1 Chapter 1

The Labyrinth of Daedalus is one of the handful of dungeons that is classified as a level 11 dungeon. In other words it is unclassifiable.

The Academies classify dungeons based on their difficulty and danger from level 1 which is the easiest, up to level 10 which is the hardest and the most dangerous. The criteria for this classification is determined by 'the Academies' Joint Board for the Classification of Higher Tier Beings, Creatures and Dungeons'.

Occasionally, and this occurs very, very rarely, there are those higher tier beings, creatures and dungeons that are unclassifiable. In the case of dungeons, this occurs because either the dungeon moves around so much that access and exit is too difficult to the point of being impossible, or because it is too dangerous that assessment is deemed to be beyond the acceptable hazard level for classification procedures. Those dungeons that are unclassifiable are labelled as level 11 dungeons.

Entry into a level 11 dungeon is strictly forbidden to all students and staff of the Academies. This restriction also extends to Heroes of Classes A to E. As S-Class Heroes have autonomy, this restriction should be seen as 'a very strong recommendation' for them though if their missions require it, they may enter at their own risk and should they choose this, they are encouraged to 'prepare to their best abilities'. Even for S-Class Heroes, the strongest in the Academies – and arguably the whole of Avalon – using Level 11 dungeons for training is not a practice that many of them do.

In the case of the Labyrinth of Daedalus, it is classified as a Level 11 dungeon because it is both almost impossible to enter and exit and also because the dangers within it are extremely hazardous.

The difficulty in entering and exiting the labyrinth is because its entrance is frequently moving and its stay in any one location varies from a split second to a few days. Thus finding the entrance to the labyrinth in itself is exceedingly difficult. A number of individuals and organizations have tried, over the centuries to find a method or to create an item that can locate the door to the labyrinth, with little success.

And then, even if one does manage to find the entrance, there is the question of exiting it – in one piece. Once someone has entered the labyrinth, they should not expect the entrance to remain there for them. Sometimes the entrance acts as a one-way door, allowing someone to enter the labyrinth through it, but not providing a way out. Even if the entrance did remain, re-entering it would not necessarily lead to the point of origin. Theorists have suggested that the door of the labyrinth may even open up to the bottom of the ocean, to high up in the sky, and even to space. The few who have tried to prove these theories have never returned hence none of them have really been proven.

However, although this is not widely known, there exist three static entrances to the Labyrinth of Daedalus. Whether there are more is open to question as the three known entrances are man-made.

How they were made have been researched by the Academies for many years and although they have not been able to replicate the technique - nor do they wish to, in fact all research papers pertaining to the doors have been locked up and buried - some understanding of the method used have been gained.

The technology and Aura Technique used is believed to date back at least seventy thousand years. Well within the era of the Ancient Atlantians. So it is plausible to assume that the people who pegged the entrances, because this is essentially what they did, were the Ancient Atlantians. Though for what purpose they did this is open to debate – or rather to bravery or foolishness of anyone who would attempt to challenge the labyrinth.

It is assumed that the Ancient Atlantians had somehow managed to determine exactly the place and time that the Main Entrance to the Labyrinth of Daedalus would appear. It is hypothesised that originally there was only one entrance. They had then prepared an elaborate mechanism to 'catch' and 'peg' the entrance to the location. Using technology, Aura Techniques and Weaving on such a massive scale as has never been seen for the last ten thousand years since the departure of the Ancient Atlantians, they held the entrance to the spot.

Afterwards it is hypothesised that another door opened in a different location as the dimensional force that governs the labyrinths entrance moved the Main Entrance to another location. However, the Ancient Atlantians' technology and Aura skills had maintained a fixed connection between the Labyrinth of Daedalus and the location in the real world where the entrance had been pegged.

They then repeated this process at least another two times though what reason they had to create three entrances to the labyrinth is unknown. The outcome though is that there exists a portal of sorts that connect the three points that have become the entrances of the labyrinth.

Occasionally, someone would stumble on the Main Entrance when it appears but this is exceedingly rare. When a Hero needs to use the Labyrinth, because only Heroes ever have such needs, they would use one of the three Back Doors as they are called. The three artificial doors created by the Ancients.

As for the challenges within the dungeon, they are more appropriately labelled as horrors than challenges. The few who have survived the labyrinth have described monsters more powerful than even Demon Generals, traps that ensnare people in an almost inescapable illusion, and worst of all: an ever changing maze that is unpredictable and unforgiving.

As a result of its 'unique' features, the Labyrinth of Daedalus has also been placed under the group of 'Abandoned Dungeons' due to it hardly ever having any challengers.

On the occasion that a mission requires its Hero to challenge the Labyrinth of Daedalus, and there has not been one in hundreds of years as the Academies have hidden the entrances, two artefacts must be acquired to give them a chance at surviving the labyrinth.

The first is a Magatama Ring, also an artefact from the time of the Ancient Atlantians. The Magatama crystal is a super rare item that is sought after by both Avalonian Aura Artificers and Demon Magic Smiths for the crafting of Aura or Magical items. The original Magatama Rings made by the Ancient Atlantians, of which only three are in existence are the only items that can effectively protect someone from the worst of the labyrinths horrors. Horrors so terrible that even Heroes and high level Demons would prefer to avoid.

The second artefact and arguably the more important of the two is the Clew of Ariadne. Also another item made by the Ancient Atlantians and that has not been successfully replicated, it is the only thing that can guide a person through the Labyrinth of Daedalus. Other than out worldly monsters and traps, another terrible thing about the labyrinth is its ever changing layout such that a person can be lost inside the labyrinth forever.

However, although the Clew of Ariadne may guide a person through the labyrinth, it does not necessarily guide a person through safely.

Thus in order to safely navigate the Labyrinth, both a Magatama Ring and the Clew of Ariadne are required. Without both, even the best Hero may meet an untimely end.