Heir of the Labyrinth

Chapter 2: The Reunion

By the next day the heavy silence of the Labyrinth after what happened that day before was broken only by the soft whisper of stone sliding against stone. Jareth Jr. moved cautiously, his body still aching from the battle in the Unseen Path. His mind buzzed with the aftershocks of magic, and every step felt weighted by the enormity of what had just transpired. The shadowy figure's threat lingered in his thoughts, as ominous as the twisting corridors around him.

He had survived, but the warning was clear—this was far from over.

Jareth Jr:
-„Just a few more steps.."

Jareth Jr. navigated the shifting walls of the Labyrinth with ease, his connection to the ancient magic guiding him effortlessly. Yet, despite his mastery over the maze, there was an unshakable feeling of anticipation building inside him. He hadn't seen his father in months.
The Goblin King, Jareth Sr., had been away, dealing with mysterious disturbances on the outer edges of their kingdom, and Jareth Jr. had been left alone to guard the heart of the Labyrinth.

That was how things had always been. Jareth Sr. was a ruler, a king bound to his duties, and Jareth Jr. had grown up in the shadow of that responsibility. He had been shaped by it, both in mind and in body, transformed by the magic of the Labyrinth. But even now, after all he had experienced, he couldn't help but feel a certain trepidation at the thought of reuniting with his father.
Jareth Jr. reached the central chamber of the Labyrinth—a wide, open space surrounded by towering stone pillars, each one engraved with ancient runes that glowed faintly in his presence. The chamber was bathed in soft, ethereal light, emanating from the heart of the Labyrinth itself.

It was the place where Jareth Sr. often returned after his travels, a space of reflection and meditation.

And there, standing in the center of the room, was Jareth the Goblin King.

Jareth Jr:
-„Dad?" he whispered

He looked almost exactly as Jareth Jr. remembered—tall, elegant, and impossibly regal. His platinum blonde hair framed his sharp, angular face, and his mismatched blue eyes gleamed with the same intensity they always had. He wore his customary attire, a flowing cloak of deep indigo and silver, and his posture radiated authority. Yet there was something different about him now, a weight in his gaze that hadn't been there before.

Jareth Sr. turned as his son entered the chamber, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other, neither speaking. It had been months, but for them, time had always been fluid. Both were tied to the timeless nature of the Labyrinth, and moments could stretch into years or collapse into seconds. Still, the distance between them, emotional rather than physical, felt vast.

Jareth the Goblin King finally spoke, his voice calm and measured. He rarely used the "Jr." suffix when addressing his son—it was a reminder that, despite their differences, they shared the same essence.

Jareth:
-"You've been busy."

Jareth Jr. nodded slowly.
-"The Unseen Path... it's stirring. I felt a dark presence, something old. It tried to rise, but I pushed it back."

The Goblin King's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Unseen Path? I didn't think you were ready for that part of the Labyrinth."

-"I wasn't," Jareth Jr. admitted, his voice steady despite the tension between them.

Jareth Jr:
-"But I had no choice. It called to me."

There was a long silence. Jareth Sr.'s gaze remained fixed on his son, as if searching for something. He had always been a difficult man to read—detached, composed, always in control. But now, there was a flicker of something else in his eyes—concern, perhaps even fear.