My mother, my life's greatest teacher. The one who took me under her protective wing, and the one to whom I owe everything. Thanks to her teachings, I've grown intimately familiar with the unknown; the perpetual darkness surrounding me every day. In comparison, she's the real enigma I have yet to decipher...

Others fear the unknown, it's only natural. Humans are inherently weak, after all, always seeking refuge in the familiar; but not me. No, I've always found a profound sense of belonging in the unknown, reveling within its depths, convinced to know it. I knew it. I became accustomed to it, and made peace with it. Not that I really had a choice, to begin with, being outside my realm of control from the very start.

Yes, it was a pretty lame ability, or gift, I can concur. Something that only a sick mind could replicate. But it always gave me the possibility to assess situations in a more reliable way. It is part of my job, after all. The more the demons roaming around, the more I knew it was better to stay away from that specific place. That is why I'm so convinced in them being the shadows of the dead. What else could they be, otherwise?

Not that I needed it to do my job, but it was... amusing, watching them. It was intriguing, even mesmerizing to some extent; just like observing the unknown, trying to make sense of it. Looking so lost and hopeless, forever wandering, aimlessly... trapped. Probably like the people who got stuck inside this labyrinth, unlike us.

But now, just like the demons, I actually felt lost... Confused, to say the least. Well, at least I wasn't dead. But what happened to the demons...?

The sudden sound of Joey's sniffing snapped me back to reality. "Sorry. I'm just glad you're okay," he managed to say. He finally regained his composure, too. "Oh, when you were..."

He suddenly paused, probably trying not to say 'dead'.

"When you were... passed out, I noticed a glow coming out from your backpack," he pointed out.

"Hm? My backpack?" It took me a second, but a sudden realization came to my mind. "Oh, could it be?!"

I immediately turned around to reach for my backpack; could it really be it?

But as soon as I shifted my gaze, what my eyes caught completely froze me, sending shivers and goosebumps down my entire body.

"What is this?!" my mind couldn't muster anything else.

In front of me stood a demon. However, it was different from all the others. It was white, its presence was way more overwhelming and imposing than any other I had ever seen before. It was not transparent, I couldn't see through it, and its form was more defined, too. The more I stared, the more I realized that it wasn't a typical demon. For a moment, only for a moment, I even questioned whether 'demon' was the right word to describe it. It almost looked like it had a 'skin', a white texture with visible veins or wrinkles extending across its surface. Its silhouette was thin, yet wide in the middle, revealing what appeared to be a rib cage right beneath a very thin layer of skin. Its long limbs ended in extended claws and, at the top of this macabre and grotesque being, what resembled a head, although... it didn't really have a face; just the faint impression of what a demonic face should be. It was horrible, hideous, revolting compared to the usual dark shadows I could see before.

"Hey, are you okay? You look pale," Joey asked me.

"He can't see it?" I wondered to myself. "Oh, of course he can't. Why am I even wondering it? Stupid question..."

"Um, yes... don't worry. It's probably the blood I lost," I quickly diverted the matter, this was a problem reserved to me and no one else.

The white demon was not moving, it just stood there, motionless looking directly into my eyes. I don't even know how long had it been there. Probably since when I've regained consciousness, and I hadn't realized because I never looked behind since that moment.

"Here, take some food." As I was still trying to figure out what I was looking at, Joey took from his backpack something that would've helped me regain some color.

I reached out my hand to grab it, "Than-" I couldn't even finish my sentence that a sudden and violent tremor of the ground made us lose balance, and the food I was about to grab.

"Another dragon?!" Joey shouted in panic.

"No, it's the labyrinth! It's closing itself, we have to get out of here!" I shouted back.

Thanks to the tremor, I managed to look away from that demon. I completely ignored it, putting its memory far away in the darkest recesses of my mind. The situation demanded it.

We ran as fast as we could, ignoring our already tired and painful legs, going with all our strength against the next door of the labyrinth, hoping with all our heart to be the last.

And... it was. It was the last.

As soon as we pushed open the door, welcoming us was the bright light of the sun. The sky above us was finally blue once again. In front of us, however... a cliff.

What looked like a bridge had been broken, leaving for us only a fall.

Could we have avoided it? Probably yes, but we couldn't halt our momentum. And so, we fell.

Our scream echoed through the air as we approached the water.

Splash.

... After a while, I emerged from it. "Well, it could've been worse," I remarked after breathing in some fresh air.

Shortly after, Joey emerged from the water as well; he immediately looked at where to go, pointing with the hand a shoulder that led to a path.

Stolen novel; please report.

A little swim and a climb later, we finally touched terra firma. Finally grass, no more ugly and cold stone with questionable weather in the sky above.

"At the end of the day, we even got to wash ourselves," I said, drenched, looking at the bright side.

"You were right about the labyrinth..." Joey told me, as if he wanted to praise me. "If we proceed on this road, we should finally reach the city," he pointed out.

I nodded in agreement ready to leave the labyrinth behind us for good and, as a way to bid farewell to that stupid labyrinth, I turned around. Looking behind of me, once again, I froze.

The demon. It was there. "It's following me?!" my head went crazy in search of a logical answer, though nothing was logical to begin with... "This has never happened before..." a shiver ran down my spine, I couldn't understand what was going on, and I couldn't make sense of it at all.

"No... relax. Relax... I always found comfort in the darkness... Others fear it, not me," I tried to reassure myself, but it didn't matter how hard I tried; the demon kept looking at me from the distance, it didn't move, but I could feel it, its 'gaze' fixated on me, as if it tried to pierce through my very soul.

Overwhelmed by that icy stare, I suddenly felt the urge to hold myself in my own arms.

"What is this...? This sensation... It's so strange. it's as if my legs are about to fall, trembling, not able to sustain me anymore; the faint dizziness hitting my head, the bitter aftertaste in my throat, the cold sensation in my fingertips. My heart keeps on beating and pounding, yet it's as if my blood is not able to warm me up anymore... This is it? Is this really... fear?"

... I shook my head, trying my best to ignore it, focusing on finding a solution, mulling over it in my mind as I proceeded down the path to greatness...

Perhaps, I know what it is...

Yes, I think I've heard about them... the priest from my hometown mentioned them; traumas... emotional and psychological response to bad events. Events that become deeply sunken in the root of our very and pitiful essence, buried in the darkest and most remote place of our soul. And we, poor creatures, forced to live with it, now merely toys to that exact same traumatic experience, following us for the rest of our lives like haunting specter in search of amusement.

Death could be considered a traumatic experience, presumably.

And yet, apparently, there's even worse than that... the priest called them 'phobias'; fear incarnate; a fear so intense that we cannot rationalize in front of it. Tools, mere pawns; that's what we are before the very eyes of such a monster, gripping us in its grimy hold, leaving us no room to free ourselves, slowly rotting because of it.

However, many claim that phobias are nothing more than just a futile way for the brain to cope with the chaos of a specific trauma. The moment the trauma is manifested, the mind forcefully grabs it and transplants it somewhere else; perhaps at what we're looking at in that precise instant.

And just as many claim that liberation exists. In order to free ourselves from that grip, we, such pitiful and trapped creatures, have to face it. Gaze into the abyss, let it gaze into us. Confront it, challenge it, and win over it. Do so, and salvation shall embrace you. So they say...

"So stupid..." I got angry, contemplating those possibilities. I was now grinding my teeth. Anger couldn't even describe how I felt. I was fuming. A volcano on the brink of eruption. Luckily, I was skilled enough to hide it from my friend.

The demon was following me. I wasn't even watching it anymore, but I knew it was following me from behind, I could feel it. So, I was scared of it, but right now my rage outweighed my fear by a considerable amount.

"Me, afraid? Inconceivable," my mind kept throwing insults, I despised myself; I would've gladly slapped my own face out of contempt.

"So stupid. Nonsense. Afraid of something I've always lived with? Mama didn't raise no bitch."

This demon was different, yes; but at the end of the day, still a demon.

"This has to be a joke," my eyes were wide open. I don't know who Joey had to thank for me not going all out on him. My fists had never been so clenched. I felt like I could've killed someone right on that spot at the minimum inconvenience. I was shaking, trembling; but this time not out of fear, but rage.

"We've been walking for quite a long time. Normally, shouldn't the city be closer to the trials?" I nonchalantly asked, engaging in a conversation with Joey as a way to distract myself, as if my rage from just a moment before had never existed in the first place. Sometimes, even I am astonished by my own skills.

'Trials' are labyrinths, as the one we had just escaped; powerful cities build them to keep monsters and unwanted, unworthy people away from it. Trials were often separate instances from reality, although they were just as real; full of traps, puzzles and monsters. Only those who overcome them can afford the luxury to enter the city and, potentially, its guilds.

Otherwise, there's the main gate, allowing you to evade the trial. But it's usually very hidden, and even if you approach it, you need an invitation to get past the guards standing in front of it.

"That's right..." he replied with his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The road was paved with white stones meticulously fitted together, creating a beautiful and elegant path leading to the city; on either side, vibrant and well-kept grass thrived. "Normally, yes. But I can imagine a city like Zafferbridge putting more distance between it and its gate. Likely, the fall was also intended... There are high chances that many bleed to death on this road, trying to reach for the city."

Hearing his answer, I put my arms behind my head, keeping a pensive expression. "Hmm, yeah, that makes sense..."

I still couldn't see the other demons; a matter that kept bugging me and that Joey just reminded me of.

While I kept thinking about it, I turned my gaze once again to Joey. He looked uncomfortable. "Ah, I see," I thought to myself. "He doesn't like the idea that many died on this road."

Joey is a tender soul, one that cares for others; that's probably the same reason why he chose to follow me in this journey.

Unlike him, I've had already been in a guild; but I grew tired of it and asked to be moved. The bureaucracy behind it is quite complex, but I wanted to join a strong one, a guild that would put an end to my boredom.

After what felt like an eternity, the Guild Master had finally summoned me to discuss my transfer, and presented me with a list of guilds that were looking for members and willing to accept me as one. Among the various guilds, I found this one. I already knew its name, that's why I was so surprised to see it; one of the most powerful ever known. It made its fame and glory thanks to its ability to explore the most dangerous and desperate dungeons. A legendary guild, surrounded by many others of equal grandeur.

I knew then and there that this was the guild for me, a guild that would push me to my limits and beyond, or die trying. I was ready, I couldn't ask for anything better. And so, I embarked to join it.

Its name: Abyss Reavers.

... There was only a problem; a small, minor inconvenience... what about Joey?

The guild knew about me; the Guild Masters exchanged various letters. However, they had no idea I was bringing someone with me, nor was Joey aware of the fact that I was going there for the guild...

"Well, whatever. I'll figure something out."

After further walking, the gates of Zafferbridge finally came into view; two guards stood sentinel before the entrance. Our stained clothes must have made it easier for them to notice us, as they seemed on alert, waiting for us to approach.

We calmly approached them; we wanted to give away that we meant no trouble. "Hm? Is something wrong?" Joey suddenly asked me.

I was completely petrified, as if my body suddenly turned to stone; it felt like my heart had skipped a beat, only to hammer against my rib cage at a pace as fast as never before, trying to break free. My lungs craved for air, which I couldn't seem to be able to provide.

Joey observed me with a confused and concerned look on his face. "Hey, do you feel alright? You look as pale as a ghost..."

I wasn't. I was not alright at all. I didn't know what to do; my mind and body had completely frozen. I must have vocalized the distress I felt in that moment, somehow, for Joey to notice...

It was touching me.