Christopher and Jules walked steadily through a web of tunnels, enveloped in complete darkness. Christopher's enhanced senses picked on the air thick with dampness, the faint scent of decay, and the sound of their footsteps echoing softly through the maze.

They had left the Crossroad at least two hours ago, and strangely enough, they had yet to face even a single ghoul. To add to their confusion, they also ended up in a part of the maze resembling a piece of Swiss cheese–and with no other option to navigate but to use their hands to palpate the way, Christopher was now pretty sure they were walking in circles.

With so many holes and notches for the terrors to hide, he feared not even his dark vision would help him detect upcoming danger, so he had been mainly relying on his hearing.

Will this fear ever go away? He wondered.

He relaxed his grip on the spear. Unconsciously, he had been holding it with so much strength that his hands were cramping.

“Calm down,” Jules whispered.

The boy could feel his uneasiness and was convinced Christopher’s nervousness would eventually attract a bunch of ghouls.

“Did you know they can smell fear?” He mocked.

Christopher wasn’t sure if that was true but didn’t bother to reply to him. Ever since they entered the maze, he had a weird feeling in his gut. He couldn’t shake it off, no matter how much he tried.

He stopped abruptly and tugged on Jule’s shirt.

“Wait, there’s something ahead,” he whispered.

Not far away, amidst the void, there was a weak artificial glow. Most likely, it was a ghoul approaching.

No, it can’t be right, he realized. So far, all the ghouls had glowed green, and that light was akin to… red!?

“I know, I can see it too,” Jules said to his surprise. “I think it's an exit.”

The boy started moving forward, and Christopher, despite not being entirely convinced, followed behind.

Soon, the path inclined slightly upward, the ground beneath their feet becoming uneven. The light was growing stronger, and a light breeze emerged from behind them, blowing towards it. Jules was right; it had to be an exit.

He took a deep breath. It smelled like wet dirt and rain. It was a familiar and relaxing scent, not one Christopher expected to find inside the Labyrinth.

The gray tunnel walls gradually turned red-brown, and as they exited the tunnel, they found themselves in a cave not much different from the one at the Crossroads. A lone torch was mounted on a nearby wall, secured by a black metal bracket, burning with an exotic crimson color.

“It’s a dead end,” Christopher said.

They stood in a small, circular chamber, no more than ten meters across. The ceiling stretched high above, far beyond the reach of the torchlight, and massive, jagged rocks surrounded them.

Jules, however, wasn’t convinced. He walked around the cave, inspecting the floor and peeking between every rock.

“I don’t think so,” he finally said. “This place is too small for a guild camp, yet someone bothers to light the torch daily.”

“What is a guild camp?” Christopher asked.

“A guild camp is a resting location inside the maze. Powerful families and organizations create them at dead ends on different floors,” Jules explained. “This is the 2nd floor, so no one bothers to build a permanent base. Instead, some groups create small camps, useful for fabled people who want to train before advancing deeper into the Labyrinth.”

“How are you so sure there was no camp here?” He asked.

“Can you see any signs of human presence?”

Christopher shook his head.

“Maybe they were attacked before setting up camp?” Christopher asked. “The light might have enraged the ghouls.”

“No. There would still be traces of their presence. Besides, terrors don’t usually exit the maze, and this is the 2nd floor. I doubt that would happen,” Jules’s eyes stopped atop one of the giant rocks.

“Some of the nooks on the rock appeared to have been dug intentionally,” Jules said, stepping closer. He ran his hand over the rough surface. “I think we have to climb it.”

Fearless, the boy sheathed his sword and started climbing the rock.

“Do you want a rope?” Christopher asked. It wasn’t a difficult climb, but it was best to be safe than sorry.

“No need,” Jules said, jumping from one hold to another, rapidly moving upwards. His movements were clean and effortless. He made it look easy.

Finally, ten minutes later, he broke into laughter.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Told you! We’ve found it!” He said with satisfaction. “Come on up!”

Determined not to be left behind, Christopher hurried up the rock, climbing as fast as possible. Still, it took him ten more minutes than Jules. Not only was he way less prepared, but he also had his spear to contend with, which made the climbing harder.

His breath was rough, and his arms felt like they were led by the time he reached the top. He gratefully accepted Jules’s hand to complete the last pull. As he steadied himself, he peeked over the other side.

About five meters below, a clay path stretched out, lit by the occasional torch.

“Crossroad or Apex?” Jules asked with a smile.

“Probably Crossroad,” Christopher said. He didn’t believe they were lucky enough to find the Apex so quickly without fighting even a single ghoul. Besides, he still hadn’t managed to shake off that bad feeling.

“Glass half-empty kinda guy,” Jules joked. “Only one way to find out!”

They gave Christopher some more time to rest before slowly making their way down.

Fortunately, there were even better handholds on the other side. Christopher tossed his spear and backpack down, making it easier to climb, and comfortably arrived at the floor a dozen minutes later.

Once they both were on solid ground, they picked a side and followed the clay path. Half an hour later, they arrived at a dead end.

“We should’ve taken the right,” Jules said.

With no other option, they made their way back.

The path grew in size as they advanced, occasionally merging with other secondary paths. It didn’t take long to find more Authors–most hurried on their way, not sparing them even a glance.

Almost two hours later, Christopher’s eye finally glimpsed a set of downward onyx steps in the distance.

“We’ve found the Apex,” He said, smiling from ear to ear. Sometimes, gut feelings were just that–feelings.

Jules led them out of the main path to discuss what to do next in private.

“Do you want to keep moving down?” Jules questioned him.

“Do you?”

“I do,” he confessed, unsurprisingly. “And I think you should do too. If we clear the 3rd floor, you’ll get an extra stat point. You need any advantage you can get during the Prelude.”

“I don’t even know what to invest my points in,” Christopher confessed. That subject had been weighing on his mind for far too long.

“That’s a dilemma all Authors have to face,” Jules replied. “It’s very hard to plan your build unless you are a Legacy. Not even governmental organizations like to share their knowledge with their employees.”

Christopher frowned, but Jules wasn’t finished yet.

“Since you’ve already soulbound a page, I would say to try and invest those points in a stat that works well with either your soulbound page or your synopsis. Preferably both.”

My soulbound page is akin to useless… And my synopsis is… Christopher complained inwardly.

Jules watched him struggling.

“Grace. Invest them in Grace,” he said. “It’s only two points anyway, and no matter your build in the future, Grace will always be useful. Even spellcasters end up investing half a dozen points into it to increase their survivability.”

“What does Grace do?” He asked.

“Mostly speed and agility,” Jules said.

Christopher didn’t spend much time considering it. Despite not having been with Jules for long, he quickly came to trust the boy after being stuck inside a deadly maze with him; besides, what he was saying made sense.

He summoned his stats page, putting all his free stat points into Grace without hesitation. The system didn’t even ask for a confirmation prompt.

You’ve invested two stat points into Grace.

“It’s done,” he said upon reading the bright runes in his vision. He inspected his body but couldn’t feel anything different. “Am I supposed to feel something?”

“How would I know? I’m still an old, regular human, remember?” Jules replied.

Christopher lifted his eyebrow. He doubted that Jules was normal. Otherwise, how did he defeat all those ghouls in complete darkness?

“Are you ready?” Jules asked while looking around. Christopher followed his gaze and saw a group of fighters not very far away.

They wore matching brown, light leather armor sets, and each left sleeve was embroidered with a long, green snake. By their waists, they carried not one but two guardless blades, one shorter than the other.

The men and women appeared to be having a blast, and their voices and laughter echoed unrestrained inside the cave, earning them an occasional judgemental look from the nearby authors.

Christopher looked at Jules and noticed a fleeting change in his expression. It was only for a moment, almost imperceptible to the point that Christopher wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but he could sware the boy’s smile had turned into an odious grin.

“How much harder will the next floor be?” Christopher asked.

“I don’t know,” Jules replied, absent-minded. “But it can’t be that bad. It’s only the 3rd floor, after all,” he reassured him and slowly started moving towards the Apex.

Christopher followed along, returning to the main path. As they approached the onyx steps, he noticed there were no guards around.

“Why are there no guards here?”

“The Keepers are only worried about those going up,” Jules said. “There is no reason to guard the Apexes.”

Christopher nodded.

“Should we make a plan before entering?” he asked. “What if the Labyrinth throws us into the middle of a breeding ground again?”

“Unlikely,” Jules smirked, fastening his steps. “But yeah, we could think of something.”

“What do you suggest?” Christopher asked, hurrying up to keep up with him.

“My first idea is to avoid getting distracted and gazing at the empty void,” Jules mocked.

“Don’t worry,” Christopher said, rolling back his eyes. “What else?”

“Remember what I taught you—quick, strong strikes. Aim small, miss small,” Jules said, stepping onto the first step.

“Can you slow down, please?” Christopher requested, but instead, Jules grabbed his hand and pulled him down the stairs, where a dark, misty void awaited.

“Why are you in such a rush?” He lowered his voice, trying not to draw attention. Jules was obviously running away from something.

They stood before the gaping maw that would take them to the 3rd floor. Jules turned his head and locked his deep, brown eyes with Christopher’s.

“Just make sure to use those good eyes and ears of yours, and everything will be fine,” he said. “It’s only the 3rd after all.”

Without warning, Jules stepped into the void, dragging Christopher with him.