A silence settled over the arena long after the cloaked figures vanished, like the echo of a fading heartbeat. The remaining Awakened stood scattered, mentally drained but physically bound to their fates. Ethan sat cross-legged in the sand, eyes closed, breath steadying. Alessia stood nearby, keeping watch, though her shoulders were tense from more than just vigilance. Something in the air had changed.
Divinacea throbbed inside Ethan like a second heart. His encounter with the cloaked figure had opened something in him. A door left ajar. Now, there were whispers where there had once been silence. Faint impressions, not quite voices, brushing the edge of his consciousness. He didn't know whether to be terrified or honored.
A gong rang.
The Overseer returned, stepping out from a shadowed gate that hadn't existed before. Dressed in dark ceremonial armor etched with glowing red runes, he stood tall, commanding silence even from those who didn't fear him. His voice was iron wrapped in velvet.
"The interference has ended. The test of the gods is concluded. You are not judged. You are chosen."
He raised his arm, and a shimmering screen projected above the arena, revealing the sixteen survivors who had either triumphed in their pair battles or survived the divine interruption. Eight full teams. None had escaped unscathed.
Ethan's eyes scanned the display, noting the warriors they would likely face in the next phase. Some looked monstrous, barely human. Others radiated calm power, like monks who'd trained lifetimes for this.
"The next round begins in twenty-four hours," the Overseer declared. "Until then, you are to rest, reflect, and prepare. This is your only mercy."
He turned on his heel and vanished through the same shadowed gate.
Ethan stood. His muscles ached. Divinacea was quiet now, pulsing gently. Alessia walked over, her expression unreadable.
"Did you feel it again?" she asked.
He nodded. "Like they're still watching. Like they're waiting."
They exited the arena together and followed the stone corridor into the living quarters prepared for survivors. These were nothing like the cells from earlier rounds. The room Ethan received was more of a suite—smooth black stone walls with golden trims, an actual bed, clean water, and even a table of food that looked freshly made.
But it felt like a gilded cage.
He sat at the edge of the bed, staring at his open palms. A memory stirred.
He was eight.
His mother coughed up blood again, staining the white cloth in her hand. She smiled as if nothing were wrong. Ethan had tried to smile back, but his small hands trembled. That night, he crept into her room and whispered a desperate prayer to the stars. Any god. Any power. Anything.
No one answered.
She died a week later.
Now, years later, he held the power that could've saved her. It came too late. And yet, it pulsed with purpose.
He stood and walked to the window. The sky above was strange, a canvas of stars that shifted subtly, as if aware of being watched. The realm they were in now felt separate from the world. A divine pocket reality.
A knock on the door.
It opened without permission. A man stepped in—tall, broad, dressed in high-collared robes of red and silver. His hair was braided with threads of glowing light.
"Ethan Graves," the man said, nodding politely. "I'm Marrek. I believe we'll be fighting soon."
Ethan tensed. "Then why are you here?"
Marrek chuckled softly. "To talk. This next round will not be like before. It's not a brawl. It's a test. One that demands cooperation, strategy, and... restraint."
"You want to form an alliance?"
"A temporary one. Mutual benefit. You and your partner are skilled. I've watched you. I believe we have overlapping goals."
Ethan frowned. "And what would those be?"
Marrek stepped closer. "I want to reach the Chosen level. I want to face the gods themselves. But I won't get there by brute force alone. I need people like you. People who are aware that this is more than a contest."
There was something in Marrek's tone that reminded Ethan of the cloaked figures—controlled, but not cold. He didn't trust him fully, but something about the offer made sense.
"I'll think about it," Ethan said. "But if you cross me..."
Marrek raised his hands. "Understood. You'll do what you must."
With that, he turned and left, his footsteps silent.
That night, Ethan and Alessia met again on the training grounds set up in a circular chamber below the living quarters. No weapons. Just movement. Practice. Breathing.
Alessia circled him. "You don't have to carry everything on your own. I know you think this power makes you the shield of the group, but if you fall, we all fall."
"I know," he said softly. "That's why I can't fall."
She stopped. "I meant what I said. If you ever need to rest, I'll keep you standing."
He nodded, then threw a feint punch. She dodged it easily. They fell into rhythm—strike, counter, parry, reset.
An hour later, drenched in sweat but more focused than ever, Ethan sat with her under a suspended light crystal.
"Tomorrow," he said. "Whatever they throw at us, we win."
"And if it's not something we can win?"
"Then we survive it. Together."
Morning came too soon. The Overseer summoned them with another gong, echoing through the halls like a divine summons.
The sixteen remaining Awakened gathered once more. This time, instead of sand and stone, the arena had transformed into something... else.
A labyrinth.
Towering black walls stretched into the sky. The entry point was a single arched gate with a glowing symbol above it—seven intersecting rings.
The Overseer stood atop a dais.
"This is the Trial of Understanding. Within this maze are illusions, traps, and puzzles. But also: visions. Memories. Regrets. Each of you must confront not only the others, but yourselves."
He pointed toward the gate. "The first eight to emerge shall pass. The rest... will not."
Gasps.
No teams. No alliances. Just individuals.
Ethan glanced at Alessia. She gave him a sharp nod.
"We don't have to stay together," she said. "But we find each other at the end. Deal?"
He hesitated, then nodded. "Deal."
They stepped forward.
The gate opened.
And the labyrinth swallowed them whole.