Crown King: Return of The Labyrinth | ✓

Chapter 12: The Labyrinth

Falling.

It seemed so endless, but even if you haven't stood on a ground, the force of gravity down here was stronger than you could imagine. You closed your eyes and buried your face as you curled into a ball, hugging your knees tight as you could.

Where am I?

Why do I have to end up here?

Dozens of questions circled in your mind.

How could Ether betray me?

She was your best friend aside from Cayla. It was very hard to believe that she was the one behind this, or worse, it's possible she had also been working for Ardyn, the same way Edmund had.

But there was one thing.

I have to find Cayla. And if I found her, we'll continue looking for Luna and Prompto.

The gust of wind stopped so suddenly that made you open your eyes. The fall had stopped, yet you still couldn't feel anything beneath your feet. Not even a soft surface, or a water, or something else. There was nothing beneath you. You looked around. The darkness enveloped you and as you looked up, the same color welcomed your sight. It felt as if you were inside a mother's womb, yet the feeling was colder, unfriendlier and bleaker.

Amidst the darkness, you gulped and breathed deeply to speak.

"Hello?" Your voice echoed to nowhere.

No answer. The air went denser every step you took. You looked down beneath you after taking a step. Instead of a firm ground, you realized you had been stepping on a liquid substance. Yet since you couldn't see anything, you weren't sure about that.

Drop.

Water? you thought. Where did that come from? You took a few steps to where the sound came from.

Drop. Drop. Drop.

This is getting weird. What is this place?

Maybe a few more adjustments with your sight would work to able to at least see a thing. And as you did, the place flared so suddenly your eyes didn't stand the brightness for a while. The drastic change of vision from darkness to light nearly blinded you.

"AGH!" You grunted, squinting your eyes and looking away. Then slowly, you opened your eyes. It was dark again, yet somehow a source of light originated from behind. You faced nothing yet, but the scent filling the air was welcoming all of a sudden. It smelt of burnt meat, that you realized you were hungry.

I haven't eaten for a few days. You held your stomach, which was grumbling after the delicious smell entered your nostrils.

Oh, for the love of all things. If only these stupid things happening never existed, you could've been laying on a couch, watching movies and eating snacks. You could've been spending on visual novels or reading books as you cuddled with Noctis.

I miss him, so much. you thought, closing your eyes. I wonder what he is doing. . . Is he thinking of me right now?

Taking a deep breath, you opened your eyes and turned away from the light that had partially illuminated the shadows.

"What the—" you covered your mouth at the dreadful sight. Tears filled your eyes; knowing whose body had been ripped with its flesh exposed, the fire burning the corpse. The flames dug through every flesh. "No. . . No way. No way!"

You ran towards it, but as you neared, growls erupted from every direction. It made you halt and look for the sounds. You summoned a dagger, quickly and tightly gripping onto its handle.