The moment the two eyes met through the peephole, every hair on Edris’s neck stood on end.
He forced himself to breathe, his pulse loud in his ears. The situation was nonsensical, being locked in a staring contest with himself—his reflection gazing back at him with a hollow, unsettling stillness.
Time seemed to stretch indefinitely. His eyes began to water, his heartbeat thundered painfully in his chest, and still, he couldn’t look away.
Then, without warning, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
— Would you like to give a part of yourself to the world?
Startled, Edris reflexively blinked.
The next instant, the reflection was gone, replaced by an empty socket where his eyeball had been. Staring back at him was not a reflection, but a dark, shadowy figure, its face void of features except for those hollow, gaping holes.
The Shadow lingered for a moment, head tilting slightly as if considering whether to break in. Fortunately, it seemed to have decided on the latter as it retracted and slithered down the hallway, disappearing into the darkness.
Edris remained frozen, unable to move or even breathe, until finally, a shaky exhale escaped his lips. His legs gave out, and he slid to the floor, his back soaked in cold sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, and for the first time in a long while, an instinctive, visceral fear gripped him.
The door.
He hadn’t opened the door.
He couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if he had.
For several long minutes, Edris just remained on the floor, inhaling and exhaling slowly, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart. He glanced down at the Sacrificial Hourglass that hung around his neck, fingers brushing its surface.
“Thanks for that,” he muttered under his breath.
Almost immediately, the mechanical voice returned, ringing in his head:
— Would you like to give a part of yourself to the world?
“No.”
Edris grimaced, his pulse still unsteady from the encounter.
With his focus back on the present, he strained his ears, attentive to any sounds from outside. The room was dead silent, but beyond the walls, he could almost feel the tension in the air, as if the Shadows had multiplied in the hallway. He couldn’t be sure how many students had succumbed to the hallucinations, opening their doors and letting those things in.
The Shadows in this version of the Labyrinth seemed… different.
In a modified state, they seemed to have gained the ability to hypnotise players after curfew, using the voices of people they knew—people they trusted. He couldn’t shake the image of the empty sockets staring back at him, the hollow stare that had looked so much like his own.
Many questions remained unanswered, but one thing was clear: the Labyrinth was no longer playing by its old rules.
Edris shivered again.
“What happened to this place in such a short time?”
***
The next thing Edris knew, the night had ended, being replaced by the sun rising from the horizon.
He woke up disoriented. Confused.
Edris was always a light sleeper, but this time around, he didn't even know when he had fallen asleep. With everything that happened, he was sure that he'd spend the night without a single shut-eye.
The second the clock on the doorframe hit seven in the morning, and the light flickered green. Edris glimpsed the countdown on his interface:
TIME TO COMPLETE [MAIN QUEST]:
00:61:59:33
He hastily pressed on his mask and stepped out of his room.
The hallway was empty, devoid of silhouettes that loomed about merely hours ago. As he made his way down the spiralling stairs, he took in the rooms on each floor. Some had doors painted in smears of crimson, while others were wide open, not a single soul in sight.
Stepping out into the broad daylight, Edris had to take a moment for his eyes to readjust to the natural brightness. Even though it’d been only a night, it felt like days since he saw proper sunlight.
“Edris.”
Owein’s familiar voice echoed behind him, and Edris spun around.
The moment he laid eyes on his two companions, a jarring sense of disorientation hit him.
They all wore the same “face,” masks that blanketed their individuality. This time, even the scarf wrapping his neck from yesterday had disappeared.
"You didn't wear your scarf today?" Edris asked casually.
Owein turned to him, a look of confusion on his face. He pointed to his own neck. "I am wearing it."
He paused.
"You can't see it?"
Edris blinked at his words. The two men stared at each other, the realization sinking in simultaneously.
"Can you guys see this?" Edris raised a hand, waving it at both Owein and Ace.
Owein's gaze shifted with his motion. "Your hand?"
"Is that it?"
"Yes," said Ace.
"..."
Edris subconsciously swallowed. He studied his own hand, which had a black leather glove over it.
"…It's the Labyrinth. It's removing our perceptions, isolating and replacing them with the 'typical' MW student." He tapped his chin in thought. "Did you both also end up falling asleep last night?"
At his words, Owein's expression fell grave.
"Yes, even though I told myself I wouldn't," he admitted. "In fact, it is quite strange, because I had no idea when it happened. The next thing I knew, my eyes reopened, and it was morning."
"It's only a speculation, but..." Edris sighed. "In here, even sleep might be more dangerous than we think."
"The unconscious person is the most vulnerable," Owein said. "If the Labyrinth wanted to do anything to its players, it would be during night. And if we can't control our consciousness during nighttime..."
Ace turned around, staring at the looming maroon building behind them.
"It's a race against time."
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With the maroon uniforms that the Labyrinth required of them, everyone looked like clones from afar, barely distinguishable by slight variations in height or posture. Shaking off the chills, Edris proceeded to share with Owein and Ace what had happened last night. Owein, already looking sombre, nodded at the retelling.
“I experienced something similar,” he admitted. “Except for me, it was my clan leader.”
Edris cocked an eyebrow. “How did you snap out of it?”
Owein didn’t respond right away. Instead, he calmly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a massive gash running the length of his forearm.
“Sometimes, pain is the best remedy.”
Edris swallowed, staring at the wound.
“Impressive,” he muttered, unsure if he was more shocked by the injury or the way Owein spoke about it.
Both turned expectantly to the white-haired man, who was silently observing their conversation. Confronted with their inquisitive gazes, Ace stared down at his hand.
“I heard a knock. The voice didn’t really sound like anyone I knew,” he said stoically. “So, I opened the door.”
Edris blinked twice. “Pardon me?”
He did what?
“I opened the door,” Ace repeated. “But it was just another Shadow. Like the ones we see roaming around during the daytime. The moment it saw me, it slithered off.”
“...”
Edris and Owein exchanged a bewildered look.
How unfair.
With the day stretching ahead of them, the three remained cautious. Even during daylight hours, the Labyrinth had changed in unsettling ways, making it impossible to let their guard down.
First things first, though—they were starving. After nearly two days without food, they decided to head to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was half-full, with every student in sight wearing the same maroon uniform and mask. As Edris walked in, he stiffened. It was like stepping into a room full of himself—dozens of identical figures, all moving in a silent procession.
At the entrance, a Shadow stood guard, its dark figure stirring an unwelcome memory of the one Edris encountered the previous night. As they entered, the Shadow handed each of them a token with the number [8] on it.
As they strode through the doors, Edris was unexpectedly confronted by an array of mirrors, drilled into the walls and pillars throughout the space.
“These are…” He shifted his gaze around the cafeteria.
“Mirrors,” Ace said. “They weren’t here last time.”
“How lovely,” Edris muttered, eyeing the reflective walls. The mirrors only added to the eerie atmosphere.
He could see himself—his mask, his blank face—reflected a dozen times over. It felt like he was sinking into the reflection, losing himself to it.
Edris blinked, shaking his head as he consciously tried to recall his real face. Yet, to his surprise, he found that it took more effort than it should.
An ominous sense arising within, he pulled up his [PROFILE], only to enter into a frown.
PLAYER ID
Edris
LABYRINTH
#53 (MODIFIED)
PLAYER STATUS
Normal
ROLE
Year 4 student at MW Academy.
AFFINITY LEVEL
80%
CARD SLOT
1. Blazing Torrent
2. [EMPTY]
3. [EMPTY]
NOTE: Future card slots may be unlocked as a reward
His [AFFINITY] had dropped by another five points.
“Don’t look at the mirrors for too long,” he warned the others, his voice low.
They moved deeper into the cafeteria, heading toward the food counter. The chef standing behind the counter was, as expected, a Shadow.
Upon confirming their identity as students, it eyed their cards and reached below the counter surface to draw out three trays.
An apple, a bowl of vegetable porridge, and a slice of overbaked bread.
Edris eyed the sorry meal laid before him with dead eyes.
“Table 8.”
The Shadow’s voice was deep, mechanical even, and most certainly did not belong to a human. It stared at them–well, it felt as though it was staring at them, despite the lack of facial features present on its face. Its black silhouette shifted diagonally, signalling at the table on the far end of the cafeteria.
The three followed its action, their gazes landing on the long table with a green card that stood on the metal surface. It was the number on their token.
“I guess we have to eat at a designated location as well,” Owein commented.
They approached the table, only to realise that someone was already there. A girl with a high bun waved them over.
In the space in front of her rested a sticker for the [GREEN ZONE], meaning they could remove their masks. Edris wasted no time removing his. The moment of relief was brief, though, as the girl leaned forward, obviously eager to start a conversation.
“Hey, we’re in the same cohort this time,” she spoke as if they were close acquaintances. “Didn’t really get to catch up last night since we all rushed to curfew.”
“Mhm…” Edris nodded slowly, and the girl crossed her arms with an arched eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you forgot who I am.”
“Of course not,” Edris said, then took a guess of faith. “Mary?”
“Beatrise.”
“Wasn’t too far off.”
“...”
Beatrise shook her head, muttering something about “rich people” under her breath.
With a smile plastered on his face, Edris was currently skimming through the pages of faces in his head.
He’d met many people while travelling across the kingdoms, yet the name “Beatrise” did not ring a bell at all.
And moreover…
Despite it being a [GREEN ZONE], she had not taken off her mask. Edris studied her closely, trying to make out the features lying under the feigned skin. After three seconds, he confirmed that he had indeed never seen her.
This could only mean one thing.
He attempted to send her an invitation to share [PROFILE], and the interface flashed a message in response.
THE INVITATION HAS FAILED TO SEND!
NOTE: [PLAYER PROFILE] can only be shared with other [PLAYERS]!
As expected.
A native of the Labyrinth.
In the last Labyrinth, it was quite easy to distinguish players from natives, since the latter would only refer to them by their ranks. It seemed that this was no longer the case in the modified version.
Moments after the three sat at the long table, two more approached. A man and a woman. The man was in a bowl cut, his muscles threatening to rip out from the uniform. The woman stood right beside him, both hands clinging to his arm.
As they sat down on the bench across, both took off their masks.
“Phew! That was suffocating.” The guy shook his hair from side to side. Giving the group a glance, he leaned forward, voice framed into a conspicuous whisper. “We’re cohort eight as well. So…Are you native students or players?”
The girl beside him, presumably his girlfriend, punched him in the arm. “Thomas! You can’t just ask people like that!”
Edris blinked in disbelief while Ace looked away, stoically unhearing the question. It was quite rare to find people like him these days, who still had muscles for brains.
“Huh? What are you guys talking about?” Beatrise glimpsed them with a tilted head.
“Alright, so that one’s a native,” Thomas said with a shrug, then turned to Edris’s group. “How about you three?”
“Natives,” Edris said without hesitation, ignoring the stare that Owein and Ace sent his way. “Is this your first time entering the Labyrinth?”
“Nah, we were pulled in once before, maybe half a year ago? Didn’t expect to be pulled in again so randomly, but maybe it’s a good thing? Although we couldn’t really remember what happened the first time–” Thomas paused amidst his rambling. He subtly nudged the woman beside him. “Fresia, are natives supposed to know we’re in a Labyrinth?”
“I don’t think so, but maybe they’re one of the smarter ones…?”
“...”
Edris felt a headache approaching simply hearing the exchange. He didn’t tend to get along with people who were clever like himself, but he’d rather choose those over the less clever ones.
Although it wasn’t his place to say, he was quite concerned with the survival potential of the pair.
“Should we even engage ourselves with them?” Owein asked, equally concerned.
“Better to have friends than enemies,” Edris quipped dryly.
“He’s so right.” The girl nodded in agreement, obviously not taking herself as the target of their comment. “Wise words. Take note, Thomas.”
Thomas stuck out his tongue. “Back at you, Fresia.”
Edris did not react to their couple’s banter. Focusing on more pressing matters, he leaned in slightly towards Beatrise and asked, “Know anything about what happened last night? Curfew and all?”
“Oh! Speaking of that…” Beatrise lowered her voice. “You remember Damien? The guy who tried to steal your luxury belt in year two—the one you beat up?”
Edris nodded intently. “What about him?”
“...”
Ace and Owein exchanged a look, speechless at the man’s immediate adaptation to his character.
“Well, someone heard him scream last night. And when they checked on him in the morning, the guy had peed himself!”
“Really? That’s... unfortunate,” Edris said, trying to appear sympathetic. “Did anything else happen?”
“Nah, that’s about it. He was embarrassed, sure, but by breakfast, he was back to his usual self.”
Strange.
Edris fell in thought.
Very strange.
Before he could press further, Fresia’s eyes lit up, and she waved over another student.
“Roos, over here!”