Darkness swallowed them.
Not completely—
but close enough.
A narrow corridor stretched ahead, long, silent, suffocating.
Cold stone walls.
Unforgiving.
Seryna's team stood together the moment the light faded.
No one relaxed.
Not even for a second.
"…Stay sharp," Seryna said immediately, her voice low and controlled. "We don't know what—"
A soft hum cut her off.
Above them, an orb flickered into existence.
Floating.
Watching.
Then the voice returned.
"…This stage is simple."
No one moved.
"…Walk forward."
A pause.
"…Of course… it won't be that easy."
The faintest distortion rippled through the corridor.
"…The entire path is layered with traps."
Kaelira's ears twitched sharply.
"…Figures."
"…Reach the end," the voice continued calmly, "…and you pass."
Another pause.
"…Fail…"
Silence.
"…and you die."
No reaction.
Because that part—
was expected.
But then—
"…One more thing."
Seryna's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…If your team falls below three members…"
A beat.
"…you will all be eliminated."
The weight of that landed immediately.
Not individual survival—
but team survival.
Tharic shifted slightly, tension rising again.
Then—
"…And here's a tip."
That word again.
"…Traps can only be triggered…"
A pause.
"…by those whose mana is unsealed."
Silence.
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood instantly.
The voice didn't need to explain further.
Seryna exhaled slowly.
"…So that's the condition."
Kaelira let out a quiet breath through her nose.
"…So that's how they want to play it."
Her gaze shifted—
to the one without mana.
Seryna didn't interrupt.
Didn't deny it.
She simply thought.
"…We don't rush," she said finally. "We test. Step by step."
The corridor didn't breathe.
It waited.
Cold stone stretched ahead, the air thick with something unseen—something waiting to be triggered.
Seryna turned slowly.
Her gaze landed on the last member of their team.
The only one without mana.
A human girl.
Her shoulders were tense.
Her breathing uneven.
"…You."
The girl flinched.
Seryna's voice remained calm.
Controlled.
"…Go."
A pause.
"…You heard him. You can walk through without triggering anything."
Silence.
No one moved.
Not even her.
Because understanding something—
and trusting it—
were very different things.
Her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.
*What if it's a lie…?*
*What if I step forward and die instantly?*
No one reassured her.
No one stepped in.
Because they all knew—
they needed proof.
Kaelira's ears twitched again.
"…Why are you just standing there?" she snapped.
She took a step forward.
"…If you don't move now, and one of us triggers something…"
A slight pause.
"…you might die anyway."
Blunt.
Cruel.
True.
The girl swallowed hard.
Her legs felt heavy.
But she moved.
One step.
Then another.
Everyone watched.
Every eye locked onto her feet.
Waiting.
For something.
Anything.
But—
nothing happened.
No shift.
No sound.
No trap.
Just silence.
The girl blinked.
Then took another step.
Still nothing.
Behind her, tension eased—just slightly.
Seryna exhaled softly.
"…Alright."
Her eyes sharpened again.
"…That confirms it."
She stepped forward slightly—but not into the corridor.
Thinking.
Calculating.
"…If traps can only be activated by those with unsealed mana…" she began, voice low and analytical, "…then as long as we suppress and conceal ours, we should be able to—"
"…No."
She stopped.
Lucien's sister spoke.
Calm.
Certain.
"…I don't think it's that simple."
Seryna's gaze shifted.
"…What do you mean?"
Lucien's sister stepped forward slightly.
Her eyes weren't on the girl ahead.
They were on the collars.
"…If it was just about mana," she said steadily, "…he would've said the traps are triggered by mana."
A pause.
"…But he didn't."
Seryna frowned slightly.
"…And?"
Lucien's sister's eyes narrowed.
"…He said unsealed."
Silence.
"…That distinction matters."
Now they were all listening.
Closely.
"…The collars," she continued, tapping lightly at her neck, "…monitor everything."
A beat.
"…They track who has their mana sealed."
"…Who has it released."
"…And where they are."
Seryna's eyes widened slightly.
Understanding struck instantly.
"…So even if we hide it…" she murmured.
Lucien's sister nodded.
"…It won't matter."
A pause.
"…Because the traps aren't reacting to mana itself."
Her gaze lifted.
Forward.
"…They're reacting to the collars."
Silence dropped again.
Heavier than before.
Because that changed everything.
Seryna exhaled slowly.
"…So anyone with unsealed mana—"
"…will trigger them regardless," Lucien's sister finished.
Kaelira clicked her tongue.
Low.
Annoyed.
"…Tch. So there's no cheating it."
Ahead, the human girl turned slightly.
Still standing.
Still unharmed.
Because she—
was safe.
And behind her—
they weren't.
The corridor stretched on.
Long.
Silent.
Full of traps.
Waiting.
—
On the other side of the labyrinth—
the corridor was the same.
Cold stone.
Narrow passage.
Air that pressed against the chest like weight.
Draven's team stood within it.
Five figures.
Lucien.
Tharic.
Draven.
And the two they had recruited.
One of them broke the silence.
A man with a crooked smile.
Relaxed shoulders.
Too casual for this place.
"…So what?" he said, glancing down the corridor. "…We can just pass through, right?"
A faint chuckle.
"…Since our mana's sealed and all."
No one answered.
He tilted his head.
"…What are we waiting for?"
Still nothing.
His smile widened.
"…Fine. I'll go first then."
And he did.
He stepped forward.
One foot.
Then another.
Careless.
Confident.
The corridor didn't react.
No shift.
No trigger.
No death.
Just silence.
The man exhaled, amused.
"…See? Nothing to it."
Tharic watched him carefully.
Then frowned.
"…Looks like it's fine."
The second recruit nodded quickly.
"…Yeah, I'm not standing around forever."
He followed.
Step by step.
Still nothing.
No traps.
No activation.
Only their footsteps echoing faintly off stone.
Tharic hesitated.
Then glanced back.
At Draven.
Still unmoving.
Still silent.
Lucien did the same.
"…Sir?" he called quietly.
Draven's crimson eyes shifted.
Just slightly.
A flicker.
Then—
"…Go ahead."
Flat.
Certain.
No explanation.
No warning.
Just permission.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
"…Alright."
He stepped forward.
Tharic followed a second later.
Both moving into the corridor.
Still watching Draven over their shoulders.
As if expecting him to follow.
Or stop them.
Or say something else.
But he didn't.
He stayed where he was.
Still.
Silent.
Watching the corridor ahead instead of them.
Not worried.
Not uncertain.
Just—
focused.
The two recruits moved further ahead, gaining confidence as nothing happened.
Tharic muttered under his breath.
"…So it really is safe…"
Lucien didn't respond immediately.
His eyes were still on Draven behind them.
Something about it felt wrong.
Too calm.
Too still.
Like he wasn't following them—
but letting them go first.
A test.
Or a calculation.
Tharic finally broke eye contact and kept walking.
Lucien lingered a moment longer.
Then followed.
Step by step.
Deeper into the corridor.
Behind them—
Draven didn't move.
Not even an inch.