He did, in fact, not wait for the thing to finish being formed. Leonidas's legs shot off the ground with a push, muscles straining under pressure.
What the.
His body moved as wind whipped his face, the pleasant sound of a creepy flute that came with the wind echoing in his ears. He was moving faster than his thoughts could form — at least ten times beyond anything an ordinary man should manage, the world blurring to streaks around him...which was strange, considering he was one...an ordinary man that is.
Before Leonidas had moved slightly faster than the fastest man in Art's world. Now...
His mouth hung open in shock, but he quickly shoved it away. He knew not why he was fast, but it worked in his favor. Instead of the original 15 minutes, he would now reach the base of the spires in a quarter of the time.
Holy, it feels like I've already awakened.
Those who had awakened—known by the Labyrinth as enlightened—had access to an array of abilities. Not only were their physical bodies much stronger and faster than before, their mind was sharper, their soul more rigid.
Should I try it?
Leonidas had noticed inconsistencies in his body after he had tricked Art into killing himself. He had broken the faucet in his bathroom, and felt unwound even after walking the entire way to the Labyrinth entrance.
The malevolent rays from the pinwheel sun hadn't harmed him, which might seem normal, but considering that he couldn't look at the normal sun for long, it was unusual.
Still, Leonidas could and had played all these off as mere coincidences; after all, who would be crazy enough to consider they had been the first person to awaken naturally?
But I'm not exactly normal, am I?
That too was true. He had found out another world existed, one where the fate of his own was already depicted, in a novel no less.
He had seen the vast expanse of his phosphene space without help from the Labyrinth, and killed a part of himself to retain his sense of identity.
And as if to top it all off, he was thinking about his past endeavors while running from hideous beasts being born from a perfidious ground.
It was mental, but as Seridius had said, 'if you know you're crazy, then you aren't.'
Alright, let's do this.
The spires were close, just a few more seconds of traversing across the accursed liquid, and he would be there. But the Pilgrims were also close; they had finished being born. From a purely visual standpoint, Leonidas could say that they had to be at the second step of the ladder—Ardent.
Attempting to fight them with the suspicion around whether he had actually awakened would be madness. Hell, even if Leonidas had awakened, fighting them would still be highly stupid and a quick way to die a painful death.
His legs moved at autopilot while his mind focused inwards, towards the very center of his being. The sight behind closed eyes was harrowing.
It was the same as swimming across a lightless ocean without any form of navigation, a feat not many could accomplish.
The dark held secrets, and it was Leonidas's job to uncover them. His focus intensified, the feeling of drowning increasing with it.
The deeper he focused, the more he drowned, and soon, even he could taste salt on his tongue.
An ocean had started forming around him, seemingly responding to his thoughts. Personification mattered, and his had materialized.
Leonidas's hands flailed around uselessly in the vast and boundless ocean of dark, waves crashing into his body.
Luckily for him, his father had forced him to excel at a plethora of things, and swimming was one of them.
Regaining his bearing, Leonidas moved his legs, pushing against copious amounts of water, while his hands paved the way. He could see something in the distance, deceptively far, yet in hands reach.
The feeling couldn't be defined; it was as if he instinctively knew that he could reach it if he pushed, but pushing too hard would just drive it further away.
Is it because I'm inside myself?
Woah! That sounded wrong, but it wasn't entirely wrong.
Leonidas took a deep breath to soothe his burning lungs and composed himself. He had no time to waste.
No more than a second had passed in the outside world, simply because his mind processed information far faster than before, making time—in his perception—slow down.
The island was just there; a few more pushes, and he would make it. Excitement was about to make way into his heart when all of a sudden, a thought arose.
What if I don't reach in time?
Leonidas shoved it away, but not before it solidified into reality. A massive maw burst open from below, swallowing the lightless waters of his mind, calming them for a moment before everything burst into motion all at once.
Rows upon rows of teeth, larger than his body, gleamed with an alien hue. The pale light glistened across his face, highlighting his cerulean eyes, while dulling his blonde hair.
Ah, shit!
Leonidas quickly moved his limbs in erratic flailing, but it was useless. The monster was simply too large and titanic. Nothing Leonidas could do would stop him from getting eaten.
With each despairing thought that passed through his mind, the worse the situation got. For a moment, he had forgotten that the space responded to his thoughts...
Eureka! That's it!
How had he been so blind? The answer was right in front of him all this time. Was he not inside his own mind? Was he not God here?
An imposing eye of gold stared down at Leonidas as the mouth slowly closed. His end was near...or was it?
A maniacal smile appeared on Leonidas's face. "I have died once, and yet it could not hold me. Who are you to dare write the tale of my demise, you beast. A God does not drown in his own sea. You shall fear me for I am God."
Leonidas willed his body to rise, and it did. Slowly, he hovered out of the mouth of the beast, which stood still, glancing at his majesty.
He glanced at the figment of his imagination, which looked somewhat similar to a large fish, only that this fish had dozens of limbs protruding from its body and tentacles like appendages.
"Wrong day to be born. Be eternally grateful that I am benevolent. Remember the name of Leonidas even in death."
With an impassive wave, the body of the overgrown fish slowly melted away, disappearing into nothing more than darkness.
[The Labyrinth is amazed at your arrogance.]
[The Labyrinth praises your arrogance.]
[The Labyrinth condemns your arrogance.]
[The Labyrinth assigns you a Source Element.]
[Stand proud, Leonidas Hector. You have awakened.]