Since we're allowed to choose our own groups, I'm obviously with Jaxon and Amy.
Marcus joins us — extremely athletic, dark-skinned, built like he lives in a gym — and William, whose family originally comes from Eastern Europe.
They both seem nice.
Aside from the fact that they're vibrating with excitement just like everyone else.
And now it's caught me too.
I hadn't noticed it before, but now I feel it.
The hum.
The low resonance that has set the rhythm of our world ever since that day and now tries to command my heart as well
If you weren't paying attention, you might mistake it for adrenaline flipping inside your chest.
But it's the frequency of mana we all feel.
And once our hearts fall into its rhythm, our bodies have no choice but to tense.
That must be another reason the officers are so on edge.
The Labyrinth ensures we never let our guard down.
Suddenly Amy grabs my hand.
My first instinct is to pull away, but there's something uncertain in her eyes. So I force myself to let it happen.
Physical contact with strangers is hard for me.
Although.
Recently...
"Ah, you've already found your groups," Alexander interrupts my thoughts before they drift somewhere dangerous.
Shit.
What language was I thinking in?
My cheeks tingle, but Alexander doesn't give me much attention. He taps on his tablet instead.
"Alright. I'll take you behind the containers now. The portal has opened there. We'll form a line, with me in front, and run straight toward it.
If your mana core hasn't activated, it will feel like running into strong wind. To the point where you can't move forward.
If that happens, step aside and return. Collins will take care of you."
He nods toward the officer who handed out the knives.
I'm still gripping mine tightly, while Amy nearly crushes my other hand. I squeeze back gently and smile at her. The vise-like grip loosens... slightly.
"If you reach the portal, close your eyes and step through. You'll feel a brief static-like sensation. That's it.
Once everyone is inside, we'll immediately return. No sightseeing. No looking around. And no souvenirs."
He looks at us seriously. Everyone nods obediently.
I know he's listening to our thoughts, but he won't understand mine.
I smile reassuringly at him as well.
Souvenirs?
As if we'd stuff a goblin head into our bags. Or pick up a rock. No one would believe it came from the Labyrinth anyway.
There are valuable crystals and minerals deeper inside, but I doubt we'll see anything like that today.
"Once you're back outside, we'll regroup over there. You'll have time to check your MySy and review your skills. Officers will then verify each MySy and log it into the mother system."
My stomach drops.
This is the moment I'm afraid of.
From that point on, the Association will know what I can do.
My throat turns into a desert. I wish I had water.
But there's no time.
Alexander is already moving, and we follow.
I end up directly behind him, staring at his broad shoulders.
Because of my height, I can barely see anything. I have to lean sideways to catch a glimpse of the portal. The familiar blue lights dancing around it.
Even though I don't see much, I feel far more.
The hum doesn't grow louder.
Just… stronger.
More consuming.
As if it wants to fill every part of me. The Mana.
I swallow, which hurts because my throat is so dry.
Okay. Pull yourself together.
I've been down there before. I know what's about to happen. So why the nerves?
I try to give myself a pep talk.
It doesn't work.
Because it's not the thought of entering the Labyrinth that unsettles me.
It's what comes after.
But there's no changing it.
I'm caught in the machinery of our society. A tiny cog in a system that turns when the bigger gears decide it should.
So I walk.
And walk.
Until Alexander in front of me is suddenly covered in tiny flashes of lightning that dance over his clothes and flicker through his hair.
And then he's gone.
The moment stretches.
I take a step.
And then I feel it too: the electric caress. My foot still suspended midair.
At the edges of my vision, space seems to fracture. Blue spirals sweep through the air like torn mist, swallowing the landscape, growing denser until they slowly disperse again.
My foot touches ground.
The edges of my sight snap back as if someone had violently bent them before.
And I'm standing in the Labyrinth.
Like the first time with the goblin.
Only this time, I see everything.
The cave walls are rough, unworked. As if the whole place formed naturally. Moisture runs down in thin streams, soaking into the stone. I smell minerals in the air.
Strangely, I can breathe more freely here.
As if the air recognizes me.
Or I recognize it.
The ground is mostly even but scattered with small stones that crunch under my boots.
I take another step.
Alexander stands a little ahead of me, leaving space so everyone can enter in sequence. Lamps powered by mana stones cast a violet glow over everything. A group of Hunters waits further inside. They have Swords. Shields. Spears. A bow. Even a massive hammer.
To my parents, this still looks like someone is filming a live-action anime adaptation.
But I grew up with this. On television. On the streets. Hunters carry their weapons everywhere, because an wild portal can appear at any moment, and they never know when they'll be called to a breach.
Some portals go unnoticed.
In abandoned houses. Twisted alleys no one uses. Overgrown gardens.
Most breaches happen in nature. Portals can usually be tracked... but not always.
Sometimes the mana signature is too faint.
One more step and I'm beside Alexander.
"I knew you'd make it," he murmurs.
I ignore him.
As soon as there's space, I turn to see who comes through next.
Jaxon walks behind me, eyes wide, mouth open. Then lightning crackles and Amy steps through. She looks overwhelmed, shoulders drawn tight, like a mouse somewhere it shouldn't be.
But she doesn't freeze.
I reach out my hands, and she hurries toward me. Gratefully, she grabs one again.
Marcus and William follow.
I've never seen a portal from the inside before, and I'm oddly disappointed.
It looks exactly the same as from the outside.
Even though I knew that from reports, I had somehow hoped you'd be able to tell that it leads back to the surface.
Others would probably think that's stupid. Of course a portal leads back outside.
But I know more than others.
The Labyrinth goes deeper.
And even though we have no official confirmation, I'm certain there are portals within the Labyrinth itself.
Maybe not every Hunter who disappeared down here died.
Maybe some just stepped through the wrong portal.
A shiver runs down my spine.
But I don't get to dwell on it.
Alexander waves us back.
William barely has time to absorb the Labyrinth before he has to turn around and leave again.
He'll get enough chances to look at it.
So many that one day it will probably choke him.
Only once I'm back outside do I realize that passing through this portal feels completely different from what I've experienced these past few days.
There's no dizziness. No sensation of losing the ground and falling.
Just electric tingling.
And a distortion at the edges of my vision.
Hmm.
That's… strange.
This one opened like a door.
Mine tear reality apart.
Alexander leads us back toward the containers. Another group walks past us. They're about to face what we just left behind.
Then he leaves us alone on the grass beside the changing units to fetch the next group.
Everyone exhales at once.
The relief is almost physical.
No one talks much. Each of us is wrapped up in our own thoughts. Each of us wants to know the same thing.
What skills did I get?
I'm curious too.
Slowly, I lower myself to the ground and cross my legs. I place the long knife carefully beside me.
For a brief moment, I close my eyes and try to settle back into the world.
The vibration is softer now.
It feels like scratching a mosquito bite... that fleeting second of relief before the itching begins again.
Maybe that's how the Labyrinth pulls us down there.
Maybe the discomfort fades when we enter.
Even if only for a moment.
And we mistake that for relief.
As if it's training us to crave the descent.
I focus on the wind against my face. On blades of grass brushing my clothes. On distant birds calling.
Then I lift my left arm and stare at my MySy.
With my right thumb and index finger, I grip the square head and press.
Whatever appears next will rewrite my life.
The air in front of me begins to shimmer.
And then I finally see it.
The familiar blue status window.