like a drawn bow.

Long moments passed, but the creatures didn’t stir. Their grotesque faces were pressed against the partially open door.

Suri was the first to lower her weapon. “They’re dead,” she said softly. Maxat ordered a pair of scouts to approach cautiously. From about twenty paces, they confirmed Suri’s words—the creatures were indeed lifeless.

“Was that creature behind the door?” Maxat asked Ide. She nodded, her gaze fixed on the dark doorway. Her lips had gone pale, her features tight with tension.

The scouts examined the bodies and returned to the squad with their report.

“What did you find?” Maxat asked.

“No fatal wounds,” one of the scouts replied.

Maxat raised an eyebrow. “Then what? Are you saying these needles just up and died?”

The scout hesitated, clearly baffled. He had never seen anything like it before.

“They have no cores,” Suri answered in his place. “Not a single one. I think the same thing happened to them as it did to Ide’s people.”

The sight of the massive, lifeless creatures was unsettling. Maxat frowned, a flicker of doubt crossing his steely gaze for the first time.

Ide stepped forward, her voice low. “It’s not too late to turn back.” Her words were quiet, as if she feared disturbing whatever waited beyond the door. Hope flickered in her eyes, barely concealed.

A sharp, unnatural noise pierced the silence—a high-pitched screech. It grew into a hiss and crackle, then subsided, only to repeat in a haunting rhythm. The eerie sound sent chills through the group, and their hearts sank with dread.

While the others were preoccupied with identifying the source of the sound, the Judge’s attention was fixed elsewhere—on Suri. His gaze locked on her wide, blue eyes, her slightly parted lips in surprise. Something tightened painfully in his chest, but he couldn’t look away. As if sensing his focus, she lifted her eyes to him. Instead of fear, her gaze was filled with impatience. She pointed toward the door again, frowning slightly when he didn’t react.

The Judge stepped closer, and Suri’s lips curved into a brief smile. She moved quickly toward him.

“Cover me, or I won’t be able to move,” she blurted, then turned and sprinted toward the door. The source of the sound was just beyond it.

Climbing over the cold, slippery bodies of the needles, Suri pulled a crystal from her belt and cautiously held it up to the doorway. A bright light flared, blinding her.

“Sh-sh… restoration… shhh… beep… impossible… crackle… beep… thirty-two percent…”