Chapter 2

The Dark Maze

At first, I thought it was night because of the darkness, but there are no stars or other objects that could indicate the existence of a sky. Perhaps it’s just a very cloudy night, or so I hoped.

And then there’s the temperature. There’s no wind, and yet it’s cold. The little clothing that I have does little to ease the chill.

After a while of walking, I understood that this place is, indeed, a maze. With the intricate branches and structure, combined with the darkness, it should’ve been hard to judge and decide the directions I was going.

Well, should’ve been.

Why did I say that, you ask? Because I had acquired a “cheat” of some sort.

For example, after walking into the opening and meeting my first branching paths...

◊ ◊ ◊

A path to the left and a path to the right—the choice stood in front of me.

Let’s go with left, since there’s nothing else to go on, anyway.

Then, as I went on the left path...

「 Pfft! 」

...Right it is, then.

「 Mm! 」

This pattern continued for next instances of splitting lanes. Every time, I had to resist the urge to chuckle or give him a remark. I feared that if he knew I can read him, he’d stop giving any kind of reaction to my choices. I mean, I did say I want to take advantage of him, but I didn’t know it would be this easy.

Even so, Mr. Bird is abnormally intelligent for a bird. I can’t help but doubt his obliviousness. It’s possible that he knows that I know, in which case, it would be that I know that he knows that I know... so confusing.

Anyway, even with a “cheat”, I still can’t make the time to wrap my head around all this. I feel like I’m being swept by a river, doing what I can with what I’m given with no idea what I’m walking into. What else can you do when you wake up in the middle of a maze with only a talking bird to keep you company? Not to mention this unsettling darkness, everything just seems to unnerve me the more I think about it.

Actually, it’ not just dark. If I look properly, there’s something else that renders me unable to see into the distance, like some dark-colored fog. Although, perhaps this fog may be why I can even see in the first place, as it seems to be giving a very faint light. Since there’s no visible source of light, naturally, I shouldn’t be able to see anything at all.

I don’t particularly fear the darkness or the eerie fog, though. Rather, it’s the silence that bothers me the most. There’s no wind, no sound at all. Not even the rustling of the leaves hanging on the wall. The only sound I can hear is my own footsteps and the occasional flapping of the wings of a particular bird.

Mr. Bird is mostly walking─or, hopping on protruding parts on the wall, only using his wings to jump between platforms. One time, It was so quiet that the first time he jumped, it scared the heck out of me.

I don’t know if he noticed or not, but after that, he had been flapping his wings for no reason at all and does it in a way that made it sound unnecessarily loud—

-FLAPFLAP-

Wah!

「 ...Pfft‒! 」

…He’s doing this on purpose, this damn bird.

「 Oy, brat. Have a name? 」

As rude as always.

I’m not “brat”. I’m...

…Huh?

My name is…

I... my name…

I can’t remember my name. In fact, I can’t remember anything. Not how I got here, and not the time before then. But, to think I can’t even remember my own…

…”remember?” That’s assuming I did forget my memories. What if I didn’t forget anything after all? What if… what if there’s nothing to remember in the first place?

「 What? Don’t you have a name? 」

I... I don’t know, I replied honestly.

「 So you don’t know your own name? How pitiful. 」

What about you, Mr. Bird? What do I call you?

「 It’s not “Mr.Bird.” It’s “Hadda”. 」

Hadda?

I repeat his name that’s foreign to my tongue. Not that I even use my tongue.

「 Yes, “Hadda”. You should be grateful, you know? Only few can call me by this name, you know. 」

Okay, then... Hadda, is it nighttime right now?

「 Huh? Maybe? Can’t tell. It’s always dark. 」

So it’s not night, then, which means we’re probably pretty deep underground. Well, Hadda did say that we’re in a “dungeon” earlier, but there should still be light normally, right? Or should I not use normal standards in a dungeon-maze like this?

...Normal. What’s “normal”, anyway? What am I using as a basis when I don’t remember as much as my own name?

Thinking about it, I know and remember other, basic things such as words and languages. I know that living beings need air to breathe, I know that animals don’t normally speak, and I know the difference between cold and warm.

So why don’t I know my own name?

My answer to that is the same answer to the reason I’m here, as well as everything else;

don’t think about it.

If you don’t think about it, there’s no problem. What’s important right now is to find the exit, right?

As I came to that conclusion, another branch came my way. Well, same cheat I guess...

「 Go left. 」

Eh?

「 Go left. 」

Oh, umm... Okay.

Why the sudden help? Is he feeling generous, all of a sudden?

I don’t think he’s tricking me, at least. Instead, I feel like he’s steering me away from danger, so I go along for now.

◊ ◊ ◊

...That didn’t happen only once.

Every time, Hadda would direct me where to go and every time, I complied. I never asked for a reason. I just followed because he didn’t sound like he was playing around.

After some time, as my knees were about to give and my breaths were getting shallow, it appeared before us. A dead end, that is.

Even though I said it’s a dead end, it’s actually a large open area with no other paths aside from the one we came from. With no way to go but back, it’s still technically a dead end. Did Hadda make a mistake?

…No, he would’ve said something if he did. Instead he just stayed quiet as if waiting for something. There seems to be more to this area than meets the eye.

There are some objects of interest in this area that makes me think like that. First is a wide pillar located in the middle, serving absolutely no purpose other than a crappy, out-of-place ornament. Second is the fact that an area of the wall on the far side, directly opposite of the opening, stands out because it’s clear of the usual plantation.

I smell something. Yes, this smells like a puzzle, like a secret door or something, right? Well then, time to investigate the scene.

I head over to the opposite wall and inspect it. Looking closely, there seems to be a narrow gap there, which I peek into. I can see lines in the darkness, blocks arranged in a mechanical way—must be some kind of mechanism to open the passage, but how to activate it?

Should I ask Hadda?

The bird in question stares at me silently, as if expecting something from me. I know now that there’s something to be done here, and Hadda wants me to realize that myself. I also know that he wants me to ask him for help. Well, I won’t.

Hmm? Ego? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just thought I shouldn’t keep relying on the bird, you know? This has nothing to do with my pride, or the fact that the bird will keep undermining my intelligence if I were to ask him for help.

At any rate, time to investigate that conspicuous pillar in the center.

I circle around the four-sided pillar. On two sides of the pillar are rectangular frames. Inside these frames there are solid figures, interlocking in a way that they fill the entire frame. At least, that’s what it looks like at first. Looking closely, the figures seems to be blocks that runs through the pillar.

…I don’t know what to make of this.

I look at Hadda, and he is still waiting for me to beg for his great wisdom. Hah, in your dreams.

…Or so I said, but I really don’t know where to start.

- sigh -

This is going to take a while, so I might as well rest for a bit.

--- --- ---

I rest my legs as I lay down, my back flat on the ground while I gaze up the darkness above, admiring the nonexistent stars.

…To be honest, I’m scared.

Not of my circumstance, but of how I’m reacting to it. I’m scared at how quickly I adapt to the situation, because it makes me wonder what would’ve happened if I wasn’t as quick in handling all this. I’m scared that if I think too much about anything, I would lose my composure. What would I do then? What am I even doing now?

Find an exit—is that all there is to it? Three words to define my purpose, to define all that I am now because I have nothing else. I have no memories of anything else—

「 Cluck, cluck. 」

…That’s when the bird starts making weird noises, clucking like a chicken while jumping around, then croaking at the sky for no reason. As I’m wondering whether I should hit him in the head to fix it, our eyes meet.

「 ...Bored... 」

Mm?

「 Bored...」

- sigh -

What is it, now?

「 Bored. 」

A shiver ran through my spine when his eyes flashed. I knew that instant that I’m in danger, but it’s too late now. As Hadda makes a beeline towards me like an arrow, there’s nothing I can do but brace myself. He crashes into my side and quickly, brutally starts pricking me repeatedly with his beak.

Stop it!

I try to get away, but he pulls my hair to keep my down.

…At the very least, this made me too occupied to think too much about anything.

--- --- ---

I was twiddling with my messy hair (thanks to a certain bird) when I realized I don’t even know how I look like. I grasp the hair in my hand, noticing how silky it felt to my touch. The color… perhaps withish blond? A beautiful color, if I may say it myself. That’s why I feel regret. It’s only a matter of time before the white is covered in grime…

…No, what are you saying? There’s no way I’m staying here for that long. I’m finding that exit before this hair turns ugly. I’m getting out of here and find the people who put me here and demand an answer from them, and I won’t stop for as long as I breathe.

Ah, come to think of it…

Hey, Hadda...

「 What? 」

You said earlier that there’s never any sunlight here?

「 Yah, that’s what I said. 」

Then all these green... how come they’re alive? They don’t get light, and I doubt there are people around to water them, are there?

「 The plants here are nurtured by the aether field. They practically don’t need water nor light, as the field compensates for it. 」

Wait, what?

Ae-what field?

「 Aether field. The entire maze is stuffed with high-concentration aether field. Because of that, the plants’ vessels are also brimmed with mana. As it is the most rudimentary form of energy, it’s simple for the plants to process the mana in their vessels into a form of other energies they can use, thus removing the need for synthetic nutrients. However, unconventional transpiration still occurs, by design, in order to supply the lifers with air. Vascular mana would be transpired to allow external mediator elements to diffuse, and then they would process it to produce… okay, where did I lose you? 」

I think at “aether”.

「 …Pitiful. You don’t know anything, do you? 」

He’s smirking. Well, birds can’t do that, but I know he’s making fun of me, dammit.

「 I guess I have to explain to you the basics, huh. Well, first of all, what do you know about aether? 」

Umm… this much?

「 You’re not raising your hands. 」

Exactly.

「Pitiful. Then, are you aware of the natural cycle? Conservation of energy? Anything? 」

I think about it for a second, then I nod.

「Are you sure? 」

It’s something about how the amount of energy stays the same?

「 …Close enough. The total amount of energy within a closed system is constant because you can’t create or destroy energy. On that take, aether would be the energy outside the system which you can use to add or subtract from it. Simply speaking, it’s a source of energy outside of our perceivable world, which you can harness through the alignment of the subconscious of the will… did I lose you again? 」

Umm…

「 …- sigh - You know that the world is filled with matter, right? 」

Yes.

「 If matter is what fills our world, then aether is what “fills” the world beyond our tiny four-dimensional world. Can you understand that much? 」

And… we can harness this how?

「 Alignment of the subconscious and the will. 」

Right...

What is he going to say next? Use the aether to make positive vibes that heal our souls or others from a distance? I never knew a bird could be into such things.

「 You know, I feel like you’re insulting me. 」

It’s just your feeling.

Before Hadda could explain more, something interrupts us, something worse than the cold silence of the maze.

The little warm in my body left me and the darkness that I had been accustomed to suddenly became terrifying, all simply because I heard it.

The haunting bellow of a beast.

...H─Hadda…?

「 Hmm? 」

What was that just now?

「 A lifer, probably. 」

A lifer?

「 Umm... something I said earlier. About detention, I think. Yeah, they’re the ones that aren’t allowed to go out. 」

You mean like… they’re prisoners?

「 Yah, something like that. Scared? 」

N‒Not really…

I draw my eyes to the passage because that’s where the sound came from. It was far away, but it was still enough to send freezing chills down my spine.

At the end of the passage, I can somehow see the shadow of a hulking beast, slowly making its way towards us, eyes glaring and hungry.

At least, that’s how I imaged the source of the sound would be. There’s nothing at the end of the passage, but why do I feel like something will show up there? Not to mention that Hadda guided me here, dictated which path to take as if to avoid something. As I thought, a prisoner that needs a place like this to lock it in… what kind of dangerous creature would it be?

…As usual, don’t think too much about it.

Unable to rest after that, I stand up and face the enigmatic pillar before me.

Now then, how does this thing work?

◊ ◊ ◊

For the last few minutes, I had been tinkering with the pillar, trying to figure out how it works. I tried pushing one of the blocks—which was freaking heavy—and as anticipated, they’re the same blocks as the one on the other side of the pillar. The shapes of the blocks matched the ones across to it, too.

Many of the blocks had extended parts near the touchable surface, and this made it impossible to keep pushing a block because the others adjacent to it would block it.

I also noticed some kind of mechanical adhesive. It ran through the pillar, as well as on the sides of the blocks. While it made the blocks stuck to the frame and to each other, it also allowed for planar movement as well as sliding against the other. I don’t really know how it works. It must’ve been made with some kind of cutting-edge technology.

By this point, I concluded that I had to dislodge some or all of the blocks to complete the puzzle. Meaning, I had to arrange the blocks and push them out of the pillars.

So far, I’ve only been doing trial and error; pushing one block after the other, only to find it’s blocked by something on the other side, forcing me to go around and around the pillar.

This is frustrating!

I thought I could finish it as long as I keep at it, but how long can I keep it? Hey, it’s harder than it sounds, you know. Don’t judge.

Anyway, this is taking too long. Take too long, and the owner of the sound earlier might just stumble into this area.

I must be methodical. No more trial-and-error.

I search around and spot some bushes around the corner of the area. I skip there and eye one good branch and crack it off.

Thin branch acquired! With this, I shall conquer you, puzzle!

With the new weapon in hand, I walk back near the pillar and find a comfortable place to sit down.

「 Giving up? 」

No, I’m just trying a different approach.

「 Oh? 」

With that, Hadda flew beside me to see what I’m working on.

With the thin branch, I start drawing on the dirt the two frames that were across each other. Then I start drawing the blocks and how they relate to each other, which block is obstructing which, etc. Then I start drawing more frames, a lot of it, to do simulations and write the sequences on how to move the blocks, looking back and forth between my drawing and the frames on the pillar.

Ah, Hadda flew away. Did he get bored watching me?

Or so I thought, but he comes back with his own stick in his beak.

「 Let’s play. 」

I’m busy.

「 It’s a competition to see who gets it done first. Let’s play! 」

Eh?

I meet his eyes to see them glow like they did in our first game. He’s serious about this.

Err… sure.

「 I’ll let you have that head-start because you’re so pitiful, 」 he said as he starts drawing his own frames.

It’s not like I really care about winning, but I start drawing my sequences faster after that.

--- --- ---

I’m done.

I see Hadda’s side to see he’s still about halfway done.

「 Oh, you are? 」

Yup.

「 Well, you only win if your drawing is correct. 」

It is.

To prove it, I head towards the pillar and start working the first step, which is to push one of the blocks all the way out.

I flex my arm and start pushing from one side.

Uguuh…!

…...

Ngaah…!

Phew! I think that’s all I can push.

Then I circle around to the other side and start pulling.

Heyaaah….!

Just give it up, block!

I keep pulling and pulling, my arms nearly going numb when finally…

- BLAM –

……

I look down to see it landed right by my foot.

Pfft, hahaha! I was this close to have my foot crushed!

…No, seriously. I should be more careful next time.

Anyway, the block seems thin around the center, probably something to do with how the puzzle works. However, it sure felt much heavier than it looked when I pushed it. Could it be the friction that made it heavy, and not the weight?

To test it, I lift the fallen block.

…Or try to. Yup, it’s the weight, not the friction.

After that, I continue to arrange the block when I realize how the “adhesive” are keeping the blocks together. Even when there’s nothing below them, the blocks won’t fall as long as it’s connected to the frame or to another block, which in turn, is connected to the frame. Whoever created this puzzle had this all figured out.

Anyway, that aside, I realized one big problem, one that makes me unable to finish the puzzle. I can’t believe that I missed it. I can’t believe that I failed to realize…

…I can’t reach the upper blocks.

From the start, the frame is too high for my comfort, but it wasn’t until now that I noticed this. I tried to use the frame as a boost, but there just isn’t enough foothold.

I guess I can use the fallen blocks, but I don’t imagine I can stack them on top of each other without taking too much time, remembering how heavy they are.

...Well, at least it’s a probable solution.

- sigh -

… what to do— ah?

Claws suddenly grab my shoulders. Then, before I could react, I’m already flying in the air.

Uwaah! Hadda?! What are you doing?!

「 Just shut up and do your thing, brat. 」

Eh?! Ah… you’re helping me?

「 Hurry up. You’re heavy, you know. 」

T‒Then, closer.

Hadda brings me closer to the pillar.

「 Here? 」

Now, a bit higher, please.

「 Done. 」

A little more.

「 Ok. Is this enough? 」

Tee-hee…

I’m flying so high!

「 I’ll drop you, you know. 」

Eh?! No, don’t! Ah, I mean, here is good enough! Yep!

「 ...... 」

I’m going to push it with my feet, so I’m going to need your help for balance.

「 Do it. 」

With Hadda’s help, I push the block with my feet as far as I could.

Huff… that’s as far as I can do.

After letting me down, Hadda goes around and pulls the block from the other side. To my shock, I see Hadda pulling it out with ease, then gently puts down the block instead of just letting it drop.

...He’s strong. No wonder I couldn’t do anything when he bullied me.

「 What next? 」 he turns to me.

◊ ◊ ◊

We continued on the sequence I had drawn. For the rest of the blocks, I pushed them while Hadda pulled from the other side. I’m not sure why he’s helping me. It could be that he wants to prove me wrong as fast as possible, or he’d just grown bored watching.

At any rate, I pushed so much that I can’t feel my arms anymore. Because of that, Hadda did most of the brawn, and I ended up just directing which block to move. All in all, we make a pretty good team.

Eventually, we’ve removed enough blocks that I can see inside the pillar, which is when I noticed how the pillar would lack support if the blocks were to be missing, and that got me a bit worried. Then I see a thin beam of light inside the pillar, right in the middle. I put my head inside and see it coming from a small hole on the ceiling of the space. There’s also a similar opening on the bottom, which would be connected by the ray if it wasn’t obstructed by the blocks.

…Ah, I get it. All I need is to clear the beam’s way so that it connects to the bottom. We never needed to push all the blocks out, just the ones that blocks the ray of light. Rather than completing the whole sequence, about halfway is just…

…Wait a minute.

You knew about this, didn’t you?

「 ...Pfft‒! 」

So that’s why he only drew that much. It’s not that he wasn’t finished, it’s because he only needed to draw the sequence that far. Yeah, jokes on me, but didn’t he do most of the muscle work? Silly bird.

--- --- ---

It didn’t take long to finish. After a couple of minutes, most of the blocks are out of the way, and as Hadda pulls out the last block, the ray makes its way to where it’s supposed to go.

There’s a rumbling sound and the ground starts shaking, followed by loud, clunking sounds coming from below the ground. I imagine massive gears are being roused beneath the pillar, through the ground and towards the closed passage.

With a blaring sound like an erupting volcano, the wall starts to split, as would my eardrums if I were to stand just a little closer. Nonetheless, I’m covering my ears right now because of how freaking loud it is.

The massive gate slowly disappears into the adjacent walls and I can’t help but freeze in amazement. This maze must’ve been such a monumental project to build. How many people, money, and technology were needed to build something like this, I can only imagine.

…All this, to make a prison. What kind of sin would have to be committed to warrant this place as their punishment? And why am I here?

…I shouldn’t dally. It makes me think too much.

Let’s go.

「 Mm. 」

Replying with a nod, Hadda hops off onto the ledges on the sides as I walk into the new passage.

◊ ◊ ◊

Sometime after the first puzzle, my eyes got heavier and heavier until I can’t keep them open any longer.

Finding a good spot, I hug myself and try to sleep, but the more I daze off, the more the chilly air seem to sting. My body is shivering as though I became more sensitive to the cool air, but there’s nothing I could cover myself with other than my own limbs and a thin piece of clothing.

Uuh... So cold...

…Hmm?

There’s something warm… Hadda? Are you going to bully me again?

I can feel his wings draw over me, protecting me from the cold. It feels... warm. His feathers are a bit ticklish, but I can deal with that. He’s not saying anything, though. Could it be because he thinks I’m asleep?

Aah, whatever. I’m too… too sleepy…

Goodnight.