Chương 51: Vol. 2 - The Blackened Labyrinth

ISABELLA NIGHTFALL'S POV: It's been one year. But ever since that day, Brother has not been the same. Cold, distant, and patient. That's what he'd been towards Kaori and me. His patience was terrifying. His story is no longer a story of revenge. It is a story of answers. That's what I need too. Answers.

"Izzy, are you okay? You seem…distracted," Sophie's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Izzy?" I laughed, but on the inside, I was dying.

"Yep, Izzy sounds better than Ella!" Sophie grinned.

"That sounds much better!" I giggled. Claire raised an eyebrow. Had she noticed? But she didn't push further. From that dance session with Big Sis and Brother onwards, Claire reluctantly quit the Occult Research Club and joined the Entertainment Club with us. Every day after school, we would either practice our lines or dance together. That's right, lines. Sophie did not tell me that the Entertainment Club would involve all kinds of entertainment, such as acting and singing.

"Over the past two years, we sure have a big fan club," Sophie looked back at the students from Elementary School peering into our class 1-A.

"Mm, Elementary School sure was fun, but not as fun as Middle School." Claire twirled her hair, taking a sneak peek at the students crowding behind the classroom.

"We sure did well!" I high-fived all of them.

"I like the fact that Ms Lexi is still our teacher, but I like the fact that we're all in the same class the best!"

"Yeah!" They cheered. I am going to be thirteen now, and Brother's also going to be fifteen. I feel sorry for him. He didn't get the chance to go to school yet, not that he needs one. It's just that he doesn't have the experience of making friends, the adrenaline to rush to the canteen for food during the lunch break, or the excitement when it's the end of school. I'm doing quite well in my studies, I must say. Learning math was an easy task thanks to my past life.

I have been able to juggle my things better than expected. Since I had been in the hospital for so long and hadn't been able to return to Middle School, I thought that it would take me a while to get on track. But I seem to be coping just fine.

"Issie, I'm in a good mood to dance today," Sophie poked my arm.

"Yeah, let's try the new choreography for them," Claire smiled.

"Yeah! Let's do this!!" I said enthusiastically.

"Everyone!" I called from our classroom.

"LUMINARE will be performing live today after school at the Celestara Hall!! Make sure to be there!!!" I exclaimed. Cheers erupted from the corridor as students rushed to spread the news. ~~~~~~~~~~ ALISTAIR NIGHTFALL'S POV:"For the last time, we have investigated the body and have concluded that poison murdered him. There is no way that a simple boy such as you can tell that it is not." The forensic expert in front of us told us in annoyance. He wore a lab coat and had a frown plastered across his face.

"But I am no simple boy. Did Matron not tell you?" I questioned. I studied the body in front of me on the cold metal table once more. There were bluish-black veins all over his body. The veins looked as if they could pop soon. But if you studied the body clearly, you could observe that the veins nearer to the heart area were slightly thicker than the rest. They were roots that seemed to have anchored themselves around the heart before corrupting the entire body.

"Black Ivy poison typically appears in the stomach first before it spreads out, no?" I paced around the body.

"Yes," Artemis answered for him.

"And you said that the cause of his death is this poison, Black Ivy, right?" I looked at him.

"Yes," he answered, his frown deepening.

"Let's make a bet, shall we?" I stopped pacing right in front of him.

"If the cause is poison, you are right, and if not, I am right." I leaned in closer to him.

"For this bet, I will wager my life."

"Lord Nightfall," he wiped a cold sweat dripping down his forehead, "You…you are an important asset to Matron. If anything were to happen to yo——" I cut him off.

"Sir," I gestured to another forensic expert, "Bring me some of the extracted poison." The black substance was brought to me. Under the watchful gaze of everyone, I opened the cap and dipped a finger into the substance.

"Now, Black Ivy only takes five seconds to activate once consumed. Let's see who's correct."

"Lord Nightfall, please don't do this," He tried to stop me.

"Fine, you're correct!! Now stop——!!" Too late. I licked the substance off my finger. The countdown began. Everyone froze. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

"Of course, you are correct, Alistair," Artemis showed a relieved smile as she hurriedly checked my pulse. After a few seconds, she looked at the first forensic expert and said, "Pulse is as per normal."

"Ho—how?!" He took a step back, mouth agape.

"I told you," I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't see that.

"Now, do you want to know the true cause?"

"Ye–yes, please," he looked down, humbled.

"Look at the veins carefully," I traced one of the body's veins up to the heart.

"Do you see the difference between these two veins?" I pointed to a vein on his chest and another on his leg.

"Ye—yes, the top one is larger, and the bottom is smaller,""Yes," I said carefully.

"This can only mean that the roots are from the heart." Gasps erupted from the dark room.

"But that's impossible! Shouldn't it start from the stomach?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, listen carefully to what I am going to say next," I walked towards the forensic expert and said, "Poison rarely starts from the heart. Poisons that start from the heart are rare and expensive. The murderer is unlikely to go through so much trouble to kill him. This is how I concluded that the cause of death is not poison." I paused to let the words settle in.

"Cut open the body," I commanded.

"Wha—what?"

"I am not going to repeat myself twice." They cut open the body to find a black heart, just as I had expected.

"Turn the heart around," They did as they were told, revealing a huge cut on the back of the heart badly stitched up together.

"His body became immobile in the last five seconds of his life. He thought that they gave him Black Ivy, and his body responded. After they made sure that he was dead and there were traces of 'Black Ivy' on his body, they cut open his body. They could heal the wound on his body when they opened it, but didn't heal the heart." I explained.

"It would have been the perfect scheme if they had healed the wound on the heart. No one would know that he died by their hands, do you know why?" The forensic experts shook their heads. I reached my hand into the heart and pried it open. There was a small chip inside.

"Because they knew that I would investigate this case." I handed the chip to the forensic expert.

"Play it," I demanded. They placed the chip on the computer and ran it.

"Well done, 'Lord Nightfall'!!" The voice on the tape mocked as he clapped dramatically.

"I recognise this voice…" I mumbled as I took a step back in pure shock, though my face remained unfazed. No, no, no, it can't be! It can't be him!!

"Long time no see, Alistair, or should I call you Ace?" the voice smirked.

"I truly apologise for what happened the last time we met. Indeed, I must truly thank you for the hole in my chest!" he seemed sincere.

"Now, my boss was very upset with me the last time, you see. So…do me a favour and meet us at the highest level of The Blackened Labyrinth within the next seventy-two hours, will you? With your ability, I'm sure you can do it…" His voice trailed off. Lazarus. It had to be him.

"Since we have already found you, Alistair Nightfall, I'm sure you understand that we have also already found your sister, Isabella Nightfall. You do understand this situation, right? No matter where you go, we'll always find you!!" He laughed coldly.

"So why don't we strike a deal at the top of The Blackened Labyrinth? Oh yes, and of course, we'll give you answers. So come, will you? We'll have a great time together!!"

"Signing off, Project Atlas! Bye for now!!" He ended. A grim expression spread across my heart. It can't be true. It has only been two years, and they have already found us. It took them ten years to find Liora and Renar. Ugh, I can't even bear to say their name. But I knew that this was no deal. It was a threat. I wanted answers, no? They are here.

"Let's go," I grabbed Artemis's hand and dragged her out of the dark room.

"He–hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find Matron," I said firmly. ~~~~~~~~~~"Give me this mission to find the cause of that man's death." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Oh? You were so reluctant an hour ago." Matron smirked.

"What happened in there?"

"Artemis will answer that for me. I need to go now, I only have three days." I turned and headed towards the exit.

"Wait," Matron grabbed my hand. I turned back.

"It's not 'I'. It's 'we'. Artemis is going with you. It's too dangerous to go alone. Especially to the Blackened Labyrinth." So she was listening.

"Now go together."

"But she'd only slow me down," I said. I really didn't want anyone to listen to the secrets Project Atlas were about today."

"Nope, she's going with you." That bitch shook her head.

"Fine. Art, let's go!" I pulled her out of the casino and into a dark corner.

"Hahaha," Artemis giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You used my nickname for the first time," she smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Now, why are we in this dark corner? Are you going to violate me?" She laughed.

"You're thinking too much, and your name's too long." I wrapped my hand around her waist as a white magic circle appeared beneath our feet.

"We're going to teleport to my house." Her cheeks turned light pink, and she held on tightly to my arm as we dropped down the portal.

"Stella!" I called from the entrance of my home.

"Tell Ella and Big Sis that I'm going to find answers. I will be back in three days!"

"Myu!" She nodded and flew down.

"Good girl," I patted her head.

"Let's go," I told Artemis as we headed towards the train station nearby. ~~~~~~~~~~"Wow, this dungeon sure looks dangerous," Artemis stared in awe at The Blackened Labyrinth.

"It's even giving me chills. I like where this is going,""Yes, this Labyrinth," I corrected her.

"Looks like a significant challenge for us. Just the perfect thing to test myself."

"Mm," Artemis chewed on her lower lip.

"And on this mission, I'll call you Ace, and you'll call me Art, ok?" She smiled at me.

"It's easier this way." I nodded. In this dangerous mission, the least I need to worry about is long names. I looked at the blue sky one last time. It will be at least three days before I get to glance at the big blue sky once more.

"Let's go!" Artemis cocked her head and smiled at me. And we stepped into the shadows of the dungeon where only danger lurks.

"It's dark," I mumbled. Voom. A small ball of light appeared in Artemis's hand.

"This should do…" She glanced at me.

"Don't," I said flatly.

"It will attract monsters. Our eyes will adjust to the dark atmosphere soon anyway, just give them another minute or two." Poof. The ball of light vanished from her hand.

"Now follow my lead," I stepped close enough for her to feel the rhythm of my breathing.

"Towards your left is the wall of the dungeon. Follow the wall. I will be leading you." I commanded softly.

"How do you navigate this place?" Artemis asked curiously.

"I mean, you're sort of blind, right?" She was partially right. But I could not tell her the whole truth. Ever since I took off my blindfold for that Royal Ball, I haven't been able to control my eyes any longer. Removing my blindfold would result in everyone's death or their transportation to my god realm. Another side effect was that astralis would leak out of my eyes at a faster rate if I removed my blindfold. Valtheris proved himself right once again.

Taking my blindfold during that Royal Ball was probably the last time I could see natural light. Now, through my blindfold, I can only see everything in 'x-ray'form. Not that I can see through them, but they all looked black and white-ish. But another form I can see is their threads of fate; however, it drains too much astralis from me, and thus I won't use it unless I absolutely must.

"You forget that I have four other senses, Art," I stated calmly.

"Your skill in mastering at least two of the four is absurd!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Bend down," I suddenly whispered as I crouched down.

"Why? Ace, what's wrong?" Artemis looked at me, crawling slowly behind me. The roof of the tunnel brushed against our backs as we crawled through.

"No wonder this is a restricted zone," I muttered to myself.

"The real entrance was not outside," I stood up at the end of the tunnel.

"It was here all along," I gestured to the huge, empty room we were in.

"After the tunnel." Instantly, the lights in the room flickered on to reveal that it was an arena. There were thousands of bones in the arena. All the flesh that had once been on them had rotted away, leaving a prominent odour behind.

"Eww," Artemis pinched her nose to avoid the smell. On that note, all the bones flew to the seats in the arena, reassembling themselves to form skeletons jeering at us from the audience seats. Each skeleton strongly resembled a kid, as they waved a flag that read 'Project Atlas' with a symbol of a test tube above those words.

"Ah, I understand now," I murmured. Each kid in skeleton form was a kid who survived the experiments by Project Atlas and was sent here for probably their final and hardest trial. And judging by the numerous skeletons here, most failed.

"Roar!!!"A thunderous sound bellowed from another entrance opposite us. The skeletons started waving their flags frantically as they cheered for the monster that awaited us.

"..."

"Get ready, Art," I gripped the knife at my thigh holster tightly as I anticipated this noble creature that killed so many innocent children.

"Yes," Artemis replied as she took out her bow.

"Roar!!!!"A hideous creature yelled its battle cry as it charged at us at full speed.

"This will be a piece of cake," I told Artemis softly as I charged towards the creature. The cheering momentarily stopped as blood seeped from the cut I had made on the creature's neck. BOOOOOOM!!! The creature fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That was indeed an easy challenge," Artemis complimented as she high-fived me. But then— Crack. A faint, brittle sound echoed across the arena. The skeleton audience went silent. The creature's body twitched.

"…Ace?" Artemis' voice lowered. The pool of blood beneath the beast began to move. Not flow. Not spread. Move. Like it was crawling back toward the wound. The severed flesh stitched itself together with a sickening, wet sound. Bone snapped back into place. The torn muscle tightened. The gash at its neck sealed as if time itself had reversed. The creature's eyes snapped open. Red. Brighter than before.

"Roar!!!!" It surged back to its feet in one explosive motion.

"…Regeneration?" Artemis whispered.

"No." I tightened my grip on my knife.

"Not regeneration." Because regeneration consumes energy. This thing wasn't consuming. It was being restored. As if the arena itself refused to let it die. The skeleton children erupted into cheers again, waving their 'Project Atlas' flags wildly. I lunged forward once more, this time aiming for its joints—clean, precise strikes. Tendons severed. Knees shattered. Its arm fell off entirely. BOOOOOOM!!! It collapsed again. Silence. Then— Crack. Snap. Reform. The arm crawled back. The leg was reattached.

The joints sealed. It stood up once more. Unharmed. Artemis swallowed.

"Ace… that's the third time." I didn't respond. Instead, I felt it. My Astralis. Thinning. Every strike I made required reinforcement. Every dodge, every acceleration, every enhanced perception drained me. Even maintaining control over my sealed eyes consumed a constant stream of Astralis. And this arena… It was feeding the monster. Not us.

"Art," I said quietly, stepping back as the creature charged again.

"Stop using too much of your astralis. Minimise output."

"But—""Do it." She clenched her jaw but obeyed, switching to sharp, efficient bursts of magic rather than wide blasts. Still— It wasn't enough. The creature revived again. And again. Each time slightly stronger. Each time faster. Each time adapting to our previous method of killing it. The skeleton audience's chanting grew louder.

"Trial! Trial! Trial!" My breathing slowed. Measured. Controlled. I could feel the leak behind my blindfold intensifying. Astralis is slipping through like sand through fingers. I stepped back as the creature lunged once more, barely dodging its claws. My heel scraped against the arena floor. There it is. The source. The threads. Faint. Countless. Connected from the skeleton audience… to the monster. And all of them… tied to something deeper beneath the arena. This wasn't a monster. It was a puppet.

Artemis stumbled, nearly getting caught by its tail.

"Ace!" I caught her by the wrist and pulled her back just in time. The creature roared again. Stronger. Weaker. Both. Our Astralis reserves were falling dangerously low. At this rate, we would collapse before it did. And if I lost control here— Everyone in this dungeon would either die… Or be dragged into my god realm. I can't take the risk of dying in here without knowing the answers.

"…Art," I said softly. She looked at me. For the first time since entering the Labyrinth, I felt fear in her.

"If I tell you to close your eyes," I continued calmly, "you must not open them. No matter what you hear. No matter what you feel." Her fingers tightened around her bow.

"…Ace?" The creature charged again. The skeletons screamed in delight. My Astralis was almost empty. I exhaled slowly.

"… I have no choice but to do it." My hand rose to my back. And the creature's roar cut through the arena as my fingers gripped onto the silver blade of my Twin Blades of Choice. Slash. My blade cut through the threads. Time— Stilled. Not slowed. Not distorted. Stilled. The instant my silver blade sliced through the invisible threads binding the creature to the arena, a soundless tremor rippled across the entire chamber. The monster froze mid-roar. Its claws are inches from my throat.

Its red eyes flickered— Then shattered. Not physically. Conceptually. The threads I had cut were not flesh. Not magic. They were contracts. Thousands of fine, translucent strands stretching from the skeleton audience… to the creature… and deeper still beneath the arena floor. Each strand pulsed with borrowed Astralis — stolen from the children who had failed here.

"Crack." The skeletons stopped cheering. Their flags dropped from their brittle hands. The creature's body began to tremble violently. Artemis stared.

"Ace… what did you just—""Don't move," I said calmly, though my pulse was thundering in my ears. The Twin Blades of Choice hummed. This was not a weapon meant to cut bodies. It cuts decisions. Fate. Bindings. And when you cut fate— Something must replace it. The threads writhed like severed nerves. Where I had sliced, darkness leaked out — not shadow, not smoke — but the absence of imposed will. The creature convulsed. For a brief moment, I saw it clearly. Not as a monster. But as a child. A boy, perhaps twelve.

Experiment number branded into his skin. Eyes hollowed by fear. Project Atlas. The arena wasn't reviving the monster. It was forcing the children to relive their final trial again and again — their Astralis recycled to maintain this endless execution. My jaw tightened. The threads tried to reconnect. I slashed again. And again. Each cut burned through my remaining Astralis like wildfire. The skeleton audience began to collapse one by one as their bindings dissolved.

Bones clattered onto stone, no longer animated by artificial purpose. The monster let out one final roar— Then its body cracked from the inside. Light seeped through its skin. Not red. White. Pure. The form shattered into drifting particles. Silence fell over the arena. No revival. No reassembly. No chanting. Just stillness. The oppressive weight in the air lifted. Artemis slowly lowered her bow.

"…It's over?" she whispered. I didn't answer immediately. Because my knees nearly gave out. Cutting threads of fate is not free. I had not simply killed a creature. I had severed a system. And systems resist. A deep rumble echoed beneath the arena floor. The ground cracked. From below, something ancient stirred — something far larger than the puppet we had just destroyed. The true source. The core of the Labyrinth. A voice reverberated through the chamber, neither male nor female, neither alive nor dead.

"Unauthorised severance detected." The arena walls began to shift. Rearrange. Rebuild. Artemis grabbed my arm.

"Ace… what did you wake up?" I steadied myself, forcing Astralis to stabilise my stance.

"…The one pulling the strings." Of course, she couldn't understand. She can't see the Twin Blades, not unless I allow it. The floor beneath us split open, revealing a spiral descent into darkness far deeper than the dungeon we entered. My grip tightened around the Twin Blades. I had cut the branches. Now the root had noticed. And it was not pleased.