The chime reverberated in Kaelen’s mind, its haunting clarity at odds with the stillness of the labyrinth. He froze, every muscle tense, as if bracing for something unseen. His heart hammered against his ribcage, the delicate note resonating with a weight that felt far beyond its soft, melodic tone.


    His hand flew to his sword, fingers wrapping tightly around the hilt. The labyrinth had been oppressively silent until now, its vast halls swallowing sound like a predator consuming its prey. But this chime—it was deliberate, purposeful, and completely alien in the suffocating quiet.


    “What the—” His voice cut through the air, rough against the delicate sound that had already faded into silence. The echo of his words ricocheted off the stone walls, amplifying the emptiness that followed. The oppressive quiet returned, thick and heavy, as though the labyrinth itself was holding its breath.


    Kaelen scanned the corridor, his star-forged light illuminating the twisting walls of the labyrinth. The carvings—constellations etched in a spiraling, chaotic dance—offered no answers, their shapes seemingly alive in the flickering light. His pulse quickened as his gaze darted between shadows and corners, searching for the source of the sound.


    Behind him, the nymphryn had stopped mid-step, its ears flicking forward sharply. It tilted its head, its luminous eyes fixed on him. Though it didn’t speak, its posture was unusual—stiff and alert, a subtle shift from its typically fluid and composed movements. Kaelen could almost sense its surprise, though it offered no reassurance or explanation.


    The chime came again.


    This time, the sound felt sharper, more insistent. Kaelen turned sharply toward it, his breath catching as a faint silver light flickered in the air before him. At first, it was no more than a spark, like the glimmer of starlight reflected on water. But the light grew, coalescing into something tangible, something impossible.


    His eyes widened as the glow took shape—words, translucent and shimmering, hanging suspended in the air. Their edges blurred like moonlight diffused through mist, but their meaning was unmistakable.


    <hr>


    Quest Update: Retrieve the Shard of Eterna


    Objective: Locate the Shard of Eterna, hidden deep within the Forgotten Deep.


    Secondary Objective: Avoid awakening the Guardian.


    Reward: +25 Dexterity, Relic: Eterna’s Edge.


    <hr>


    Kaelen stared, his mouth agape. The words hung in the air, impossible yet undeniable. They were real, their presence so vivid that it seemed to defy the laws of the world around them. He blinked, half-expecting the vision to vanish, but the glowing text remained steady, shimmering faintly as if responding to his breath.


    “What in the Astral Courts…” he muttered under his breath. He took a hesitant step closer, his star-light mingling with the silver luminescence of the text. The closer he came, the more surreal it seemed—like staring at a mirage that refused to dissipate.


    He reached out cautiously, his fingers brushing the space where the words hovered. His hand passed through them without resistance. The sensation—or lack thereof—sent a shiver up his spine. There was no heat, no cold, no pressure. It was like touching a shadow made of light.


    He stepped back, frowning deeply. “This makes no sense,” he said aloud, his voice tinged with frustration. His gaze flicked to the nymphryn, hoping for some reaction, some guidance. But the creature simply stared, its expression unreadable yet undeniably surprised. Its head tilted slightly, its luminous eyes fixed on him as if it were witnessing something incomprehensible.


    Kaelen turned back to the glowing text, circling it cautiously. His boots scraped against the stone floor, the sound jarring in the stillness. From every angle, the words remained the same—perfectly legible, perfectly still. They hovered in the air like a proclamation from some unseen force, defying the logic of the labyrinth. He walked under the text, and then through it. The words remained, glowing.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He crouched low, narrowing his eyes as he examined the space around the text. Was there a source? A projection? Some rune or mechanism hidden within the carvings on the walls? He studied the ground beneath the words, running his fingers over the smooth, unmarked stone and then turned and did the same to the walls. But there was nothing—no trace of magic, no hidden sigils, no physical anchor.


    The words weren’t coming from anywhere. They simply were.


    Kaelen stood slowly, his jaw tightening as his frustration grew. “Fine,” he muttered, addressing the text as if it could hear him. “You’re not going to give me answers. Great.”


    He crossed his arms, his mind racing. He read the words again, this time aloud, his voice a low murmur:


    <hr>


    Quest Update: Retrieve the Shard of Eterna


    Objective: Locate the Shard of Eterna, hidden deep within the Forgotten Deep.


    Secondary Objective: Avoid awakening the Guardian.


    Reward: +25 Dexterity, Relic: Eterna’s Edge.


    <hr>


    Each line was maddeningly clear, their meaning as sharp as their presence was inexplicable. Kaelen’s brows furrowed as he tried to piece together what he was seeing. A quest? A Guardian? He had heard of enchanted labyrinths, places steeped in magic where ancient spells lingered and strange phenomena occurred. But this—this was different. It wasn’t like any illusion or enchantment he’d encountered before.


    “Retrieve the Shard of Eterna,” he repeated, his voice tinged with skepticism. The words carried a sense of urgency, a weight that pressed on his mind. “Hidden deep within the Forgotten Deep,” he murmured, rolling the phrase over his tongue. The labyrinth itself seemed to shift subtly at the mention of the location, as though it were listening.


    His gaze returned to the reward listed beneath the objectives. +25 Dexterity. Relic: Eterna’s Edge. The terms were oddly specific, almost clinical. It reminded him of the descriptions found in ancient texts detailing magical artifacts and their properties. But this wasn’t an artifact—it was a directive, a message that had somehow chosen him as its recipient.


    Kaelen turned to the nymphryn, his frustration evident. “Do you see this?” he asked, gesturing to the glowing text. “Or am I hallucinating?”


    The nymphryn didn’t respond. It remained motionless, its wide eyes fixed on the floating words and then at Kaelen, apparently in shock. It turned back again to the floating words, appearing to process the message. Its tail twitched slightly, the only indication that it had even registered his question. Kaelen scowled, running a hand through his hair.


    “Of course,” he muttered, more to himself than to the creature. “No answers from you either.”


    He turned back to the text, determined to uncover some clue, some hint of its origin. He waved his hand through the glowing letters again, watching as they shimmered faintly but remained unaffected. He crouched low once more, narrowing his eyes at the carvings on the walls. The constellations spiraled in chaotic patterns, their shapes twisting in ways that seemed almost deliberate. But no matter how closely he examined them, they offered no answers.


    Kaelen’s frustration bubbled to the surface. “Are you a message? A spell? Some kind of…” He trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. The words weren’t going to answer him.


    He straightened, his mind churning with possibilities. Was this some kind of test? A trap? The labyrinth was ancient, its purpose shrouded in mystery. Perhaps this was a mechanism left behind by its creators, a way to guide—or manipulate—those who ventured too far. The idea made his skin crawl.


    He began pacing again, his boots echoing in the vast corridor. “The Forgotten Deep,” he muttered. “And a Guardian…” His voice trailed off as he considered the implications. If there was a Guardian, it likely wasn’t the friendly sort.


    Kaelen’s gaze flicked back to the reward. Eterna’s Edge. The name stirred something in the back of his mind, a faint memory he couldn’t quite grasp. It sounded like the name of a legendary artifact—one that had been lost to time, its power the stuff of myths. If the text was to be believed, this labyrinth held not only the shard but the relic itself.


    His heart quickened at the thought. If the shard and the relic were real, then so was the danger. Whatever magic had conjured this text wasn’t a simple illusion—it was a directive, a challenge issued by forces he didn’t understand.


    Kaelen turned to the nymphryn, whose mouth was also agape, his frustration evident.. Its silence was unnerving, its usual calm replaced by an almost palpable tension. “You’re awfully quiet,” he said, his voice edged with slight irritation. “Any chance you’ve got some insight into this? Do you see the floating glowing box or am I hallucinating?”


    The nymphryn didn’t immediately respond. It simply stared, mouth still open in shock, its luminous eyes unblinking. Kaelen sighed, dragging a hand down his face. Apparently he was on his own.


    His face was still in his hands when a crystal voice like starlight came from the nymphryn, who had finally recovered from its surprise sufficiently to speak.


    “You can see the system message?!”