Jaeden started calling out, “Xander! Where are you, Xander? Bro, where are you?” His voice echoed eerily through the twisting corridors of the labyrinth, swallowed by the silence that followed. A sense of panic clawed at him as he hurried along the dimly lit path, his footsteps loud against the stone. The remnants of the skeletons he’d fought earlier crunched underfoot, their bones scattered like brittle memories of a battle not long past. The sound made his skin crawl, each crunch a reminder that this maze was far from a safe place.

He spotted a side passage, heart racing, and ducked into it, instinct guiding him more than anything else. His hand slipped into his pocket to caress the blank card he’d found earlier without thinking, the cold material brushing his fingertips as he clutched it briefly before letting go.

He had no idea where he was going, but his instincts told him to keep moving. He could feel the walls of the labyrinth pressing in, their ancient stones twisting, shifting, as if mocking his disorientation.

Jaeden’s breaths were shallow, quick. The maze had a way of playing tricks on the mind, and his thoughts were racing, jumping between possibilities. Did Cicero take Xander? Was this some kind of trap?

He started to hear the faint sound of water running, a trickle at first, then growing louder, more defined. His ears perked up, and he adjusted his direction, heading toward the source of the sound, hoping it was a clue, a way out, maybe.

Then, an all too familiar laughter echoed through the halls. King Cicero.

Jaeden cursed under his breath, his mind flashing back to the card fight, the way the Trickster King had played them like pieces on a chessboard. But when he reached the endless corridor where the entrance had been, it wasn’t Cicero he saw.

Xander was walking down the way, his back to Jaeden, moving with a strange lethargy, as if lost in thought or wandering aimlessly.

“Bro, why did you take off like that?” Jaeden shouted, breaking into a jog, his voice catching the edge of desperation he hadn’t realized he felt.

Xander stopped, turning slowly, confusion etched across his face. “Me? You’re the one who disappeared.”

Jaeden blinked, the words not making sense. “What? I was standing right there! I didn’t go anywhere.”

Xander shook his head. “Neither did I. I was chasing after the dude- King Cicero or whatever he calls himself.”

Jaeden felt the ground beneath him shift, like the maze itself was growing unsteady. “You mean the king of the labyrinth? You saw him?”

“Yeah,” Xander replied, nodding, his brow furrowing as if trying to piece together the fractured memories. “Weird dude. He was walking away, threw a card in the air, and I went after it. When I turned around, you were gone. Vanished.”

Jaeden’s stomach dropped. “That’s not what happened. I finished fighting him, and then he left all pissy-like, and as he started to disappear, he tossed a card into the air. When I went to retrieve it -I only looked away for a moment, and when I stood up to show it to you, you weren’t there. I’ve been looking for you ever since,” his voice grew sharper. “So, where did you go?”

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Xander shrugged casually, scratching the back of his head. “Simple. I figured that the trial was over. And since you were my dream guide or whatever, maybe your disappearance was like a sign that it was time to go. So, I headed toward that castle.” He gestured into the distance with a casual wave.

“Castle?” Jaeden frowned, squinting as he scanned the horizon. His eyes darted across the maze’s towering walls. “What castle?”

“That one,” Xander said, pointing again, more emphatically. “With the white towers, the flags -the place looks like something out of a fairytale.”

Jaeden followed his brother’s gaze. For a moment, there was nothing but the same endless, winding walls of the labyrinth shrouded in mist, but then, as if by pointing it out, the castle came into view, the mist burning away to reveal the towering fortress.

Only it wasn’t the gleaming palace Xander described. What Jaeden saw was a broken-down ruin, its once-proud towers crumbling, ivy snaking up the cracked stone, lifeless banners fluttering weakly in the wind. The entire structure sagged under the weight of years, forgotten by time.

“Bro… that castle’s a ruin,” Jaeden said, his voice tinged with unease. “It looks like it’s falling apart.”

“Whatever, bro. It looks good to me,” Xander muttered, waving off Jaeden’s words. “Looks pretty solid from where I’m standing.”

Jaeden opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped. What was the point? It was clear Xander wasn’t seeing the same thing he was. Something was off -something about the maze, about this place, was messing with their perceptions.

Trying to shift the focus, Jaeden sighed. “You want to know what the card was that he dropped?”

Xander shrugged, disinterested. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Jaeden pulled the card from his pocket and held it up. The faint golden light that shimmered across its back seemed to pulse faintly, as if the card itself was alive.

“It’s blank,” Xander said, his tone flat.

“Tell me about it,” Jaeden replied, sliding the card back into his pocket. He had a bad feeling about it, something he couldn’t shake. But now wasn’t the time. “Whatever. Where are you heading now?”

“The castle, man. I told you.” Xander’s voice held a note of finality. “If you’re really my bro, you’ll follow me. If you’re just a figment of my imagination, one of my dream characters, you’ll go your own way and maybe show up later.”

Jaeden’s jaw clenched. “What the hell does that even mean? I’m right here, and I didn’t go anywhere.”

Xander smirked, that playful edge to his voice returning. “Sure, you didn’t.”

“Bro, you know what? Fine. Go do what you want.”

“See? Told you. You’re not my bro.”

“I am your bro. Sometimes your pig-headedness is really annoying.”

“Yeah, says the kettle,” Xander shot back, a sly grin on his face, a hint of wickedness behind his eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jaeden’s frustration boiled over. His brother’s casual attitude was grating on him, the surreal nature of the maze amplifying every emotion.

“Takes one to know one.”

“What?” Jaeden was about to retort, when a sudden shift in the air made him pause. He blinked, frowning as a new sound reached his ears. “Bro, do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That… ocean. It sounds like water -waves and gulls. There’s water nearby.”

Xander turned, confusion clouding his features. “Dude, I’m thirsty, but I don’t see anything except for that castle.”

Jaeden shook his head, waving it off in frustration. “You know what? Fine. Go chase after your dream castle. I’m going toward the ocean. I keep hearing water, like waves and seagulls. There’s gotta be something over there.”

Xander cast a glance over his shoulder, still skeptical. “Water? I don’t hear anything but the wind. But hey, good luck finding that magical beach.”

“Yeah, you too,” Jaeden muttered, already turning away. “We’ll see whose reality falls apart first.”

“Or when you discover that the water you hear is just a toilet, maybe you’ll change your mind and come meet me at the castle,” Xander called after him, his laughter trailing off as he began walking toward the distant structure.

Jaeden clenched his fists, the card in his pocket pulsing faintly again as he set off down a different path. The sound of water -waves, seagulls- grew louder in his ears. It was impossible to ignore. Something was there, something real, and it was pulling him toward it. But as he walked, a nagging doubt clawed at the back of his mind.

We’ll see who’s right. But what if neither of us is?