GLADIATOR | ELYSIUM RISING 1 ✔️

⍢ | 26

The arena had shapeshifted more times than a chimera.

It had assumed its third form for the night's game. Iggy recalled the Skimmer racetrack from the first challenge and the battle zone divided into four quadrants for the Capture the Flag game. But this newest setting was unlike anything he'd ever seen before; a sprawling maze crafted out of nondescript stone outlined with glowing lights. The walls rose into the black sky like the fingers of giants. A gap opened in the center of the front wall—a mouth ready to swallow up any tribute who passed through it.

Iggy couldn't see far inside. Heavy fog poured out from the opening, blocking him from peering more than a few feet deep into the maze. A lump the size of a large salt crystal manifested in the center of his throat. His vision rocked for a moment as if he stood at the front of a ship hurtling through a tempest on the planet Hadeso.

His ears ached from the sounds echoing around him. The thousands of fans wrapping around the inside of the triangle-shaped stadium, sectioned off by high walls glowing with blue light, were the only sight familiar to the boy. Various shots of the crowd going ballistic in the stands appeared on the jumbotron. The screens shifted from the stands to the maze itself; it was complex with multiple routes and obstacles throughout. Iggy spotted spike walls, pits in the floor, and even an electric field. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he tried his best to force his anxiety back down into his stomach.

The tiny camera droids zooming overhead cut away from the maze to showcase Moxi Daystar. The man stood in the skybox built within the jumbotron. He sported a neon green suit and his hair had been slicked back atop his head. His beaming smile nearly took up all the screens. Cheers rang out as they clamored for their charismatic host.

"Citizens of the Elysian Empire!" Moxi Daystar's voice boomed over the noise. "Welcome to the third and penultimate round of the Elysian Gladiator Games! Today...we have a very special treat for you."

Iggy took another look around. Behind him, the tunnel entrance had closed shut. They were rats trapped in a cage. He and the other tributes gathered at the beginning of the maze.

"Our brave tributes will be competing against each other in this beautiful work of art designed by our brilliant gamemakers," the Elysian showman continued. "The maze features many paths—but only a few led to safety. As for the others...well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

Iggy cringed at the horrible images rushing through his head.

"Anyone who emerges on the other side of the maze will advance to the final round! There will be no points, no leaderboard!" Moxi announced. "Tonight, we discover who the real champions are."

The first challenge of the games only let a select number of tributes advance via a leaderboard. Iggy barely managed to snag the last qualifying spot. The second challenge eliminated tributes based on points, or a lack thereof. Again, Iggy and his squad clinched qualification at the death of the game.

But this challenge was different. No leaderboards. No points. Survival was the only qualifier. Something told him this maze wouldn't be a walk in the park.

A hush had washed over the entire arena. He exchanged apprehensive glances with the other terrified tributes. Even Tenn looked on with hesitation in his dark eyes.

Iggy grabbed the medallion hanging from his neck and squeezed his eyes shut. All the noise buzzing around the arena faded to a dull throb in the back of his head. His mother's warm smile surfaced in the darkness of his mind. He felt her warm embrace around him; he felt his father's reassuring hand squeezing his shoulder.

He drew a long, quiet breath before letting it flood out his lips.

You got this.

Holographic numbers appeared at the beginning of the maze. Iggy watched the numbers decrease. Confidence and adrenaline filled his body with every passing second. Once it hit zero, a chime sounded.