Chapter 173: The Trial (30)
The faint pulse of magic rippled beneath her boots as Verena pressed forward, her heartbeat thrumming in sync with the constellation-lined walls. The air within the Labyrinth was thick, humid with astral tension, every step like wading deeper into the unknown. Vivienne trailed just behind her, her anxious footsteps nearly silent thanks to her Dreamtide magic gently dulling their presence. For once, Verena was actually grateful for the heroine’s ridiculous, oddly convenient ability.
"So... you don’t think we’re, like... gonna die horribly in here, right?" Vivienne whispered, clutching her sleeves nervously.
Verena snorted. "Define ’horribly.’ Is there a ’pleasant’ way to die in this place?"
"Ugh, you’re so reassuring."
Ahead, the corridor curved sharply, opening into a vast, circular chamber. The walls shimmered, painted in swirling constellations that pulsed like a heartbeat. In the center, the stone floor sank into a shallow basin filled with a silvery mist, glowing faintly under the magical light. It was eerily quiet.
Verena’s eyes narrowed. Her gut twisted with familiarity. "We’re not alone."
The mist stirred. From within the basin, a low, guttural growl reverberated through the chamber. Something massive shifted beneath the fog, and then—
A sleek, ethereal form lunged out. It was a beast unlike any they’d seen so far—a creature of pure, radiant twilight, its body elongated and serpentine, its glistening scales adorned with constellations that mirrored the Labyrinth’s walls. A Zodiac Beast.
But not just any beast.
"The Ophiuchus Warden..." Verena muttered, eyes wide.
The serpentine beast coiled in the mist, its piercing, intelligent eyes locking onto her. It was rare—practically myth for the Labyrinth to manifest a Zodiacal entity outside of the standard twelve. Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, the hidden sign—Verena had read enough forbidden archives to recognize the implications.