Welcome to my Dream World || (deukae)

Chapter 15: Maze of Reflection

The air rippled like a disturbed pond as the group stepped into the Maze of Reflection. Walls of glimmering crystal surged up around them, each surface a cascade of shimmering colors that bent and refracted light into mesmerizing patterns. It was as if the very fabric of reality had turned fluid, pathways unfurling and retracting with the unpredictable whimsy of a dream.

"Stay close," Minji said, her voice steady despite the pulse she felt thrumming in her throat. But even as the words left her lips, a sudden shift in the labyrinth's geometry scattered them like leaves in the wind.

"Minji!" Siyeon's call echoed, distorted by the twisting corridors.

"Here! Everyone, regroup!" Minji attempted to retrace her steps, but the path behind her had vanished, replaced by an opaque wall of mirrored glass.

"Yoohyeon?" Gahyeon's voice trembled, barely audible over the sound of shifting walls.

"Keep talking, I'm following your voice!" Yoohyeon replied, determination lacing her tone as she pushed through a narrow opening that appeared suddenly to her right.

"Siyeon, was that you?" Dami's calm voice cut through the confusion, her eyes scanning for patterns in the chaos, seeking order amongst the disorder.

"Can't... can't breathe..." Siyeon gasped, her hands skimming the illusory barriers, reminding herself they were not as solid as they seemed. She drew a deep breath and braced herself, pushing forward.

"Handong? Bora?" Minji called again, her gaze darting around, searching for her companions amidst the disorienting reflections.

"Here," came Handong's steady response, though from which direction, Minji couldn't discern.

Bora did not answer. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, a staccato rhythm that seemed to synchronize with the pulsating lights of the maze.

"Focus on the key," Yoohyeon muttered to herself, squinting at the bursts of light that beckoned from every corner. "Ignore the lies."

"Careful steps," Gahyeon whispered, one foot cautiously following the other, her eyes locked on the flickering promise of escape.

Each member of the group found themselves drawn to a different section of the labyrinth, their paths dictated by tantalizing glimmers that danced just out of reach. The light teased them, impossibly bright yet ephemeral, like the dying flash of lightning bugs.

"Is anyone there?" Minji's voice echoed off the walls, her footsteps quickening as she chased after a particularly insistent glow.

"Almost..." Siyeon panted, her breathing heavy as she dodged a phantom that lunged from the reflective surface.

"Got to be cleverer than this," Dami murmured, her mind racing as she approached a riddle etched into the ground, its letters glowing softly.

"False walls," Gahyeon admonished herself, steeling her nerve as she reached out to touch what seemed to be an abyss yawning before her, only to find it was another illusion.

"Stay sharp," Yoohyeon encouraged herself, ducking under a low archway that formed just as she neared it, her eyes never leaving the elusive radiance that promised deliverance.

"Where are you all?" Bora said, more to herself than anyone else, fighting the urge to give in to the panic that clawed at her chest.

"Must be here somewhere," Handong mused, her concentration unshaken by the maze's trickery, her resolve unwavering.

"Find the light," they each thought, unaware of how closely their paths ran, separated only by the capricious will of the Maze of Reflection.

Handong's footsteps were measured, her gaze sharp as she traced the labyrinthine corridors of the Maze of Reflection. The walls shimmered like mirages, promising escape only to twist into dead ends. She paused, examining a pattern in the reflection—a series of symbols that seemed to repeat with subtle variations.