Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Labyrinth of Ash
The newly opened corridor stretched deep into the ancient temple.
Dim golden runes illuminated the stone walls, casting long shadows that twisted across the ground as the challengers walked forward. The air inside the ruins had grown colder, heavier—almost as if the temple itself were breathing slowly around them.
Aether walked quietly at the front of the group.
Beside him, the Fla Sovereign Pup moved with silent confidence, its twin fla tails swaying gently behind it. The beast’s golden eyes scanned every corner of the corridor.
Behind them followed the other challengers.
Rylan walked a few steps behind Aether, while the female adventurer—who had earlier summoned the shadow panther—kept to the side, observing everyone carefully.
Lucien walked last.
His expression remained calm, but his eyes constantly shifted toward Aether with undisguised hostility.
The second trial had ended.
But it had only deepened the rivalry growing inside the ruins.
---
After several minutes of walking, the corridor suddenly widened into a vast underground hall.
Everyone slowed down instinctively.
The chamber was enormous.
The ceiling rose nearly twenty ters high, supported by massive stone pillars carved with ancient symbols. But what caught everyone’s attention was the floor.
Instead of a simple stone surface, the ground was divided into countless square platforms arranged in an enormous grid.
Each platform contained glowing runes.
Hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
Rylan frowned.
"This doesn’t look good."
Lucien crossed his arms confidently.
"Another trial, obviously."
As if responding to his words, the ancient voice echoed once again through the chamber.
"Trial Three will now begin."
Golden light surged through the grid-like floor.
"Trial Three: The Labyrinth of Ash."
The runes brightened.
Then the voice continued.
"Each challenger must reach the inner sanctum."
"Paths will shift."
"Guardians will awaken."
"Only those who survive may proceed."
The mont the voice finished speaking—
The platforms began moving.
Stone blocks slid across the floor with thunderous grinding sounds.
Walls rose suddenly from hidden chanisms.
Within seconds the open chamber transford completely.
A massive labyrinth had ford.
Tall stone walls surrounded countless pathways that twisted and turned in every direction.
And worst of all—
The challengers were separated.
---
Aether stopped moving when the stone walls suddenly rose between them.
In front of him stretched a narrow corridor made from black stone.
Behind him, the path that had led to the others was now sealed completely.
He was alone.
The Fla Sovereign Pup looked around carefully, its flas flickering brighter.
Aether calmly placed his hand on its head.
"Stay alert."
The labyrinth was silent.
Too silent.
But Aether knew that wouldn’t last long.
Because the ruins had clearly ntioned **guardians**.
And ancient ruins never used that word lightly.
---
anwhile, sowhere else in the labyrinth—
Rylan stood in a narrow stone passage.
His serpent beast coiled around his shoulders.
"Well," he sighed.
"Guess we’re doing this solo."
He looked around the maze.
The walls were tall and smooth, impossible to climb.
Even worse, faint mist drifted through the corridors.
It limited visibility to only a few ters ahead.
Rylan muttered quietly.
"This place is creepy."
---
Elsewhere, Lucien walked confidently through another section of the labyrinth.
His armored wolf followed closely.
Unlike the others, Lucien looked excited.
"Perfect."
He smiled slightly.
"No one to interfere."
He clenched his fist.
"If I reach the center first..."
"The inheritance will be mine."
---
Back in Aether’s corridor, the silence finally broke.
A faint scraping sound echoed from ahead.
The Fla Sovereign Pup growled softly.
Aether stopped walking.
The sound grew louder.
Then sothing stepped out from the mist.
A creature.
Its body resembled a giant stone soldier, but cracks along its armor glowed with burning orange energy.
The guardian’s eyes lit up as it saw Aether.
It raised a massive blade made of black stone.
Aether studied it calmly.
"A ruin guardian."
The creature roared and charged forward.
Its footsteps shook the corridor.
But Aether remained calm.
"Crimson Step."
The Fla Sovereign Pup vanished.
In the next instant it reappeared beside the guardian.
Flas erupted around its claws.
One swift strike.
The guardian’s arm shattered instantly.
But the creature did not fall.
Instead, the cracks along its body glowed brighter.
Its power increased.
Aether’s eyes sharpened slightly.
"It gets stronger after taking damage."
Interesting.
The Fla Sovereign Pup attacked again.
This ti flas spiraled around the guardian’s legs.
The heat lted parts of the stone armor.
But the guardian swung its remaining arm violently.
The corridor exploded with debris.
Aether stepped aside easily.
"Finish it."
The Fla Sovereign Pup leaped into the air.
A blazing ring of fire ford around its body.
"Fla Crown."
The attack struck directly at the guardian’s chest.
The explosion shattered the creature completely.
Stone fragnts scattered across the corridor.
Silence returned.
The Fla Sovereign Pup wagged its tails proudly.
But Aether frowned slightly.
Because sothing else had appeared.
A glowing rune on the floor.
He stepped closer.
The rune pulsed gently.
Then the ancient voice whispered quietly inside the corridor.
"Guardian defeated."
"Path adjusted."
Suddenly the walls shifted again.
New pathways opened deeper into the labyrinth.
The maze was alive.
Constantly changing.
---
Far below the ruins...
Inside the sealed core chamber...
The mysterious being watched everything through magical projections floating in the air.
Its crimson eyes glowed softly.
It sat lazily against the glowing barrier that imprisoned it.
Long black hair flowed down its shoulders like dark silk.
And behind its back folded wings rested quietly.
A true demon.
It watched the challengers moving through the labyrinth.
So struggled.
So fought desperately.
But its attention remained fixed on one person.
Aether.
It smiled slightly as it watched him defeat the guardian with calm efficiency.
"So composed..."
After tapped its finger against the glowing seal.
"You’re different from the others."
It had observed countless challengers over the centuries.
Greedy humans.
Arrogant warriors.
Desperate adventurers.
All seeking the power sealed within the ruins.
But Aether was different.
His soul felt strange.
Ancient.
Powerful.
And sothing about his presence disturbed the very laws of the ruins.
Even the sealing system had recognized him as an anomaly.
It smile grew slightly wider.
"How interesting."
---
Back in the labyrinth, Aether continued moving deeper.
He passed through several shifting corridors.
Defeated two more guardians.
And encountered several traps.
Fla jets.
Falling stone blades.
Collapsing floors.
But none of them slowed him for long.
His calm decision-making and the Fla Sovereign Pup’s precise control allowed them to overco each obstacle efficiently.
Eventually the corridor widened into a larger chamber.
And this ti—
He was not alone.
Rylan stood near the center of the room.
His serpent beast imdiately raised its head when it saw Aether.
Rylan sighed in relief.
"Well, that’s good timing."
Aether nodded slightly.
"Found your way here too."
Rylan laughed weakly.
"Barely."
He pointed toward the corridor behind him.
"That place is full of those stone guardians."
Aether nodded.
"I noticed."
Rylan looked around the chamber carefully.
"So... what do you think this room is?"
As if answering him—
The floor suddenly lit up.
Golden symbols appeared beneath their feet.
And the ancient voice echoed again.
"Two challengers have reached the mid-point."
"Trial Three continues."
The walls trembled.
Then two massive stone doors opened.
One behind Aether.
One behind Rylan.
But from the darkness beyond the doors...
Heavy footsteps approached.
Sothing far larger than the previous guardians.
Sothing stronger.
Rylan slowly summoned his serpent again.
"I’m guessing..."
"This is the next part of the trial."
Aether remained calm.
"Yes."
From the darkness, two enormous figures erged.
Elite ruin guardians.
Each nearly three ters tall.
Each carrying massive weapons.
The real battle of the labyrinth had just begun.
---
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