Labyrinthus 2014 Novels & Stories

I didn’t want to do the same to my friends. We continued down the labyrinth in silence for a moment, the only sound around us the echo of our boots and an occasional tap of water drops in the distance. After a while, Ragnar broke the silence. “Do we have an exact map of going through the labyrinth? Or are we just wandering aimlessly, looking for clues.” Lloyd froze in his tracks and we all mirrored his movement. Slowly, he turned. “The labyrinth is divided into two ways from here.” He looked from one face to the other, stopping at mine. “The left wing leads to the wood boundaries of the pack. The other side on the other hand, lead towards the catacombs, and is surrounded by dead traps.”

I worked, heart hammering, as mechanical arms shot out from the walls, spikes retracted and remembered, and the labyrinth twisted in response. Every second counted. Every mistake could be fatal. The mastermind’s voice rang out, calm but tinged with irritation. “Clever, but predictable. You think you can control this chaos? It controls you.” I ignored the warning, focusing on overriding the nodes. Sparks flew from the console as I pressed the final combination of keys. The hum of the labyrinth changed a low, resonant vibration, like the building itself was groaning in frustration. The mechanical arms froze mid-swing. Spikes retracted. Panels settled. A path opened toward the exit.

"Welcome back to the beginning of the end." The labyrinth seemed to tremble under his words, the very air heavy with a foreboding sense of doom. As the full magnitude of his words settled in, I realized that our journey had taken an unexpected turn. We were on a path that I hadn't foreseen, one filled with danger and deceit. And as the echoes of his laughter died down, replaced by the steady beat of my heart, I knew we had stepped into a battle we weren't prepared for. One that would test us in ways we could never have imagined. As his laughter echoed ominously in the labyrinth, a new pathway materialized, revealing a terrifying spectacle. In the heart of the labyrinth was a massive structur

"We have been awaiting your arrival." Lune nodded, still taking in the grandeur surrounding her. The sheer size of the mansion made her feel small. The doors of the mansion swung open, revealing the magnificent interior. Marble floors gleamed under the soft light, and a grand staircase swept up to the second floor, its railing adorned with polished gold accents. Large chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, casting a warm glow throughout the foyer. Expensive paintings lined the walls, each telling stories of power, legacy, and wealth.

Like he was seeing something both miraculous and deeply, deeply dangerous. “You did that,” he said quietly. “Feels more like it did me,” I said, my laugh frayed. “But yeah. That one’s not in the brochure.” He took a step toward me, then checked himself, as if afraid of interrupting whatever tenuous connection I’d established. “You’re breaking its level,” he said. “The Labyrinth was never meant to… exit sideways.” “Good,” I said. The central mirror flickered, the cracked image of us scrambling to reform.

She was the only thing that kept me grounded, her resonance a steady anchor in the sea of static that my mind had become. ​“There is no time for rest,” I replied, my fingers twitching against the console. “I found a discrepancy in the data I pulled from Kael’s network. A hidden laboratory, even deeper than Sub-Level 9. It was purged from the Hub’s primary maps, but the physical foundations are still there. It’s called the ‘Lumen Crypt’.” ​“The Lumen Crypt?” Thorne asked, leaning against the doorway, a bandage wrapped around his forehead. “Sounds like a place where things go to die.”

Using the chaos their protocol had caused as an excuse. “You can’t do this!” The storm within me broke. Lightning lanced from my hands, striking the nearest wall. It absorbed the energy without a mark, without a sound. “Let me out!” “Aggression is non-productive,” Assessor Seven noted, stylus flying. “The Labyrinth is designed to contain conceptual energy. You cannot break it. You will be presented with a series of logic puzzles and emotional resonance tests. Your performance will determine your re-calibration path.” It was a prison. A testing facility. And Kairi was on the outside, being forced to watch, or worse, to continue their sterile cleanup alone.

Stacy looked around the room and went toward the large window just beside the bed's head rests. She peeked outside and saw there was a fountain and some sitting arrangements behind the house. There was a large garden with various algae and trees. She could feel it was well taken care of. Her eyes moved toward the room as she saw there was a cupboard and dressing table which had a large mirror. She looked at herself through the mirror and realized she looked so messed up. No one in the mansion looked as messy as her.

I trаіlеd off, my eyes drорріng dоwn avoiding the lооk оf ріtу соntаіnеd іn Elijah’s еуеѕ. I hаd dеlіbеrаtеlу lеft оut the Lаurеn раrt, tоо сhоkеd uр tо get thе words out. I dіdn’t wаnt tо see the соnfіrmаtіоn іn Elіjаh’ѕ еуеѕ that this wаѕ bаd. Fоr nоw I juѕt nееdеd to lосk that part аwау, tо dеаl wіth іt іn my own way.

Moments later, [Rina P.O.V] The labyrinth breathed. I stepped through the archway and felt it immediately - the particular consciousness of a space that was not merely constructed but cultivated, grown from the shadows of a thousand students who had entered before me and left pieces of themselves behind. The walls were obsidian, smooth, reflecting nothing, swallowing light like a mouth that had forgotten how to taste anything but darkness, that had fed on fear for so long it could no longer recognize any other flavor.