Ch. 86 “Master of Illusion”

The labyrinth placed at the southern edge of the complex’s inner square wasn’t big or especially convoluted.

It was a construction made out of tall—around five meters high— neatly trimmed hedges. Both the inside and the outside of the maze were decorated with beautiful sculptures standing quietly inside recesses, waiting to be found.

The middle point of the labyrinth contained its main attraction—a luxurious pool shaped like a giant shell.

It was also Saria’s main goal.

“I placed one of my bracelets at the edge of the pool. Retrieve it before the time runs out, and the twins will be yours.”

The rules were simple, and there didn’t seem to be any hidden issues with the bet they made. Still, Saria couldn’t shake the feeling that it was way too easy.

The night was clear, and the stars shimmered brightly in the sky, offering the guidance she needed. The maze itself was mostly a decoration rather than a challenge. The designated three minutes to make it to the center and back were more than enough.

Was it Lord Agrios’ sly smile that made her suspicious? Or the indescribable gleam in his eyes, making her feel like prey about to be devoured.

Perhaps it was simply her paranoia getting the better of her. Either way, even if the offer was too good to be true and he had some ulterior motives, Saria had to take this chance.

The lives of two people were at stake, after all.

She stopped at the marked spot at the edge of the maze and tilted her head to look at the night sky. There, she found the biggest and brightest star—Lumine’s Torch. The moment she would step inside, it would guide her towards the right direction, just as it did for sailors and travelers every night for the past millennia.

“Are you ready?” Lord Agrios tapped the hourglass he acquired from somewhere. He seemed very excited for someone who was about to lose two of his slaves.

Saria turned to look at the women standing behind them. Seeing the worry written all over their faces, she let her mask slip for just a second as she winked at them.

You’ll have your freedom soon. I’ll make sure of that.

“I’m ready,” she said, facing the entrance.

The man grinned, then swiftly flipped the hourglass. “Go!”

The first grains of sand barely hit the bottom of the empty half, and Saria was already sprinting through the green corridors.

Left, right, right again, straight ahead, left again.

Before each turn, she would glance at the sky, seeking the guiding glow confirming she was heading in the right direction.

She was braving forward, following the path that was supposed to lead to the center.

And yet, the time was passing, she was going deeper and deeper into the maze, but there was no exit in sight. She was certain she wasn’t walking in circles, she wasn’t heading in the wrong direction on accident…

The unsettling gut feeling from earlier emerged again, but she had no time to pay heed to it. She was running out of time.

Taking another desperate turn, she finally saw her goal. The gaudy seashell carved from one piece of rosy-pink marble, and its golden pearl spitting water, was finally in front of her.

The center of the maze was at the end of the straight corridor, so close that Saria could actually see the bracelet sitting at the edge of the pool.

She made a run for it.

But just a few steps before reaching the goal, her path was suddenly cut off. A powerful gust of wind sent her flying backwards. The impact of the paved path knocked the air out of her lungs and darkened her vision.

The back of her skull throbbed with a numb pain. Her mind went blank for a moment.

When she opened her eyes, there was no longer a clear night sky above her, no bright star to guide her.

The walls of the maze shot up, growing tall, tall, so tall, reaching sky high and beyond, trying to drown everything in darkness.

The only source of light was smooth pebbles scattered on the ground, emanating cold, bluish light.

Saria pushed herself up and started walking in the direction where the shell used to be. Now, only a pitch-dark corridor awaited her there.

After just a few steps, a voice halted her.

“It’s been only a couple of months, but your instincts dulled so much.” Emotionless, monotone words sounded in the dark on the opposite side of the corridor, then fell dead silent.

Saria glared into the black shadows, at the same time activating her power to scan for signs of life. To her surprise, she couldn’t detect even a single heartbeat around her. Expanding the radius also didn’t help.

There should be at least two hundred people around her, but her magic couldn’t find any of them. It was like she was suddenly teleported to some distant, desolate place.

She was completely alone.

Yet, the voice sounded again, contradicting this conclusion as soon as it was reached.

“You were supposed to be the best of us, but now look at you… So disappointing.”

“How about you show yourself instead of hiding in the shadows like a coward?!” Saria gritted her teeth, her eyes trying to pry into the impenetrable abyss.

Just then, the hair on the back of Saria’s neck stood up as she sensed danger behind her.

She instantly spun around to block the attack.

A blade flashed before her eyes, aiming at her neck.

Being unarmed herself, Saria had no choice but to take a few steps back to gain distance from the attacker.

After a series of strained dodges, she finally had the opportunity to take a better look at the dark shadow she had been fighting.

In the cold light emitted by the pebbles, she saw a face that made her freeze in place.

“Hilde?” Saria couldn’t believe her eyes.

The Sekaris officer stood merely a few steps away. Her black eyes betrayed no hint of emotion, yet their gaze felt like a chilling wind creeping down Saria’s spine.

The woman took a step closer. “So you still remember me. Here I thought you had completely forgotten, since you didn’t need me anymore.”

“I did lose my memory, and you know very well whose fault that was,” Saria fired back, this time holding her ground. “He almost killed me.”

“And yet here you are. Perfectly fine.” Hilde’s eyes slowly slid down, taking a good look at the red dress gracefully hugging her former comrade’s body. “Looking better than ever. I guess forsaking your friend was worth it.”

“Forsaking my friend? What are you talking about?”

In the blink of an eye, Hilde closed the distance between them, standing face to face with Saria, pinning her against the wall.

As she leaned closer, a gentle scent of roses wafted over, carrying the memories buried deep within.

“You knew that fake was barely passing. You knew, with my abilities, you couldn’t fool me…” The red-haired woman moved closer to Saria’s ear. “But I lied for you. You knew it.”

Hilde’s expression never changed. Her face, just like a porcelain doll, was frozen in the same cold indifference. Her voice, however, for the first time carried a hint of emotion.

Despite the accusatory tone, it was laced with hurt and sadness.

Saria wanted to break free, but the moment she heard it, she suddenly lost the strength to do it.

“It didn’t take long for Father to realize this,” Hilde continued, encouraged by the silence. “Do you want to see what he did to me?” Without waiting for the answer, she began undoing the belt holding the lapels of her black jacket.

“Stop this!” Saria grabbed her ice-cold hand, unable to bear it anymore. “I didn’t want this to happen. I never had a chance to come back for you.”

“Lies!” Another voice roared from the dark corner of the labyrinth. “So many lies. Do you ever get tired of it? Of telling yourself so many damned lies!?”

Strained, uncertain footsteps were followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged on the pavement. The closer they got, the more ominous it became.

Finally, from the shadows emerged the last person Saria expected to see.

“How are you still alive?” she whispered in horror, watching Rosa slowly make way to her.

Even in the darkness, she could see the long, deep gash in her throat. The wound inflicted by Saria with Rosa’s own hand.

The rugged edges rolled outwards, displaying layers of skin, muscle, and fat tissue. At the center was a gaping hole, no longer spilling blood.

Saria couldn’t shake the impression that the wound looked like a grotesque smile, grinning at her while saying ‘Remember what you have done.’

“I’m here because even my death was a lie you told yourself.” Rosa stopped at the edge of the darkness behind her. Her hunched body was dressed in the same clothes as the last time Saria saw her, except now worn out and covered in dried blood.

Wearing an unnerving maniacal grin, Rosa used all of the strength left in her limp body to toss the heavy ‘package’ she was carrying behind her, directly under Saria’s feet. “And now you will pay the price for your lies.”

The ‘package’ turned out to be a dead body.

Disfigured by countless bruises and cuts, with a massive hole in her chest, on the cold pavement laid lifeless Lysandra.

The shock didn’t even fully settle in when a third voice called out from the dark.

“Every action has a consequence. You can’t escape it. It will always find you, no matter where you go.”

At the other end of the corridor stood the man whom she was obligated to call ‘Father’. His silver mask, shaped as the head of a snake, flickered ominously in the pulsing lights of the pebbles.

Under the burning, condemning gaze of three sets of eyes, Saria couldn’t breathe anymore.

Her head felt dizzy and confused, the sight of Lysandra’s mutilated, lifeless body was wreaking havoc in her heart.

“This can’t be true. This must be a trap. I have to get out,” she muttered to herself. In the last-ditch effort, her dazed mind clung to the last logical thought and held to it like a lifeline.

Without wasting another glance at the three people closing in on her, she dashed into the dark corridor herself. From a distance, she could hear Rosa’s maniacal laughter, its echo relentlessly chasing after her.

Saria kept running at full speed, blindly turning left and right, driven by a panicked thought that commanded her to get as far away from those voices as possible.

Suddenly, the ground under her feet rumbled, nearly knocking her down. In the next second, the earth erupted as a giant white snake emerged, cutting off her path.

Its furious red eye glared at her in disgust. The other was hidden under a patch of scar tissue spreading across half of its head.

The snake hissed, baring its long, sharp fangs, and attacked with astonishing speed.

Saria narrowly managed to dodge it. Swaying on her feet from the shock wave, she darted around the corner towards another corridor.

Without her powers, she relied on the serpent’s vicious hisses and the rumbling of the ground to assess how closely behind it followed. Feeling the gust of wind caused by another missed attack, she directed all of her strength into her legs.

The corridors crossed and tangled, seemingly without an end. At this point, Saria couldn’t even tell where she was going.

Her mind felt clouded, the danger chasing behind made it feel even more dazed. Her senses felt dulled, and her body was weaker than ever before.

Everything felt wrong. Nothing felt real.

As if she were stuck in a vivid nightmare, unable to wake up.

She was close to losing hope when, unexpectedly, she heard a flap of wings above her head.

Two white doves glided through the air, radiating a warm golden light. They carried a sense of familiarity that made Saria follow them right away.

The birds navigated through the maze with ease, and the sound of their wings seemed to drown out all other noises, as if telling her, ‘Don’t worry about that, just pay attention to us. We will guide you.’

Surely, in a few turns, just as she was running out of breath, Saria saw light breaking through the darkness at the end of a long corridor.

With one last push, she sprinted right into it.