(Paul POV)
After a night of restless thoughts and tense anticipation, we gathered our things and set out again. This time, following Kagami's instructions, we retraced our steps back to the tower. The city's eerie silence pressed against us like a thick fog, every sound muffled by ancient, unseen weight.
Reaching the base of the tower, we turned in the opposite direction from before. The landscape shifted as we moved.
The massive, alien buildings that had loomed over us began to shrink. From towering, unnatural monoliths, they declined to five stories, then four — until the tallest barely reached three.
It wasn't just the buildings. The claustrophobic layout loosened, streets widening, lines of sight clearing in an unsettling, calculated way.
Roxy walked ahead, her sharp eyes sweeping the strange horizon."This area… it's different. It feels like it's guiding us somewhere."
Eris scowled. "Or maybe it's just a different part."
Roxy shot her a look. "In this Labyrinth? Nothing's coincidence."
Ruijerd's posture stiffened, his brow furrowing."The air's changed. It's… clearer."
I exhaled. "Whatever it means, stay alert. We don't know what's ahead."
Elinalise smirked. "And yet we keep walking straight in."
Zenith's gaze met mine, worry flickering there."Paul… are you sure?"
I hesitated — just a second."It's what Kagami said. Whether we trust him or not… it's our lead."
Zenith sighed, but didn't argue.
The further we walked, the stranger it became. The unfinished buildings seemed abandoned mid-construction. Some walls stood half-formed, windows missing, roofs incomplete.
Ruijerd's hand shot up."Stop."
We froze.
"What is it?" I asked, pulse quickening.
His gaze cut toward a wide alley. Unlike the narrow, menacing ones we'd seen, this was broad enough for us all. But something about it sent a chill down my spine.
"There's something ahead. No hostility… but something."
A lump rose in my throat as I met the others' uneasy stares.
"Proceed carefully."
Weapons drawn, we pressed on.
The city stretched endlessly — strange, lifeless, unnatural. The sameness of the structures, the absence of any visible end, made my skin crawl.
"This place…" Roxy murmured. "Labyrinths have structure. Entrance, middle, exit. This… feels endless."
Zenith brushed hair from her face. "I've been thinking the same. It's like we're walking in circles."
"You're overthinking it," Eris grumbled. "We just haven't found the end."
"If there even is one," Elinalise added.
Then we saw it.
A building, distinct from the rest.
It stood alone, a wide, open yard before it, strange metal poles rising like skeletal fingers. Three stories tall, its symmetrical rows of windows gave it an eerie, unnatural order — as though built for people long gone.
I narrowed my eyes. "This is… different."
Roxy stepped closer, frowning."Not a fortress. Not a guild. It reminds me of an academy… but wrong."
Ruijerd grunted. "Not a castle. Not a fortress."
Eris crossed her arms. "So what? It's just another building."
Roxy shook her head. "No. If the Labyrinth made this, it means something. It's a clue… or a trap."
I gripped my sword. "Either way, we check it out."
The ground here was paved, a clear path leading to twin slabs of smooth, handleless stone. Ruijerd pushed one, and it groaned open like it had waited for us.
Inside, the halls stretched unnaturally long, lined with identical doors. The mana in the air made my skin prickle.
"Too empty," Ruijerd murmured, scanning the gloom. "Be ready."
We pressed deeper. Some doors hung open, revealing strange rooms: rows of chairs, long tables, boards covered in incomprehensible markings. Some looked hastily abandoned.
Then we turned a corner — and stopped dead.
A long chamber stretched before us, lined with crude stone figures.
At first glance, they were statues—humanoid, pale, unpolished. But many were incomplete—some with half-formed faces, others headless. Some even had beastfolk traits like ears or tails. There were even some with horns and wings. A few seemed caught mid-motion, arms half-raised, frozen in some eerie moment. Dark streaks veined the stone, making it feel… almost alive.
Zenith hugged herself from the udder creepiness. "What… are they?"
Ghislaine stepped forward, her fingers brushing the rough surface. Her gaze darkened.
"I've seen this before. Rudeus used to make figures like these with his Magic. He liked giving them details."
Silence.
Roxy's face softened. "He did… I remember those. He made those to practice his Earth Magic finesse."
"They aren't even finished." Eris scoffed. "Are they his?"
"No," Ghislaine agreed. "But the style… it does seem like his work."
A cold dread settled in. This wasn't decoration. It was an echo. Rudy made these. And that means he is here.
I swallowed hard."Let's move."
No one argued.
And then, at the end of the hall, we found a slightly open door, flickering light spilling through. My heart hammered. I stepped forward, sword tight in my grip, and pushed.
In the center of the room, a massive grey crystal stood. Smooth, threaded with dark veins pulsing faintly. Those veins stretched from its base, cracking the floor, threading into walls. Faint runes glowed and flickered, ancient, alive. The entire room thrummed like a heartbeat.
And inside the crystal—
"Rudy…"
Suspended. Mid-motion. Some of the veins coursed through his body. Arms slightly out, face peaceful — too peaceful.
Zenith gasped, rushing forward, pressing her hands to the cold surface. "Rudy! No… no, no…"
I stepped forward, palm flat to the surface. It was deathly cold.
Not a prison.
A grotesque, deliberate construct.
This feels like a bad dream. I would still have doubted it if I hadn't seen it myself.
But now my eyes feast on the sight of my son and how the actions of a masked scumbag put him in this situation.
The veins on this crystal. Are they letting mana course through, or is it this soul energy? And how much... are they holding them?
I raised my sword, trembling, aiming for the thick, black-veined root nearest his prison. But a hand caught my wrist.
Ghislaine. Her grip was iron, eyes fierce. She didn't speak. She didn't have to.
Think. That's what she was trying to tell me.
The hum of the crystal filled the room, pulsing around us.
Finally, she spoke, low and steady."If you strike now… you might kill him."
I wanted to scream. But her gaze cut through the panic.
I exhaled, lowering the blade.
She let go.
The others gathered, whispering strategy, Zenith's soft sobs filling the space.
I crouched beside her, her trembling hand clinging to my sleeve.
"You stay," I murmured. "Be here when he wakes up."
She gripped tighter."Paul… what if—"
"No 'what if.' We're bringing him home. That's all there is."
I rose, facing the others. The weight of years, of regrets and failures, pressed down.
But none of it mattered. It was about him. My son, Rudeus Greyrat.
I turned back one last time.
"I'm sorry it took me so long, son," I whispered. "But I'm here now."
I took a breath, steadying myself.
"We're getting you out."
///