The mage staggered forward—
Breath breaking.
Mana faltering.
—
His hand twitched—trying to rise again, trying to form *something*—
A circle—
A defense—
Anything—
—
But it was too late.
—
The fox girl didn't rush him.
Didn't lunge blindly.
—
She stepped forward.
Calm.
Measured.
Lightning still coiled around her claws—quiet now, but far more focused.
—
"…It's over," she said softly.
—
The mage clenched his teeth.
"…Not—yet—"
—
His mana flared again—desperate this time.
Unstable.
A circle forced itself into existence beneath his feet—
Flickering—
Incomplete—
—
He pushed anyway.
—
A burst of fire tried to form—
Wild—uncontrolled—
—
But before it could fully manifest—
—
She moved.
—
**CRACK—!!**
—
A single step.
—
She was in front of him.
—
Too close.
—
Her hand rose—
Lightning compressed into a tight, violent edge along her claws.
—
"…You lost the moment you panicked."
—
His eyes widened—
—
Then—
**THRUM—!!**
—
Her strike landed.
—
Not a wild slash—
Not excessive—
—
Precise.
—
Her claws drove into his core—right where his mana was trying to gather.
—
The effect was immediate.
—
His spell shattered.
—
Mana collapsed inward—
Then dispersed violently—like a broken current losing its path.
—
His body went still.
—
A sharp breath—
Then nothing.
—
He dropped.
—
**THUD**
—
Silence followed.
—
The fox girl stood over him for a moment.
Lightning fading slowly from her claws.
—
"…Don't rely too much on power you can't stabilize," she murmured quietly.
—
Behind her—
The sounds of the other fight echoed faintly through the maze.
—
The boy—
Still moving.
Still fighting.
—
And Draven—
Still watching.
—
Uninterested in the outcome.
Because to him—
It was already decided.
—
The fox girl turned.
Her eyes sharpened again.
"…Two left."
—
And this time—
She moved to finish it.
Across the corridor—
The fight hadn't stopped.
—
The boy stood face to face with his opponent.
Close.
Too close.
—
"…Move!" the man shouted, swinging wildly.
—
The boy ducked—barely—feeling the rush of air skim past his head.
His body reacted on instinct, claws snapping forward—
But he stopped.
—
Just for a second.
—
His hand hovered inches from the man's throat.
—
*…He's human.*
—
That hesitation—
That single moment—
Was enough.
—
"—Idiot!"
—
The man's fist slammed into his side—
**THUD**
—
The boy grunted, stumbling back, breath knocked from his lungs. Pain flared—sharp, real.
—
His opponent didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
—
He charged.
—
Because here—
There was no room for doubt.
—
The boy's eyes widened—then hardened.
—
*…No.*
—
His stance dropped.
Lower.
More stable.
—
When the man came in again—
He didn't pull back.
—
He stepped forward.
—
**THUD—CRACK**
—
Their bodies collided—
But this time—
The boy didn't hesitate.
—
His claw drove forward—
Not clean.
Not perfect.
—
But enough.
—
The man froze.
A sharp breath leaving him—
Then his body slackened.
—
The boy held there for a second longer than necessary.
—
Then pulled back.
—
The body dropped.
—
Silence.
—
His breathing was uneven.
"…Tch…"
—
Not regret.
Not fully.
—
But something close to it.
—
He didn't look down again.
—
Because if he did—
He might hesitate next time.
—
—
On the other side—
The man from their team was locked in a brutal exchange.
—
Skill.
No finesse.
—
Just fists.
—
**THUD—THUD—THUD**
—
Both men swung wildly, desperation driving every movement.
Breathing ragged.
Footing unstable.
—
"…Stay—DOWN—!" the enemy shouted, throwing another punch.
—
Their man took it head-on—
Staggering—
But didn't fall.
—
"…N-no—!" he snapped back, voice shaking—
But he swung again.
—
And again.
—
Because this wasn't about winning.
—
It was about surviving.
—
The fight broke—
Their man tackled him—
Both crashing to the ground—
Rolling—grappling—
—
Until—
—
**CRACK**
—
A hit landed clean.
—
The enemy's head snapped sideways—
His body went limp.
—
Still.
—
Their man froze on top of him.
Breathing hard.
Hands trembling.
—
"…I… I…"
—
He didn't finish.
—
Because he didn't need to.
—
He pushed himself off slowly—
Stumbling back.
—
Still standing.
—
Barely.
—
—
Silence returned to the corridor.
—
Three bodies on the ground.
—
And four still standing.
—
The fox girl stepped into view—
Calm, composed, untouched.
Her eyes swept the scene once.
—
"…Done?"
—
The boy didn't answer immediately.
—
Then—
"…Yeah."
Low.
—
The man nodded quickly.
"…Y-yes…"
—
Draven stood a few steps away.
Unmoved.
Unimpressed.
—
His gaze shifted once—
Taking in all of it.
—
Then—
"…Move."
Flat.
—
No praise.
No acknowledgment.
—
Because to him—
This wasn't something worth stopping for.
—
Ahead—
The maze still stretched on.
—
And the clock—
Was still ticking.
They moved.
—
No one spoke at first.
—
Only footsteps echoed through the maze—
Quick, controlled, uneven in places.
The boy adjusted his breathing as he ran, forcing it steady.
His mind kept trying to drift back—to the moment, to the hesitation—
He shut it down.
*Later.*
—
The man followed, still shaken, still catching his breath.
His hands trembled slightly, but he kept moving.
Because stopping meant thinking.
And thinking—right now—was dangerous.
—
The fox girl led.
Her pace precise.
Her senses stretched wide.
Mana flowed through her like a living current, brushing against the maze itself—probing, mapping, searching.
"…This way," she said quietly, turning sharply down a narrow corridor.
—
Draven followed last.
Unhurried.
Unconcerned.
—
His eyes moved—not just forward, but to the walls, the shadows, the subtle shifts others couldn't see.
Because the maze wasn't still.
—
It was watching.
—
They turned another corner—
Then another—
The space opened slightly.
—
And then—
The fox girl stopped.
—
"…There."
—
Ahead—
A faint glow.
—
A circular zone carved into the ground.
Different from the rest of the maze.
Stable.
Still.
—
A **safe zone**.
—
The boy's eyes lit slightly.
"…We found one—!"
—
"…Too early," the fox girl cut in immediately.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Look closer."
—
The boy froze.
Focused.
—
Then he saw it.
—
Movement.
—
Shadows shifting just beyond the zone.
Subtle.
Hidden.
—
"…Someone's already there…" he muttered.
—
Draven stepped forward slightly.
His gaze fixed on the zone.
Then—
To the edges.
—
"…Not just one."
Flat.
—
The fox girl nodded.
"…At least one team."
A pause.
"…Possibly more."
—
Silence.
—
The man swallowed.
"…S-so what do we do…?"
—
The fox girl didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes moved—calculating distances, angles, positions.
"…If we rush in blindly, we get surrounded."
"…If we wait, time runs out."
—
The boy clenched his jaw.
"…So we fight."
—
"…No," she said calmly.
—
He blinked.
"…No?"
—
Her gaze sharpened.
"…We control the fight."
A faint pause.
"…We don't walk into their position."
Her eyes flicked slightly—
Toward Draven.
Then back.
"…We make them move."
—
Silence.
—
The meaning settled.
—
The boy exhaled slowly.
"…Draw them out…"
—
"…Exactly."
—
A faint crackle of lightning danced along her fingers.
"…If they're inside, they think they're safe."
Her tail flicked once.
"…So we take that away from them."
—
Draven's voice came then.
Calm.
Uninterested.
—
"…Or just walk in."
—
The boy blinked.
"…That's your plan?"
—
Draven stepped forward.
Chains giving a soft **clink** as they shifted.
—
"…They won't hold it."
—
The fox girl's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're assuming too much."
—
"…Maybe," Draven replied flatly.
A step forward.
—
"…I'm."
—
Silence.
—
The air tightened.
—
Because this wasn't strategy anymore.
—
This was certainty.
—
The fox girl watched him for a second—
Then exhaled softly.
"…Fine."
Her lightning flickered stronger.
"…Then we break it open."
—
The boy's heartbeat picked up again.
"…Right…"
—
The man swallowed hard.
"…A-again…"
—
Draven didn't wait.
—
He walked forward.
—
Out of cover.
—
Into view.
—
Toward the safe zone.
—
And just like before—
—
The moment he did—
—
The shadows moved.
—
Figures stepped out.
One.
Two.
Three—
—
"…So you came anyway."
A voice echoed from within the zone.
Cold.
Prepared.
—
More shapes revealed themselves.
—
Five.
—
A full team.
—
And at their center—
One stood slightly ahead.
—
Mana flared.
—
"…You should've kept walking."
—
The fox girl's eyes sharpened.
"…Another one."
—
A second mage.
—
The air grew heavier.
—
Because this time—
—
They were ready.