There was a loud voice screaming their heart out in the building behind Nico.

Their voice was off-pitched and slower than the soundtrack, but they were obviously having a good time. Nico listened to the singing as his consciousness faded in and out.

‘Rio isn’t back yet,’ Nico wondered. It was foolish of him to think it, yet he did. Rio only prepared him; it was his job to survive. That was their dynamic for the last six years.

With a sigh, Nico closed his eyes. As his mind drifted, he thought about the books Naomi would show him. They were pictures of an older world, a different world, with silvine scenery and blue landscapes.

Finally, Nico succumbed to the spell. It was too late to turn himself in; the spell came upon him unexpectedly. The memories vanished, and the last note of the music faded. Nico had entered his nightmare.

[Aspirant, welcome to the nightmare spell! Prepare.]

Nico woke up on a beach. The light was blinding, like the city, but warm. The rolling waves crashed and receded in a set pattern. The smell of salt was thick in the air, and every now and then, a bird would swoop away, letting out a loud noise.

Nico struggled. His arms and legs were bound to a wooden chair by leather rope. The chair itself was of poor quality, or was it? It was made from real wood!

Sticks formed the skeleton with bones sticking between them to hold the structure together. It was rigid and primitive, and every time Nico shifted, an edge would prick his body.

Nico wasn’t alone on the golden sands. Several other kids sat and talked with each other. The odd thing was that they were all wearing white tunics that extended below their knees. Nico was wearing similar clothes. Nico moved his toes and dug a little into the sand to catch some water.

His reflection was a boy, no older than twelve. He was white-haired, and his sky-blue eyes stared back at him.

‘The spell got my looks right, but not my age.’ Nico stopped struggling and calmed himself. ‘I should check my runes.’ Rio had described the process to Nico before and willed them to appear. Translucent blue symbols appeared in front of Nico’s face.

Name: Nicollo

True Name:----

Rank: Aspirant

Soul core: Dormant

Echoes: ----

Memories:---

Attributes: [Wild Born]

Aspect: [Tainted Apostle]

[A boy of unwavering faith. However, knowing the truth could not have crushed your foundation more.]

‘What kind of aspect is that?’ Nico wondered.

“Look, he’s awake,” someone said, pulling Nico from his thoughts. Nico looked up to see a group of kids gathering around him. Their expressions ranged from interest to bitterness.

“Are you sure he’s one of the Beast followers?”

“When have I ever been wrong? Why else would he be tied to a chair?” A tall kid about sixteen leaned down to Nico’s eyes.

“You don’t look like much. I guess that’s what you get for being a legion dog,”

“Who are you people?”

“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?” The kid snapped back.

“Nico. So, who are you?”

“Obviously the greatest person in existence,” Jude replied with his nose to the sky. I looked at the kid who spoke earlier.

“Where are we?”

“You really know nothing?” I nodded.

“I’m Matthew. The incredibly human boy next to me is Jude,” Matthew said. “This is Lone Shore island, a sacred place to our people. We are the voyagers.” Matthew paused and looked back. Behind him was a large cave mouth on a hill surrounded by green grass, exhaling a cold feeling. “The voyagers are a group of kids meant to reach salvation.”

“Am I a voyager too? Is that why I’m here?”

“As if,” Jude snorted. “You are a prisoner who was granted mercy despite being a traitor.”

“I don’t know what I did to get you mad at me. From what I’m seeing it couldn’t have been much.”

“In name, you are a voyager, but in truth, you are cannon fodder. No one knows what lies inside the cave.

The sun dipped behind the horizon, painting the sky fiery orange with violet shading. Matthew turned and sat down. The tide came in, covering the sand. The kids didn’t mind the cold water and focused on the yawning mouth.

Soon, loud slapping sounded from the cave, and a man in a black robe emerged. His feet splashed in the raised water, and he smiled thinly. His stormy gray eyes scanned the area, and his smile became more genuine. He lifted his robe, revealing a slender arm almost as light as Nico’s albino skin.

“Welcome… to the trial.” The man spoke in a soft cadence that lulled worries away. Nico stiffened. The power he felt from the man exceeded his brother’s. ‘Is that the thing I need to kill?’ Nico breathed out and steeled his resolve. The spell gave tests, not executions. ‘So be it.’

“My name is Eviphor, Priest of the Shore,” The man introduced himself. He scanned the expanse of the beach and paused. The water parted, and the sand dried under his feet. The group collectively held their breaths, leaving only the crunching of Eviphor’s steps.

His strides were light; he couldn’t have been over eighteen by his princely looks. However, every step pressed against Nico like the tides. He passed Nico, side-eyeing him, and stopped at the edge of the hundreds of kids, watching the orange water. The silence carried on.

Eviphor basked for another moment before turning back around. The island shook, and the water frothed before tugging on Nico’s legs. The current strengthened, and a few kids screamed, trying to stand up, but it was too late.

The sand beneath them went with the rolling water, and they fell, disappearing below the surface. Nico’s chair tilted, and before long, he was at the mercy of the whirlpool. All of the kids were being washed towards the cave.

Nico tumbled over the soft ground. He opened his eyes only for them to sting from the water and sand, and half of his breath was liquid. He managed another inhale before the water fully submerged him. Nico twirled and spun, his sense of direction gone. His muscles burned from holding his breath, and he let out a swarm of bubbles.

The chair smashed into something, and Nico was free. But it did him little good. He tucked his head into his body and hoped that whatever lay at the end of the cave wasn’t his death.

Seconds passed. Nico was numb from being battered around, lack of air, and cold water. Then something caught him. He decelerated almost instantly and was held in place by soft, vine-like things. Nico’s mind fuzzed as his body was forced still.

Finally, the current died down. The water receded, and Nico gasped, opening his eyes in the green-blue light. He coughed out some of the water from his lungs and fell limply to the ground. He smeared the moss as he sat up and looked around.

Seaweed grew from the floor to the ceiling and held many of the kids. Some were still breathing, and others weren’t.

‘Salvation my butt,’ Nico raved before taking another shallow breath and coughing more water out. He had a minute to recover before someone trotted from the tunnel they were flushed down. Eviphor beamed at them with curiosity and helped some of the kids down from their seaweed nets.

“The culling is finished. Welcome, Voyagers.” He congratulated us and stepped to the other side of the long chamber, ignoring the gruesome fate of some kids. Nico had nothing to let out, but he was still sick to my stomach.

An archway was in the wall, several times taller than the nightmare creature. He called our attention again and gestured to the archway.

“Beyond here is what you seek. The ones who claim their seat shall gain salvation. The ones who die on the way will be remembered.”

Nico mentally sighed, relieved. His nightmare was likely not killing Eviphor. The man smiled wickedly and disappeared through the archway, leaving only tiny ripples. Nico stretched his abused body and stood up, walking over to the archway.

Beyond it was a sea with walls diverging and converging. ‘A maze.’ Long wooden boats were moored on a short stone outcrop.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Nico returned to the entrance tunnel and was shocked by the teal veil. Behind the veil were fish swimming peacefully through the tunnel. Nico reached out, and suddenly, his arm felt like a truck was parked on it.

He retracted his arm and gasped in pain. ‘No going back.’ Nico sat down and looked at his runes. He still had an attribute to see.

[Wild Born] Nature recognizes you.

Nico frowned at the short description and looked up at the seaweeds. They were sparse and easy to miss if you barreled down the tunnel with a tidal wave. Nico guessed that the unlucky ones who got dragged down first didn’t have the luxury of the water breaking their descent, which made Nico even luckier.

There were more than a hundred survivors, most of whom weren’t severely wounded. Nico spotted Matthew and Jude among them and hung back by the arch.

Striking off alone was virtually suicide. The only problem was that the kid Nico replaced didn’t seem well-liked. From his first conversion, those hostilities may be his death. Nico eyed the boats. He tore the seaweed down and started wrapping up the vines.

“What are you doing?” Someone shouted, dashing over and stopping Nico. You can’t take all the food.” Nico blinked, looking at the wraps. He thought they could be used for rope, but food was the last thing he thought they could be.

“Leave him be, there is plenty in the cavern. I’m seeing some in the maze too.” Matthew pulled his friend away. By now, the kids had separated into groups. Jude gave Nico a disdainful look. Nico finished rolling up the seaweed and went to the archway.

‘Food and transportation. Water…’...’ He bent down, sipped the water, and quickly spat it out. Nico didn’t know what he was expecting as he scraped his tongue to get the salty taste off of it. Leaving was out of the question. Nico pondered and glanced back.

‘But they won’t just let me tag along,’ An idea popped into his head. He got up and strode towards Matthew’s group.

“I know how to get through the maze,” Nico proclaimed. The kids went silent, and Matthew eyed Nico curiously. “How?” he asked.

“Wait just a minute. Are you really going to trust an outsider?” Jude protested, and a couple of kids nodded along with his words.

“He’s here for freedom, if he knows how to get through the maze, then we should at least listen.” He looked at Nico expectantly.

“I won’t explain how I know, you will have to trust me.” Nico said. Jude snorted, and Nico went on. “I’m not going to just tell you how to get through the maze. Otherwise you don’t need me.” Nico’s attention went to Matthew. The boy was in a trance, weighing his options. Then he broke the silence.

“Alright. And what do you want in exchange. I take it that your guidance isn’t free.”

“Water would be nice.” Nico said, half expecting the boy to know how to get it. Matthew shook his head. “We’d usually rely on rain, but there isn’t any down here.”

“Then allowing me to be on a boat with you is fine.” Matthew nodded. Nico put out his hand, and Matthew regarded it with confusion.

“Uhm. Where I come from, deals are sealed with a handshake.” Nico explained. Matthew took his hand, and they shook.

An hour slipped by, and the kids solidified their groups. The boats comfortably fit twenty kids and supplies, with benches and oars. Matthew’s group was only twelve people, including Nico, so they had plenty of room to spare. The groups split up, and the sound of rowing left with them.

“So, which direction do we go?” Matthew asked. Nico scanned the walls, spotting four possible paths. ‘First, I need to find the dimensions,’ Nico thought, pointing down the rightmost path. The oars lowered into the water and softly propelled the boat forward. Nico directed them, staying along the right wall.

“How long are we going to row?” Matthew asked from beside Nico. Nico’s attention was on the walls, mentally estimating distance. They’d been moving for hours with no signs of reaching a corner. The longer it took him to show results, the more likely things were to go south.

“Land,” someone pointed. We all looked to see a small circle of rock in the water. The concentration of bioluminescent moss was higher over the rock. The boat glided beside the rock, and some kids stepped out onto it. A white rock pedestal was all there was on the small island.

‘A bowl.’ Nico shifted, making room for more kids. Half of them barely fit on the rock. ‘Water.’ Matthew stuck his hand inside the bowl and lifted it out. Droplets fled back to the bowl with a sonorous ping.

After soaking free clothes with the water, they followed Nico’s directions. The mysterious bowls were scattered throughout the maze at regular intervals. It was thanks to these that Nico could get dimensions. It took them two days to make it to the other end of the maze.

Spirits were low, and nibbling on seaweed was the only reprieve Nico had from the drab atmosphere. The wood creaked, and Nico looked up. Jude was standing over him, his eyes duller than before but still full of vigor.

“We’ve been moving for four days nonstop. When will we get out of here?” he demanded. For once, I noted, he wasn’t asking for himself. A couple of other kids watched, their expressions betraying their feelings.

Nico finished his stretch of green. Weighing his options, he spoke. “There are three types of mazes. One with two exits. One with one entrance and the goal at the center. The first maze is simple to escape. You just need to follow along one wall. The second is harder since you need an idea of where the maze’s center is.” Nico stuffed some wet fabric into his mouth and sucked the cool water from the fibers.

“And the third type of maze?”

“One where the goal isn’t at the center. That had no set way of finding the end. Hopefully, it isn’t that one.”

“So we just sail along the wall until we find the end? Isn’t that too simple?” Nico shrugged. “I don’t know.” Jude clicked his tongue at Nico’s answers and left him alone. The boat didn’t allow much separation, so Nico was left with a view of a brooding Jude.

“What happens if it’s the second maze?” Matthew asked. Nico jumped, not noticing the boy’s approach. Nic coughed before answering.

“Once I have the dimensions of the maze, I can direct us to the center.”

“How does that work?”

“Occam’s Razor.” Matthew’s forehead furrowed, and Nico went on,” It’s a principle stating ‘the simplest answer is most likely correct.’”

“I never took Beast followers to be thinkers,” Nico didn’t answer, looking out. He mentally sighed. His explanation had many holes. These methods work well for square and circle mazes, but more abnormally shaped mazes were a mystery. Nico swished water in his mouth, tasting the flavors and savoring them. Clean water was available in the back alleys but was beyond stale, filtered, and processed to astronomical degrees.

Nico was relieved when he spotted the archway. They were back where they started. For others, this might have been disheartening, but for Nico, it meant that the end was at the center. With the dimensions of the maze, he could direct them. It wasn’t until five days passed that Nico knew something wasn’t right.

‘We should have reached the center days ago,’ Nico swished his legs, causing the water to ripple. Matthew directed people to collect water in bags they made from seaweed and their clothes. ‘I shouldn’t try to use logic to explain something illogical,’ Nico sighed and returned to square one.

‘What is the point of the nightmare?’ One thing came to mind. ‘Eviphor,’ Nico leaned back and looked at the glowing moss. ‘Whoever claims their seat will gain salvation. Those who die will be remembered.’ A chill went down Nico’s spine. The madman had described the flushing as a culling, meaning their numbers needed to go down more.

‘He wants us to fight,’ Nico glanced at the other kids. Slowly, he calmed himself. ‘This is crazy,’ The day passed slower than before, and Nico kept directing them according to his vague sense of direction. Still, it was clear that it wasn’t working.

“We’re lost,” Nico huffed aloud. He crossed between the rowers and sat down at the back of the boat, ignoring the numerous gazes.

“That’s it!” Jude marched over and pulled Nico up by his tunic. “Eight days and that’s all you have to say?”

“If you have a plan, by all means, tell us. I’ve exhausted my ideas,” Nico shoved him away. ‘Besides, we’re going to be killing each other pretty soon.’ It wouldn’t be long before other kids put two and two together or got desperate. That time came sooner rather than later.

“I see light!” a kid shouted. Nico sat up and peered out into the darkness. The thin aura of green light was overpowered by a solid orange sphere.

“Torches,” Nico muttered. Two boats approached them, each with a torch on the bow. ‘They’re coming a little fast.’ Nico drew closer to the back of the ship and picked up an oar, gripping it tightly as he waited. Several long seconds passed, and then there was yelling. Kids raised their paddles from the water and bashed the rowers of Matthew’s boat. The bodies fell with loud splashes, and some other kids boarded the boat.

Nico moved. Before they could orient themselves, Nico slammed his paddle into the head of one of the kids. They stumbled overboard, disappearing below the surface. Nico spun the paddle and knocked another kid off balance, pushing their head into the deck. They stayed down with white eyes.

Matthew was shouting at the rowers, and Jude was wrestling with two kids. Nico knocked one down and pushed the other into the water. Jude kneed the last kid and tossed him in the water like a rag doll. Their boat picked up speed, and one of the other boats was coming back around.

‘There’s no moss overhead. “Keep going!” Nico shouted. He threw his paddle at the torch and knocked the fire into the water. The sudden loss of light was too much to adjust to in a moment, and the kids trying to board and attack missed and fell into the water.

‘That went well,’ Nico sat by the water, moving his hand through the cold water. ‘Eviphor wants us to fight each other.’ If the maze was endless until a certain number of people was hit, then there would be a factor that pressured them into conflict. That scared Nico more than the raving kids in the dark. Nico had experience with that. It was the unknown that gave him pause.

Nico turned over and looked up at the patterns of blue and green on the tall ceiling. ‘But it’s somewhat calm,’ Nico was too ingrained in his thoughts to notice the boy coming up behind him.

“Nico, was it?” Nico jumped out of his skin before turning around. Matthew was standing over him, looking somewhat haggard.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“No,” Nico returned to his thoughts.

“I think you do,” Matthew persisted. “You had an idea about the maze and were prepared for the attack earlier.” Nico watched Matthew’s reflection stare at him. ‘Should I tell you this isn’t real? That this is just a recreation, and none of this is real?’ Nico wondered how Matthew would react to that.

“Aren’t you the voyagers? What would an outsider like me know?” Nico said instead. Even if this wasn’t real, Nico must still conquer the nightmare. Sending his only possible allies into an existential crisis didn’t seem favorable.

“I’ll tell you what I think,” Matthew went on. He crouched and met Nico’s eyes. “I think that we’re supposed to kill you. That this trial needs people to die before the rest to move on. Cannon fodder may have been an overstatement for your intended role. You’re a sacrifice, an easy kill.”

Nico tensed slightly, and his eyes burned. “Try it. We’ll see how it goes.” The two stared at one another. Their conversation wasn’t private, and the other kids sensed the possible conflict.

“Relax. I don’t intend to do that.” Matthew put up his hands and shrugged. “It’s only what I think.”

“So you’re going to kill other people like you instead of the traitor?” Matthew threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that echoed. “I apologize for Jude. But the voyagers are just as divided as the continent's people are. I could care less who you are.” Matthew grinned darkly. So what do you say? You tell us what you know, and we’ll be friends.”

“You’re scamming yourself,” Nico flatly replied.

“Maybe.” Matthew put his hand out. “Friend?”

‘By the spell,’ Nico put out his hand and shook Matthew’s. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is just a theory, but I believe something is going to force us to fight the other voyagers. The obvious answer is water.”

“They won’t refill?” Matthew finished. Nico nodded. “We’ll have to move deeper into the maze to face each other.”

“What about what lies at the end? The salvation the priest talked about?”

“I don’t know,” Nico wished the conflict of the nightmare had nothing to do with that creature. The feeling was enough to know that Nico didn’t stand a chance. “But we need to get there to find out.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Have you heard of a sling?”