The Riddle

The Labyrinth was huge, to say they resembled ants before it would be an understatement. It towered over everything at the forest. They walked around looking for the entrance. Every single one of them could feel that, the maze was almost alive. It made their skin crawl.

Apart from how gigantic it was, it was beautifully trimmed and green. It had flowers weirdly positioned, growing within the hedges. It wasn't natural, it was as if somene had plucked them from somewhere else and put them there in a disorganised manner. They were different species of flowers.

This caused Kiro to look at Isla. Sure enough, the flower he planted on her hair, was still there. He smiled, if only a little.

From time to time it'd let out a growl as if it was one humongous beast, sleeping and having an uncomfortable dream. The very growl jerked Kiro out of his daydream. The very wind, changed when they entered its vacinity. As though it was breathing and controlled the air around it.

As uncomfortable as it made them feel, Kiro found himself more than once walking towards it, he felt that something in there attracted him. Although he'd snap out of it every few seconds.

"What do you reckon this thing is?" It was Saanvi who asked.

"Terror." Kiro said simply.

He had never played this game before, even from watching he could feel the horrors of this place. There were some players whose spirits were broken from trying to figure their way out.

It was known as the labyrinth of terror, but the terror wasn't anything physical, it was the mental attacks that drove some insane. It differed from person to person, the thing made you face the skeletons in your closet. If you only have unicorns and rainbows in there then it'd be a breeze, but if there's trauma, you'll have to relive and face it.

And if you die while reliving the trauma, the labyrinth will start it over.

Kiro was dreading it, he knew he had a bad past. He wondered whether the maze would be able to draw out the horrors from his previous life. He hoped with all his heart it couldn't, that it couldn't reach out from another life and bring forth every terrible thing he had witnessed and went through. He caught himself more than once trying to run away.

Everybody was on edge. They could feel what he felt, the maze just exuded a terrifying aura. Kiro stilled his heart, he reminded himself of why he was doing this in the first place, he found that, that made him less frightened.

Before they even reached the entrance, they were welcomed by a silhouette that seemed to have given up. The closer they got the familiar he seemed to Kiro.

The boy wasn't taller than Hiro, he had blank black eyes, long black hair tied into a ponytail. His skin looked tanned. He wore a black sleeveless armour, with fingerless long gloves that went to his elbows, black pants and boots. On either side he had a dagger sheathed.

He recognised him as the famous streamer, Nikolai. He played assassin, he was one of the most popular streamers from his previous life. He was especially popular, not only for his amazing game play, but for banning anyone who donated.

He never talked a lot, but on his first day of streaming he declared 'I don't need your money. If you ever donate I'll ban you.' And he kept to his word, before Kiro regressed he had banned over fifty thousand people.

"Why are you just sitting here and not going in?" Isla asked.

Silence. Nikolai didn't even look up to see the guests that had arrived in his little abode. He seemed too much into his head, like he was weaving the threads of fate. That's how serious his face looked.

"He can't answer the riddle." Kiro said nonchalantly.

Nikolai looked up for the first time since they arrived, this piqued his interest. His dead dark eyes met Kiro's deep blue eyes.

"How would you know?" He asked simply. As simple as the question was, his voice came out cold and mocking.

"That's clearly a sphinx, head of a woman, body of a lion. Sphinx are known for their riddles and they kill anybody who can't answer." Kiro replied with an air of superiority in his voice.

"Then why's he still here? Why isn't he dead." Hiro asked.

"That's because I did die." He answered, and turned to Kiro, "Are you any good at riddles?"

Kiro shrugged, "I can try."

He had no idea what the riddle would be. Rumour had it in his past life that the riddle changed every month.

"This many heads are better than one." Kiro concluded.

Nikolai's eyes lit up at such wisdom, he was convinced. This kid to him felt like a magnet, he couldn't help but be attracted toward him. He felt like, he wanted to follow him, if he followed him he'd achieve a lot.

But the glee disappeared before anybody noticed, that's just the kind of person he was. He sucked at showing emotions and hated showing them just the same.

"I'm Nikolai by the way." He introduced himself. Everybody else did too. It was obvious that Nikolai was one of the rich kids, because it seemed he already knew Isla and Saanvi.

"I have a thundering roar, and a hurried gait. I perpetually run yet in a sole place I wait. I have an endless mouth that runs deep. I lie in a bed, but cannot sleep." Nikolai repeated the words, as though they're the only thing that existed in his head at the moment. It seemed the words had been haunting him for a while.

Everybody was silent trying to think of what the answer could be.

"Could it be thunder? You know, clouds as its bed?" Saanvi asked clearly excited.

Everybody just shook their heads. Thunder couldn't possibly fit. They were all in their own heads, trying to figure out the riddle. Hoping the Sphinx hadn't changed it, otherwise their preparations would've been for nought.

They agreed that anybody who brings an answer, should explain it well as to why they think it would be that answer.

Otherwise they'd die, one wrong answer spelled death to the Sphinx and nobody could escape it's death, that's how instantaneous it was.