Palpable silence lingered in the room, with the prisoners deep in thought. The levitating wardens remained in place, while their leader stood silent, focusing on no one in particular. Minutes passed before Zara finally broke the silence. “So, we’re free just like that?”
“Indeed,” the warden confirmed.
“And there are no repercussions whatsoever for leaving?” the feline asked, half-skeptical.
“I must say, I haven’t encountered such a situation before,” the warden responded, once again communicating telepathically. “It’s almost as if your group has no desire to leave this place, which I find quite unusual.”
“You speak as if there’s anyone here who’s ‘normal,’” Orion retorted with a smile, stepping closer to the warden. “Hypothetically speaking, what happens if we refuse to leave?”
The warden turned toward the mage. “We would do everything in our power to return you to the Ranking Games, even if it requires force. Hypothetically speaking, of course.”
“Yeah, hypothetically,” Orion muttered, chuckling softly, though the eerie glare in his eyes conveyed a different sentiment.
“What about her?” Scott suddenly asked, pointing toward Plume. “Does she get to come with us?”
The wardens simultaneously turned their attention to the trisos, remaining silent both mentally and verbally. After a moment, the stylishly dressed warden addressed Scott again. “She’s essentially the same as your friend here, albeit to a lesser extent. Whether she leaves or stays is up to you and her. We have no intention of interfering, regardless of the decision.”
“We’ve spent quite some time on this matter, so if you’re ready, we can leave now,” the warden added.
“Hold on,” Slim interjected. “You said we were wrongly convicted, right?”
All eyes turned to the skeleton.
“Indeed, that was the result of our investigation,” the warden affirmed.
“Good,” Slim nodded, stepping forward with his right hand extended. “So, where’s our compensation?”
Smiles spread across the faces of the hound extermination crew, except for Plume, as they turned their attention to the wardens.
“Pardon me, but what do you mean?” the warden asked.
“You’re the one who admitted that an error was made, and I believe everyone here can bear witness to that. Surely, you don’t expect us to simply return without any compensation, right? For all we know, one of us—or all of us—could have lost our lives at any moment, and it would have been due to someone else’s mistake.” Slim paused, stepping closer. “I believe you understand why we should be compensated, correct?”
“I understand your grievances, but I’m in no position to—” the warden began, only to be interrupted by a sudden system notification appearing before him. The members of the hound extermination crew exchanged puzzled glances, curious about the message the warden had received.
Their curiosity was soon satisfied as the warden’s voice echoed again. “I’ve received an edict from the council of gods. An appropriate compensation befitting the error will be granted to all of you,” the warden declared, pausing for a moment.
“Why does it feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” Zara whispered.
“But,” the warden continued, eliciting wry laughs from the champions, “you won’t receive said compensation until reaching the point of no return.”
“Nothing is ever straightforward with you guys,” Slim sighed. “Let me guess—you won’t tell us what the compensation is, either.”
“Pardon me, but I only communicate what I’m allowed to know. I ask for your understanding,” the warden said softly. “If there are no other pressing matters, let’s depart.”
“I have a question,” Scott suddenly said, his gaze locked on the warden. “I was initially under the impression that the investigation would take a minimum of a year to conclude. What happened?”
“A special patron took keen interest in your case and that of your companions. It’s safe to say they expedited the investigation,” the warden explained.
Scott frowned, as did his companions. “Who?” he asked.
“Sadly, that’s all I can say on the matter,” the warden replied. “Anything else?”
Scott glared at the creature, his mind swirling with questions, but he remained silent. At that moment, Orion’s voice echoed in his mind. “The trisos says she’s coming with us. Are you ready to leave?”
“I am,” Scott replied mentally.
“It seems you’re all ready to leave. You can proceed in any order you choose,” the warden declared, stepping aside.
Zara sighed, massaging her temples as she moved forward. Ember, Slim, and Plume followed closely behind. Orion cast a glance at Scott, chuckling softly, then proceeded. Scott took one last look at the icy walls of the room before stepping forward.
“Oh, one more thing,” the warden’s voice suddenly echoed in Scott’s mind. “I think you’re mistaken about how much time has passed since you started your missions.”
Scott halted, turning back toward the warden. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” the warden teased, clearly enjoying the moment.
Scott’s brows furrowed even further, but he held his tongue. He approached the portal with calm, measured steps, the warden’s cryptic words lingering in his mind. One by one, the champions exited the room, with Scott leaving last. The wardens followed, with the stylish warden bringing up the rear.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
In an unfamiliar forest, silent as the starry skies above, a gigantic portal tore open amidst an open field, expelling several individuals before vanishing.
Welcome to the 24th layer of Thisos’ Labyrinth, The Dark Forest! Make it to the end of the dark forest to reach the final layer of the labyrinth! Good luck!
Scott and his companions stared at the familiar system messages, but their gazes instinctively wandered toward their surroundings. An acrid stench filled the air, as scorched earth and the charred remains of trees stretched as far as the eye could see. However, far in the distance, verdant clusters of massive, thriving trees bathed in moonlight came into view.
“This area only stopped burning moments ago,” Plume commented. “What could have happened here?” she muttered, glancing at her companions. The trisos staggered slightly, confused. What’s more, except for the trisos, everyone in the group was staring intently at the moon.
What are they looking at? Plume wondered, unable to curb her curiosity as she turned toward the moon. However, apart from its shimmering light and beauty, nothing stood out. Are they hypnotized? she pondered, her gaze drifting back to the champions.
“Just keep looking, you’ll see it soon,” Ember’s voice echoed in Plume’s mind.
Determined, Plume focused on the moon again, intent on discovering whatever had captured her companions' attention. Seconds passed, but she saw nothing unusual. Yet her gaze remained fixed. After exactly one-minute, moonlit ladders became visible, along with numerous champions climbing them.
Plume gasped, quickly averting her gaze and stepping back. Instantly, the strange vision disappeared. “How—no, wait, what’s going on?” she muttered. Not only had she seen countless champions running along moonlit ladders, but there were also faceless entities seemingly crafted from solid gold watching them. What’s more, several of those entities were charging towards their direction in a hurry.
The judges of light surrounded the hound extermination crew, some hovering in midair while the majority landed on the ground. Meanwhile, the champions climbing the ladders under the intense scrutiny of the judges couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. Some, unable to resist their curiosity, deliberately averted their gazes, falling to the ground. The absence of the turbulent trees and vines to greet them filled them with joy. Their only task now was to extricate themselves from the earth—a challenge many considered simpler.
Scott and his companions lowered their gazes, staring indifferently at the judges blocking their path.
“Are they looking for a fight or something?” Plume muttered anxiously.
A judge stepped forward, distinct from the others. It shared the same stature and build, but its singular eye and mouth set it apart.
“We were informed of your arrival,” the judge declared, stopping a few feet from where the hound extermination crew had gathered.
“And?” Zara questioned, her ominous eyes locking onto the divergent judge.
“On the order of the Son of Light, we’re here to escort you,” the judge declared, its voice tinged with subservience.
The champions exchanged glances, and Orion suddenly chuckled, stepping forward. “How long has it been since we left?” he asked, his tone sharp. Slim, Ember, and Zara frowned, their gazes intensely focused on the judge. Plume, on the other hand, wore a curious expression, sensing that her companions might have had something to do with the devastation surrounding them. Scott simply listened, the warden’s cryptic words echoing in his mind.
“It has been seven days since the Son of Light descended,” the judge announced.
Orion burst into maniacal laughter, while disbelief clouded the faces of Zara, Slim, and Ember. Plume remained confused, too shy to ask why the champions reacted so strongly.
“I had my suspicions, but it was true after all,” Orion’s voice echoed in the minds of the champions. The mage turned toward Scott; his excitement palpable. “You know what this means, right?”
Scott nodded, concern etched on his face.
“We really did travel between timelines,” the mage announced telepathically, sending even more ripples of shock through his companions. Plume turned to Orion, doubting what she had heard.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
Orion turned to the trisos. “What’s there to explain? I don’t know the mechanism behind it—yet. But I’m 100% certain that we traversed timelines,” he declared mentally.
“But… but, that doesn’t make any sense. Do you realize what you’re saying?” Plume countered, struggling to accept such a claim.
Orion laughed. “I don’t care if you believe it or not—it’s true, and that’s all that matters.” He paused, his tone becoming more serious. “I always had my suspicions, especially after you mentioned being incarcerated in the Blight Domain.” The mage turned toward Slim. “That’s a place, according to my good friend Slim, that doesn’t have a prison or anything similar around it. Sure, it could be hidden in dimensional spaces or cracks, but from Slim’s explanation, Marrow had surveyed every inch and cranny of that place, and a prison definitely doesn’t exist there. Which could only mean that in your original timeline, the Blight Domain was a prison. Why it isn’t the same here, I’m not sure yet. But it’s only a matter of time before I figure it out.”
Plume’s disbelief slowly gave way to doubt. She couldn’t disprove the mage’s claims, but she couldn’t fully accept them either.
“Did you experience a Ranking Game before being imprisoned?” Scott suddenly asked.
Plume ransacked her memories. “No,” she replied, shaking her head. The first time she had heard the term was when she joined their group.
“But that doesn’t explain how several months passed while it’s only been a week here,” Zara muttered, her brows furrowed in thought.
Orion chuckled softly as he turned toward the feline. “Are you interested in hearing my theories about time?” he grinned. “I’ve been looking for someone to share my thoughts with,” he added, stepping closer.
Zara frowned, sensing a headache coming on. “Let’s save it for another time,” she said with a thin smile. “Right now, we should focus on what to do next.”
“What’s there to consider?” Scott interjected. “Whether we were sent to another timeline or not doesn’t matter at this point. Those are things beyond our control. We should focus on getting out of this place. That’s the only thing we can control.”
“Well said,” Orion agreed with a nod. “And let’s remember there’s a possibility that anyone we encounter from now on might be from a different timeline. We have no idea what we’ll face from here on out.”
“Everything just keeps getting more complicated. I should have just been a singer in some random bar or something,” Slim sighed.
Ember and Zara chuckled in unison, while Scott kept his focus on the judge. “Where exactly are you escorting us?” he asked.
“To the gates,” the judge declared solemnly.
“Not everyone in our party is available right now,” Scott began, but the judge cut him off. “The Son of Light has granted your group special permission.”
“How considerate,” Orion muttered, stroking his chin. “Lead the way.”
Golden steps suddenly manifested behind the judges, stretching all the way to the moon. The judges stood on either side of the magnificent stairs, silently urging the champions to ascend.
“This reminds me of the judgment road,” Zara said aloud as she moved forward.
“To think it was just a couple of years ago,” Slim said with a dry smile, recalling how they ran for their lives while being chased by the judges and other champions.
One by one, the champions climbed the stairs at a measured pace. Like the judgment road, the steps behind the last person disappeared, but the disappearing stairs had no intention of plunging the champions to the ground like their judgment road counterpart.