Edris staggered to his feet, his amorphous Shadow form faintly reflecting the dim, flickering lights from the crumbling structure above.
He glanced around, piecing together his surroundings.
He was back at the bottom of the tower.
His memory flashed briefly to the confrontation with Robin, to the way Ace had held the [SWAP PORTAL] card just out of view. It had been a gamble, but one based on observation. Robin’s arrogance, his compulsion to demonstrate his superiority—it was something they had banked on, and it had worked.
Edris shuffled forward, his steps faltering. His shadowy limbs felt heavy, sluggish, like moving through wet cement.
He brought a formless hand to the side of his head, his mind groggy and teetering on the edge of coherence.
The tubes of [MEDICAL PACK] he had scavenged were long depleted, and a glance at his [PROFILE] confirmed his fears.
His [AFFINITY] had dropped to 51.
The faint hum of machinery reached his ears as he pushed deeper into the heart of the ruins. The tower’s collapse had torn through the underground layers, revealing a maze of cogs and turning wheels. Wires snaked like veins across the stone walls, and the faint glow of mana-powered contraptions illuminated the devastation around him.
This was the heart of MW Academy’s infrastructure, and among it lay the rebels' cache—bombs and bodies piled indiscriminately.
“This won’t do…”
Under the dim lights, a frown appeared on Edris’s face. His thoughts felt like whispers in the fog, making the search for [EDRIS] through this underground space take longer than predicted.
In fact, it’d be questionable whether he’d even make it through half of it, given his current state.
With another sigh, he trudged through the strenuous halls, leading to one chamber after another.
The air was stifling, thick with the scent of burnt metal and oil. As he ventured more inward, the surrounding environment deteriorated in response. Piles of mangled bodies and half-assembled bombs formed a grim centrepiece.
Edris’s formless gaze scanned the room, searching for his body.
He could feel it. [EDRIS] was close.
A faint, mechanical whir interrupted his focus. A figure rose from the piles of bodies.
Dove's white hair cascaded over her shoulders like a curtain, and her eyes flickered in a way that promised only trouble. She rose from the pile of debris with eerie grace, her gaze locking onto Edris.
“I was hoping for 004,” she said, her voice dripping with bland disappointment. “But I suppose you’ll do.”
Before Edris could react, Dove lunged. Her movements were impossibly fast, her sheer physicality forcing him into immediate evasion. He darted through the maze of machinery, his Shadow form granting him the ability to slip through spaces she couldn’t follow. Still, her attacks were relentless, her fists slamming into gears and pipes with terrifying force, sending sparks and shrapnel flying.
…Damn it.
Edris cursed inwardly. His [AFFINITY] had dipped dangerously to 50.
Edris calculated his options, knowing that activating the Tempest wouldn’t help. Dove wasn’t relying on mana manipulation—she was pure brute strength and unyielding determination. His strategy became one of avoidance, weaving through the shifting machinery, using his intangibility to stay one step ahead.
His vision blurred, dark spots dancing at the edges. The looming threat of assimilation clawed at his mind. With a grimace, Edris slid sideways and rolled across the dirt floor, momentarily enlarging the distance between them.
Before Dove could go for another blow, he reached for the object hanging weightlessly against his chest.
The Sacrificial Hourglass stirred, its spectral form pulsing faintly against his chest. Gripping the artefact, he heard a mechanical voice emerge from his head:
> Give-and-take is a necessary cycle for equilibrium.
>
> Would you like to give a part of yourself to the world?
A mocking laugh escaped his formless lips.
Dove, still crouched across the room, tilted her head in confusion. She saw the Shadow shiver slightly on the spot, its form flickering, and without hesitation, she lunged forward, her speed a blur. She aimed for a decisive strike, her figure a streak of pale movement against the dim light.
But just as her attack neared, Dove’s eyes widened. The Shadow that had been sluggish moments ago twisted impossibly fast, evading her blow with a smoothness that caught her off guard.
> Securing the Giving... Securement complete.
> Now preparing the Taking segment...
With a blink of an eye, the world had shifted.
Time slowed, stretching like molten glass. The grind of gears became a low, throbbing pulse. Each particle of dust floating in the air hung suspended, glittering faintly in the dim light. Dove's movements, once a blur of speed, now appeared deliberate, predictable. Her chain whipped toward him in slow arcs, her expression flickering between focus and confusion.
Edris moved.
The first step felt alien, like his body wasn’t his own. His stomach churned as if he’d skipped meals for days, and a sharp ringing in his ears made the silence around him almost unbearable.
But the power coursing through him pushed these discomforts aside. His limbs responded faster than his thoughts, and for the first time, he felt ahead of the fight instead of desperately clinging to it.
He lunged forward, the edge of his shadowy form cutting through the air like a blade. Dove’s eyes widened in slow motion, her lips parting as if to curse him. He was behind her before her chain could retract, delivering a sharp strike to her exposed side.
The impact sent her stumbling, her balance faltering as she hit the floor.
Edris didn’t let up. He twisted through the clockwork, weaving between the colossal gears that turned with maddening slowness in his altered perception.
To Dove, he must have seemed like a phantom, appearing and vanishing unpredictably. To Edris, it was all too clear—the arc of her attack, the split-second openings in her defense, the faint flickers of disbelief in her movements.
Yet beneath this temporary strength, he could still feel the invisible weight dragging him down.
> The Taking Segment is now complete.
> Thank you for your sacrifice.
The effects of the exchange rippled throughout his body. The longer he moved in this accelerated state, the heavier the toll became. His chest tightened, his lungs struggling for air. His limbs, though swift, ached with the strain of unnatural speed.
The sacred artifact didn’t grant miracles without cost. It was a trade, and every second was a step closer to his downfall.
Edris knew it better than anyone.
“Move, damn it,” he muttered under his breath, forcing his legs to carry him forward.
Dove spun around, her chain coiling back into her hand. Her mana flared, forming a barrier of crackling energy around her.
“Mocking me?” Dove said, her voice a distorted echo in his slowed perception. She hurled her chain with a surge of mana, the attack sharper and faster than before.
It almost struck him.
"...Tch."
Edris barely evaded, the edge of the chain slicing through his side and sending him crashing into a nearby wall. The impact jarred him, and for a moment, his vision dimmed. The gears around him seemed to move faster, the world beginning to reassert its pace.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Dove advancing once more, her chain coiled and ready. Her face was still blank, but her steps were deliberate.
Her fingers flexed, and a sinister glint of mana formed at her side. The energy twisted and coalesced into a renewed metallic chain, glimmering with a transparently green hue. Poison.
With a flick of her wrist, the chain lashed out, its toxic length hissing through the air.
Edris ducked low, narrowly avoiding the strike as it cracked against the machinery behind him. Pieces of gear and metal burst into the air as he crashed against the wall to evade her second strike. Dove’s face remained expressionless, but the way she moved forward felt like a predator closing in for the kill.
“Fast,” she said, her voice monotone but with a flicker of frustration. “But getting slower.”
Then, from above, a shadow moved.
Edris’s senses flared, and before Dove could react, Owein descended from the machinery above, his rapier shimmering with a faint glow.
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Lucid Clan’s training allowed him to strike with pinpoint precision, and his rapier narrowly missed Dove’s shoulder as she rolled to the side, reacting just in time.
Dove immediately pushed herself upright, her eyes darting upward. Before she could reorient herself, however, a sudden gust of wind roared through the room.
“Looks like you could use some help.”
Roos stepped into view, her staff crackling with elemental energy. She gave Edris a side glance, and with a cascading twirl of her fingers, hundreds of spirlings pounced forward like feral beasts.
Dove gritted her teeth as the chain cracked against the swirling creatures, sparks flying with each clash. Her movements were fluid, but there was a weight to her posture now, as if the relentless assault was starting to wear her down. Roos didn’t relax, her spirlings attacking in rapid succession while Owein darted in and out, his blade seeking openings.
Edris watched the exchange, his gaze flickering between the fight and the clockwork surrounding them.
He exhaled, forcing his aching body upright. His mind, sharpened by the Hourglass, calculated the chaos around him. Dove was pinned, her movements restricted by the combined assault of Owein and Roos. It was his chance.
Roos turned her head briefly, her green eyes sharp even amidst the chaos. “Edris! Find your body! We got it covered here!”
She twirled her fingers, unleashing another whirlwind that forced Dove to dodge.
Owein nodded, his voice curt, “Ace and Robin won't be here anytime soon. Go. Now.”
Edris didn’t hesitate. His shadowed form darted through the cramped space, slipping between gears and avoiding falling debris as the fight raged behind him. Behind him, the clash of Roos’s magic and Owein’s strikes against Dove echoed through the chamber.
Every second counted, and Edris knew his time was running out.
The sound of gears grinding and clicking reverberated through the dimly lit core of the tower. After some trudging around, Edris finally reached what seemed like its heart, a labyrinth of interlocking wheels and pulleys stretching into the darkness.
His gaze locked onto his body, suspended amidst the rotating gears, entangled in thick, shadowy threads that pulsed faintly with residual mana. The threads seemed to feed off his body’s vitality, glowing ominously.
Edris clicked his tongue, a frown reaching his lips. Seeing his body—his own identity—reduced to such a vulnerable and unsightly state left a sour taste in his mouth.
Dust motes danced in the dim, flickering light, and the air carried the faint scent of metal and oil. Quiet surrounded him, broken only by the rhythmic stirring of the machinery and the faint ticking that mirrored the countdown on his [PROFILE].
MAIN QUEST:
Complete your final journey as a student of MW Academy!
TIME LIMIT: 00:00:05:24
NOTE: To optimise [PLAYER] experience, all Labyrinth restrictions, including mana usage, have been lifted!
With the final minutes of the Labyrinth ticking down, Edris moved swiftly. His amorphous form vibrated as he summoned the Tempest. The air around him shifted violently, charged with mana as arcs of purple energy crackled outward.
With a sharp motion, he unleashed it, severing the threads holding his body aloft. The strands snapped and dissipated into black wisps, their grip faltering.
[EDRIS] toppled down from the midair suspension, landing with a heavy thud against the metal floor. Dust and debris rose in a cloud as he choked and coughed hysterically, his body convulsing as though it were purging itself of something foreign.
Edris stepped forward, his shadowy form shifting in the dim light. But as he approached, [EDRIS] recoiled abruptly, scrambling backwards.
“I know who you are,” [EDRIS] spat, his voice rough and seething with spite. His bloodshot eyes burned with a hatred Edris had never seen directed at himself before.
Edris paused, his amorphous form rippling with faint agitation. He took another deliberate step forward, but [EDRIS] grabbed a jagged shard of glass from the floor and pressed it against his neck.
A thin line of blood trickled down, stark and vivid against his pale skin.
“Stay back!” [EDRIS] snarled, his voice trembling with desperation. The shard’s edge quivered as his hands shook.
“You took my face. You stole my face!”
Edris narrowed his eyes, his amorphous brows furrowing slightly. The counterfeit’s hysterics were infuriating, but the clarity of his own mind, freshly sharpened by the Sacrificial Hourglass, was at odds with the deteriorating state of his actual body.
Watching this uncooperative version of himself inflict damage to their shared vessel only deepened his irritation.
“Put the shard down,” Edris said firmly, his voice reverberating unnaturally, more felt than heard. “We don’t have time for this.”
He didn’t know if the man could hear him, nor did he care. Regardless, [EDRIS] didn’t budge. His bloodshot eyes widened further, his chest heaving with laboured breaths.
“You don’t understand!” [EDRIS] shouted. His expression—a twisted amalgamation of fear, anger, and despair—was one Edris never thought he’d see reflected back at him.
“You think you’re the real one? Don’t make me laugh," [EDRIS] said. "You’re just like the others, nothing more than a thief.”
The clockwork around them groaned, gears grinding louder as if mirroring the tension in the room. The countdown on Edris’s [PROFILE] glowed insistently in the corner of his vision:
MAIN QUEST:
Complete your final journey as a student of MW Academy!
TIME LIMIT: 00:00:02:59
[EDRIS] only tightened his grip on the shard, pressing it harder against his neck. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor, pooling in small, dark blotches.
“Maybe I don’t want to survive,” he said, his voice breaking. His expression contorted into something unrecognisable—a grotesque parody of the calm and calculating face Edris had always known. “Maybe I’d rather take you with me.”
Edris barely had time to process [EDRIS]’s words as the clockwork around him groaned, signalling the dwindling seconds left in the countdown.
From behind, hurried footsteps approached. Edris turned, his amorphous form shifting, to see Roos and Owein stepping into the core chamber. Behind them, Dove was bound in place by Roos’s spirlings, her struggles reduced to faint movements.
Both of them froze for a second as their gazes flickered between Edris and [EDRIS].
“...Damn,” Roos muttered, her tone tinged with disbelief. “You really do look the same.”
Owein exhaled, shaking his head. “It’s his body, after all.”
He then turned to Edris.
“We figured it out. There was no such thing as a certification. Better put, your identity is your certification,” he explained. “The tower, the whole ceremony—just a ruse to stall for time. To make us panic, fail, and assimilate.
“All you have to do is reclaim your body.”
[EDRIS], still trembling with the shard in hand, shook his head violently.
“This is not yours—” His voice cracked as he raised the shard again, aiming to plunge it into his neck.
Before he could move further, a spirling lashed out, knocking the shard from his grip. Roos stepped forward, her golden staff already swinging downward. The blunt edge struck [EDRIS] squarely, his body slumping unconscious onto the floor.
Thirty seconds until the end of the countdown.
“Time’s running out,” Roos said, brushing her hands. “Quickly, you should merge before it’s too late!”
— Stab me.
Edris moved closer, his amorphous form rippling with purpose. He gestured to her with a slight motion, as if indicating what needed to be done. Roos stared at him blankly, her head tilted in confusion.
“What?” she asked, frowning.
But the command wasn’t meant for her.
— Now!
Before Roos could act, a flash of white streaked past them.
Ace, moving with precision and speed, landed next to [EDRIS] in one smooth motion. His spear sword, infused with blinding mana, materialised in his hand as if it were an extension of his will.
Without hesitation, Ace drove the blade downward, carving cleanly through [EDRIS]’s stomach. The act was done so quickly, so decisively, that Roos and Owein could only stare in stunned silence.
“Ace?” Roos shouted, her voice rising in shock. “What are you—!”
The Shadow—Edris—slipped seamlessly into the wound. The black, amorphous mass poured into [EDRIS]’s body like smoke drawn into a vacuum. The fusing process began instantly, accompanied by a low, resonant hum.
Above them, the clock chimed, its echo spreading throughout the academy. The Labyrinth’s countdown had reached its end.
Owein blinked, still piecing together the scene.
“You stabbed him…?”
Ace didn’t respond. His focus remained on the spear sword still embedded in [EDRIS]’s body, his mana flowing steadily into the wound. The Shadow began to dissipate, piece by piece, merging back into its rightful vessel.
Just as the process reached its critical stage, a sharp gust of wind cut through the room. Ace’s instincts kicked in, and he glanced up to see Robin bolting toward him midair, his movements unnervingly swift and deliberate. The smirk on Robin’s face was one of triumph, his blade glinting with malice as he descended for a final blow.
“Watch out!” Owein yelled, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.
Ace’s gaze flickered upward, but his arm stayed firmly in place. The fusing process demanded his full attention—any lapse in focus could disrupt it. He clenched his jaw, preparing to take the hit. Robin’s blade drew closer, its edge gleaming with lethal intent.
And then it happened.
A torrent of darkness exploded from Edris’s body, its shadowy tendrils spiralling outward like a living storm. The pressure was immediate, swallowing the chaotic battlefield in a blink of an eye.
Robin faltered, his trajectory briefly thrown off by the sheer force of the mana surge. The darkness cocooned Ace, creating a shield that neutralised Robin’s strike with a resounding clash.
Edris emerged from the depths of the shadow. His dark hair swept back as raw power surged through him, his narrowed eyes glowing under the mana.
With a single motion, he extended his hand, the Tempest swirling into place, as if forged from shadow and light.
Robin recovered, twisting midair with a dancer's grace. His lips curled into a sly, taunting smile.
“A shame. Seems like I was just a tad too late.”
Ace stepped back, steadying himself as the spear dissolved into faint wisps of light. He and Edris stood side by side now, their combined presence grounding the crumbling remains of the battlefield.
Robin hovered just above them, licking his lips, his silvery eyes narrowing as if calculating his next move. Then, with a gleam of renewed determination, he lunged forward, ready to strike again.
But Edris didn’t move. Nor did Ace raise his weapon. They stood still, their composure unwavering, as if the fight no longer mattered.
Robin paused mid-lunge, his blade mere inches away, confusion flashing across his face.
“What’s this?” he said, cocking an eyebrow.
Edris responded with a smile.
“Goodbye.”
Robin’s eyes widened as realisation struck. A faint chime echoed through the air, cutting through the chaos like a clarion call.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE MAIN QUEST.
MAIN QUEST: Complete your final journey as a student of MW Academy!
TIME LIMIT: 00:00:00:02
The Labyrinth’s system voice followed, echoing throughout the space:
YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF LABYRINTH #53.
YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A NEW PLAYER ACHIEVEMENT:
[Witness to the Fall of MW Academy]
A NEW [CARD SLOT] HAS BEEN REWARDED TO YOUR [PROFILE]. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SURVIVAL!
LABYRINTH #53 WILL NOW COME TO A CLOSE.