Suddenly, the darkness dissipated. Ainsworth found he was no longer in the shadowless hall bordered by starlight, rather at the edge of a vast and eerie forest. The trees had peculiar blade-shaped roots that layered over each other like coral, creating a ‘gateway’ around the forest’s edge.

Other trees had branches as thick as their trunks, wrapping around and strangling the coral-like trees. It was like a war between plant life.

Ainsworth realised it wasn’t skittering bugs he had been hearing as he peered into the forest. It had been the chiming of bones in the night, of skeletons hanging from the trees in the forest of shadow. The eyes staring at him were not from a living creature, but the writhing eyeballs in the skulls looking down at him.

He scrambled to his feet, his head heavy and his vision obscured by overwhelming dizziness. His sword, shattered, lay beside him. Ainsworth grasped the remnants of the blade, holding it forward as he glanced around.

The screams from the shadowless hall persisted, now originating from the skeletons hanging around him. They opened their mouths periodically, echoing the same chilling cries, along with the creaking sound of their jaws, free of sinew.

However, no matter how long he stood at the edge of the forest, the skeletons did no more than make chilling noises. So, he conjured up enough fear to glance behind him. Besides a path made of dirt that stretched shortly behind him, there was a veil of dark-grey fog that stretched across the length of the forest, blocking his way backwards.

‘Fuck, am I really trapped here? It’s saying that the only option I have is to venture into this forest. Is this a test of courage, a trap, or a puzzle? The only way to tell is to walk forward, but if a fight arises, am I really in a state to win?’

He was still a little dizzy from the fight prior. However, the shattered blade was not the only weapon he had in his arsenal.

After all, he was an Astrologer. That was the entire point of coming to this labyrinth in the first place.

He pulled a paper box out of his jacket, several paper cards tucked within. There were several different runes drawn onto each card, each with a distinct illusory quality to them. They were forged from starlight sourced from the night sky. Underneath the dreary atmosphere of the eerie forest, they were especially prevalent.

It was a method of sealing starlight that Heaven’s Roses had been using for decades, ever since silicone sealant had been invented. The sealant creating an airtight layer that kept the starlight away from the exposure of air, allowing an Astrologer to store starlight without risk to themselves. Of course, this meant that the cards themselves were essentially bombs.

However, as the starlight was weaved into the shape of inactive runes, they could be used to weave spells. The runes used by Astrologers were starkly different from the contract runes that Alchemists used. While contract runes had a distinct language for forming agreements and deals, the runes used by Astrologers had meanings based on the type of power one wished to weave, along with four distinct modifiers - size, shape, and frequency, and momentum of the spell.

As long as the type of spell was accompanied by those four modifier runes, it could be activated by shaping starlight into the shape of those runes. While the cards were like bombs that could kill an Astrologer if damaged, they were also spells that could be activated in an instant.

The risk was no matter. It wasn’t like Ainsworth was safe inside the labyrinth anyway. One would have to take such risks to survive.

Armed with the set of runic cards, Ainsworth began to walk into the eerie forest.

The skeletons continued their anguishing moans and screams as he treaded the dirt path. In the darkness, he could see shadows waver. At first, he acknowledged those shadows as trees waving in the gentle cold breeze. However, with a closer inspection, he saw that those shadows had begun to stare straight back at him. They looked like… people.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He pulled one of the cards from the deck, a ‘flame’ spell with a fast momentum, dense frequency, large size, and rotund shape. It was essentially a fireball. While spells didn’t go by such names, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to create such things with a bit of imagination and creativity. That was the strength of an Astrologer, equipped with the broad knowledge of the universe.

At any moment, he could respond with this quick-firing attack, eliminating any harm that would seek him out. However, no matter how far he continued to walk into the forest, the shadows in the distance just stared at him idly.

Soon, he arrived in a grove within the center of the eerie forest. The grove was filled with several headstones lined up in rows before an intricate stone-pillared tomb, its entrance lying behind a large wide-stepped staircase that had been worn away by time.

He approached these headstones, reading the epitaph engraved at the top of each one. They all had names, incredibly familiar.

The first read ‘Elise Alinde’, the second and third reading ‘Carlisle’ and ‘Caladan’ surnames absent. As his eyes moved to the fourth, he steeled his heart, trying to remain unmoved.

It read ‘Meraline Avelis’.

Continuing to read down the rows of headstones, they were all names he recalled.

The labyrinth had conjured a list of all the people closest to him whose deaths he felt personally responsible for. They were the people who he had scarred his body in remembrance of, as he thought only the pain of his scarred wounds could constantly remind him of his failures.

“I can lead you to the exit.” A familiar feminine voice rang out behind him.

Ainsworth immediately turned around, activating the rune on the card in his hand, sending a large fireball hurtling through the air at high speeds. It hit nothing but air, colliding with the canopy above, setting a tree alight.

“One must die to leave.”

Ainsworth turned back to face the ornate stone-pillared tomb, seeing a woman in the distance. She had vibrant red hair and violet eyes, and her expression was a mix of seriousness and calm demeanor.

It was Meraline Avelis. Ainsworth hadn’t seen his comrade in so long. Even though he knew it was the monster’s illusion, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

It wasn’t depressing to him. In fact, it alleviated some of his pain to see her again.

He pulled another card from the paper box, firing another large fireball towards his deceased comrade’s visage. She looked at him with a face of horror as she was engulfed in flames, her clothes alighting as she fell down into an open grave. Screams filled the air, and Ainsworth steeled his heart once more.

It was just an illusion. Nothing to believe, nothing to fear.

Above him, the flames continued to spread, the canopy alight with bright embers, casting light into the forest.

‘This monster continued to follow me into the next chamber. Is it the case that I really do have to kill it to leave this place and complete its trials? If something has to die in order to leave, then it will definitely be this monster!’

He rushed towards the open grave, peering down into its depths. It was around eight feet in length, with a depth of around six feet. However, nothing remained inside of it. The burning monster in the shape of Meraline Avelis had disappeared once more.

He felt a force push him forward, and he stumbled into the grave. Turning in the grave, he glanced up to see the fake Meraline Avelis wielding an iron shovel, moving to scoop up dirt and toss it onto Ainsworth’s chest. His eyes widened, and he moved to stand up, but another bout of dirt tossed down caused him to be thrown to the earth once more. Unable to resist its weight due to his fatigue, he was forced to watch in horror as that comrade he once admired began to bury him alive.

Fear surged up in his chest, and despite the mantra, it began to overtake him. He cried out, trying to distract the monster. His hands fidgeted for the paper box in his pocket, trying to take out another card. However, it was futile. His arms were pinned down beside him, unable to move.

He might truly die at the hands of the monster.

Suddenly, waves of darkness overtook the monster in the form of Meraline Avelis. The creature was quickly thrown to the side, the darkness pooling around it. The waves of shadow had piercing, malevolent eyes.

Because of the sudden appearance of light after the canopy had caught fire, the violent shadows that had been watching idly had been stirred, causing them to rampage.

Hidden beneath a layer of soil, barely able to breathe, Ainsworth could only listen as the fake Meraline cried out in agony as the violent shadows tore the monster apart. Blood soaked into the soil, spilling down into the open grave, coating Ainsworth’s exposed skin in sickening crimson.

Then, the forest went eerily silent. The trees did not stir, and the skeletons hanging from the trees did not creak or cry out.

Something had died.

Ainsworth opened his eyes, seeing the familiar cathedral ceiling above him, moonlight pouring through ornate stained-glass windows.

Beside him, the Archangel, Selaphiel, stared down, smiling slyly.

“How interesting.” Selaphiel chuckled. “You survived.”