As he journeyed onward, he saw from afar a group of Rydophages approaching him. The Rydophages were a race of monsters—short, dark-skinned, stocky beings with magical abilities. As they drew nearer, Etydameas realized what he was dealing with and became worried, for the Rydophages often used the spell Opriphiath.
The spell Opriphiath caused forgetfulness, and thus Etydameas understood that he had to be especially careful not to be struck by that curse, because afterward he might forget where he was—or even his own name.
The Rydophages came within casting range and attacked him with various curses. Fortunately for Etydameas, they were not particularly accurate, and so he easily dodged and deflected the first wave of attacks. The twelve-year-old mage did not take any risks and protected himself with the shadow spirit Radin.
The spirit Radin was one of the many beings taught to him by his friend Synagoras, and it was a rather powerful shadow spirit. Etydameas's creature proved highly capable, redirecting many of the magical attacks cast by the Rydophages back at them and effortlessly killing them with their own spells.
Then the spirit annihilated most of the remaining Rydophages by wielding ancient magic, leaving only two enemy creatures alive. The two Rydophages simultaneously unleashed their magic against Radin, and the spirit was finally destroyed.
The young mage attacked one of the Rydophages with the spell Nefoulso, but the other was quicker and struck him with the magic of forgetfulness—Opriphiath. Startled, Etydameas immediately unleashed Movarda, causing both Rydophages to explode at once.
Within moments, Etydameas no longer knew where he was, who he was, or why he had come to this place.
The Odyvii debated whether they should finally intervene and capture him, but the profits from the wagers and magical broadcasts continued to rise, so they proposed delaying their intervention a little longer.
Thus, the young Etydameas continued walking in the direction toward which the liquid Seunadasi pulled him, without knowing where he was or why. He recognized nothing and remembered nothing, and so the only thing he could trust was that strange sensation tugging him toward a certain direction. Relying solely on that feeling, he continued onward in search of answers.
Meanwhile, the betting against him grew constantly among the mages watching the clueless young Etydameas. The boy carefully observed the world around him, trying desperately to remember something—anything—but everything seemed foreign. So he kept following the only thing he knew: the strange pull guiding him onward.
As he strained to remember, suddenly a gigantic one-eyed giant spotted him and charged toward him. This beast was one of the many horrific new creatures the Odyvii had added to the labyrinth—a Cyclops.
Cyclopes were enormous, wicked beasts that devoured defeated enemies. They also possessed a form of intelligence, allowing them to wield tools as well as magical wands and staffs. This Cyclops carried a magical rod that amplified his powers, making him especially dangerous.
Yet Etydameas approached the giant fearlessly, without stopping.
The Cyclops saw the small mage walking toward him without fear of his immense size or terrifying appearance and paused in confusion.
"You are not afraid of me, little one?!" the Cyclops shouted.
"No, my friend," Etydameas replied. "Why should I fear you?"
The Cyclops was astonished that the boy did not fear him, and his curiosity toward the brave young mage deepened.
"I," he declared, "am the famous and dreadful Erivimos. Who are you, little one?"
Etydameas, suffering from amnesia caused by the curse of forgetfulness, answered hesitantly:
"Uh… I don't know… I cannot remember my name."
The giant Erivimos grew enraged.
"You dare mock me, brat?! Now you shall feel my wrath, reckless wretch!"
The Cyclops began attacking the young escapee with curses through his magical rod. Yet even with amnesia, Etydameas instinctively dodged and deflected every attack. He even counterattacked with a rapid succession of spells, forcing the fearsome Cyclops onto the defensive.
Erivimos cast a protective barrier against the relentless barrage of spells and then summoned a tremendously powerful demon—the legendary dragon Slavir.
This creature was a monster of ancient magic, a being of the highest order.
Yet somehow, without understanding how, the young mage knew exactly which spells and creatures to summon, and he used them with astonishing skill. Fearlessly, he defended himself against the terrifying Slavir and summoned another shadow spirit taught to him by Synagoras.
Thus he called forth the dark spirit Mangerl to protect him from the dragon's devastating attacks.
Etydameas had no idea how he knew all these spells, yet he cast them as naturally as speaking.
The battle against the demon Slavir was brutal, and Mangerl struggled greatly to hold back the dragon. Then the young mage conceived a brilliant idea.
Since there was no possibility of defeating the mighty Slavir directly, nor any way to strike Erivimos behind his defenses, he decided to turn the dragon's own power against its master.
Using the spell Cylindros in combination with his shadow spirit, he redirected one of Slavir's devastating attacks back toward the Cyclops Erivimos.
However, Erivimos reacted in time and summoned another powerful defensive creature—Bolto—thus protecting himself from certain death.
Bolto was a bizarre slimy being of extraordinary elasticity, capable of absorbing virtually any attack aimed at Erivimos, even attacks from his own creatures.
Now the young escapee faced a double problem: he had to deal with the legendary demon Slavir while also being unable to harm Erivimos, who remained safely protected behind Bolto.
The twelve-year-old mage began to despair, realizing that perhaps the Cyclops truly would kill him. Worst of all, he did not even know why Erivimos wanted him dead.
And then, just as hopelessness began to consume him, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
Since he could neither destroy Slavir nor strike Erivimos directly, he decided to risk everything by drastically increasing the dragon's power with the spell Megamops, doubling its magical strength.
Megamops amplified the offensive power and magical level of any spirit. Unable to surpass Slavir's overwhelming might, Etydameas instead made the dragon even stronger.
He realized that summoned beasts consumed immense amounts of mental energy from their masters—especially powerful ones. Erivimos already controlled both Bolto and the mighty dragon Slavir simultaneously. Therefore, Etydameas strengthened Slavir further, intending to exhaust the Cyclops's spiritual strength until he lost control of his creatures entirely.
The Cyclops watched in disbelief as Etydameas empowered his already formidable dragon, assuming the boy had lost his mind from fear.
But moments later Erivimos felt the crushing mental burden of controlling both Bolto and the newly empowered Slavir. Before he could react, the unprepared Cyclops was attacked simultaneously by his own creatures.
The legendary Slavir unleashed a colossal lightning blast from its mouth and incinerated Erivimos completely.
The moment the Cyclops died, his creatures vanished instantly. Etydameas dismissed his own shadow spirit as well and sighed in relief, grateful that his desperate plan had succeeded and that he had survived the terrible danger.
Now Etydameas understood that the place he wandered was filled with deadly threats. Having narrowly escaped death, he continued onward—but far more cautiously.
The mages of the Odyvii council were left utterly astonished by the young mage's achievement. Never before had anyone survived alone against the legendary power of the dragon Slavir without the aid of an entire team of mages.
And Etydameas had accomplished it while bearing a magical suppression mark upon his shoulder, wielding only an oak wand, and suffering under the effects of forgetfulness.
And he was only twelve years old.
News of his epic battle against the demon Slavir and his victory spread like wildfire throughout the magical world. Now everyone sought a way to learn what was happening inside the horrific labyrinth of the second level of Akmpazan.
Or even better, they too could watch the illegal broadcast inside the dreadful labyrinth through the magical mirrors or through the new magical insects that the Odyvians had added even to the second level. For a long time now, the committee had placed magical insects not only in the level of the demonic Alnaphropes, but also throughout the second sector, so they would not miss a single moment of the aspiring prisoners attempting to escape.
Thus, the chestnut-blond Etydameas, with his straight hair and pale skin, continued onward while all the eyes of the magical world watched him with immense fascination. The boy had inherited his lighter features from his mother, the blue-eyed Apheni, who had long blonde hair and a snow-white complexion. In contrast, his father Torpineas had dark wavy hair, brown eyes, and average height. Likewise, Etydamefs had inherited his father's eye color and stature.
Meanwhile, as the young fugitive journeyed through the labyrinth, the Odyvians in Sazideas' palace discussed how Etydamon knew several powerful and rare spells, wondering how in the world he had learned them and how he cast them with such ease and confidence.
At the same time, Torpineas and Apheni had long been preparing for the moment when their son would attempt to escape. With Apheni's help—who was a member of the Odyvian committee in Koryvos—she had informed her husband about the new surveillance systems installed in the second and third sectors of Akmbazan. Thus, Torpineas and his brother Enithipeas had managed to find a way to gain access themselves to the transmissions from the magical mirrors and insects. In this way, they too were able to monitor young Etydameas' escape attempt.
The two brothers, aided by a few trusted friends, had already put the first part of their plan into motion. Through the magical mirrors they had found a method to cast repelling spells upon the beasts of the labyrinth in the areas where the twelve-year-old mage traveled. And indeed, for nearly half an hour Etydamefs encountered no monsters, only a few devilish traps, which he easily dealt with using the spells Convyrgo, Imsenthio, Aulothopia, and Rymor, depending on whichever was quickest at hand.
Thus Etydamon continued onward toward the strange pull of the seynadasi, eager to discover where it would ultimately lead him.
The Odyvians began to worry and wonder about two things. First, no beast had appeared for quite some time to hinder the young fugitive. Second, they could not understand how the young mage kept moving in the correct direction within the labyrinth. They had absolutely no idea, and especially now, while under the influence of the magic of forgetfulness, they were utterly baffled, racking their minds as they watched him advance through the terrible maze.
Sazideas ordered the security systems of the labyrinth to be inspected at once, so they could determine why the monsters never moved toward Etydameas. Specialist mages began their investigation, while the young mage kept drawing closer and closer to the end of the vast maze.
Everything suggested that the unruly Etydamon would soon reach the labyrinth's end, since he was only a few kilometers from the exit and somehow advanced with uncanny precision toward the correct route.
Yet just as the young mage's task seemed easy, the specialist mages informed the committee that someone had illegally interfered with the magic of the mirrors within the labyrinth, allowing outsiders to watch the events as well. At the same time, they discovered that magical repelling spells were being cast through the mirrors to prevent the beasts from approaching the young fugitive.
The Odyvian committee congratulated the team of mages who had detected the foreign interference in the magical mirror system in time. Afterwards, they decided to rearrange the labyrinth so that the exit's location would change. Under normal conditions, the layout of the labyrinth and the gates of Akmbazan shifted every twenty-four hours, but after this act of cheating they ordered the layout of the legendary prison to be altered immediately.
Thus the young mage suddenly found himself once more far away from the exit of the dreadful labyrinth and no longer protected from the fearsome beasts, since the mirrors had been cleansed of the foreign interference.
Now all that remained was to determine by what method the young rascal was locating the correct path through the prison's second sector.
Etydamon felt the ground tremble and saw the horizon move, though he could not understand what was happening and wondered if he had imagined it. And as if that were not enough, strange beings suddenly appeared—the Ragones. The Ragones were violent giant creatures, and they began hurling rocks at him from afar.
Etydameas defended himself from the barrage of stones with the spell Protecto, and then counterattacked with offensive spells, eliminating a couple of Ragones. Meanwhile, the remaining Ragones closed in on him, forcing Etydamefs to summon Xodeinos to defend him.
Xodeinos was a very powerful being. He conjured a veil of shadow, concealing both himself and Etydameas within it from the monsters' attacks. One Ragone attempted to enter the cloud of darkness, but Xodeinos unleashed a barrage of magical shadow blades emerging from the gloom, slaughtering the creature instantly.
Another approached, and Xodeinos created a magical circle that imprisoned it. Torpineas then struck it with the spell Movarnta and killed it.
Two more beasts charged toward the dark mist, whereupon Xodeinos summoned a magical mirror, causing two identical reflections of the Ragones to emerge from it and attack them. Thus those beasts too were destroyed.
Finally, the cloud of shadows faded, and Xodeinos formed a massive sphere of shadow magic and hurled it at the remaining Ragones, killing several more. The surviving Ragones, witnessing Etydameas' terrifying spirit, turned and fled for their lives.
Once the dreadful creatures had retreated far enough, Etydameas quickly dismissed Xodeinos, for he felt a tremendous burden and his mental endurance was being heavily drained.
One Odyvian on the committee asked the other mages if that had truly been the legendary shadow spirit Xodeinos. Several replied solemnly that it indeed was.
"But how is that possible?" some muttered. "How can a mere child possess knowledge of such a rare and powerful spell? And how exactly did he successfully summon such a mighty spirit of the ether, let alone control it?!"
"But that is the most powerful seventh-level shadow spirit!" exclaimed others, while the committee discussed all this with fascination as they watched the young mage keep pulling miracles out of his hat.
Pharyptis was a dangerous beast with powerful abilities, capable of drowning entire groups of people with its water attacks. Sogylas, on the other hand, had the form of a six-headed dragon, and from each head it unleashed different magical attacks. Etydamon remained alert and quickly summoned the female shadow spirit, Mangerl. He positioned himself behind the spirit beast to protect himself from the two hostile demons standing at opposite ends of the passage.
First, the young mage used the magical ability of shadow spirits known as the Cylinder, redirecting one of Sogylas's powerful attacks toward the terrifying Pharyptis. However, the beast endured the blow and retaliated with a massive water vortex aimed directly at Mangerl. Etydameas shielded his creature using the spell Kapera, successfully protecting it from the fierce assault.
Then the cunning Etydamefs sent Mangerl directly between the two monsters and concealed her inside a cloud of shadows that spread across the entire area. Pharyptis and the earth demon Sogylas simultaneously unleashed their devastating attacks toward the dark mist where they believed Mangerl remained hidden. Yet the shadow spirit had already escaped from between them. As a result, the attacks of the enemy creatures collided with one another. Pharyptis, being the weaker of the two, was destroyed, while Sogylas suffered mortal wounds. Meanwhile, Etydameas's shadow beast emerged unharmed from the cloud thanks to the illusion spell Napolen. Finally, Etydamon ordered Mangerl to attack the weakened Sogylas and finish him off.
Afterward, he dismissed his creature and cursed his terrible luck, for at every step another deadly danger awaited him.
Meanwhile, everyone had begun discussing his talent, magical skill, and intelligence. Never before had anyone seen the magic of the spell Napolen used so cleverly that two opposing monsters destroyed one another. It was the first time such a brilliant and cunning trick had been witnessed in the world of magic. Everyone agreed that the young mage had proven himself exceptionally talented, sharp-minded, and courageous.
Indeed, many people watching him had begun to sympathize with the young mage and hoped he would escape the dreadful labyrinth alive. Even within the Committee of the Odyvians, some had started to look favorably upon the little troublemaker, and voices were being raised suggesting his release under conditions—or at least that he should be transferred to another prison outside the terrible Akmbazan.
Of course, there were also those who had placed bets on the boy and hoped he would succeed so they could win large sums of money.
Etydameas was already known throughout the magical world because of what he had done in Pyrosovia and, naturally, because of his previous two escape attempts from the cave prison of Damanis. Thus, many mages admired him for his courage and audacity in attempting these escapes from Akmbazan, while others considered him an arrogant and spoiled child who obeyed no law or authority.
As a result, fierce arguments erupted both among the Odyvians and among ordinary citizens watching his escape attempt. Some supported Etydameas, while others opposed him. However, once they truly saw him through the illegal broadcasts within the horrifying labyrinth and realized he was merely a small child, many changed their minds and began to pity and support the young troublemaker.
Regardless of whether someone supported him or not, one thing was certain: he had shown himself to be extraordinary and possessed the heart of a lion.
Then, unexpectedly, everyone witnessed the young mage come face-to-face with the worst beast of the labyrinth—the terrifying Minotaur.
The tension and anxiety of the viewers reached their peak as they watched the young mage, wondering whether his journey would finally end or whether he would once again astonish them with his incredible abilities.
Etydamon wasted no time. Knowing that every encounter so far had brought only enemies, he immediately hurled curses at the Minotaur from afar. After using several spells, he realized the Minotaur suffered greater damage from fire magic. Etydameas gave the demonic beast no time to breathe, attacking relentlessly so it could not counterattack.
However, the Minotaur unleashed a powerful wave of air that repelled the boy's barrage of spells and summoned the creature Golem, a gigantic and powerful beast. From a distance, the Golem hurled massive rocks at Etydameas while the Minotaur simultaneously attacked him with ranged magic.
Etydameas managed to inflict some damage on the Minotaur, but he now found himself in a dire situation. Forced to face two threats at once, the young mage summoned a fourth-level creature called Marmaron. This creature was highly resilient and temporarily shielded him from the combined assaults of the Golem and the Minotaur.
The battle raged on, and the Minotaur brought forth yet another monster under his control: the beast Tausor, which resembled a gigantic and ferocious bull. With no other option, Etydameas pushed himself further and summoned a second beast of his own to protect him from all the hostile creatures trying to kill him. He called forth the fire creature Imari, and the battle became fierce and evenly matched on both sides.
Etydameas used spells to aid his beasts and keep them alive so they could continue defending him from the relentless attacks of the enemy demons.
Seeing that Etydamefs continued to endure, the terrifying Minotaur escalated the battle further and summoned one of the three legendary tenth-level beasts of magic—the radiant dragon Elrev.
At that moment, everyone believed the young mage's fate had finally been sealed against such monstrous enemies.
Realizing how desperate the situation had become, Etydameas decided to sacrifice the magical energy of his two creatures in order to summon the powerful shadow spirit Xodeinos without consuming too much mana. After all, controlling three creatures simultaneously would have been extraordinarily difficult.
With his mighty shadow spirit Xodeinos, Etydameas fought desperately, though he could barely do more than defend himself from the enemy beasts.
Finally, when even his spirit was on the verge of destruction, the young mage resorted to one final trick of the shadow spirits—the spell Myvox. This spell allowed him to transfer control of his own shadow spirit into the enemy's command, forcing the opponent to control yet another creature.
Yet the cunning Etydamefs did not destroy the legendary Elrev as everyone expected. Instead, he sacrificed the weaker Tausor. Thus, the Minotaur suddenly found himself controlling three overwhelmingly powerful creatures simultaneously: the Golem, Xodeinos, and the dragon of light Elrev.
Etydamefs knew that once the Minotaur possessed three such powerful beasts under his control, the strain would become unbearable. Left defenseless himself, he gambled everything on placing the demonic Minotaur under impossible mental pressure.
And indeed, the mighty Minotaur lost control over the three terrifying creatures, which immediately turned on him and destroyed him. The moment the Minotaur died, the dreadful beasts vanished as well.
Filled with joy, Etydamefs saw that his unbelievable trick had succeeded and quickly continued onward, following the strange and powerful sensation guiding him.
After yet another epic battle—and victory over another legendary monster—the world leapt to its feet in amazement, cheering for the incredible boy. Not only had the twelve-year-old mage defeated the greatest guardian of the Labyrinth entirely on his own, but he had also survived yet another confrontation against a legendary tenth-level demon, the dragon Elrev.
People had already been astonished that he survived the legendary dragon Slavir's beast, but now he had repeated the feat under even harsher conditions against Elrev.
At last, people began taking the young mage seriously and realized that the rebellious Etydamefs possessed abilities beyond imagination.
After traveling several more minutes through the second sector, Etydameas encountered a mysterious dark cloud ahead of him.
It was one of the labyrinth's fiends, known as Bogart. This creature transformed itself into the greatest fear of whoever faced it. Thus, it was a true menace unless someone realized its true nature. Normally, Bogarts could be easily defeated with the spell Rezikoro once identified, but otherwise they were genuinely dangerous.
The unaware Etydamefs initially saw only a strange shadow, but as he advanced, it spread outward and enveloped him completely.
The young mage stared in confusion as darkness consumed everything around him. Proceeding carefully, he began to grow uneasy. With the spell Konvirgo, he unleashed a burst of fire in an attempt to illuminate the shadowy veil surrounding him. The path lit up briefly before darkness swallowed it again, since he did not currently have the useful spell Rymor readily available.
Nevertheless, Etydameas still had the ability to summon the creature Imari in the form of a flaming fox. He called it forth to provide light and at the same time protect him from whatever dangers lurked within the darkness.