The Trial of Trust

An awkward silence befell the group after the labyrinth's name was announced. It made people nervous to see Lighting Knight frown, highlighted by the eerie, unmuted sensations that people felt on Earth, something most felt for the first time.

After catching sight of the nervous recruits, Lighting Knight flashed them a confident smile. "Pay no mind to the name," he instructed. "We just try to discern the nature of the labyrinth. Whatever trials we face, we'll overcome them together!"

A wave of optimism washed over Hero and the other silvers. However, Cynic's hardened expression ate at his soul.

"All labyrinths are fundamentally the same," Lightning Knight asserted. "We must overcome a gauntlet of strength, a trial of wits, and a final boss called an architect. So keep in formation so we can protect you."

***

Something eerie occurred as the hunters walked shoulder to shoulder in a phalanx formation. A few hundred feet in, the sounds of their armor clicking on the marble tiles nearly disappeared, shrouding them in eerie silence.

"WHAT—" a hunter tried to talk, but their voice rang like a thunderclap, shocking everyone.

Everyone immediately turned around and found the sound return and began discussing it. When no one had answers, Cynic spoke: "A digital reverberating processor is increasing the echoes on our voices," he said. "That makes it prime for echolocation."

Lightning Knight turned to him. "Why echolocation?"

"It fits the trial," Cynic reasoned. "Since "Since it's isolating our voices, It's like this room is telling us not to speak and trust others will do the same. To stay silent and live or speak and die."

"This is absurd," a blonde scoffed. "Labyrinths won't use sound isolating equipment because it's not scalable after the break. Moreover, that sounds like a trial, and in 27 years, there has yet to be a trial before a gauntlet."

"Are you deaf, Ellie?" Silver Phantom rolled her eyes. "You're standing in unscalable equipment that screams trial, yet you're arguing we should ignore it because it goes against traditions?"

"Don't call me that," Ellie flushed red, turning to the teen, "If you're confident, what do you think the enemy could be?"

"It might be the gargoyles," Cynic reasoned. "They're replicas of the gargoyles in Notre Dame Cathedral, but they don't have eyes. Perhaps there's a trigger to animate them."

Hero snorted under his breath, followed by a wave of frowns from hunters.

"Do you not know what a labyrinth is?" Ellie sneered. "They're virtual worlds Genesis can't shut down because they don't break the rules, and the rules don't include revival or petrification magic. How don't you know this?"

Genesis VR was initially used for apps, games, and business software, so alternate worlds were allowed if they followed terms of service. Odyssey, the game branch they derived magic from, didn't have revival or petrification magic, so Genesis would shut down the labyrinth if someone created or used them.

"Enough," Lightning Knight frowned. "Right conclusions or not, he gave us valuable considerations, and we should be grateful for them."

Hero's heart sank when his hero gave him a stern glance, only fueling his hatred for Cynic.

"To be safe, we'll assume this is a trial and won't speak, even if enemies attack," Lightning Knight said. "If gargoyles come to life – we'll try silence; if that doesn't work, we'll kill them. Understood?"

Everyone nodded in assent.

***

Space and time felt distorted as they walked; the cathedral seemed to stretch forever, and no one knew how long they had been walking.

And it was loud. So loud.

Once the labyrinth stripped the world of sound, everyone could hear their circulatory system and heart go thump, Thump, THUMP! as they journeyed forward.

Anxiety turned to fear.

Fear turned to paranoia.

Everyone started looking at each other, wondering when someone would crack – and who it would be. It wasn't a matter of if; it was a matter of when.

Hero listened to the deafening shrill from grinding his teeth, staring at Cynic. The teen was so calm, wearing the same expression he wore before walking through the gateway.

It bothered him. Cynic wasn't a disillusioned hunter – he hated humanity long before entering a labyrinth.

Hell, he would probably yell to kill everyone if he didn't need them to survive.

Then he'd smile about it, too.

Savor it.

Hero was certain of it.

Someone needed to put the sick teen down to protect others.

Hero's eyes became vicious, mixing with paranoia.

Cynic turned to him calmly, put his finger to his lips, and then pointed forward.

Hero wanted to bludgeon him for the gesture but froze when he saw a 900-foot limestone cube with a thirty-story gate. He didn't know how he didn't see it, as it would've been visible for miles.

A massive chain tied in a tangled knot locked the gate, adorned with a colossal crimson magic circle and a single message.

————

The Trial of Trust

Through this gate, you will find what you seek, Orpheus.

————

Cynic unbuttoned his peacoat after reading the description, pulled out a knife, cut strips of cloth from his dirty black t-shirt, and put them into his ears.

Hero's blood boiled when he saw it. He couldn't believe he would declare that he wouldn't [trust] anyone during the Trial of Trust. However, his eyes widened when Cynic offered Lightning Knight identical strips – and the hunter accepted them with gratitude.

One after the other, all of Hero's idols followed suit, leaving him trembling in anger.

Lightning Knight walked to the chain knot and communicated to leaders with sign language. They nodded in assent before he unsheathed his broadsword.

Hero's heart nearly stopped at that moment. That wasn't how people did puzzles!

"WWWWWAAAAAAIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!

A horrifyingly shrill followed, followed by a loud shriek from most hunters when their eardrums ruptured and they felt true pain for the first time.

Although Hero wished to scream in pain with them, he couldn't – because he didn't have air. Before someone broke the silence, a wool-covered arm wrapped around his neck, sending blood rushing to his head. It made him weaker and weaker until he sat limply on the ground, watching the world devolve into a nightmare.

Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka.

A haunting hyena cackle echoed through the hall. As Cynic had warned, a stone shell on the gargoyles crumbled, exposing a layer of blue skin. Each gargoyle shook rocks off their wings, shaking their hands and legs individually as they sat, perched on the ledges and rafters.

"AghhHHHhhHHhhhHHhhH!"

The gargoyles swooped down and picked up a dozen hunters, playing tug of war with their limbs as they begged for their lives – but no one came to their aid.

Cynic forcefully turned Hero to look at his hero.

Lightning Knight stood before the knot, flexing his forearm as he gripped his sword angrily. The chain didn't have slits or a lock – it was a solid piece, an untieable Gordian Knot.

Like Alexander the Great before him, he knew it was impossible to untie and required a decisive unconventional solution, but the watchers failed to trust him and protested.

Hero's heart broke after seeing his hero's expression. However, his perspective changed when Lightning Knight spun around, radiating bloodlust as he raised his sword, preparing to vanquish the screaming hunters with a decisive unconventional solution.

However, when Lightning Knight saw Hero's heartbroken expression, his face instantly transformed into a confident, reassuring vestige. After giving a few signals, a man with curly brown hair erected a massive golden barrier around the hunters.

A soothing light followed, healing Hero's ears and allowing him to hear the haunting scene around him.

Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke! Kakaka. Kekekeke!

Half a million blue gargoyles flooded the cathedral, leaving Hero in despair. However, before he lost hope, a blue lightning bolt hit the gargoyles, triggering a cataclysmic chain reaction that caused the wall of death to crumble like a sand castle.

In a stunning display of coordination, a white-haired hunter summoned a blizzard to slow the demons, followed by Forge, an eight-foot bodybuilder in dark armor, who created a tidal wave of flames that erupted into a steam explosion that filled the entire hall.

Lastly, Lightning Knight lifted his radiant sword again, and a massive crackle of electricity shot through the cloud, creating a surreal blue thunderstorm that dropped gargoyles like rain.

Unnamed hunters, golds, platinum, and titans joined the fray, using various magics and magical weapons. Thousands of gargoyles fell every minute.

Hero's eyes deadened as he watched the massacre unfold, feeling like an idiot for being excited about having six shadow clones. He was weak, so weak that a bronze-rank hunter saved his life by overpowering him. It was pathetic.

***

Hero snapped out of his haze to the sound of conversations, realizing an unknown period had passed. He turned in a panic and found Cynic against the wall, touching the pillars and tiles as if looking for a hidden switch in silence. While people were curious, no one approached because Silver Phantom was beside him, silently ignoring him.

Watching them mildly infuriated Hero. After all, while most found the silence traumatic, they were still silent and ignoring each other as if it were necessary for survival!

"After this lesson, can I trust you to trust my judgment?" Lightning Knight asked everyone, snapping him out of his thoughts.

A sudden wave of memories assaulted Hero, the image of Lightning Knight's expression instantly shifting when he caught him flashing before his eyes. That mask – it horrified him. Lightning Knight was visibly perfect. If he had terrifying inner demons, what about the others?

The memory of the hunters' faces when they saw the labyrinth's name now haunted him.

"Can I count on you?" Lightning Knight pressed, snapping the teen out of his haze.

"Can you count on me? Is that even a question?" Hero chuckled, pulling back his blonde hair, revealing brown roots. "I dye my hair to look like you… kinda. So obviously."

Lightning Knight burst into laughter with the others, flashing charismatic smiles. "Come over here," he smiled. "If you're my fan, I'll show you the ropes."

"I-I… would love that," Hero gulped, walking forward as the magic circle activated and the thirty-story iron gates opened.