Ultraviolet

Chapter 6: The Great Labyrinth

(Author's Note: In some places, you will see three dashes in a row. Those are meant to resemble an em dash. I just put them there because there's not an actual character on the keyboard for the em dash, so I would have had to go copy one to paste every time I wanted to write. It was easier for me to replace them with three dashes.)

 As we walked towards the labyrinth, a pit in my stomach began to form. I had never faced something like this. I hadn't ever completed a corn maze with my mother in autumn. If I hadn't even experienced something like that, how was I supposed to be able to complete a life-threatening labyrinth? It was a lot of pressure, but having two friends to face it with me made me feel a little less nervous.

The path to the Great Labyrinth was littered with dead leaves, although there were no trees anywhere close to the path. It was still night time, which I found a bit strange. I did not mind it, though. I had always adored the stars. I had always imagined that the biggest and brightest stars represented my loved ones who had passed, such as Clarence, or Elizabeth. The more plentiful, smaller ones, represented my hopes, dreams, and desires. They were there to guide me.

"Nopira, when will it be daytime?" I asked.

"Daytime? What is that?"

"You know, like, when the sun comes out!"

"Oh, the sun! Yes, I have heard of that before. The sun doesn't shine in the First Reality, ever. We remain in eternal darkness, but you'll come to love it in time."

"Interesting. I didn't mention it because I don't like it, I was just wondering why the sun hasn't shown its face. Wait, does that mean that it is eternal daytime in the Third Reality? From what you've told me, it sounds like the Third Reality is sort of the opposite of the First Reality."

"Certainly! You're catching on, Dianne! When I found out that you knew next to nothing about the universe, I assumed that teaching you would be a never-ending process, but it seems like you're a rather quick learner!" he complimented.

"That's what my teachers used to tell me until, well, I became different, but I prefer not to talk about my supposed differences. They aren't as strange as some people make them out to be. I am very normal on the inside."

"That makes sense. You seem like the type of person that people would see in that light. Of course, people are going to look at you differently in the alternate realities, as well as the Passenger Dimension, but that's only because you're a neutral being. You don't have to fear people's views of you here. They don't get caught up in such silly worries here. We live to serve Neutrality, that is all. That's why I like it here.

We walked on, somewhat confident. I enjoyed small talk with Rukni. For a crow, he was a very captivating fellow. He seemed to know everything, and when I talked about things from my world, like the weather or human hobbies, he seemed to understand. At last, we made it to the Great Labyrinth. The walls were made of stone, and there were strange symbols carved into them. I was not able to interpret them, but I didn't want to seem ignorant by asking, so I kept my mouth shut. The entrance to the labyrinth was very tall, so much so that I wondered what the purpose for its height was. It seemed unnecessary.

"So, this is it?" I muttered, almost talking to myself.

"Yes, how we fare here will determine your future, young lady," Rukni stated.

Nopira took the first step forward, motioning for Rukni and I to come along. Swallowing my fear, I stepped forward. Rukni fluttered forth.

"Listen, Dianne, this is very important. It could save your life. It is vital that you stay right next to Rukni and I. Never lose sight of us. As long as we stick together, we will make it out alive," Nopira ordered.

We walked forward for about twenty seconds until we came to the first set of branching paths.

"Okay, I am going to ensure that we cannot get lost here. Nopira, pluck a feather off of my wings every time we make a choice and lay it on the right side of the path. This way, we know that if we see my feathers down a path that we've already been there, and if the feathers are on the left side we are backtracking. If the feathers are on the right we are walking the exact same path as we previously had," Rukni ruled.

"That is genius! Let us take the left path first. Perhaps, we should keep to the left this entire attempt. It will make this much easier on us," Nopira explained, plucking the first feather, careful not to harm Rukni.

He laid the first feather along the right wall of the left path, and we continued onward, laying feathers on the ground conservatively, as to not force Rukni to fly around naked. We continued to take left turns until we came to a stone wall with a lever attached to it. We had come to a few dead ends before this, but none that had seemed to be passable yet.

"Should we activate it?" I questioned.

"I don't see why not," Nopira replied.

I approached the lever, and flipped it slowly, stepping back as soon as I heard the click. The door opened even slower, skimming the ground and spreading dust all throughout the air. It unlocked a path with more symbol-covered stone walls. Rukni was the first to fly into the newly-opened passage. I followed close behind. Nopira began walking towards the door when suddenly, the door slammed shut. I had assumed that because the door had opened at the speed of a snail, it would shut just as slowly, and could only be shut with the activation of a lever on the other side, but I was proven wrong as I witnessed Nopira's face get lost behind the stone door in an instant. He tried to sprint to the other side as fast as he could, but he was not fast enough. He was left behind mere inches away from the remaining sliver of space between the door and the wall.

"Nopira, no!" I shouted, looking defeated.

I pounded my fists on the door, trying to break it, but I knew that I could not just shatter such ancient stone. Panic set in. If I was panicking, he was probably panicking too, and running around at the speed of light trying to find his way to us! I had to find him. At the very least, I had Rukni to help me.

"Forget the feathers, Rukni! We need to find Nopira, as soon as we can!" I yelled.

"Let's not get too hasty, Dianne. We will find him, but we need to do this methodically, or else we'll just end up lost too," he reasoned.

"Fine! Do whatever you like, but I'm going to find Nopira! We can't just lounge around daintily placing feathers on the ground as we please! Come find me when you realize this."

I stormed off to somewhere to the right. I took a few rights after that in hopes that the labyrinth would loop back around to where Nopira was trapped, but I eventually realized this was getting me nowhere. I began to form a pattern of taking lefts until I realized this was also not helping me. I started to randomly choose paths, not taking even a second to think about the turns I was taking. I was desperate to find him. I couldn't bear the thought of him being all alone in the labyrinth, worrying about if we would ever find him, or if he'd ever be able to find us. I marched onward, vainly hoping that I would find something, anything, that was a clue to where I needed to go next to find him. I scanned the ground for feathers near the right wall, signaling that if I kept that direction I would find Nopira. I needed to find him! I had to! I would do it! I was determined, nothing could stop me from trying! There was no other option than to try. There never is.