“Welcome to Facility Number 105, Master. Your healing will be complete in six minutes and 32 seconds.”

I was starting to grow accustomed to the voice and recognized it right away.

“This cave is one of Lord Solomon’s facilities, and he opened it up for you,” the voice said. “That is why he is able to heal you so quickly.”

“Lord Solomon? Who’s that?”

“Why, he is you, of course. In a way.”

“Oh, that clears things up.”

I urged my floating, dream-state self to roll its eyes. I think it worked.

“I cannot detect truth in those words, Master. Are you lying to me?”

“Who are you?” I yelled in my thoughts.

“Soon, Master. Soon!”

Some time passed in darkness before I awoke once again, but this time on my own. No one shook me to consciousness; no one called my name. And this time, I awoke to the group of Hunters surrounding me in a tight semicircle, eyes wide and breaths held in stunned silence.

“What?” I croaked.

“Your arms…” Korin breathed, Marcus propping her up on his shoulder as she was still exhausted. “They’re completely healed.”

“And you did nothing, Korin?” Drayek said.

She shook her head but kept her eyes glued on me. In fact, no one’s eyes left me.

With great caution, I attempted to prop myself up on my elbows and rise from the ground. Miraculously, I felt no pain. In fact, I felt better than I ever had.

I shoved myself to my feet with a quick inhale of breath and grinned. “I’m all better!”

“We’ve established that, boy. But how did you come to be ‘all better?’” Krato growled to my left.

I then noticed that it wasn’t just trepidation in the stares of the Hunters; there was suspicion. Their stares turned to glares, and their circle around me grew tighter and more suffocating. All studied me with wrinkled brows and set jaws.

All save for Drayek. He leaned into the right wall of the narrow corridor, arms folded and eyes studying me in their own curious way. I couldn’t see any ill feelings toward me harbored within his gaze, but the unpleasant grimace painted onto his lips displayed his utter confusion. If he didn’t know what had just happened to me, how was I supposed to answer Krato’s question?

Of course, I knew it had something to do with the mysterious voice, the cave, and someone named Lord Solomon. But those facts were merely small pieces to an ever-growing puzzle.

Krato tapped impatient fingers on his forearm.

“Uh…” I stumbled to answer his question. “I–I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?” he quipped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Before I could even open my mouth to reply–not that I had any semblance of a response ready–the floor at our feet erupted in a brilliant blue flash of light. The flash shot up to the high ceiling, then dissipated like a mist of rain on our heads.

Someone cursed–loudly.

My eyes tried to adjust from the sudden burst of light, so I couldn’t see who had spoken, but my sentiments were the same.

I blinked away at the bright spots in my vision, then stumbled at the sight of a floating image standing before us. The visage displayed a large man with a golden helm and matching armor. He took up the entire width of the corridor, forcing our party to jump back and out of the way.

“Welcome to the Halls of Solomon,” the man bellowed.

His voice echoed loudly in the cave, making the walls shake. I tilted my head to the side and dared a step closer to the man. I could only see a hint of his eyes and mouth beneath his helm, but something about the man seemed familiar. But the closer I looked, the more his face and body shimmered into transparency, like he was and wasn’t there at the same time. An illusion, maybe? But I’d never seen an illusion speak.

“To test your worthiness and secure an audience with Lord Solomon, you must pass three tests.”

The man pulled a longsword from his hip, the sound of metal scraping leather screeching deafeningly in the echo-y hall. The blade was black as night and menacing. He brandished the sword up high, the eerie light emitting from his image reflecting off the bejeweled hilt.

“Test Number One: Courage.”

The image faded away, but instead of finding myself in the hall with the Hunters, I was alone in the dark. My breath caught, and I stumbled about in the pitch black, arms outstretched in search of something solid.

“Drayek?” I called. “Korin? Marcus? Maran?”

“Rayden? Is that you?”

I could hear Drayek’s answer, but his voice was distant. However, I heard it well enough to follow the direction it’d come from. But then my hands met with nothing but stone. I felt along the wall, still unable to see, searching for an opening or a path, but I seemed trapped.

“Drayek! Can you hear me?”

“Yes! Where are you?”

His voice sounded even further. I turned myself around and continued feeling blindly around the space.

Suddenly, the strange illusion of the golden-armored man appeared right where I was about to take a step, and I fell backward onto my rear.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The visage paid me no heed and said, “This test of courage will determine your ability to overcome fear of isolation and will take you through a labyrinth. Many of your personal fears will present themselves within the maze, but you must find the courage to continue to the labyrinth’s end.”

I gulped as the image faded away once again. In its place stood a wide-mouthed opening leading into a hall lit with brazened torches. I still could find no sign of any of the Hunters near me, only this new pathway. I determined it as the entrance to this “labyrinth” the illusion had described.

Trying not to think about the fact that I had no weapon, no armor, and no companion, I pushed myself forward and convinced myself that I could face whatever this labyrinth had to offer.

***

I kept one hand on the right wall as I walked, and the other hand I had balled up into a fist at my side. Whatever this labyrinth might bring, I would fight my way through with fists and teeth if I had to. I might very well die, but I wasn’t going to die while cowering in fear.

Anger bubbled up in my stomach. That was the entire point of this “test,” wasn’t it–to overcome my fear? I spat on the ground as I took a sharp left and planted my hand once again on the right wall. Could someone really decide they had a right to test people? This was sick.

A part of me wanted to rebel against the game this stupid cave was trying to play with us, but my logical side convinced me that if I wanted to stay alive, rebellion against a force much stronger than I wasn’t an option.

I made turns in the maze randomly. Right, then left, then right again. After, I don’t know, say a half hour, I met with my first dead end. Sighing, I pivoted and retraced my steps, careful to take some new turns this time.

“Hey, mysterious voice,” I said in my mind, “You can jump in here at any time and help if you’d like.”

No response.

I rolled my eyes. Of course the voice won’t show up when I actually need it to.

But even as I had that thought, I knew that having the voice’s assistance would’ve been too easy.

After another insurmountable amount of time, I reached another dead end. I cursed and slammed my fists into the wall. I planted my forehead on the cold stone and breathed deeply through my nose, trying to think.

“Hey, Pale Skinned!”

I spun around, then backed into the wall in surprise.

“Dorian…? How–how did you get here?”

Dorian, my most notorious bully, loomed before me with an ugly grin on his stupid face. His three equally ugly cronies came into place behind him from within the darkness of the labyrinth.

I shook my head. “No, wait. You’re not real. You’re not here. This is a…” I pursed my lips.

Dorian and his accomplices are one of my worst fears? They approached me with weapons in hand, menacing chuckles escaping their chapped lips.

“What’s wrong, Pale Skinned? Finally realized you’re worthless? UnMarked, no home, no family…. You’re nobody.”

No. Dorian himself wasn’t one of my worst fears. It was my fear of being UnMarked–no, it was more than that; it was my fear of being no one. I came from nowhere–no parents to be seen, no world to claim as my home…. I often wondered if Drayek had taken me in just out of sheer obligation. Maybe because no one else wanted me.

What was I supposed to prove in this moment? That I didn’t care about those things? Because I did.

I had nowhere to run as Dorian and his friends closed the space between us, just walls of solid stone on either side of me. I searched desperately for a rock, a piece of wood–something to use as a weapon! And then it hit me: the fake Dorian and his friends had weapons. I eyed the simple spear in Gregor’s hand, the boy at Dorian’s right. It wasn’t anything special–the staff was made from cheap wood, most likely pine. It splintered at either end, and the tip was blunt, but it was something.

Do I need to actually fight them, or will they disappear if I ‘face my fear’?

I had to try something.

“I may be a ‘nobody,’ but I can still beat your ugly faces into the dirt.”

The bullies stopped in their tracks, then threw their heads back and laughed. They cackled, really. It was a little excessive.

I laughed right along with them, which brought their hooting and hollering to a stop.

“Oh, you’re right. It’s hilarious that a scrawny, pale-faced non-Edronan could ever beat you in a fight. But hey,” I shrugged my shoulders and grinned, “you never know unless you try. I might surprise you.”

I found myself believing those words. Even if just for a mere instant. Hey, I came out of the Marking Ceremony with an extremely high, insurmountable amount of Soul Strength. That was unheard of! And who knew what I could yet do?

The four bullies scowled at me but made no move to fight. I cocked an eyebrow and stared right back at them. After just a moment’s pause, the four dropped their weapons and retreated from where they had come, disappearing into the darkness.

I eagerly lurched forward in the direction of the fallen spear but stopped.

“Wait, did I pass? Was this my test of courage?” I said aloud.

No answer and no appearance of the floating test man.

Before it could disappear, I scooped up the spear and held it firmly at my right side. The other weapons remained intact and present on the ground–no mysterious vaporization or disappearance of any kind.

I let out a long breath and continued my trek through the maze. Maybe if I headed in the direction the fake Dorian and his friends went, I’d find the exit.

I propelled myself forward and followed the path that Dorian had just taken. The hall was straight and offered no turns, but it seemed to continue endlessly.

The torches lining the walls suddenly disappeared, and I was left scrambling in the darkness. Until I saw a white light at the end of my path. An exit?

I hurried my steps, my smile spreading wider as the light grew bigger. Finally, I emerged from the maze and entered a sunlit space that looked very close to home. An expanse of dusty rock stretched before me and led to a dirt road–the same dirt road that trailed toward Drayek’s and my hovel. It was home!

I whirled around myself, brow quirked in confusion. The maze’s exit that I had escaped from was gone. In fact, I didn’t see any semblance of a maze anywhere–just the distant mountains that surrounded Edrona.

Did I beat it? Did I actually pass the test?

Not knowing what else to do, I began my trek toward the hovel.

“Drayek?” I called. “Korin, Maran, Marcus?”

I hoped that the others had also passed their tests and that I would see them somewhere soon. Maybe Drayek was already at the hovel….

I increased my pace to a sprint and followed the road to home, grinning at the sight of our humble abode coming into sight. And soon, I could see the entire hunting group gathered by the front door, huddled together and laughing with one another.

“Hey!” I waved my arms in the air to get their attention. “You all made it!”

No response.

Maybe they haven’t seen me yet.

I jogged up to the group and sidled in next to Maran. “I’m so glad you’re all safe.”

The entire party shot hot glares my way, including Drayek.

“Uh, did something happen?”

“Go away, UnMarked,” Krato growled.

“Yeah, you’re not wanted here,” chimed Marcus.

I swallowed. “Drayek?”

He said nothing, just stared me down with narrowed eyes and tight lips.

“Well, this is my home,” I said, attempting to stand up straighter. “If anyone is not welcome here, it’s you.”

I bravely made eye contact with each Hunter but avoided Drayek’s dark stare.

Laughter. The sound of their shared amusement was heart-wrenching. I cowered beneath them and let them laugh at me. It was all I was good for, right? To be pointed and laughed at. I might as well get used to it.

“Go to bed, Rayden. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I dared to look up at Drayek, who kept his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Not a sympathetic smile, a wink, or anything to indicate he was on my side.

I scowled and shoved past the Hunters, making it to the hovel door. But as I pushed the door open, the usual warmly lit room with our made beds in the corner didn’t meet me. Instead, I was back in a torch-lit stone hall.

I was back in the labyrinth.