The ground trembled beneath their feet as the map glowed faintly in Luce’s hands. Their path was clear — a winding trail leading deep into the heart of Valgrave — to a massive structure veiled in overgrowth and mist. Before them stood an ancient archway, carved with runes and bleeding ivy, opening into five dark passages.
“Of course it’s a damn labyrinth,” Veer muttered, cracking his knuckles. “They never make it easy.”
“We split up,” Avni declared, stepping forward. “Pairs. We cover more ground, faster.”
“Why can’t we just—” Ishaan began.
“Shut up,” Sai cut in.
Avni continued without blinking. “Lev with me. Erik and Raiden. Sai and Ishaan. Veer with Dev. Luce—”
She hesitated.
“—with Saya.”
Luce smirked. “You say that like you’re sentencing me.”
Lev chuckled. “She is.”
The teams formed quickly:
Lev and Avni, natural tension burning beneath every shared glance.
Erik and Raiden, quiet, unreadable — yet something unspoken simmered.
Sai and Ishaan, the reckless and the charmer, already bickering.
Veer and Dev, both composed, both dangerous.
And finally...
Luce and Saya — the storm waiting to explode.
Deep in the Maze
The air turned colder. Damp stone walls whispered of secrets long buried. Luce walked ahead, silent, his usual humor lost in the echoes.
Saya observed him sharply. “You haven’t cracked a joke in seven minutes. That’s a new record.”
He didn’t respond.
Saya broke the silence. “You were so quiet during the announcement.”
Luce shrugged. “Theatrics bore me.”
She stepped in front of him. “You’re not bored. You’re cracked.”
He tilted his head. “That’s new.”
She stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Let me guess... the inheritance.”
Saya stared him down. “They finally said it, didn’t they? You’re the heir. To COMA’s throne. Just like I was.”
Luce’s smirk faded.
Luce's eyes flicked toward her, unreadable.
Saya leaned in, voice low. “I know what you are, Luce. Heir to COMA’s Apex Chair. They chose you... after they abandoned me.”
He froze. Every word sliced deeper than he expected.
“I was meant to inherit it once,” she whispered. “Until they found their golden boy. Until your name replaced mine.”
“That’s not—”
“I was perfect. Merciless. Loyal.” Her eyes glittered. “But Elda — my grandmother — chose you. Said I was ‘tainted by empathy.’”
“They said I was too emotional. Too volatile. But you?” She gave a cruel smile. “The perfect doll. Cold, trained, obedient. But guess what? Dolls crack too.”
She stepped closer. “You think I don’t know what that did to me?”
Luce’s voice dropped. “So this is revenge?”
“No.” Her fingers brushed his collar. “This is balance.”
Luce’s jaw tightened. “Why now, Saya?”
“Because,” she whispered, stepping closer, “I’m tired of pretending I’m not your mirror.”
The silence between them shattered. Suddenly, she pushed him — not in anger, but something far more dangerous.
He caught her. They were close now, breath mingling. Saya was beneath him, eyes dark with challenge.
“You hate me,” he said softly.
“No,” she replied, “I hate that I still understand you.”
“You’re angry,” Luce whispered.
“I’m everything you’re afraid of becoming,” she whispered back.
Luce stared down at her. For a second, his resolve wavered — the raw truth in her eyes. Her hand reached his cheek, slow, careful. His lips parted.
For a brief moment, he stared into her eyes and saw himself — broken, bitter, brilliant. Then, footsteps echoed from another path.
Elsewhere in the Labyrinth
Avni and Lev walked side by side.
“You know,” Lev began, “for someone who always looks ready to kill, you’re surprisingly gentle with Luce.”
Avni rolled her eyes. “He’s like a stray dog. Chaotic, annoying... still worth saving.”
Lev smirked. “You ever consider marrying him?”
“Only if I’m allowed to assassinate him after the honeymoon.”
Lev let out a short laugh. “Noted.”
Erik and Raiden walked in tense silence.
“You didn’t have to save me earlier,” Raiden said, glancing at Erik.
“You would’ve bled out.”
“I wouldn’t have died.”
“I didn’t want to take the risk,” Erik said, softer.
Raiden’s lips twitched. “You’re too kind for a mafia heir.”
“And you’re too reckless for someone so... careful.”
Their eyes lingered.
Ishaan and Sai, meanwhile, had walked into a trap.
“You had one job—ONE JOB!” Sai snapped, tangled in vines.
“This is your fault,” Sai growled.
“You said left. I said right. We compromised and fell into a trap. That’s called democracy,” Ishaan replied cheerfully, dangling upside down from a vine trap.
“Relax, it’s an adventure!” Ishaan beamed. “This is practically romance.”
“I will murder you.”
“Romantic.”
The Reunion
Eventually, four of the five paths converged. Luce, Saya, Lev, and Avni stood face to face again.
Lev raised a brow. “Missed me, stupid?”
Luce offered a dramatic sigh. “If this maze had toilets, I’d marry you here and now.”
Avni shoved them both. “Shut up and move.”
Only Erik and Raiden’s path hadn’t merged. The others pressed forward, the corridor narrowing into a single stone door.
The Blood Hall
They stepped into a wide chamber.
The door slammed shut.
Darkness.
Then — screams. Short. Terrified. Brutal.
Luce didn’t flinch. His fists clenched.
Saya whispered, “What’s happening?”
He said nothing.
Then — silence. The screams stopped.
A red light blinked above. A slow hum.
Suddenly: white floodlights.
The room was carnage.
Only 200 stood. Shaking. Breathing.
The rest — gone. Slaughtered. Blood soaked into the stone.
From the shadows, five masked figures emerged. Elegant. Precise. Clean.
COMA’s Elite Squad.
One stepped forward, voice muffled by a steel mask.
“Orders fulfilled. Target purge complete.”
Meanwhile, in COMA Headquarters
Elda, regal and grim, stood atop the Valgrave control dais. Her hair, long and silver, curled behind a crown woven of obsidian thorns.
Her voice was cold.
“Eliminate all infiltrators. Spare only the heirs. Let them remember what power looks like.”
One elite nodded on screen. “As you command, Lady Elda.”
Once the screen cut, Elda stood silently. The hologram of her two heirs (past and present)— Saya and Luce — floated before her.
She whispered to herself:
“One holds the crown. The other... the fire I buried. I made my choice. But perhaps... it was wrong.”
Her hand trembled. Only for a second.
Back in the Blood Hall
A booming voice echoed.
Luce’s grandfather, the Head of Valgrave, appeared on a colossal screen.
“Children. Of the 10,000 who entered, only 200 were worthy.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhNW4xfJLx
356 innocents perished from traps, environment, or sabotage.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGi7WduHBt
The rest — spies. Eliminated.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1aF4cb4HY
Welcome to your blood baptism.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL3fpPZylP
You are not students. You are now heirs of the underworld.”
Whispers. Weeping. Numb silence.
Avni clutched her mouth. Sai knelt. Raiden turned away. Veer was pale. Even Dev’s fists shook.
And then — the stench. The realization.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡli85cShjfC
Rot. Death. Gore.
Dozens fainted.
Avni felt her knees buckle. She reached for Lev — but darkness swallowed her vision.
Luce did not blink.
From the elite squad, one turned toward him.
“Until the next command… do nothing. Heir.”
Luce’s stare didn’t waver.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthJGe9MIOA
Not even as the blood reached his shoes.
and then Add to home screen.