Christopher’s heart skipped a beat. That couldn’t be right. He must have misunderstood.

His eyes darted between Sarah and Michael. Michael’s expression was unreadable, but his usual mocking grin was gone. On the other hand, Sarah couldn’t even stare into his eyes–her face was dead pale, and her eyes were stuck to the floor.

“That can’t be right,” he whispered.

Christopher found the three gnarly scars on his arm, and a shiver ran through his back.

“That can’t be!” he shouted, trembling with fear and anger. “You are saying I need to return to that place?”

“Not necessarily the swamp, but yes,” replied Sarah. “Whether you want it or not, you’ll return to the Labyrinth.”

“Tell him the real bad news,” interjected Michael.

Sarah cleared her throat before continuing, her voice shaking.

“Your Prelude will be starting in seven days.”

Christophe buried his face in his hands, his breathing rough and uneven. Seven days. In seven days, he would return to that hell.

“Do you now understand why Lisa is a bitch?” Michael snorted with disgust. “She wasted your time. You could have been preparing for the Prelude, increasing your odds of survival.”

But Christopher wasn’t even paying attention to his words.

“No,” he said vehemently. “I don’t want to return to that place.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want,” Michael stated. “In seven days, you’ll be teleported inside the Labyrinth. The only way to avoid it is death.”

Sarah stole Michael a glance but bit her lip and chose to remain silent.

“W-Why did Lisa keep me there?” Christopher finally asked.

“It’s complicated,” Michael sighed. “You don’t have any clue?”

Christopher wrecked his head, remembering the time he spent inside his cell.

“Lisa was very interested in my last moments at the swamp,” he said. “She wanted me to identify recognizable landmarks.”

“What did you tell her?” Michael asked.

“I was wounded and broken,” Christopher closed his eyes and carefully went through his last memories of the swamp. “I could barely see a few inches ahead of me, and at some point, I was so thirsty I just dragged my body into a puddle.”

He paused, his hands shaking. He wasn’t sure why he was reacting this way. When he went through the same memories with Lisa, this hadn’t happened. Michael and Sarah kept quiet, giving him time to calm himself.

“I laid in the puddle without strength. I could feel my body slowly sinking into the mud, but I was too tired to escape. The last thing I remember was the water rising to my face and slowly drowning.”

He raised his head and noticed Sarah's eyes had started to water.

“We think you’ve found a gullet,” Michael said, “And so does the rest of the E.A.D.”

“A what?”

“A gullet,” Michael and Sarah repeated in unison. “It’s a passage that allows one to travel between different floors of the Labyrinth without having to go through the Crossroads and Apexs. In your case, it’s hard to know if the gullet will go up or down. As a Lazarus, as soon as you tried exiting the floor you were on, you were teleported to the 1st floor.”

“Why is that important?” Christopher asked, shaking with cold sweat.

“Gullets are extremely rare and valuable,” Michael replied. “If a powerful organization gets its hands on one, they can use it to skip certain parts of the Labyrinth, move more quickly, or catch their enemies off guard. It is not something that money can buy.”

Michael hesitated. “Not everything is bad news,” he finally said, Sarah still echoing his words. “By becoming an Author, you gain skills capable of unbelievable, inhuman feats. Many would kill for such abilities.”

“I don’t care about them,” Christopher shouted.

It was the truth. Naturally, he had been enticed by the idea of wielding magic-like powers–even if it hadn’t happened in the best circumstances. He still remembered the first time he used Crimson Proof and watched as his flesh slowly reformed; it was nothing short of impressive.

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

And yet, if the trade-off meant returning to that place, he would gladly give up those powers. He had just returned from the dead and did not wish to return.

Michael approached Christopher, who was still sitting on the bed, and kneeled down so they were at the same level. Michael’s serious face turned into a disgusting grin when their eyes met.

“I heard you killed your father and turned your daughter into a vegetable,” he said bluntly.

Sarah gasped, her eyes opened wide. When she realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Christopher lunged forward, his fist aimed at Michael’s face. But just before it could land, Michael’s brows furrowed, and with an unnatural speed, so fast Christopher couldn’t see more than a blur, he dexterously grabbed Christopher’s wrist.

Furious, Christopher tried to escape, but it was in vain, unable to escape Michael’s iron grip. He finally stopped struggling, as the more he moved, the more his wrists ached with pain.

Michael let out a dry laugh, his eyes locked on Christopher’s hand, with a curious look on them.

“Good, you still have some fighting in you,” Michael said. “Sarah, can you go and get some gloves?”

Sarah looked at Michael with an interrogatory look, but he just gestured for her to hurry up. She rolled back her eyes and left the room.

“About your daughter,” Michael started.

“Keep my daughter out of your mouth!” Shouted Christopher.

“There’s a chance you can heal her,” Michael said patiently, unbothered by his explosion. “You can save her.”

Christopher’s world was turned upside down for the second time today.

His heart raced, adrenaline surging through his veins.

“How?” Christopher asked in a hoarse voice.

“The Labyrinth is unforgiving and terrifying,” said Michael. “I’ve lost count of how many I saw dying, either to monsters or diseases. But it’s also a place of opportunity. There are many kinds of skills and treasures inside the Labyrinth. I’m sure that deep down, there must be at least a couple of ones that are able to help your daughter.”

“What do I need to do?” Christopher asked with wet eyes.

“Forget it. You’re scared shitless, and you haven’t even entered a maze before,” mocked Michael. “You’ll never make it. Just do your best to try to survive the Prelude, and forget about going any lower.”

“What do I need to do?” Christopher’s voice rose as he asked once again.

With a dexterous movement, Michael pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it on his lips.

“Get stronger,” he replied, not bothering to light the cigarette. “Soon, someone will enter through that door and invite you to take some lessons until your Prelude starts. Refuse them! There’s little they can teach you in just seven days. Besides, you have an advantage no other drafted does.”

“I do?”

“Yes. You haven’t gone through the Prelude yet, but you are already a drafted. Which means you can enter the Labyrinth even before your Prelude.”

“I’ll just be killing myself earlier,” Christopher said.

“Maybe that is true. But you managed to survive the 4th’s Outskirts, so you can’t be that defenseless. Besides, the difficulty of each maze increases as you advance to the next floor. The maze on the 2nd is the first and easiest maze. I’m sure whatever you find in it won’t be as scary as what you’ve found on the swamp.”

Christopher sighed in relief, causing Michael to frown and lean forward, putting his face so close to Christopher’s that his cigarette touched Christopher’s nose.

“Don’t relax just yet. Very few Authors die on the 2nd floor, but that’s because the only ones who face it are the ones who’ve survived the Prelude,” he warned. “Never lower your guard inside the Labyrinth.”

Christopher nodded in understanding.

“I’m certain Lisa will come to see you as soon as we leave,” continued Michael. “Ask her to take you to the 2nd floor.”

“What if she doesn’t let me?”

“I’m sure she will,” Michael said with a grin. “She may be a bitch, but she has a conscience. I’m sure she’s feeling guilty about keeping you locked up in Aeymenchuk for so long.

Christopher tightened his fists. Just a moment ago, the idea of returning to the Labyrinth was terrifying, and now… Here he was, wishing he could return right away.

Someone knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

Christopher knew it was Sarah even before she entered the room. With his newfound enhanced hearing, he had noticed as she turned around after taking no more than a dozen steps down the corridor. She had been waiting outside the corridor.

Sarah’s face turned into disgust when she noticed the unlit cigarette hanging from Michael’s lips.

“You told me you were quitting for good this time!” She accused.

“I am, I swear. That’s why I didn’t light it,” Michael said, lifting both his hands up. “It helps me think.”

She shook her head with contempt before approaching Christopher and handing him a pair of yellow gloves.

“I forgot I had a pair on me,” she said. “They are made out of a Swallower’s leather, so you don’t have to worry about them disappearing when you enter the Labyrinth.”

Before Christopher could thank her, a phone ring echoed across the room.

Michael reached for his pocket and took out a black smartphone. He stared at the name on the display with a smirk.

“We have to go,” he said, turning off the call. “Lisa is inviting us out.”

Christopher reacted slowly, still processing what he had just learned.

“Don’t forget what I’ve told you,” Michael said seriously. “Seven days until your Prelude. You don’t have much time. If you really want to do something for your daughter, this is your first step.”

Michael disappeared into the corridor, not even bothering to look back. Sarah stared daggers at his back as he left.

“Don’t worry about him,” she said in a comforting tone. “He’s a decent guy–he just has a hard time showing it”

Christopher replied with a silent smile.

“Whatever you do, don’t give Lisa any more clues about your time in the swamp,” Sarah continued. “Feign ignorance if you have to. And don’t tell anyone you’re a Lazarus–there’s a silly superstition around them, and people will end up avoiding you.”

Sarah stood up and walked to the door. “Good luck, Christopher.”