⏳ Time Remaining: 00:03:47
POV 1: Thorian Blackroot
Species: Orc Fae Hybrid | Weapon: Warhammer | Age: 28
Thorian adjusted the straps on his spiked armor, the warhammer on his back humming with bloodlust. He kissed the amulet his sister gave him before she was executed by the royal court. Today, he'd fight for her.
"Don't wait up for me," he muttered to no one, cracking his neck.
The maze pulsed. He could feel it watching him. Breathing.
POV 2: Lyla Vance
Species: Elf | Power: Shadow Step | Age: 117 (looks 22)
Lyla twisted her hair into a tight braid and adjusted her crescent blade. Her mentor, an old blade dancer who vanished in the King's service, whispered in her memory: "Fear makes you sharp. Use it."
She looked up at the maze and smiled. "Let's dance."
POV 3: Brogan Mudtooth
Species: Goblin | Power: Illusions & Explosives | Age: 36
"Oi, remind me again why I'm not drunk?" Brogan asked his imaginary friend as he packed fire powder into his vest.
He threw a grin at the camera rune hovering above. "Watch this, Faenet! I'm gonna go boom."
POV 4: Inaya Stormveil
Species: Harpy | Power: Wind Manipulation | Age: 19
Inaya stretched her wings. This was her first real shot at anything beyond survival. She looked back at her clutch sister, who nodded silently.
"For our nest."
The wind howled as the maze creaked open like a mouth.
POV 5: Marek Flameborn
Species: Human | Weapon: Twin Blades | Age: 24
Marek blew a kiss to his lover in the stands. He had nothing but swagger and speed, and a voice in his head that said he was born for more.
He whispered to the maze, "Come on then. Show me who bleeds."
FAENET COMMENTS:
👤 @RunefireDaddy: 💬"Marek is hot as hell. If he dies I swear I'll riot." @WingsOut4Inaya: 💬"Harpy queen!! Fly like you were born to!" @BOOMBroganFan69: 💬"If that goblin doesn't set off a mushroom cloud I want a refund." 👤@BlackrootJustice: 💬"THORNE SMASH."
MAZE SNEAK PEEK:
Trap 1: Enchanted vines that wrap around your soul and whisper your worst fears until your brain cracks.
Trap 2: A mirror room where you're attacked by twisted versions of yourself.
Trap 3: A cursed glade with invisible fae beasts that hunt in silence.
Trap 4: A hallway of riddles. Wrong answers trigger flame pits.
Trap 5: A blood swamp that pulls you down with the weight of your regrets.
And deeper still… lies something watching.
⏳ Time Remaining: 00:00:10
Sasha Broadcasts:
"Ladies, gents, and all magical beings: grab your runes, grip your blades, and kiss your asses goodbye. The Trial begins now."
The gates of the maze groaned open.
POV: Zaiya Bloodrage
Lightning crackled around her fingertips as Zaiya stood at the mouth of the hedge maze, nostrils flared and crimson dreadlocks blowing in the magically stirred wind. Her shadowmeld ability swirled beneath her skin, begging to be used. She cracked her neck, muttering to herself.
"This is it. No turning back. Time to prove I deserve to guard the goddess."
The first riddle appeared midair in glowing script:
I have no tongue but whisper true. I show what's past and what is due. What am I?
"Mirror," Zaiya growled instantly. The hedge shuddered and parted.
She stepped inside.
Flame breathing hedgehogs.
Actual, flame breathing, demonic hedgehogs.
She rolled her eyes. "Cute. Burn me and I'll barbecue you myself."
POV: Kazra Voralis
Kazra practically danced through the maze, dress billowing like blood soaked silk. A banshee scream detonated a magical trap of venomous vines as she cackled.
"You're going to have to do better than that, darling!"
A shadow creature lunged from the bush. She caught it midair with a fire whip and twisted it into ashes, licking a finger seductively as she moved on.
"I love a challenge."
POV: Barrik Stonevein
Barrik grunted as a spiked wall tried to crush him.
"Fucking predictable."
He carved a rune into the stone and detonated it, leaving a smoking tunnel behind. A magical gremlin tried to bite his ankle. He drop kicked it into the hedge.
"Tell the goddess I'm coming. And I brought BOOM."
POV: Nimra & Nico
The twins teleported hand-in-hand from shadow to shadow, invisible to most traps, but a glittering fae wisp snitched on them.
"Tattletale," Nico muttered, tossing a knife at the wisp.
"No use. It's enchanted," Nimra whispered. She tapped her temple, then vanished. Nico followed.
A giant were rooster burst from a hedge.
"What the actual..."
"Don't ask," Nimra muttered.
POV: Fenix & Draven (the Dragon Twins)
Fenix bared his fangs. "These riddles are pathetic."
Draven smirked. "Then stop failing them."
They'd split up...bad idea. Fenix was chest deep in enchanted swamp water, while Draven was being chased by a swarm of sword bees.
"For fuck's sake," Fenix cursed. "I left Gailia for this?"
They both felt it in their hearts, the promise they made to return.
Back at Dragon Castle
POV Rhiannan
She sat on her throne, surrounded by her five mates, watching dozens of holographic panels show different parts of the maze.
Her face was pale. Her fingers trembled around her tea.
"This many people showed up to prove they'd die for me… what if they actually do?"
Kaleb squeezed her hand. "They came because they believe. Let them fight for it."
Mo, perched beside her, shouted at the screen, "YEAH STAB THAT ONE! Oh shit he just got bit. Never mind. RIP."
Faenet Reactions:
👤@QueenKilla6969: 💬"Kazra is my religion."
👤@RuneDaddy42: 💬"BARRIK JUST BLEW UP A WHOLE HEDGE WTF"
👤@DragonLustBabe: 💬"If the twins die I will personally riot."
👤@MoFan420: 💬"I want Mo commentary permanently in my life."
👤@BlessedByTheGoddess: 💬"She's watching. We can feel it. #TrialOfFaith #SentryQuest"
👤@DeadManTweetin: 💬"Did anyone else see that were rooster??"
The trials raged on. Blood, magic, fire, screams, and laughter echoed through the enchanted hedges. And Rhiannan watched it all, her heart aching with hope and terror.
The goddess stirred.
And the real test had only just begun.
The maze pulsed with magic, its twisting hedges now humming with fresh enchantments and danger. The air was thick with tension, and every leaf seemed to whisper secrets. Faenet was exploding with commentary, bets, and live watch parties from every corner of the realm. But inside the maze? The true show had just begun.
POV: Kazra "The Red Bitch" Voralis
Kazra sauntered past a wall of flame she had conjured herself to keep a frost beast at bay. Her eyes glowed like molten lava as she stepped over a fallen contestant, barely sparing them a glance.
"Shouldn't have worn silk, sweetie. Fire hazard."
A flare of magic at her back caught her attention. A rune, disguised under her heel, flared to life, nearly blowing her leg off.
She growled. Sabotage.
"Oh honey... now you're playing with fire."
POV: Nimra (of the Rogue Twins)
Nimra, silent as moonlight, phased between shadow and air, dodging razor vines that snapped like angry whips. Nico had split off to cause a distraction, but something had gone wrong. She could feel it.
Suddenly, a net laced with sleep dust burst from the trees.
She twisted midair, vanishing before it touched her, reappearing behind a hidden saboteur wearing rebel colors.
"Cute trick," she whispered, and drove her dagger into the trap mechanism.
POV: A Contestant Named Varnik
Varnik, a half troll, lumbered through a tunnel of mirrors. His reflection stared back, dozens of him, all grinning.
Until one moved.
"Not today," he snarled.
The impostor lunged.
Glass shattered. Blood spilled.
And Varnik roared in victory, only to hear a whisper.
"This trial isn't for you, beast."
He turned. No one was there.
POV: Lira Moonstep, Fae Bard
Lira danced through light traps with impossible grace, her voice softly humming a protective melody. She reached a clearing where two contestants lay dead, their faces blank, twisted in confusion.
She barely had time to dodge the arrow meant for her.
"Who would sabotage a bard?" she hissed.
From the trees: "Someone who knows you're a threat."
She threw a dagger, missing the figure. They vanished. But now she was hunting them.
POV: Mo (Commenting from Faenet)
👤@MonkeyMoMagic: 💬"DID Y'ALL SEE THAT BITCH TRY TO FRY KAZRA?! 🐵🔥 Girl stayed hotter than the sun tho."
👤@MonkeyMoMagic: 💬"Nimra's got that ghost walk swag, someone call the fashion police she just slayed a saboteur like it's brunch."
👤@MonkeyMoMagic: 💬"FAENET BETS ARE WILD rn. I got 10 bananas on Red Bitch and 5 on Varnik surviving the mirror shitshow."
Rhiannan watched the chaos unfold with narrowed eyes.
"Someone inside the rebellion is sabotaging the trial," she whispered, rage thick in her voice.
Kaleb growled. "Then we flush them out. One by one."
Elisha snarled, smoke curling from his nostrils.
"They want to play dirty? Let them. We'll burn them out."
And in the distance, the maze kept shifting, groaning, hungry for more.