The Dark Rabbit (Novel Complete)

Part 16: The Quantum Labyrinth (Alternating Aria and Ethan's POV).

Part 16: The Quantum Labyrinth (Alternating Aria and Ethan's POV).

Aria: I felt a wave of fear rush over me as we stood at the entrance of the quantum labyrinth. In their mysterious and cryptic writings, the architects hinted at the difficulties and tests that lie within this location. Furthermore, they depicted the labyrinth as a furnace, capable of forging and transforming the very fabric of reality.

Ethan, my faithful companion and the one who had taken on the Dark Rabbit's influence, caught my eye as I turned to look at him. The mix of dread and excitement that I was experiencing inside my own heart was palpable in his eyes as well. We were both aware that the labyrinth would put us to the test in ways we had never been before and that the road ahead would be full of peril and uncertainty.

On the other hand, we were aware that we had to keep going until our voyage ended. There was only one way to change the outcome—for the better—of the cosmos, and that was if we took action.

Ready to confront whatever difficulties may arise, we drew a deep breath and gave each other one more nod before entering the quantum labyrinth's whirling vortex.

Ethan: I sensed a dramatic change in the fabric of reality the moment we stepped foot in the labyrinth. As if caught in a funhouse mirror's distorted reflection, the world around me twisted and warped, and I was unable to keep my footing as it appeared as though it were changing under my feet every second.

The visuals that started to fill my head were more bewildering than the physical feelings; they were like fragments of a broken screen, flashing and dancing before my eyes, offering glimpses of other realities and potential possibilities.

I imagined myself to be a tyrant who firmly governed the broken ruins of the old world after conquering it. Because of my brutality and oppression, Aria became my prisoner, a shattered version of the woman she once was.

Suddenly, the visions changed, and I found myself sacrificing myself to the Dark Rabbit in order to save the universe. To me, Aria appeared to be a priestess, someone who had to keep the old ceremonies safe because they were the key to understanding the cosmic cycle.

My ability to differentiate between reality and my hallucinations deteriorated as the frequency and intensity of my visions increased. My mind began to tear at its edges, causing my sanity to slip away like a spool of thread.

However, at the same moment when I felt my strength dwindling, Aria's fingers slid into mine, and her touch saved me from the verge of insanity. I felt a sense of community and knew that no matter what obstacles the labyrinth threw our way, we could overcome them if we stuck together.

Aria: The difficulties the architects had warned about became more apparent as we continued to make our way deeper into the maze. Both mental and physical challenges awaited us; each one posed a new challenge to our preexisting assumptions about the world.

A set of mirrors in one room revealed not only our outward appearance but also our innermost thoughts, anxieties, and wants. When I was a kid, I imagined myself all alone and confused in a world that didn't seem to care about me. Ethan appeared to me to be a monstrosity, devoured by the Dark Rabbit's power and driven insane by the mayhem it caused.

However, upon closer inspection, we could make out the distortions and faults that betrayed the mirrors' illusions. At that very second, we realised that our deepest desires and concerns were just projections of our actual selves and not who we really were.

In another room, we got ourselves entangled in a labyrinth of our own creation, with walls that kept moving and doors that didn't really open. We were lost for what seemed like hours, our will to survive dwindling until we eventually gave in to our tiredness and collapsed, our bodies and brains on the verge of giving out.