Chapter 155 LABYRINTH OF TRIALS
Chapter 155 LABYRINTH OF TRIALS
CHAPTER 155
LANCE
I stood at the entrance and read the sign carefully. It said GROUP MAZE COMPETITION — TEAMS OF TWO OR MORE. FIRST TO REACH THE CENTRE WINS. I took in the three exits branching out from the open area. The visible walls already moved slowly on stone tracks, grinding faintly in the distance. The air carried a dry, dusty smell from all the shifting rock.
Ember barely glanced at any of it. She looked at the three exits for maybe two seconds, then turned to me with that determined spark in her eyes.
“We should go in together,” she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“Agreed,” I replied, keeping my voice steady even as warmth spread through my chest at how quickly she decided.
She walked straight into the middle exit without another look. I followed right behind her, my eyes already scanning the walls for any early shifts.
......
Four minutes later, the walls moved for the first time. We were halfway down a corridor when the low grinding sound started.
Before I could fully react, a heavy stone wall slid between us with a deep rumble that vibrated through the floor. I pressed both palms flat against the cold, rough surface immediately, feeling the residual movement in the rock.
“Ember,” I called out, pressing harder so the vibration carried.
“I’m here,” she called back. Her voice came through muffled but close. “The wall just moved on me. And now I'm separated from you.”
I chuckled at her last words. “I know we're separated, but we won't be for long. Don’t touch the wall to your left. It’s going to move too. Step right,” I ordered firmly, reading the faint tremors under my hands.
There was a short pause. “How do you know?”
“Earth magic. The stone vibrates before it shifts. Step right now,” I explained, my tone calm to keep her steady.
Another pause, then I heard the shuffle of her boots on the stone floor. The left wall ground sideways a moment later. I felt the shift travel through my palms, the cool rock scraping past.
I knew she'd earth magic but I also know she can barely use it besides I was used to playing the labyrinth by now. Having constantly come here with Rowan had made me master it. Instead of stressing about it now, I might as well just inform her about it.
“The corridor you’re in runs straight for about thirty feet,” I continued, focusing on the density changes in the stone. “Then it opens into a room. Stay straight. Don’t turn until you’re in the room.”
“What room?” she called, her voice echoing slightly.
“I’ll find out when I get there,” I returned, already moving along my side of the split to find the junction.
I worked my way back, waited for the gap between shifts, and slipped through when the stones pulled apart just enough.
My heart beat a little faster knowing she was on the other side, but I pushed the worry down. I would get to her.
......
We found each other again in a puzzle room about ten minutes later. I heard her first — a sharp huff of frustration followed by a loud click as a lock reset.
I turned the corner and saw her standing in front of a pressure plate grid, hands planted firmly on her hips, jaw clenched tight.
“It locked again,” she complained with a scowl plastered on her face —not looking at me right away, her shoulders tense.
I walked over and stood beside her, close enough to feel the warmth coming off her body. “How many times?” I asked gently.
“Three.” She paused, brushing a strand of hair from her face and frowned deeply. “Maybe four.” she shrugged.
I crouched down and examined the tiles from the side, the faint symbols becoming visible at the right angle.
She walked straight onto it. Of course she did.
The thought made a soft smile tug at my lips. I loved how she charged forward without hesitation. It made me fall for her even more, every single time.
“The tiles have symbols,” I pointed at it. “You have to read them before you step.”
She crouched beside me. Her shoulder brushed mine lightly, and the familiar scent of vanilla mixed with the dusty air filled my nose. She squinted hard at the floor.
“I can’t see anything,” she said, tilting her head closer.
“Tilt your head,” I told her softly. “Don’t look straight down. Sideways.”
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing in concentration. “Oh,” she breathed. “There they are.”
The lock reset countdown hit zero and released with a click. I mapped the safe path quickly through the stone’s subtle differences under my palm.
“Second tile from the left, front row,” I said. “Then directly behind it. Then the corner tile on the right.”
She stood up without question and stepped onto each one in order, her movements careful now. The door opened with a heavy groan.
She turned and smiled at me, bright and genuine, before walking through.
Every single time she does that it does something to my heart that I have absolutely no sensible explanation for.
Her smile hit me deep, making me fall harder without even trying.
I got up and followed, my eyes lingering on her back.
......
The third corridor had a junction with a clear sign on the wall that said RIGHT in large letters. Ember turned left without pausing.
“The sign said right,” I called, shock laced in my tone while trying to catch up to her.
She stopped, turned around, and looked at the sign she had passed, then back at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t see it.”
“It was on the wall,” I replied, keeping my tone light. “It's in large letters.”
She considered it for a moment, biting her lip. “Left felt more right.”
Left felt more right.
Unbelievable! Is she being serious now?
I said nothing. Her little mix-ups, the way she followed her gut even when it led her wrong was really cute. Never seen anyone who's so headstrong about their decision even though it means doing the wrong thing.
We went back and turned right together.
......
The second puzzle room had a circular lock with four slots marked by elemental symbols and small stone objects beside it. Ember picked up the wave-shaped stone and placed it straight into the fire slot.
“That’s water,” I said, stepping closer and resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.
She frowned at the stone, turning it in her hands. “The shape is pointy at the top. I think it's the fire element.”
“Waves are pointy at the top,” I returned, my voice warm with amusement.
She turned it over again, genuinely thinking about it. She commands three elements. She’s looking at a wave and deciding it might be fire.
Typical Ember behavior
I reached over gently, my fingers brushing hers as I moved the stone to the water slot. I placed the flame stone in the fire slot, the leaf in the earth slot, and the feather in the air slot.
The lock clicked open smoothly.
Ember looked at the open door, then at me. “I was going to get there though. You didn't give me enough time to think about it properly.” She pouted
“I know,” I said, smiling at her softly and squeezing her shoulder once before letting go. “We don't have time to waste, Ember.”
“That's not fair Lance.” She rolled her eyes at me.
I laughed and she hissed lightly before walking through. I followed, my gaze staying on her longer than necessary.
......
The walls shifted twice more in the next corridors. I kept my hand pressed against the stone each time, reading the vibrations four seconds ahead. Ember watched closely the second time, her eyes focused.
“You can feel them before they move?” she asked, stepping nearer.
“The stone vibrates right before it shifts,” I explained. “If you keep your palm flat against it and call on your earth powers, you will catch it.”
She pressed her hand against the nearest wall and waited, brows furrowed in concentration. Her eyes went wide suddenly. “I felt something.”
“Left wall,” I told her quickly, guiding her back with a gentle hand on her arm. “Step away from it.”
She stepped away just as the wall ground three feet to the left. She stared at the empty space, then turned to me with that soft, admiring look that always hit me right in the chest.
“You’re incredibly observant,” she complimented with a huge grin. “I notice it all the time. You see things before they happen.”
Don’t say anything. Just keep moving. Her words warmed me, making every protective instinct flare stronger.
“It’s just my Earth magic,” I answered instead. “The ground tells you things if you’re paying attention. And you should Ember instead of making clumsy decisions. That's the point of this game. It's a maze not a child's game.”
She rolled her eyes again, “Whatever. Why do I need to be serious when I've you by my side?” She winked at me.
My heart fluttered and began thudding faster. Oh shit! I think my heart is going to combust at this stage
I just kept looking at her without being able to mutter a word. My tongue was tied.
I turned toward the next corridor. “Come on.”
......
The walls shifted one last time in the final corridor, moving in three directions at once. I lost her again. I pressed my palms to the stone and tracked her vibrations. She was moving fast.
She’s going the wrong way.
“Ember,” I called out, panic laced in my tone.
“I’m fine!” she called back, voice already distant. “I found a gap.”
“The gap leads back to the second corridor,” I shouted.
A pause. “It does not,” she said, sounding less sure.
“It does,” I returned. “The wall pattern loops there. Come back.”
A longer pause, then the sound of her footsteps turning around. I found the right junction and stepped into the wide circular center. A fountain bubbled quietly in the middle with a banner overhead that read WELL DONE — YOU REACHED THE CENTRE.
Ember came through the opposite entrance thirty seconds later, breathing hard, strands of hair falling loose from her braid and sticking to her flushed cheeks.
She looked at the banner, then at me. Her face lit up completely. “We won?” she asked, eyes shining.
“We got here first,” I confirmed, stepping closer to her.
She took in the whole room and whooped loudly, throwing her hands up in the air and whirling wildly. “We won!”
I smiled, my eyes watching her warmly. Gabriel purred deeply at the sight of her doing her victory dance. I like it when she's happy.
She stopped dancing and turned back to me. Her expression softened in that rare, unguarded way. “Thank you,” she smiled. “For staying with me. You could have navigated this faster alone.”
“Probably,” I agreed, though I would never have left her.
She stared at me. “That was supposed to be a polite thing to say.”
“You turned left when the sign said right,” I listed gently, a small smile on my face. “Put the water stone in the fire slot. Not only that but you walked onto a pressure grid without reading it. Four separate times.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then she burst out laughing, full and loud, the sound echoing around the circular room.
She dropped down onto the edge of the fountain, still laughing and wiping at the corner of her eye.
I sat across from her on the stone rim, watching every movement. This is what I’d go through any maze for with her henceforth. Not the winning. This.
Her laugh, her silly mistakes, the way she lit up afterward… each one pulled me deeper.
She settled, still smiling. “What?” she asked, catching me staring.
The words I had held back gathered strong in my chest. I’m in love with you. Not just fond. Not just protective. The real kind that had grown since the apple garden, every training session, every quiet moment I watched her when she didn’t know.
“I could have navigated it alone faster but did you seriously think I'd leave you all by yourself?” I replied instead, voice low.
Her cheek turned into a deeper shade of pink but she didnt say any word.
“The others are going to be insufferable when they get here and find us already done.”
She grinned wide. “Magnus especially.”
“Magnus especially,” I agreed, my eyes staying on her face.
I sat there across from her on the fountain edge and said nothing more, letting the quiet moment stretch while my thoughts stayed fixed on her.