As the three walked cautiously down the next corridor, the air grew thick and damp. A faint hissing noise echoed through the stone walls, causing the group to tense.
"Stay sharp," Athena warned, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword.
The hissing grew louder until a massive, serpentine creature slithered into view. Its six heads swayed menacingly, each one snapping its jaws in anticipation. The Hydra towered over them, its scales glinting in the faint torchlight.
Athena stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "Stay back. I'll handle this."
Before anyone could protest, the Hydra lunged, one of its heads striking with lightning speed. Athena dodged and retaliated with a quick slash of her sword, the blade glancing off its thick scales.
Kaiho stumbled back, his heart racing. "That thing's massive! How are you supposed to kill it?"
"You don't," Lesser said calmly, his eyes fixed on the Hydra as he analyzed its movements. "Not with brute force, at least. Athena, keep it distracted. I'm working on something."
Athena gritted her teeth, dodging another head while slicing at a second one. "Distract it? Easy for you to say!"
The Hydra lashed out with three heads at once, forcing Athena to leap back. She barely had time to regain her footing before another head lunged, its jaws snapping shut inches from her arm.
Lesser remained composed, his gaze flicking between the creature and the surrounding area. "The Hydra relies on its sight and sense of smell to track us. If we blind it and mask our scent, we can escape."
Athena deflected another attack with her sword, her muscles straining. "You might want to figure that out fast!"
Lesser's eyes landed on a broken torch on the wall. "Athena, can you generate a bright light or fire spell?"
"I can," she snapped, slicing through one of the Hydra's heads. "But I can't hold this thing off forever."
"Do it," Lesser instructed, his tone sharp. "Aim for its eyes. Kaiho and I will cover our scent."
Kaiho blinked. "Cover our scent? How?"
Lesser rolled his eyes. "Dirt. Rub it on yourself. Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Athena jumped back, narrowly avoiding another bite. With a fierce glare, she chanted a spell, her sword beginning to glow with radiant energy. She swung it in a wide arc, releasing a blinding flash of light that engulfed the Hydra.
The creature screeched, recoiling as the intense brightness seared its sensitive eyes.
"Now's our chance!" Lesser barked, grabbing a handful of dirt and smearing it over himself. Kaiho quickly followed, though he gagged at the earthy smell.
Athena threw one last flash of light at the Hydra, then sprinted toward the others. She smeared dirt on her arms and face, masking her scent before they all darted down a side path.
Behind them, the Hydra thrashed blindly, its heads snapping at the empty air as it searched for its prey.
When they were finally out of earshot, Athena leaned against the wall, catching her breath. "That… was exhausting."
Kaiho gave her a sheepish look. "Thanks for not letting it eat me."
Athena shot him a glare. "Save your thanks. I didn't do it for you—I just didn't want to deal with Merlin if you got yourself killed."
Lesser, ever calm, dusted his hands off. "You two can argue later. We still have a labyrinth to escape."
Kaiho collapsed onto the ground, exhaling heavily. "That… was too close."
Athena stood, her posture rigid as she scanned the area for any further threats. "You're lucky Lesser came up with that plan," she said curtly.
Kaiho looked over at Lesser, who leaned against the wall, his breathing shallow but his expression unreadable.
"Thanks," Kaiho muttered awkwardly, but Lesser didn't respond. He merely stared ahead, his eyes cold and distant.
Athena crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "Don't get comfortable. We still need to finish the task."
Kaiho groaned but pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with."
Lesser finally spoke, his voice calm but cutting. "Try not to slow us down this time."
Kaiho shot him a glare but held his tongue. For now, survival—and completing the mission—was all that mattered.
Kaiho groaned under his breath, brushing dirt off his clothes as they continued walking through the labyrinth. He glanced at Athena and Lesser, who seemed to be silently strategizing ahead of him.
"Why is it," he muttered to himself, "that the two of them are suddenly getting along but are both targeting me?"
Athena glanced over her shoulder, her sharp gaze catching his sulking expression. "What are you mumbling about now, Kaiho?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly, waving a hand.
Lesser scoffed without looking back. "If you stopped complaining and actually contributed something useful, maybe we wouldn't need to target you."
Kaiho glared at the back of his head. "I did contribute! Who pushed you out of the way earlier, huh? You're welcome, by the way."
Athena rolled her eyes. "And who had to step in and save you after that, genius? Try not to pat yourself on the back too hard."
Kaiho threw his hands up in exasperation. "You're impossible!"
"Focus," Lesser snapped, his tone icy. "Unless you want the next beast to finish what the hydra couldn't."
Kaiho sighed and trudged after them, grumbling under his breath. "Teamwork, huh? Feels more like a coordinated attack on me."
The air grew heavier with every step, the thick mist curling around them like a living entity. It slithered through the cracks in the stone, stretching its ghostly fingers toward them.
Kaiho sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We've been walking forever, but we're getting nowhere."
Athena shot him a glare. "Stop whining."
Lesser, walking slightly behind them, narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong. The mist isn't just settling—it's moving."
Before Kaiho could process that, the mist surged forward, consuming them entirely. The cold was suffocating, wrapping around his body like chains. His vision blurred, and suddenly—
Everything went black.
Inside Kaiho's Mind
A deep silence filled the air. Kaiho stood in a vast, endless void, a dull headache pulsing at the back of his skull. He looked around frantically, but there was nothing—no Athena, no Lesser, just emptiness.
Then, a low, guttural voice shattered the silence.
"Don't enter my personal space."
Kaiho's breath hitched as an overwhelming presence appeared before him. A towering, muscular figure loomed in the darkness. Long, wild hair cascaded down his back, and his piercing red eyes glowed like embers. A suffocating aura radiated from him, pressing down on Kaiho like an invisible force.
Before Kaiho could react, the figure raised a hand.
A violent gust of wind erupted from his palm, spiraling outward with the force of a hurricane.
Outside the Mind
A massive shockwave tore through the labyrinth, ripping the mist apart like paper. The dense fog was violently swept away, scattering into nothingness. The air became clear, the suffocating pressure lifting instantly.
Kaiho gasped, snapping back to reality. He stumbled, gripping his head as if trying to piece together what just happened. The remnants of the mist faded into the sky, revealing the stone pathway beneath him once more.
Then his heart nearly stopped.
"Athena… Lesser!"
He rushed forward, his pulse hammering in his ears. Both of them lay sprawled across the cold ground, unconscious.
Kaiho dropped to his knees beside them, shaking Athena first. "Hey! Wake up!"
She didn't move.
Panic clawed at his chest. He turned to Lesser, grabbing his arm. "Come on, dude, say something!"
Silence.
Kaiho clenched his fists. His mind was still spinning from whatever had just happened, but one thing was clear—
He was alone. And he had no idea what to do next.