Mal and Fein sat quietly beside the broken remains of a pillar resting against the scorched walls. They had collected three of the materials needed for the printing press, but without Tinsel...who had been their guide...everything felt heavier.
The silence between them said it all.
The labyrinth was confusing and dangerous. Without her, they weren't just lost in the tunnels, they were lost in danger too.
Fein ran a hand through his hair, staring at the ground. He usually stayed calm, but now, guilt and frustration were written all over his face.
He looked down and noticed something missing.
"Ah, fuck," he muttered, checking his side. "At least I still have my sword."
Mal didn't speak. He was still staring at the path where Tinsel had fallen.
Mal, however, sat still, his eyes fixed on the path where Tinsel died.
His thoughts were darker, more solemn. The battle-hardened healer, who had seen death in ways most could never imagine, now wrestled with something unexpected.
"She... wanted this, didn't she?" Mal's voice was low, barely a whisper, but the words struck with painful clarity. "She chose this." His gaze remained fixed on the ground, where only the ashes of her sacrifice remained.
Fein looked up at him, confusion written across his face. "What do you mean? She was our guide. She sacrificed herself for us."
Mal's voice grew quieter, edged with something heavier...something like guilt. "Back at the guild, when she first laid eyes on us, I could see it in her. She wasn't just joining us out of some sense of duty. She was already... ready. Ready to go out like this. She didn't want to survive this."
Fein stared at him, brow furrowed. He'd faced death many times, seen horrors that would break a lesser person, yet this was different. Tinsel's sacrifice was brutal in its finality.
"She didn't want glory," Mal continued, his voice tight. "But she wanted to go out in a blaze, to be remembered.
She had no other purpose left. She knew what she was doing when she triggered the explosion. She wanted it. She didn't... care to live past that moment."
Fein clenched his fists, a flicker of anger in his eyes, but it wasn't directed at Mal. It was at the situation, at the helplessness they all felt now. "So what now, then? We just keep going, act like nothing happened?"
"No." Mal's voice was firm, though his tone held a weariness. "But we can't let her death be in vain."
"We have to keep going. Ryazania is lost; we need to find her, even if we're lost in this damn labyrinth."
Fein's silence lingered for a moment before he nodded, his expression softening. They had seen death before, gruesome, unforgiving death.
RYAZANIA POV:
I followed the map displayed in my head and headed toward the arrow.
Then, I heard voices...familiar ones.
I broke into a run, ignoring the pain that flared in my legs. Blood still clung to my clothes, my hands, and even my face. I must've looked like a mess, but I didn't care. I just needed to see them.
"Fein! Mal!"
They turned at once. Relief flooded their expressions as I stumbled into the clearing. My chest tightened when I saw them alive, bruised, and scorched, but alive.
Fein was the first to move. "Ryazania!"
I rushed over, and for a second, we just stood there in silence. I looked from one face to the other, and my heart finally let go of the breath it had been holding.
"You're okay," I whispered. "You're both okay."
Mal's voice was quieter. "You're the one covered in blood."
I gave a weak, bitter smile. "It's not mine."
They didn't need to ask whose it was.
"I know what happened…" she said, trying to keep her emotions in check.
Mal rose to her feet, scanning Ryazania's bloodied clothes. "You're hurt," he said, worry flickering across his face.
Fein furrowed his brows. "You fell there… how are you still standing?"
"I had to be," Ryazania said softly. "I buried her. She saved us, and I couldn't just leave her behind."
The weight of silence fell between them, but then Fein's eyes shifted down to her hand.
"…That sword," he muttered. "Wasn't that split in half?"
Mal's gaze followed. Her eyes narrowed. "That's not the one you had before."
Ryazania hesitated, then simply shrugged. "Found it nearby. Must've belonged to someone who didn't make it."
Fein didn't look convinced, but he didn't push further. Not yet.
"There was nothing left but twisted metal and fire."
The words nearly caught in my throat, but I forced them out. I had to.
"We can't let her death be in vain."
Mal lowered his head. "She never planned to come back, did she?"
Fein shook his head. "I don't think so. She just wanted to burn bright one last time."
Silence fell again, heavy and grim.
But I straightened my back and looked at both of them. "We still have a job to finish. Tinsel gave her life so we could move forward. We have to honor that."
Fein met my gaze, and after a pause, he nodded.
Mal sighed. "Then what's next?"
I clenched my fists. "The next material on Vengir's list… Iron Core Crystaphite."
Fein blinked. "That rare thing? It's not easy to find."
"I don't care if we have to rip it from the heart of this labyrinth," I said. "We'll get it.
[System has recognized "Iron Core Crystaphite."]
[System is locating...]
[System has located "Iron Core Crystaphite."]
I blinked, taken aback as the translucent map hovering in front of me adjusted. A red marker pulsed gently on one of the upper rings of the labyrinth...second descent.
"What… is this thing?" I murmured under my breath, staring at the strange display.
"System," I thought cautiously, "are the other materials here too? Smoke Glass? Aether-infused metal?"
[Affirmative. Aether-infused metal is lithium alloy exposed to raw Aether as an energy source. Commonly found in Aether-conductive chambers.]
[Smoke Glass is super-heated metallic sand formed near lava pools or high-thermal magical zones.]
So it did know.
I stared at the glowing blade in my hand, heart thudding.
This system… it had to be the sword itself. The way it pulsed, the way it responded to me.
There was no other explanation.
If so…
A slow, almost breathless thought echoed in my head:
This power… it's amazing.
Not just strength. Not just precision. But knowledge. Direction. Purpose.
I cleared my throat, shifting the topic. "The Iron Core Crystaphite..it's in the upper rings. Second descent."
Mal and Fein blinked at me. "How do you know that? " Mal asked.
I looked away. "I just… have a feeling."
But the truth pulsed in the back of my mind... quiet and sure. The system had already marked the location.
I turned and began walking toward the upward path. I didn't have time to explain. Couldn't, even if I wanted to.
****
Mal and Fein exchanged glances but didn't press her. The tension between truth and secrecy lingered, unspoken.
For now, they moved because movement meant survival, and survival meant honoring the dead.
The air grew cooler as they climbed, the scent of ash fading into damp stone and rust.
The labyrinth shifted with each step, the structure creaking like an old giant stirring in its sleep. Somewhere deeper, metal groaned, a distant echo of the auto guards still stirring in the lower rings. But for now, they were safe.
Fein finally broke the silence. "Second descent is just above. If your gut's right, we can reach it before we have to rest."
Mal gave a nod, but his eyes stayed on Ryazania's back. Something about her had changed. It wasn't just the blood or the sword.
It was the way she carried herself...like a storm waiting for permission to break.
"You okay, really?" he asked her softly, just enough for her to hear.
Ryazania didn't stop walking. "I'm breathing."
"That's not the same," he said, but didn't push further. Not yet.
When they reached the cracked archway that led to the upper rings, Ryazania paused.
The sword hummed faintly in her hand, like it too recognized the shift.
[Approaching designated zone: Second Descent – Storage Annex Corridor.]
[Iron Core Crystaphite is located behind sealed bulkhead.]
[Warning: Area marked hazardous – magical residue suggests previous Aether experimentation.]
She blinked, digesting the words flashing before her.
Aether experimentation…?
Fein stepped up beside her, eyeing the sealed iron doors ahead. One of them was warped inward, like something had tried to punch through...either to escape or to break in.
"You're sure it's in there?" he asked.
"I'm sure," Ryazania said, gripping the sword tighter.
They stepped forward cautiously, the scent of ozone thickening with every step.
The walls were lined with cracked conduits, old aetherian cables that once surged with energy. Now they sparked weakly, their runes dulled but not dead.
"This looks like a failed lab," Mal muttered. "An Aether one."
Ryazania reached the door. As her hand hovered over the rune-lock, the sword reacted again.
[Security bypass initiated...]
[Override successful.]
With a low hiss, the bulkhead split open.
Inside, the chamber was coated in crystalline dust. The walls pulsed faintly, veins of glowing material etched deep into the structure like lightning frozen in glass.
Fein let out a low whistle. "Found it."
Near the center, floating inches above a cracked pedestal, a shard of luminous ore hovered.
It's Iron Core Crystaphite, Its light pulsed like a heartbeat.
But so did something else.
A hiss echoed from the far wall. A containment pod shuddered. Then another.
Mal instinctively stepped forward, hand already glowing with light.
Ryazania narrowed her eyes. The system pinged a warning just as the first pod ruptured.
[Entity detected: Aether-Bound Automaton. Status – unstable.]
[Recommendation: Engage with caution. Target may explode upon destruction.]
Fein unslung his sword. "Great. Suicide constructs."
Mal cursed under his breath. "They were testing Aether-based enhancements on machines."
The automatons rose, their forms half-melted by energy exposure, glowing with volatile heat.
"We get the shard and get out," Ryazania ordered.
But inside, she was calm.
She had the sword.
She had the map.
And she had purpose.
The first automaton lunged.
It moved with erratic speed, stumbling yet swift, its metal limbs scorched black by unstable Aether. A scream of steam pierced the air as its body surged forward like a broken puppet.
Ryazania reacted instantly, stepping in with the sword raised.
The blade hummed in her hands.
[Combat assistance enabled.]
[Weak point identified: upper right servos.]
She twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the automaton's claw, and slashed upward where the prompt guided her.
The blade sliced clean through.
The automaton convulsed and then exploded in a burst of violet flame, sending sparks and shrapnel scattering across the chamber.
"Cover your faces!" Mal shouted, raising a glowing barrier just in time to block the worst of the blast.
Fein charged in behind Ryazania, using his own momentum to shoulder check one of the constructs into a crumbling pillar. It collapsed with a metallic screech, twitching violently.
"Two more on the left!" he yelled.
Mal didn't wait. His hands were already alight with golden energy. "Divine Bind!"
Chains of radiant light burst from the ground, wrapping around the legs of the nearest automaton. It shrieked, trying to break free, but the magic held just long enough for Ryazania to dash forward and plunge her blade into its core.
[Target unstable.]
She leapt back an instant before it detonated.
Another wave of energy blew across the room.
Fein coughed through the smoke, voice ragged. "They're walking bombs. One wrong move and we're all ash."
"Then don't make the wrong move," Ryazania snapped, eyes burning. "Mal, the Crystaphite! Can you take it while we handle the last one?"
"I can try!" Mal ran toward the pedestal, ducking as another construct lunged past him, roaring with unstable Aether.
Fein was already intercepting it, sword locking against the automaton's burning claws. He gritted his teeth. "These things don't die easy!"
Ryazania ran beside him, her sword pulsing again with that eerie, glowing light.
[Deploying Overdrive function.]
[Warning: stamina drain increased by 200% for 30 seconds.]
Without hesitation, she accepted it.
Her sword ignited.
In one swift, whirling arc, she severed the automaton's limbs before driving the blade into its core. The glow expanded then imploded silently, leaving nothing behind but scorched ground.
Fein staggered, stunned. "That was... what was that?"
"I don't know," she lied, chest heaving. "Just hurry."
Mal pulled the Crystaphite from its pedestal. It hummed in his hands, the raw energy making his fingertips tremble. "Got it!"
"No more pods," Ryazania muttered, scanning the room. "Let's move before this place collapses."
As they turned back toward the entrance, the system whispered again in her mind.
[Item acquired: Iron Core Crystaphite.]
[2 materials remaining.]
Fein wiped blood from his brow, eyes flicking toward Ryazania as they left the ruined chamber behind.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Ryazania didn't answer at first. She walked ahead, her grip tightening on the sword.
"…I didn't," she said finally. "It's like it's teaching me."
Fein frowned, his voice lowering. "That sword… it's not just a weapon, is it?"
She paused at the entrance, looking back. "It's more than that."
Mal stepped between them. "We can talk about it later. Let's get back. Vengir's waiting."
As they began the long climb out of the second descent, none of them spoke of Tinsel. Not yet. But in the silence, her memory walked with them, heavy as armor and just as necessary.
Their boots echoed against the ancient stone as they ascended the spiral steps carved into the bones of the labyrinth. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable...it was thick with thought. Grief. Purpose.
The Iron Core Crystaphite pulsed faintly inside the reinforced satchel on Mal's hip, its glow dim under layers of cloth and rune-inscribed leather. Even muted, it buzzed faintly with unstable energy.
Fein glanced back down the steps, sweat clinging to his brow. "We're lucky that wasn't guarded by something worse."
Ryazania didn't answer. She kept walking, jaw clenched.
Mal, beside her, finally spoke. "What's next?"
"Smoke Glass," she replied, not missing a beat. "The system-" She caught herself, eyes darting toward them.
Fein tilted his head. "The what?"
"…A gut feeling," she corrected quickly. "There's a lava zone down near the third descent. That's our best shot."
Mal gave her a long, silent look, then nodded slowly. He didn't believe her. Not entirely. But for now, he wouldn't press.
"After that?" Fein asked.
"Aether-infused metal. Probably buried deeper in some Aether chamber, if what I learned is right."
Mal muttered, "Vengir's lucky he's charming. This is insane."
Ryazania paused at the landing, letting the others catch up. Her eyes briefly flicked to the blade at her side.
The sword had quieted again. No system messages. No whispers.
But she felt it.
That presence, subtle but watching...guiding.
Fein rubbed the back of his neck. "So... what's all this for again? We're building a printing press, but to print what, exactly?"
Mal exhaled. "Propaganda...Manuals...Blueprints. I don't know."
"No," Ryazania said quietly, turning to them. "I'm going to print faces."
Fein raised a brow. "Faces?"
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a worn, folded parchment. Unfolding it revealed a sketched portrait..young, determined eyes, a familiar smile.
"My cousin," she said. "He went missing... I want to find him, I need to reach..more than a word of mouth. I need his face in every city. Every guild board. Every gate."
Mal looked at her, brow furrowed. "All this… Tinsel, the descent, the danger...you risked all that for this?"
"I'd risk more," she said simply.
Fein scoffed, half-impressed. "You're gonna flood the continent with a portrait and hope he..or someone who's seen him..comes forward?"
"Exactly."
Mal's expression hardened. "So that's it? All this, Tinsel's death, for a missing person flyer?"
Ryazania froze.
Fein stood up from the bench. "Mal."
"No," Mal snapped, stepping forward. "She died, Ryazania. She blew herself apart so we could make it out of that forge alive. And now I find out the grand plan isn't saving the world or uncovering some ancient truth, it's handing out sketches?"
"It's not just sketches," Ryazania said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then what is it?" Mal demanded. "Tell me how this is worth someone's life. Tell me how we walked through fire and blood just so you could pin drawings to a board and hope someone recognizes him."
Fein stepped between them. "Mal, enough. This wasn't her fault."
Mal didn't back down. "She led us down there. She said we needed these materials. She had us crawling through cursed machines and collapsing tunnels because it was important. And now she admits it's all for him?"
Ryazania's hands curled into fists at her sides, shaking.
Fein looked at her, then back at Mal. "You think she wanted this? You think she planned for Tinsel to die?"
"She made the call," Mal said.
"And so did all of us," Fein shot back. "We followed her because we believed in her. Because we knew she wasn't just chasing shadows. You think she doesn't carry that weight?"
Silence hung between them like a blade.
Ryazania finally looked up. Her eyes were glassy, but her voice was steady.
"I would trade places with Tinsel if I could. But she chose to stay behind. She knew what she was doing. She smiled at me, Mal. She smiled." Her voice cracked. "She believed this mattered."
Mal looked away, jaw tight.
Fein placed a hand on Ryazania's shoulder. "We can't bring her back. But we can honor her. If this... printing those flyers gives Ryazania a chance of finding what she lost, to make something good come from this… then I'll see it through."
Mal didn't speak for a while. He just stared at the floor, blood curling in the air like breath on a cold day.
Finally, he muttered, "I hope you find him."
Ryazania nodded slowly. "So do I."
The silence lingered as they continued through the lower corridors of the labyrinth. The air grew hotter, denser. Cracks in the walls glowed faintly with molten light, and the stone beneath their boots began to radiate heat with every step.
No one spoke.
Mal kept to himself, jaw tight. Fein walked just ahead of Ryazania, glancing back occasionally, checking that she was still holding together.
She was. Barely.
The sword twitched faintly at her side.
[SYSTEM ONLINE…]
The voice whispered straight into her mind, like the distant chime of a bell underwater.
[Target material: SMOKEGUARD GLASS. Detected. Location: Lava Pool. Fourth Descent. Eastern Shaft. Estimated distance: 312 meters. Environmental risk: EXTREME.]
Ryazania blinked.
Mal noticed her flinch. "What now?"
She hesitated. "There's… a lava pool. That way." She pointed toward a winding tunnel that veered off sharply to the right, descending deeper. The stone was slick with heat and soot.
"How do you know?" Fein asked.
She met his gaze. "Gut feeling."
He stared at her for a moment, then nodded without pushing further.
Mal didn't say anything.
They pressed on.
With each step, the temperature rose. Sweat rolled down their backs. The air shimmered ahead like a mirage, distorting the path. Ash drifted lazily down from unseen vents in the ceiling, catching on their cloaks and skin like snow in a furnace.
Eventually, they reached a wide chamber split by a molten river. Across the gap, jagged shelves of obsidian glass jutted out of the walls, shimmering, translucent, and glinting faintly even in the harsh red glow.
Smoke Glass.
"There," Ryazania whispered.
Fein exhaled. "Of course it's across a lava river. Why wouldn't it be?"
Mal was already scanning the edges. "No bridge. We'll have to jump or find a way around."
"No time," Ryazania muttered.
Fein looked at her. "You got a plan?"
Ryazania stepped forward, eyes narrowing at the sword at her side. "Yeah. I think I do."
The blade pulsed faintly. She felt it again..That subtle push, not a voice but a will. The same thing that had led her this far, that had shown her paths she couldn't explain.
Whatever was guiding her, it wanted her to reach that glass.
To finish the press.
To print his face.
She swallowed hard and looked back at the others. "Get ready. This isn't going to be easy."
Mal muttered, "It never is."
Fein rolled his shoulders, drawing his dagger. "Let's get that glass."
And together, they prepared to cross the lava.
For a boy lost somewhere in the world and the girl who would burn the world to find him.