Chapter 112: Victory and a Rival’s Scorn
The air of the Labyrinth of Echoes was cold and tasted of dust and old memories. One moment, they were pushing through a final, shimmering wall of distorted reality.
The next, they were standing under the bright, artificial sun of the Crucible, the colossal space station where the God Games were held. The shift was so sudden that for a second, no one moved.
They just blinked, letting the real light wash over them.
Emma was leaning slightly against Ryan, her face pale. The mental strain of seeing ghosts of her old life had taken a lot out of her. Zara was checking her wrist-mounted datapad, her fingers flying across the screen. Her face was a mask of focus, but Ryan could see the faint tremor in her hands. She was shaken, but she hid it behind her work.
Then there was Chris "Boulder" Magnus. The big, powerful man looked like he had just wrestled a bear and lost. He was breathing heavily, his eyes wide.
Scarlett was the only one who seemed touched but She stood straight and tall, her hand resting near the hilt of her knife. Her eyes weren’t looking at the cheering crowd that was starting to notice them.
They were scanning her team, checking on them. Making sure they were all whole. Her gaze lingered on Ryan for a moment longer, a silent question in her eyes. He gave her a small, tired nod. We’re okay.
A booming voice filled the entire station, echoing from hidden speakers. It was the Prime Warden, the powerful being running the Games. "The first team has emerged from the Labyrinth of Echoes! Champions of the first event, from the dark horse Sector Gamma, led by Sector Lord Ryan Stone!"
Ryan felt a small smile touch his lips. He looked at his team. Emma managed a weak smile back. Zara gave a short, sharp nod, a sign of her approval. Chris just let out a huge sigh of relief and grinned. "Well, I guess that was worth it, then."
A golden, glowing box appeared out of thin air, hovering in front of Ryan. It was about the size of a shoebox and pulsed with a warm, friendly light.