Every corner, every shadow, every echo could be another team—or a trap. And in thirty minutes… only those in a safe zone would survive.
The maze awaited.
---
The corridors stretched endlessly, the air thick with tension, faintly humming with shifting mana. The fox girl's senses flared with every step, strands of her power brushing against invisible currents, mapping paths ahead.
Draven moved like a shadow—silent, deliberate, cutting through the twists and turns without hesitation. The boy kept pace, breath steady, eyes locked on him. Behind them, the man faltered, glancing at walls that seemed to shift when unobserved.
---
Around a bend, the maze opened slightly.
There they were.
Three figures, huddled defensively, eyes wide as they noticed the intruding team. Their breathing was sharp, tense. They hadn't expected company—hadn't expected confrontation so early.
The boy froze. "…Team," he whispered, urgency in his voice.
The fox girl's tail flicked sharply. She crouched slightly, aura rising in subtle waves. "…Stay calm. Let me see…" She extended her senses outward, letting her mana probe the other team.
Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the three figures.
"…One of them," she murmured, low and measured, "…the one whose mana restriction has been lifted… he's a mage."
The boy leaned closer, catching the tension in her tone. "…A mage?"
Her tail flicked sharply. "…Yes. And he isn't weak. Watch how he moves… see the aura around him? That's unrestrained mana, like mine—but controlled. Dangerous."
The man's jaw tightened. "…So… we can't just rush in?"
"No," she replied calmly. "…Not yet. If we engage recklessly, we make ourselves an obvious target. And he'll notice immediately."
Across the maze, the other team stiffened. Their eyes widened the moment they recognized intruders. All three were male, human—but the way they held themselves screamed discipline, control, and experience.
The mage—the one whose collar had also been lifted—stepped slightly forward. His hands flexed instinctively, a faint glow rippling along his fingers. The air around him thrummed with tiny sparks of unrestrained energy, a glimpse of his power.
"…They know we're here," the boy muttered, voice tense. "…And they're not surprised."
The fox girl's gaze sharpened. "…Good. That means they're cautious. That means we have a chance to control this encounter, instead of being ambushed." She extended her senses again, mapping power output and likely responses.
The tension in the maze thickened, alive. Every breath, every shuffle echoed against the twisting walls.
Draven's voice cut through the quiet, calm and sharp.
"…They didn't give you back your mana to start yapping, did they?"
The boy blinked. "…Huh?"
The fox girl froze mid-step. Her eyes narrowed, tail flicking sharply. "…Oh." Comprehension dawned. Draven didn't need to spell it out. Every other team… every single one of them… was a threat. A competitor. An enemy.
"…Right," she muttered softly, almost to herself. "…All of them. Targets."
The boy's hands clenched slightly, instincts firing. "…So… we just go for it?"
She glanced at him, expression calm but deadly serious. "…Exactly. Do what needs to be done. Take what's ours. No hesitation."
Draven remained silent, moving like a shadow, scanning ahead, noting every subtle shift in the maze's walls. His presence anchored the group, letting the fox girl's strategy take shape.
"…Got it," the boy muttered, tightening his grip on his cloak, muscles coiled. "…We split. Focus where we're strongest."
The man swallowed, nerves visible in the tight line of his jaw, but he nodded slowly. "…Right… let's just… do it."
The fox girl exhaled softly, letting her mana flow deliberately, sensing the mage's aura brightening as he too became aware of them. "…Stay sharp. Don't underestimate them. Our priority is survival. Everything else is secondary."
The corridors twisted again, narrowing as the first of the enemy team's weaker members appeared. Their eyes widened at the sight of the intruders. The boy and the man moved in unison—cautious, swift.
"…Now," the fox girl whispered, eyes narrowing at the mage. A faint glow spread along her arms as she began channeling mana into precise, fluid shapes, preparing to strike.
Ahead, the mage's hands pulsed with raw energy, sparks leaping faintly across the air. He was aware. He was ready.
"…Face to face," the fox girl murmured almost to herself, the faint hum of her released mana echoing through the maze.
The hunt had begun.
---
The fox girl's eyes narrowed as she skidded to a halt just before the first wave of water arrows slammed toward her. Sparks of electricity danced along her body, crackling through the air. Her mana flared outward, forming a shimmering shield.
*Barrier…* she thought, scanning the mage's protective wall. It wasn't simple—it pulsed with layered energy, absorbing impacts and redirecting them. *This isn't going to be easy.*
The mage's hands moved in fluid, precise motions, summoning glowing magic circles beneath him. Each erupted into a volley of water arrows, sharp as spears, honed by the fluidity of his mana. They streaked toward her in perfect synchronization.
She crouched slightly, tail flicking, letting lightning coil around her, electricity humming over every muscle. In a fluid motion, she vanished—leaving only a faint ripple in the air.
The water arrows slammed into empty space, exploding into sprays of droplets and light against the maze walls.
"…She's fast…" the boy muttered, voice tight, as he kept his distance, watching the flashes of energy.
But the fox girl wasn't gone—she was already repositioning. Lightning coiled around her like living armor, mana flowing in controlled currents. Her senses mapped the mage's barrier, calculating the precise moment and angle to breach it.
"…I'll get through," she murmured, barely audible, teeth gritted, tail whipping sharply. "…It's just… a wall. Strong, but a wall nonetheless."
The mage's eyes flicked toward her disappearance point, a faint smirk on his lips. He began forming another spell, tracing precise patterns in the air.
But the fox girl didn't wait.
In a flash of electricity and motion, she reappeared above him, lightning arcing along her body, mana surging into her limbs like molten energy. She was ready to strike…