Christopher’s heart skipped a beat. Dead Man’s Stake had proved to be a very strong consumable, strong enough to kill the monstrous wolf. If he got his hands in another one…

[Name]: Lazarus

[Reward]: Dead Man’s Signet. Consumable (2). It guides its user to the body of the last Author, who died on the current floor.

This can’t be right, Christopher thought. Shouldn’t the Lazarus page reward him with a Dead Man’s Stake?

He returned the page to the chest and sat on the floor, lost in deep thought.

The Generic pages ended up being far more interesting than he believed. Widow’s Tear, for instance, would allow him to increase his Enigma to thirteen, enabling him to equip Basiliskling’s Gaze immediately.

On the other hand, he could take the Triangulation Beam and the Luminous Dawn Epistle. Choosing a combination of an offensive and a utility skill could prove even more effective than Basiliskling’s Gaze.

And yet… Christopher felt restless.

The Lazarus page. If it rewarded the Dead Man’s Stake, he would take it right away, together with the Triangulation Beam.

Could it be the E.A.D. had it wrong? Perhaps they mistakenly confused the Dead Man’s Stake with the Dead Man’s Signet–after all the notes were handwritten, it would’ve been easy to make a mistake.

Christopher sighed. He didn’t really believe that.

Perhaps the Lazarus page reward was different, or maybe the reward changed when one entered the Prelude. Or even… What if the reward was different because he was a Lazarus? That was an interesting idea.

Christopher watched time pass as he struggled with his choice. He knew he had to make a decision soon, but it proved more complex than he had imagined.

He decided against taking Basiliskling’s Gaze. Using it would require him to take Widow’s Tear and risk having to unequip Crimson Proof. It didn’t feel worth the gamble.

Naturally, the subsequent smart choice would be to take the Triangulation Beam and Luminous Dawn pages.

Christopher laughed, wishing Lisa was here to help him decide. She probably would probably scold him for not taking any Breathing Art and then force him to take the Luminous Dawn Epistle.

Good thing she wasn’t here.

He walked up to the chest and took out the two pages he had chosen before thanking the guards and leaving the library.

─ ⴵ ─

He found Lisa in the lobby, impatiently waiting for him. To his surprise, she didn’t ask him what pages he had picked; instead, she grabbed him by the shoulder and led him out of the lobby through a windowless passageway, barely lit by white fluorescent light.

“I was about to go and get you,” she complained. “You are late.”

“I’m sorry,” Christopher apologized. “There were too many pages to choose from.”

“Walk faster,” Lisa said as she rushed him through a maze of corridors.

Finally, they arrived at a familiar five-centimeter-thick metal door. On the other side, a clear sky awaited them–not that Lisa gave Christopher much time to enjoy the bright sun. With an annoyed expression, she pushed him towards the small cavern.

“Let’s go, hurry up!” She insisted when he hesitated upon entering the dark cave.

Having just experienced the radiant daylight, not even Christopher’s sharp eyes could adapt to the darkness in time. He awkwardly followed after Lisa, palpating his way through the cave.

Suddenly, the landscape changed, and he found himself going down pristine onyx steps, writhing tendrils of dark smoke slithering around his body. A shiver ran through Christopher’s back as he looked forward.

He was inside a massive cave, with ominous stalactites peeking from the darkness above while ancient, mystical runes covered its stone walls. Someone bumped into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. As he regained his balance, a short man, completely covered in green robes, stepped in front of him and shouted aggressive, unintelligible words on his face.

Behind Christopher, Lisa apologized to the man in the same strange dialect, then hurriedly pushed him along.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“We can’t stop at the Crossroads; it’s an unwritten rule,” Lisa explained.

Christopher scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. They joined a small crowd moving towards the other end of the tunnel, much like they were. Just like the last time he had been here, most people didn’t even pause to greet eachother or take in their surroundings; they simply hurried through the tunnel.

“Why is everyone in such a hurry?” Christopher asked.

“The guards of Aeymenchuk don’t like us hanging around,” Lisa replied. “The 1st and 2nd floors are mostly places of passage. Most Authors meet and live at the Hub on the 3rd floor.”

They walked for another five minutes until another set of onyx steps, very similar to the ones found at the Crossroads, appeared in the distance. The only difference was that these were going down instead of up.

Numerous Authors went down those steps, only to vanish moments later, swallowed by the blurry void that welcomed them like a gaping maw.

“Is that where we are going?” Christopher asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Exactly, that’s the Apex to the 2nd floor. But don’t go down those steps just yet. First, we have to find Jules,” Lisa said, raising her head and nervously searching around.

Her gaze fell on a young man who, unlike the other Authors who quickly passed through the Apex, sat on the floor near the steps with his back leisurely resting against the wall.

He had short, curly brown hair, an aquiline nose, and broad shoulders. He wore a simple white linen shirt, loose leather pants fastened with a thick belt, and sturdy, well-worn boots.

Despite his looks and carefree attitude, Christopher couldn’t help but notice how young he looked.

Jules’ eyes lit up when he noticed Lisa, and he quickly approached them, a sleek, guardless blade dangled on his waist. To Christopher’s surprise, however, he couldn’t find his Tale.

Jules embraced Lisa in a tight hug before finally addressing Christopher.

“Nice gloves,” he joked. “You must be Christopher.”

“Nice to meet you,” greeted Christopher, slightly embarrassed.

“Now that’s a hell of a scar you got here,” Jules commented, rudely pointing a finger directly at his face.

“He is not very sensible, is he?” Christopher whispered to Lisa. But he did so with a smile, which Jules returned.

“I’m glad you’re getting along,” Lisa said. “But let’s get moving. Since neither of you has entered the 2nd floor before, the Labyrinth will shuffle you together–provided you enter the Apex at the same time.”

“This will be a piece of cake,” Jules said with a bloodthirsty smile that caused Christopher to frown.

Who’s this crazy kid? He wondered.

“Don’t underestimate the Labyrinth,” Lisa warned. “The maze of the 2nd is considered easy, but that’s for Author’s who’ve already survived the Prelude. You two have to be careful.”

“Wait, is he a Dweller?” Jules asked.

“No, I’m a drafted,” Christopher replied. Lisa facepalmed before throwing him a judgmental look.

Maybe he should’ve kept that a secret.

“How can you be a drafted?” Jules asked, confused.

His eyes darted from Lisa to Christopher until they came to rest on the scar on Christopher’s face. He broke into a laugh, causing Lisa and Christopher to exchange a nervous look.

“That’s very interesting,” he said, “Don’t worry, I’m not superstitious. But later, you’ll have to tell me all about what you saw inside.”

“Good. Now, as I was saying, please be careful inside the maze,” requested Lisa. “If you can’t clear it on time, don’t worry. Your Prelude will automatically move you out when it starts.”

“Our Prelude?” Christopher asked.

“Yes, you’ll both be on the same Prelude, starting six days from now,” Lisa announced before continuing. “In case you manage to clear the 2nd floor and are feeling confident, you can try to clear the 3rd, but whatever you do, don’t step into the 4th.”

Lisa gruntled, dissatisfied when she saw Jules’s overconfident eyes.

“I’m for real,” she said. “I doubt you can even make it there, but if you do, just don’t do it. Page Devourers roam that floor, and there’s no chance just the two of you can survive. It’s not worth risking your life over a single stat point.”

Lisa took a step forward and faced Jules directly. “I trust Chris not to be an idiot, but I’m not so sure about you.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have a death wish.”

“Good,” Lisa replied, looking around the Apex. She was more skittish than usual.

“Here, have this,” she said, and a shoddy-looking spear appeared magically in her hand.

“A spear?” Complained Jules.

“Yes, a spear,” Lisa retorted. “Christopher hasn’t had much fighting experience, and we don’t have time to teach him how to wield a weapon. A spear is simple enough; just point it forward and stab.”

Christopher thanked her with a smile while Jules rubbed his temples.

“Before you go,” Lisa whispered. “Do you remember anything else?”

Christopher shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, but I truly don’t.”

“It’s ok. Can you please give me a minute alone with Jules before you go?” She requested.

Christopher moved towards the onyx steps and waited, watching Lisa speak with Jules. Whatever she told him, the boy's expression turned serious for the first time.

Their discussion didn’t take long, and a minute later, they returned.

“Good luck,” Lisa said with concern. “Never lower your guard–especially you, Jules. The terrors inside the maze are nothing like the ones you’ve faced before.”

Jules smirked, leaving Christopher wondering what monsters he had fought before. Who was this boy who appeared so close to Lisa?

“I’ll see you after the Prelude,” Jules said, turning around and walking down the Apex.

“Thank you, Lisa,” Christopher thanked her, following right after Jules with his spear in hand.

They stepped down the stairs, and Jules grabbed Christopher’s hand. It was slightly awkward, but Christopher didn’t dare to brush his hand away. As Lisa had explained, they had to enter the 2nd floor together.

With his back drenched in sweat, he walked towards the gaping maw, slowly pulled by its tendrils of darkness.

Finally, his surroundings became silent, and bright runes appeared in his vision.

Welcome back to the Labyrinth, Lazarus.