Enchanted University of Magemenos

Chapter 80:An infinity symbol.

I can't lose focus. I can't let this maze swallow me whole.

But my hands. They won't stop shaking. I've already stained them with blood, but the thought of marking those mirrors again... I can't just leave a trace of my past behind. It's like I'm tethered to the darkness now, to the person I became in those moments of mindless rage. My body is spent, but my mind? My mind is consumed by the need for answers.

I close my eyes again, pressing my palms together, and for a fleeting moment, I think I hear my parents' voices, soft and distant, telling me to keep going. I can't stop now. I can't turn back.

With one last shaky breath, I wipe my hand through the blood-soaked floor. My fingers graze the cool, slick surface of the dead boy's body, and I force myself to focus. The pain in my hand from the sharp edges of the shattered glass reminds me that I'm still alive, that I have a chance to find the truth.

The sunlight filtered through the cracks in the maze of mirrors, casting faint rays across the floor, and I could feel the heat of it on my skin—a sign I was close, so close. The door before me had a red light glowing faintly, almost like a heartbeat pulsing from within. This was it—the exit. The key was already there, sitting innocently on the knob, waiting for me. My hand reached out, trembling, and I picked it up, feeling its cold metal against my palm. As I held it, something strange happened—the two keys I had gathered, the left and right loop keys, began to align, locking together seamlessly into a single shape.

An infinity symbol.

The badge was formed, shining in the low light like a promise, a ticket to freedom. My heart raced as I approached the door, the final step, the escape from this hellish maze. But just as I was about to slide the badge into place, a voice interrupted the silence, cool and steady.

"If I put it... am I the only survivor?" I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.

I stood there, staring at the door. I could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on me. Should I go through, knowing that I might be leaving others behind? The question gnawed at me, unanswered, as I waited for someone to come, hoping they'd pull me out of my indecision.

But irony had a funny way of playing out. Just as I was stewing in my thoughts, the short girl appeared in my line of sight, her footsteps light but deliberate, like she knew exactly what she was doing.

"No, this is not happening with me," I muttered under my breath.

She had a key in her hand. But it was different—smaller, unfamiliar, like it belonged to another door, another path. My mind raced. I already had the exit badge, so why did she have a key too? What was it for?

She walked up to me, eyes glinting with purpose, and spoke, her voice steady despite the chaos around us.

"You have the left key, right?"

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I held up the infinity badge, now perfectly formed in my hand, the weight of it a constant reminder of what was at stake.

Her gaze flickered to the badge, and then back to me, silent for a moment. The tension in the air was palpable, like the calm before a storm, both of us standing there, wondering who would make the first move.

"If the combination made this, then why was this key made?" she asked, holding up the mysterious key in her hand.

I stared at it, my mind racing. The infinity badge was supposed to be the final piece—so what was this for?

"No idea," I admitted, watching her closely.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I'm very happy to have met you, Alyssa."

My breath hitched. "How do you know my name?"

"When you fainted, you kept mumbling, 'Alyssa, wake up.' So I figured it had to be your name."

I felt my heartbeat quicken. I didn't even remember saying that.