We continued forward into the maze; Isaac in front, Dan trailing behind, and I sandwiched in the middle like a very squishable pancake.

  I arched my back and yawned. "Oui… It's so peaceful…"

  Isaac immediately shot me a death glare. "Why did you say that? Are you trying to jinx us, witch?"

  I slung my arms over his shoulder, scoffed. "Oh, come on. What could possi—"

  Whoosh.

  Something sliced past my cheek. A hot sting followed. The copper taste hit my tongue a second later. My heartbeat raced, and I blinked. "...Huh?"

  Isaac and Dan spun around.

  Masked figures. Short. Dressed in strange robes. Their pale, inhuman masks glinted beneath the dim torchlight. Dozens of them lined the mirrored hallway.

  Crossbows raised. The one in front whispered something brittle and thin, like porcelain cracking in slow motion. The ranks behind released. The sharp scent of oil and metal cut through the corridor before the first volley even flew.

  My heart leapt. Eyes widened. "Oui… I really did it this time."

  "YOU THINK?!" Isaac screamed. "RUN, YOU BLOODY FOOL! AND WHEN WE GET TO SAFETY, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE BEATING OF A LIFETIME!"

  "I DESERVE THAT IF WE LIVE LONG ENOUGH!"

  We ran. Footsteps pounded the tiles. Bolts slammed into the ground around us. The impact rattled the floor under my boots. A few bolts struck inches from my heels. Chips of stone stung the back of my calves. Heat flared, but my legs kept pumping.

  Tsss... That hurts!

  The mirrored walls multiplied our reflections, dozens of frantic versions of us sprinting beside us. Behind us, their steps echoed and doubled until it sounded like a hundred were behind us.

  "They're still coming?! Don't they sleep?" I flicked a handful of needles behind me.

  Thud!

  Three dropped when my needles struck. The others stopped instantly. They circled the bodies without looking at us. As if we had already ceased to exist. I looked past my shoulder and stopped. Their masks dipped in unison. The mirror beside me leached warmth from the air. My skin prickled.

  "What are you doing? Waiting for them to decorate your face?" Isaac yelled as he ran.

  Ignoring him, I stared at the enemies. Mournful? Reverent? Please don't memorize our faces.

  Seeing how I had ignored him, Isaac turned back and witnessed the scene. He pulled Dan's collar and stopped running, breath heaving. He dragged Dan and stopped beside me.

  My breath fogged faintly against the mirror at my side. For a second, I couldn't tell if the pale shape in it was me… or one of them.

  "…They're not chasing anymore?" I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

  "Looks like a ritual." Isaac placed a hand on my shoulder, chest heaving. His gaze fixed on the scene before us, eyes narrowing. Interesting.

  Dan gulped, whimpering behind Isaac. "Creepy…"

  Suddenly, the one with the tongue-sticking-out mask uttered a wet, layered whisper. They lifted the bodies gently. Reverently. One pressed its mask against the fallen one's forehead for a long second. They proceeded to step into the mirrors; the rest followed behind.

  The mirror nearest me pulsed once. Then silence. My reflection blinked half a heartbeat after I did.

  "They're retreating…" I watched the scene, and a grin broke through. "Well!" I dusted my clothes. I rubbed my nose. "Looks like I resolved the crisis! I deserve some praise, no?" My grin felt a little too tight.

  Bonk. Isaac whacked my head. "You started it!" and muttered, "Witch."

  Isaac pointed at me. "Moving forward, your role is only to be a danger sensor. Other than that, zip it before you jinx us to death."

  I stuck my tongue out. "Danger sensor activated, sir. I'll keep my mouth shut... unless something is about to kill us."

  [Hazard Zone: 3rd Level Maze - Pathway Nexus]

  "Jump!"

  "Left!"

  "Duck!"

  We barely dodged the spinning blades, floor spikes, and flame traps. Every five meters was another trial. I bent over, mood damped. Isaac was flat on the ground, barely moving. I knelt and checked his breathing. Breathed a sigh of relief. Still here, phew! Dan, on the other hand, was still full of energy. Not even a sweat? Sus.

  I dropped to my knees. Arms flew up. "Oui… Still only the third level, and it's already like this? What's level four? Literal hell?"

  Dan gave a thumbs-up. "You're the best danger sensor I've ever met!"

  That's because there's no such thing as human danger sensor. I threw a glare at Isaac. Until that mini squid came along.

  Isaac groaned as he pushed himself up. His arms and legs trembled like a newly born calf. I clamped my lips shut, struggling not to laugh.

  "Don't celebrate yet. This maze wants us dead." He heaved as he leaned on the mirror.

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  "Stop being such a party pooper, sourpuss." I poked Isaac's cheeks.

  He slapped my hand away. "I have a name, sloth."

  "Awww~ You just admitted I'm cute." I grinned.

  Isaac gave a cold stare. "When."

  "You called me a sloth. Sloths are cute!"

  Dan nodded solemnly. "They are. Especially when they eat. My heart squeezes every time."

  One of my eyebrows arched up, confused. They are? I was just saying to piss Shorty off.

  Isaac looked skyward, shut his eyes, and swore deeply. "Why me…"

  Ding.

  The sound carried strangely well through the mirrors, as if the walls were passing it along. Familiar. Terrifying. I froze.

  Hmm? Why does that sound familiar? What was it again? I recalled every annoying sound I'd heard. Mr. James's disgusting face flashed in my mind. I shook my head. Not that. He exists in a whole different spectrum of annoyance. I pondered for a while, then remembered the first game. "Oh no… Not that."

  Isaac turned back and asked. "Not what?"

  BOOM!

  The sound of shattering mirrors.

  Thoom. Thoom. Thoom.

  Something massive was approaching.

  We turned slowly and froze at the sight. A giant steel ball crashed through the hallway behind us, wide enough to scrape both walls, high enough to crank my neck until it snapped.

  "… That."

  "RUN!!" Isaac screamed.

  The ball barreled toward us, faster than seemed possible. We sprinted through forks and winding corridors, but the ball always followed. Turning when we turned. Speeding up when we slowed.

  "Why is it following us?!" I wailed.

  "You got tagged the moment your partner disappeared!" Isaac shouted over the rumble.

  "What?! I thought punishments came after the game!"

  Isaac's jaw tightened. He shot me a look. This is your fault.

  Another fork ahead. Isaac led us down the right path... Dead end. Three solid stone walls. I looked around. Shouldn't it be mirrors? Aiya. Whatever. Most importantly...

  "Oui… Dead end for the soon-to-be-dead three little mice." I sobbed dramatically.

  Isaac shoved us into the corners. Dan to right. Me to the left. "Stay there and squat!" Immediately, he squatted down in front of the ball, calm, calculating.

  "What are you doing?!" I screamed, hands covering my head. I looked at Dan, then at Isaac. Corners? Square corridor. Round ball.

  I gave Isaac a thumbs-up. "Oh, you pretty head."

  RING. RING.

  The ball rolled closer. My breath hitched. I closed my eyes. Dust sifted down, settling into my hair and across my face. "Achoo!" More dust fell onto my face. I rubbed the grit from my eyes and cracked an eye open. A smooth gray surface greeted me. So close...

  "…It worked?" Dan's voice rang from the side.

  Isaac said in a firm tone. "Of course it did."

  Dan placed both hands on the ball and tried pushing. His face turned beet red, but it still didn't budge. Finally, he let up and asked, "But how do we get out?"

  Isaac pointed. "We can squeeze under. It's just big enough."

  I smirked. For you? Absolutely. You're so small, you could live in a rat hole.

  We crawled under and sprinted down a side tunnel. The ball groaned. The impact spiderwebbed cracks through the stone. Debris fell. The ball was released. It rolled back and forth, then slowly began rolling backwards. Each rotation sent tremors through the floor, rattling my teeth.

  "…It's chasing us again!" Dan screamed. "Why does it love us so much?!"

  Isaac shot me a glare. I examined my reflection instead. If I were going to die, at least I'd die symmetrical. And I hope I'll be reborn as a sloth.

  We ran until we skidded to a stop as we reached a central chamber, wide and echoing with strange moans. A massive humanoid of shifting clay dragged itself across the chamber, joints grinding.

  Dan's jaw dropped. "That thing's alive?!"

  I nudged Isaac's. "Is that a golem?"

  "Seems like it." Without another word, Isaac ran toward it.

  "Are you nuts?! Where are you heading?" I screamed and waved at him to come back.

  "TRUST ME!"

  Dan turned to me. "What do we do?"

  The metal ball thundered behind us. With no time to discuss, we followed. The golem faced the other way, didn't see us coming. We dove between its legs. The steel ball followed seconds after.

  BOOM!!

  The steel ball collided with the golem's legs.

  CRACK!

  The impact shattered its lower half. The golem collapsed on one knee, massive slabs of clay raining down. The ball broke and broke into parts. The golem’s entire body fell with it.

  "THIS WAS YOUR PLAN?!" I screamed, dodging rubble.

  "BETTER THAN NO PLAN!" Isaac yelled back.

  As we continued to dodge, a chunk of golem fell right above him.

  "LOOK OUT!" I dove toward Isaac, hands outreached and shoved him aside. Isaac flew out of range, and a broken chunk of the golem slammed into me. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. The world went white. Then dark.

  [Isaac's POV]

  CRASH!

  Dust swallowed everything.

  "Llyne!" I hit the ground coughing, grit scraping my throat. “Llyne?!”

  Dan staggered upright beside me, swatting at the haze. I forced myself up and dropped to my knees at the pile of debris.

  Not again.

  I’ve held someone like that before. Limp. Head tilted wrong. Blood dripped from her chin onto my hands. Her mouth parted. No sound. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I blinked hard. Not this time.

  I tore into the clay with shaking hands. “Llyne. Get up.”

  Dan joined me. We dug like animals. My fingers caught on fabric. Red. Her waist tie.

  “Dan. Faster. We’re close.”

  We cleared the last of the rubble and pulled her free. She was too still. Dust coated her face. One side of her hair was matted with clay.

  “Hey.” My voice cracked. “Hey. Don’t die. You can’t die, you idiot… You said you wouldn’t until you kicked James’s ass.”

  I pressed trembling fingers to her neck. Nothing. I couldn’t find it. My hands were shaking too much. My chest locked up. I laid her flat. “Dan. Protect us.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “CPR. Now focus.”

  He turned away. I locked my hands and pressed down on her chest. One. Two. Three. Four. Her head rocked with each compression. Come on. Five. Six. Seven. Air in. Seal. Breathe. Again.

  My arms burned. Sweat stung my eyes. Count. Don’t stop counting. Keep going. Don’t think. After too many rounds, my arms went weak. I stopped and pressed trembling fingers to her neck again. Come on. Nothing. I leaned close to her mouth. Still nothing.

  I should’ve seen it. I told her to trust me. I killed her. I muttered, “If you live, I owe you. Anything.”

  In that silent moment, her chest jerked. A sharp, ragged inhale tore out of her.

  [Llyne's POV]

  Pain exploded in my chest. I coughed violently, air ripping into my lungs. "Kagh! Koff! Gagh!" I wheezed, rubbing my chest. For a moment, while buried, I thought it was really my last moment.

  "Stunk like death in there! I just needed a breather, damn!"

  Why does it hurt so—

  Something warm gripped my hand. “Llyne?” Isaac. His voice sounded like it had been dragged through gravel. His usually smooth, baby-soft hands were scraped raw. I looked down at his hand, then at the rubble at the side.

  Oh.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. It hurt. “Oh shit. That almost killed me.”

  Isaac blinked, red filled the edges of his eyes. Then he pulled me into a tight hug. Too tight.

  "You okay? Did the clays hit your head or did I?" I patted his back.

  Dan smiled, teary-eyed. "Welcome back!"

  The corner of my mouth shot up. I raised a fist. "As I said, I'm not dying 'til I whoop Mr. James's ass."

  Isaac laughed, nodded. "Yeah… I believe you now."

  "And... Don't forget you owe me." I smiled. He smiled back.

  We turned to the golem, or what was left of it. It was holding the metal ball in its giant hand like a protective shield.

  "A guardian golem…" I muttered. "How sweet."

  Isaac nodded. "Let's leave."

  Dan helped me up. We bolted up the nearby staircase.

  [Level 4: Unlocked.]

  I stretched, took in the not-fresh air. Hacked a few violent coughs along the way. "Whew… The adrenaline rush."

  Isaac chuckled. "You can say that again."

  Dan collapsed to the floor. "Let's rest… My heart can't take it anymore…"

  We lay back, panting. Letting the silence settle. Until I opened my mouth.

  "I just hope no monsters sneak up on us while we're resting," I muttered.

  Isaac and Dan turned to me with frozen faces. I met their cold, hard glare. "…What?" Silence. "Oui…"