Most of us had turned in for the night. I tried but couldn’t get the day’s events out of my head. So, I read, or, I read as best as I could. It wasn’t the first time I looked through a book with only the moon as light. In fact, I enjoyed it. No one would interrupt me, no one would whisper about me. I was alone with my thoughts.

And that was all I needed.

The moonlight was dim, dimmer than I expected. A few minutes in and I felt the strain in my eyes as Skychaser’s handwriting blended together. Had I brought Halma’s, with her large and more rigid style of penmanship, I wouldn’t have had this problem. I noted the page and placed a blanket between just in case.

To write their journals, sometimes adventurers would ask the innkeeper for a candle or lantern and mention it briefly in their writings as a sort of passing thanks.

All the rooms of the inn were booked and occupied by academy students and instructors. The building was old, perhaps as old as the town, but looked in good condition otherwise. Much of the floorboards had been replaced and the parts that hadn’t were not only visible with their darker color, but audible too. Ms. Ein acknowledged me from the opposite end of the hallway. I gave her a nod and continued on my way.

I peeked downstairs. There were a few people I wanted to avoid, and I didn’t want to call for the innkeeper if he had already gone to bed, but I most likely did it out of habit. The quietness in the building reminded me of home.

The innkeeper finished wiping down the counter and looked ready to turn in for the night. I hurried down, nearly tripping over myself. He regarded me with a raised brow. “Yes, Miss?”

“U-Uh…” For some reason, whether it was because of my clumsiness or because I hadn’t actually expected to get this far, I needed a second to get my bearings. “C-Could I borrow a lantern or candle? I-I want to get some reading done.”

“Oh, of course.”

He grabbed his lantern from under the counter and headed to the back room. A moment later, he returned with another lantern in tow. “Here you go, Miss.”

“H-How much?”

“The academy’s got it covered,” he said.

I thanked him and went back to my room. In the hallway, I saw Rainen, Axel, and Feno talking to Ms. Ein. Feno noticed me and gave an awkward wave. Though far away, I saw a wry smile from Axel as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. Rainen didn’t react. Ms. Ein seemed to be in the middle of considering what they said.

I returned the wave and went back into my room for more reading.

I hadn’t even turned the page when my thoughts drifted back to them.

What did the three of them need to talk to Ms. Ein about?

It would plague me for the rest of the night.

Our group of six consisted of Axel, Feno, Nula, her partner, an elf named Tani, Rainen, and me. We had a map marked with the locations we’d previously been to. The goblin’s den, from the map’s scale, looked right next to the portal we entered from.

“I think our spot gives us the most freedom,” Axel said, pointing to the middle mark. Nula and Tani nodded. “But still, getting a crystal for each of us? Isn’t that too easy in a labyrinth?”

“We probably took all the cores that spawned those monsters,” Rainen said.

“Ms. Ein was very thorough,” Nula said.

“If we’d known about the next assignment-” Feno started.

“Then we wouldn’t be having this problem,” Rainen finished. “It doesn’t matter now. Stop wasting time and let’s go.”

According to the instructors, we were to split into groups of six and collect crystals for each of us before three hours passed. If we weren’t back by then, we’d fail and our registration with the guild would be put on hold regardless of how we performed.

Rather than naturally setting a pace, Rainen sprinted ahead with little consideration for the rest of us. We were like the kids in the village trying to catch a rabbit. Were it not for Mr. Argant’s lecture yesterday, and the knowledge that extra adventurers were hired to observe us, he might’ve just left us behind.

I barely made it a few minutes before almost collapsing. We stopped for a short break, which everyone appreciated except for one. Rainen leaned against a tree, tapping his foot as he scanned the area for monsters and other groups.

All the locations were just under an hour away from the portal. The first day took us two hours because of the sizes of our groups and probably because they also wanted to tire us out.

On our fifth break, Rainen took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at me and I turned away. I refused to look or talk to him, even as my water ran low.

“Here,” Nula said, offering part of hers.

“I-I’m sorry…” I said as I took it.

She laughed. “I think you’re supposed to say thanks. Don’t worry about him. We all need the breaks.”

Despite her words, I didn’t feel too comforted, especially since they weren’t the ones I was worried about. I hadn’t dragged them down, and they were on track to receive their tags.

“Here,” Tani said, pointing down a path. Apart from Rainen, she was the only other who seemed fine with the pace. “That’s where we fought the goblins.”

Their den was simpler than the one we went through, with far fewer tunnels and caverns. A deep stink assailed us as we searched the area for the slain goblins. Their bodies lay scattered along the floor, charred, muscles exposed, and missing chunks from their torsos. I peered through the rhomboid-shaped hole in a goblin’s chest.

“Go closer,” Rainen said without looking up from his target. He dug his fingers through its chest and clicked his tongue.

I knelt and stayed that way for a moment, unsure if I wanted to go through with it. The goblin, though a monster, was alive just a day ago.

I held my breath. With a shaky hand, I slowly reached out.

Rainen knelt across from me and split the goblin open with his sword. No crystal inside. He handed his weapon over. “Cut them open if you can’t reach inside. We’re wasting time so go faster.”

I took his advice and began cutting the goblin corpses open. It was more difficult than I expected. I had to plant my foot on them to keep their bodies from moving. The reason why we did this, despite seeing the crystals separate from them and return to the core yesterday, was because sometimes they left shards behind according to Mr. Argant.

When we finished with the last of the corpses, Rainen kicked one of the bodies.

“Nothing? Nothing at all?”

“We could go out a bit further to look for monsters,” Nula suggested.

“It’s not gonna be that easy. Even if we find some monsters, we’ll have to find enough crystals for all of us, and then make it back before the deadline. Who knows how far we’ll have to travel or how long it’ll take to find just one of these things,” Axel said.

“What about the other spots?”

“I don’t know if we’ll find more luck there,” Feno said. “You guys cleared those areas out too, right?”

“Yeah,” Rainen said.

There were multiple entrances to the den we went into and a group was formed at each one. Since all the students made it to the heart of the cave, no goblins would have survived unless they were out hunting or hidden in other pathways we didn’t go down.

“We’re already here. Nula’s idea makes the most sense. Maybe we’ll find a goblin who went out for water or whatever,” Rainen said.

An idea struck me.

“W-What about the goblins at our location,” I said.

“What about them?” Nula asked.

“W-We killed them outside of the cave. What if… What if their crystals were too far from the core to return. A-And the ones that Dekam and the others killed too.”

Darkness hid Rainen’s expression. “Let’s go,” he said, just as he had when we ran all the way here.

At the other goblin den, we saw other students who, either through luck or the same thought processes, had the same idea. They warily searched the goblins and pulled out the unabsorbed crystals.

“Aha!” one of them shouted, raising his prize in the air.

Upon seeing us, they dashed toward the other bodies.

“Barriers!” Rainen commanded.

He conjured a barrier in front of the body, impeding the path of one of the students. We mimicked him and blocked the others off. They did the same, but not as successfully. Rainen, fast as he was, plucked the crystal out of the body. Nula dived for another. A barrier formed around it, but with a thrust, she shattered the golden dome and retrieved another for our group.

At the end of our non-violent skirmish, we now had two crystals. The other students threw hateful glares and quiet curses as they raced toward other areas.

“We’ll be faster if we split up. Follow the outside of the cave and you’ll find the other bodies with no trouble. Come,” Rainen said, beckoning me. “We’re grabbing the ones that noble was kind enough to save for us.”

“Are we going to meet up?” Feno asked.

“There’s not much time left so if we’re not out in a few minutes, just go back with what you have.”

“Okay. We’ll write how many crystals we have here,” Tani said, pointing at the dirt.

“Good idea, partner,” Nula said, giving her a high-five.

“Thanks.”

Rainen threw her the crystal he secured. “Count that one too.”

I glanced at him.

“Inside,” he said, heading toward the cave entrance.

“Good luck,” Nula whispered.

We didn’t enter from the same place we did yesterday, but it was easy enough to find the main cavern where the core was. Students from both classes searched the bodies. Arem students eyed me as we walked past.

The two Rainen ambushed had no crystals so we continued to where we found Dekam and the others. Once again, they were there. Dekam grinned, realizing he was one step ahead of us. “Were you looking for these,” he said, holding up three crystals. “Well, unfortunately, we were here first.”

“What a waste of time,” Rainen said as he turned around.

“We were also outside first, you know?”

That means…

Four of his group members held up their crystals. Dekam pocketed one and handed the other over to their fifth, leaving the one they had no use for.

“Seems like you might need this.”

“...”

“If you beg, I’ll give it to you.”

Rainen was dead silent.

I let out a nervous breath. Conflict between groups was forbidden. The instructors had made it clear. Anyone caught fighting would fail.

That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any fights.

“You’re teasing him too much,” Nina said, leaving the shadows. “He was the first-year rep in that wonderful duel. It’d be better to have Ellar do it, wouldn't it?”

I froze.

Rainen glanced at me.

“Come on now. Ask nicely and we’ll hand it over.”

My words were caught in my throat but I forced them out. It was my fault that we weren’t doing well.

“C-Can you-”

Behind us, a few aremshai-ir students came in.

“Shit. There are already people here.”

Nina gestured for me to finish.

“C-Can you-”

“No. That isn’t the right way to do it. Say, ‘Could you please grant me that crystal, great noble, Sir.”

“C-C-Could you p-please…” I felt my face turning red and my body shaking. Dekam held out the crystal, taunting us.

“It’s fine,” Rainen muttered. If the tunnel wasn’t so quiet, I might not have heard him. In a flash, he swiped the crystal out of Dekam’s hand.

“Hey!”

“They’re gonna attack us!” He said, pretending to flinch.

“What?”

Even in the dark, Dekam’s reddening face was visible.

“It’s the roluk,” one of the arem students whispered.

“Why should we help her?”

Shame welled. Rainen dropped the act and pulled me by the cuff of my sleeve. “Time to leave.”

“Hold on!” Dekam shouted.

We pushed past the other students and emerged outside. No one was there at the meeting spot. Instead, a number six was scrawled into the dirt. We were one short.

“Fuck,” Rainen said. “There’s still the place Mr. Intim’s group went.”

“C-Could we even make it back on time?”

“I could,” he said.

Right. If he wasn’t forced to work with me, he would’ve been fine. He’s the one who grabbed two crystals, while I haven’t done anything.

“O-Other people must’ve been there by now…”

He nodded. “We’ll have to look around here for a monster.”

A few minutes passed with no luck. Then, we heard multiple horns and shouts. “Return to the portal!” The voices said.

“W-We have to go.”

“No, you go ahead. I’ll look a little bit more.”

“B-But-”

“Go now or you might not make it.”

I knew it was true. It took all I had not to stop at every decent spot I saw. Not a single other student was in sight. That’s how far behind I was. I ran past the stream where we were ambushed by goblins. I warily refilled my water. Every rustle, every sound not from the running water, startled me.

I almost jumped when a bird the size of a crow landed on a pile of rocks. It rolled them around with its long, ashy beak. Picking one up, it hopped toward the water and waited as the water cleaned it off. With one motion, it threw the rock in the air, opened its beak wide, and swallowed it whole. Its belly grew to accommodate.

I felt a jolt of excitement.

It was a monster.

I remembered when my mother brought me that book. It was different from Skychaser’s or Helma’s. Skychaser wrote about adventuring, his party, and the things he wanted to see. Helma focused more on interpersonal relationships within the guild and preferred escort requests.

This author’s name was torn out, but he wrote about the creatures within the labyrinths. Oftentimes, I would have to refer to his book when I didn’t know what monsters Skychaser mentioned.

I held out a hand, waiting for the bird to grab another rock. When it started digging through a new pile, I cast a spell. A moment later, it was pierced with ice. Knowing it was a monster helped, but only a little. I cut it open and found a crystal.

Yes!!!

It wasn’t an impressive feat, but I’d done it. I finally defeated a monster without almost dying.

The world spun as a dull pain radiated from my head. A warm liquid rolled down my forehead. Blood. I looked up and saw another of the bird monster I killed. It opened its mouth and a rock shot out. Reflexively, I blocked it with my arms. It hurt but not very much.

I ran as it pelted me with whatever rocks it found. At some point, the monster bird stopped chasing. I hadn’t slowed, however. More horns and shouting from the hired adventurers spurred me forward.

On my last bit of strength, I made it back. I fell to my knees, clutching at my chest and wishing for the pain to go away.

“E-Ellar?”

“Are you okay?” Nula asked.

“Y-Yes…”

“Where’s Rai?” Axel asked.

“H-He said he… would keep looking…”

“How many did you find in the cave?”

“One.”

“Damn. So we’re one short.”

I shook my head, trying to avoid speaking as much as possible, as I held up the crystal I collected.

“Small,” Axel commented.

“But a crystal nonetheless. Where’d you get it?” Nula asked.

“Monster… Bird…”

“Explains the blood. Hold on a sec. I’ll get a bandage or something.”

The instructors counted off the students. Ms. Ein had a scowl on her face when she realized we were short one student with the deadline approaching. Mr. Argant confirmed the crystals and came over to collect ours.

“One short. I hope he makes it,” he said.

Mr. Intim handed out the tags to the students who passed. At a glance, it seemed like more than half succeeded.

“There!” Axel pointed.

In the distance, Rainen appeared. He ran toward us but kept looking around.

Mr. Intim pulled out his pocket watch. “Fifteen seconds,” he said.

He doesn’t know I have a crystal.

“I-” I coughed. My lungs were still burning.

“We’ve got the crystal, Rai!” Axel waved his hand.

His run turned into a full-blown sprint. When he rejoined the group, Mr. Argant checked for his crystal. “Congratulations on collecting six.”

“Unfortunately, you’ve failed,” Ms. Ein said.

“What? But I made it on time.”

“Not quite. You were a few seconds off.”

“Why does that matter?”

Mr. Argant stepped in. “Every second matters in a labyrinth.”

“No matter how you argue, the outcome will not change. You did well in collecting the crystals but rules are rules. The coachmen are waiting for us. Any delays and not only are we wasting their time but possibly using the time of other classes.”

“Go back first and organize the carriages,” Mr. Intim said, likely in an attempt to curtail her lecture should she have had more to say.

His brow was wet with sweat. Sweat that never came even as we ran from location to location. He threw his crystal on the ground and stomped on it until shattered.

“Man,” Axel sighed. “I could have sold that.”

“I know, right?” Nula agreed.

The instructors opened the labyrinth’s portal and began heading back. Rainen trudged behind all of us. I stuck close to Nula and Tani so as not to draw his attention.

“There’s still next time,” Feno said.

“Yes. It will be much easier,” Tani said.

“...”

He wasn’t consoled by their words.

Then, the labyrinth shook.

“What’s going on?!” one arem student asked.

“This shouldn’t be happening. We should still have two hours!” Mr. Intim’s eyes were wide.

“Ow! G-Get off me!”

“I can hardly breathe!”

The shaking caused some of the students to stumble and fall. The instructors rushed to pick them back up. “Everyone, get into the portal, now!” Mr. Intim commanded.

It was as if the whole world was spinning around. Even students crawling toward the exit couldn’t keep their balance. Mr. Argant grabbed people by their collars and threw them into the portal. Mr. Intim conjured gusts of wind to herd us in even as he lay on the ground.

Students formed links and pulled each other toward the portal. One by one the amount of people in the labyrinth dwindled. The portal was only a step or two away when another violent shake knocked me over. Nula grabbed my hand as she pulled me through. Mr. Argant and Mr. Intim were both halfway through the portal.

I held my hand out for Rainen.

He hesitated. One last shake knocked him over, and despite Nula’s grasp, I reached for him.

He was my partner. I couldn't leave him behind.

Nula was yanked through the portal, and the whole world shifted.