A few minutes later, Kei and Miron found themselves together in the large dormitory. And still alone. For each new game, the big room was reserved for the future participants, not to say victims. They had each been provided with a black warrior's uniform, striped with silver threads, reserved for the "chosen ones", and which bore the emblem of Athok, a huge strange beast with bulging eyes and bodies covered with black stone, and which was said to be the beloved monster of the city's founder.

The two boys were lying on their bed in total darkness. Only lackeys like Kolof and his group could see and move through the darkness, thanks to the dark power they got from the guards as another benefit in exchange for their dirty work. Kei broke the silence and asked weakly.

"Miron, how are you feeling?"

"I feel pretty good, how about you?"

"I don't feel anything. And speaking of feeling, I wonder what else they did to hurt you so badly.

Miron turned to his friend, questioning but without uttering a word.

"You see? I don't need to see to know, no more when it comes to you. I felt your wounds and your pain even in this opaque darkness where even my own body is invisible to me.

The silence continued.

"So you don't want to tell me. Anyway, as long as you survive and continue to do so, I can handle it.

Miron laughed lightly. Upset, Kei decided to change the subject so that his friend could talk to him again, for another equally interesting subject.

"I also wonder what happened earlier, that terrible earthquake. You felt it too, didn't you? That enormous power, so terrifying. It was just shocking. What do you think it was?"

Miron hesitated for a second before shrugging his shoulders. He decided not to say anything to Kei at the moment so as not to give him false hope. For his magic had not yet returned, even though he had been trying desperately to summon it silently for the past few minutes. He finally grumbled and cursed his power, which he had rather finally managed to awaken, bringing him such a sense of confidence, power, anticipation, and vengeance, yet it seemed to have returned to its mysterious and elusive depths.

"Maybe just an earthquake."

"Is that right?"

"Or maybe it was Kriniela, who was still testing his so-called new experiments," the young magician added, borrowing Johes' theory, which had amused him so much. There was nothing worse than denial.

Feeling powerful auras approaching, Miron reached out to his friend and stood up on his bed.

"Here they come. Are you ready to go?"

"I'm not ready yet. I don't even think I ever will be."

Kei pursed his lips furiously as he straightened up.

"Miron, I'm scared."

"For my part, I don't know anymore, but don't worry! I'm with you. And we're going to face it all together."

***

Kolof and his henchmen accompanied another guard, a man named Dodgel, a skeletal being with a chiseled face and indigo hair, whose body was dressed in a thick uniform of the same tone. His black mouth bore a twisted smile. His creatures turned out to be as skeletal and deformed as he was. They were liquid purple monsters, overly loud and smelly.

"Wake up, my little darlings, it's time to go."

Dodgel approached Kei and put the magic chains around his body. Then he took the young boy's large, healthy body in his skinny, sharp-nailed hands, stroked it slyly, and pressed it against his gaunt body defiantly and roughly.

"Oh, how warm it is! How comfortable! Such a beautiful, glowing body. If I had my way, I would have kept you all to myself my beautiful one. What a waste!"

He sighed loudly.

"Anyway!"

Then, releasing Kei with visible reluctance, he turned to Miron and handed him the chains. But this time he did not even deign to touch the young mage's slender body. Then he stared at him for a long moment, intensely, obviously unable to find the words to speak to him, which was impressive and degrading. But he forced himself to open his mouth and finally did.

"There was a time when I was sure I could love your body, dear young prodigy. But now I can't. I don't know what's changed. And I probably never will. "But..." and he paused, again seeming to struggle to find the word or finish his sentence, or perhaps both, "...it sounds terrible."

Miron returned his gaze with confidence and smiled enigmatically.

"I'm sorry you can suffer so much from it. But you're right," he confirmed, without betraying any emotion. "Something terrible has changed everything. Something none of you will ever understand."

Kolof and company grabbed the two participants and stuffed their heads into huge, suffocating black bags. Escorted by Dodgel and his violent pack beaters, they left the dormitory with a bang. Miron and Kei were, of course, the center of attention of the other orphan boys, as well as a few other cruel-smiling guards who had deigned to witness the scene. The sight of these other children, orphans of different races and ages, and condemned like them, was simply appalling. They all watched the two chosen ones walked, chained, and led bluntly and with malice towards a certain and abominable death, reflecting in their eyes a terrible feeling that should never have existed, and that gave birth to Miron's absolute taste for the curse.

They were more and more brutally led towards the outside, towards a vast mortal labyrinth. Not wanting to miss the show for anything, Kolof followed them to the entrance courtyard. And when they all stopped there, he couldn't help but whisper in Miron's ear.

"I've almost died of impatience waiting for this moment, Miron. But my wonderful endurance will finally be rewarded. Your suffering and death will entertain me for months and months, even years."

"You don't need to tell me all this, Kolof, for I have always been more or less aware of your deep, abiding obsession of me, you moron. At least when I had time to spare. But if you continue to believe that your value is higher than it really is, which is nothing, you will pay more than I'd do now. Because your soul as well as your whole existence is of no importance to Sirkol and the others. You see? In a way, you are deader than I am.

Devoured again by a terrible and desperate rage as every time he was put in the presence of Miron and saw and recognized again and again the greatness, the incompatibility of the young magician, Kolof almost gave a violent blow to his proud enemy, but they had arrived just in front of the entrance of the labyrinth, and Dodgel, the skinny guard with the indigo body, quickly caught the devious hand of the lackey, lifted him with ease and sent him waltzing with violence, a grimace of annoyance twisting his face.

The sadistic skeletal magician snatched the bags from Miron and Kei. The two young chosen ones blinked and were greeted by a high wall which, of course, was also engraved with powerful magical symbols and paintings of monsters, each as impressive and terrifying as the next. The portal, wide open, was flanked by two huge pillars on which stood statues of mythical and evil monsters. Kei saw them and turned as pale as the reigning mother moon of that night. Dodgel, noticing the expression of the young blond mage, gave an amused snort.

"Don't worry, my handsome blond boy, these won't be the creatures you'll meet in the labyrinth, otherwise the game will end too quickly. It wouldn't even be a game."

But before throwing them straight through the portal, they were brought before a high square tray etched with magic that lit up as soon as the two young boys stood in the middle. Then some kind of magic enveloped them and adorned their battle uniforms throughout with protective and revitalizing spells. They were also each given a weapon, some sort of scepters that must have been capable of producing magical fire.

Miron looked at his friend, then himself, and again made that personal gesture with his head that signified bitter irony and anger.

"Damn it, I've been deceived. That's why they all came one after the other, and took the liberty of harming him without worrying about the result."

He gave a brief snort of contempt.

"And to think that I forced myself to go through these places of horror and desolation, to bargain with this inferior man, when we were going to be supplied with what all we needed."

But come to think of it, he thought for consolation, that whistle that deceitful janitor had procured for him, knowing the situation, might be of use to them.

"Surely you didn't have the audacity to believe that we were going to throw you into the monster pit without offering you the necessary weapons to defend yourselves!" the purple mage exclaimed, with a falsely scandalized air.

And he brought both hands to his chest, falsely hurt.

"No! We would never do that. We love children too much for that. You know that better than anyone."

When the two chosen ones were put at the top of their form, Dodgel tore them ruthlessly from the tray of magic, and bursting out laughing, he shoved them roughly into the labyrinth before closing the huge iron door behind them. Disappearing into the black veils of the night, he shouted one last time.

"Have a good night's sleep dear children and rest in peace!"

Kolof, relieved and supported by his henchmen, advanced clumsily toward the closed gate.

"Die at last, Miron!"