80th Lower Level floor
"So, this is the 80th underground floor, huh? It's just a bunch of monsters." Razen muttered as she cut down monsters one by one.
"If you keep moving like that, no one will ever court you. Haha!" Rise teased as he fought his own share of monsters.
"Shut up! I don't need a man to protect me, you idiot!" Razen snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Calm down, Razen. Rise is just saying that no matter how tough you act, you're still a girl," Mitchel said, though she understood why Razen reacted that way. Since childhood, Razen had always been treated like a boy, building walls around her heart.
"By the way, Razen, did you watch the recording of the battle between your father and Rosalind… Oh, and that guy, Mixarnt?" Rise asked with a smirk.
"Tch, what's it to you?" Razen replied, irritated. In truth, after watching the match, she had developed a crush on Mixarnt. But there was no way she could admit it, especially when Mixarnt seemed close to Rosalind, an honor student at the academy. Unlike her, who was seen as a delinquent.
"Just saying! Mixarnt was so cool!" Rise said with a grin.
"...Yeah... he is," Razen murmured under her breath.
"Huh? What was that—Whoa!" Rise started to ask but was interrupted as the ground trembled violently beneath them.
"Razen! Rise! We need to get out of here!" Mitchel shouted as a flood of monsters emerged from the darkness. Without hesitation, she activated a return scroll, teleporting them all to safety.
A Few Minutes Earlier in the 30th Lower Level.
"Ahh! W-wait! Please! We're already on the 30th basement floor, why do you want me to go even deeper?" a desperate participant pleaded.
"Because we said so. Haha." Leandro, a noble, sneered before kicking the girl to the ground. She let out a pained cry as the other nobles either laughed, looked away, or simply didn't care.
A few commoners who had just arrived witnessed the scene. They wanted to help, but they knew they weren't strong enough to interfere.
"B-but I'm a noble too, just like you guys!" Liva protested, her voice trembling. She only had basic flame magic at her disposal, but she refused to back down.
Leandro scoffed. "Hah! You're joking, right? Your family is drowning in debt. You live in a run-down house now. The only thing you have left is your noble title, and even that will be taken from you soon."
Liva's face went pale. "I-if I give up on the Aether Knights' trial now, I'll really lose my status! My family is counting on me—ugh!"
Before she could finish, a participant with stealth abilities struck her hard in the stomach. Another kicked her, sending her rolling across the ground.
"Now, be a good girl and step into the 31st floor," one noble taunted.
"Hey. Was that really necessary?" Erenesto spoke up, his tone sharp. While he held little regard for commoners, he had even less respect for nobles who hid behind their titles, especially those who used their authority to harm others instead of protecting them.
"Mind your own business, Erenesto. Or do you want to clash with our group?" Leandro said, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.
"Tch. You guys just can't—" Erenesto's words were cut short as a violent tremor shook the entire maze. The ground rumbled beneath their feet, and even the other participants froze in fear and confusion.
"Haha! What, a little tremor got everyone scared?" the bully sneered, laughing with the others. "Relax, it'll stop soon. Now quit stalling, Liva,get your pathetic self to the 31st floor!"
Liva gasped for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks as panic gripped her chest. She couldn't believe this was happening, being bullied, pushed toward the perilous 31st floor. Clutching her stomach, she struggled to stay upright as the tremors intensified, each shake making her legs wobble. Around her, cruel laughter echoed, nobles mocking her pain, relishing her helplessness.
Just as despair began to consume her, from the darkness, a shadow soldier emerged, its form coalescing into something solid, standing protectively at her side.
Then, a commanding voice rang out across the crumbling maze, enhanced by magic.
"EVERYONE! Take the participants with you and use your return scrolls, quickly!" Leoric's voice boomed.
The shadow soldiers scattered like silent phantoms, moving with precision and urgency, making sure no one was left behind as the labyrinth shook and began to fall apart.
"Hold on," the shadow soldier said, its voice calm but urgent. Before Liva could react, the soldier activated a teleportation scroll, and the world around her blurred. In an instant, she was outside the maze, surrounded by other participants who had also been evacuated.
Outside the Maze
Leoric, Kalavan, Isolde, and Xacion stood outside the tent, their eyes wide with shock as they watched the Aether Maze disintegrate part by part. Kalavan turned to a nearby knight, his voice sharp. "What the hell is happening!?"
The knight shook his head, equally bewildered. "I don't know, sir! The maze just started collapsing out of nowhere!"
Leoric's expression was grim as he watched the destruction unfold. "This isn't natural. Something, or someone triggered this." He turned to Isolde and Xacion. "We need to ensure everyone is safe. Isolde, have your cleric knights ready to heal anyone who's injured. Xacion, help the shadow soldiers with the evacuation."
Isolde nodded, her usual calm demeanor intact despite the chaos. "Understood." She quickly began issuing orders to her cleric knights, who moved to assist the evacuees.
Xacion, however, seemed more intrigued than concerned. "This is... unexpected. I wonder what could have caused this." He glanced at the collapsing maze, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Perhaps Merlin's final work has finally been uncovered." he muttered.
Kalavan shot him a glare. "This isn't the time for your cryptic musings, Xacion. We need to focus on getting everyone out safely."
In the Royal Capital
The tremors reached the capital, though they were less intense than at the epicenter. Still, the people panicked, their fear palpable as they looked to the knights for reassurance. The knights worked quickly to maintain order, their training and discipline keeping the situation from escalating.
"Stay calm! Everything is under control!" a knight shouted, his voice steady as he directed the crowd to safer areas. Despite the chaos, the people trusted their protectors, and the panic began to subside.
In the Throne Room
The generals and advisors gathered in the throne room were equally stunned. The magical screens that had been displaying the maze's interior now showed only static as the labyrinth collapsed. Sunshine and Althea exchanged worried glances, while Percival and the others tried to make sense of the situation.
"Sunshine, what's happening!?" Althea asked, her voice trembling with concern.
"I don't know!" Sunshine replied, her fists clenched. "But whatever it is, it's bad." she said, worried about Mixarnt who's been missing for some time now.
Percival crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Something happened inside the Aether Maze… and it wasn't just a simple collapse. This is total disintegration." His gaze shifted to the screen, where the image of the maze dissolving into nothingness played out in eerie silence.
In the Viewing Box
The King, Queen, along with the former generals and Eclipse, watched in stunned silence as the Aether Maze fell apart. The King turned to his advisors, his voice filled with urgency. "What is happening!? How could the Aether Maze just start collapsing like this?"
Amon and Lyandra exchanged uneasy glances. "We don't know, Your Majesty," Amon admitted. "This is unprecedented."
Eclipse, however, remained focused on the screen, her sharp eyes scanning for any clues. She had a sinking feeling that this was connected to Mixarnt. "Something triggered this," she said quietly. "And I have a feeling it's related to the one participant who disappeared earlier."
Gundrik, his face pale, stepped forward. "This is bad. We need to cancel the trial immediately. The safety of the participants is our top priority."
Lancelot nodded in agreement. "Leoric is there. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to ensure everyone's safety. But the Aether Maze... it's gone."
Theron clenched his fists, his heart sinking. "The Aether Maze was our last hope of finding Arthur… and now it's gone." His voice trembled, the weight of losing their only lead crashing over him like a wave of despair.
Xavier placed a hand on Theron's shoulder, his expression somber. "We'll find another way, Theron. We have to believe that."
Lancelot remained silent, his thoughts turning to the possibility that this was fate's way of telling them to let go. But he didn't voice his thoughts, knowing how much it would hurt the others, especially Theron.
As the last remnants of the Aether Maze that is above ground dissolved into light, the once-proud labyrinth was no more. The participants, now safely evacuated, gathered outside, their faces a mix of relief and confusion. The generals and advisors began the arduous task of assessing the damage and ensuring that no one had been left behind.
The magical screens flickered back to life, and the people of Aetherlight watched in awe as the scene unfolded. Sunshine, now at the scene, standing among the evacuated participants, scanned the area frantically. "He's not here!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with panic. Her golden flame eyes darted around, but Mixarnt was nowhere to be seen.
In the viewing box, Eclipse's usual composed demeanor cracked for the first time as she stared at the screen. Her sharp eyes narrowed as she realized Mixarnt was missing. "Don't tell me you weren't able to escape," she muttered, her voice low but filled with worry. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for the Sovereign Sword.
Just then, a notification window appeared in front of both Sunshine and Eclipse. The message was brief but urgent: "You are being summoned. Do you accept?" The screen was visible only to them, and without hesitation, they both selected "Yes."