falling through all directions at once find the fairy

Thales before he went to bed, what he did was wear specific clothing he had not invented a specific bodysuit and clothes were not prepared for him in advance, if anyone experienced the game before it was his enigmatic father who he still had not met.

Would he meet him next?

Can you call a person you never met Father?

Taking the words that they brought you into the world, Thales was skeptical of that.

"Whatever exists without my knowledge, without my senses, without my human experience, does not exist at all. You can take your devils and aliens and observe their inaction as you see my action as a blazing glory because that is real, that is human."

So Thales had to make novel predictions, he believed the environment would be harsh and even though he had no specific suit the manor had combat suits, classic camouflaged military wear you would recognize on earth.

He fell asleep he was told to place whatever necessary in a box that was designated for him and he could find it as soon as they began.

Thales took a sigh of relief because he knew they were allowed to prepare but he had no idea on how the physical could work in tandem with their situation.

Thales before he slept wiped his brow that had sweat on it and placed his hand on his glowing light green hair combing his fingers through it, combing it to relieve stress.

"Let's see what happens now, hopefully the ride isn't too bumpy."

Thales awoke, he was moving of sorts his senses mostly concealed but he could tell that.

He was in a straightjacket seems they prevented his foreknowledge of anything while he was asleep.

He was also blindfolded.

He thought, isn't this overkill?

This was uncomfortable but he had to firm it, no one said it was going to be leisurely.

"I should think on the details, I don't know the environment so I will skip that however I know the guardian is not going to start with me but neither are the siblings so the first one should be to find our guardian."

"Next, would be to kill or incapacitate if you're ballsy enough to suggest you will win, I of course will do that based on the years prior to this that should be the case yeah. I'm hated already but it isn't easy to pick targets anyway because only 10 can remain."

"The Main players are Sahib and Sophie from what I know they are at least high geniuses if not low venerable and I don't mean venerable in the sense I meant it years ago, I only vaguely remember that now, which is strange because my memory is beyond sharp."

"I got distracted, but yes I will arrive then move accordingly, I have butterflies in my stomach quite interesting but even now I don't put my eggs in the intuition basket."

"Oh I'm not moving anymore? Did my body sense I was close is that why I had awoken?"

Thales was removed from his restrictions.

He had a microchip implanted in his neck it seems, this would tell them if he was dead or not.

The House officials, anyway

It also was device that guided you to where you was supposed to start, he still had his blindfold on however so it seems a battle maid would escort him.

He felt her holding him, moving him again.

He could hear the breeze and its cool winds tickle his skin.

It wasn't hot in fact it felt familiar.

Thales stopped moving, his blindfold he could remove it now.

That was complete.

When he took it off he felt shocked, his eyes even watered.

He was in a labyrinth.

A voice entered his ears.

"Participant Thales Miray has entered the Labyrinth of Wisdom."

"Participant Thales Miray your map has been updated, to win you must clear conditions kill all or make 1 greater than 10, find your guardian and enter the 5th space as a final competitor."

This voice came from Thales chip it didn't sound human, at least it didn't sound like him this time he was grateful it might have driven him crazy.

"I'm bored of saying it now but hey where else can I move but forward who will I find, I should find Beato I hope she can find me"

Thales saw a geometrical pattern, swirling but fragmenting. An ocean of logic, a myriad of troubles to resolve

"Alright to find Beato, you'll find her Thales."

He said in the expanse to whom else but himself.

"Well I was wondering what the boxes were for if our mind palaces could store whatever but it seems to promote more adaptability and actual wisdom we only brought a limited supply of stuff for this journey, but what we could bring wasn't limited, hell I could have brought a tea set. But who would be dumb enough to do that."

An image flashed in his mind "She is dumb enough to do that, Beato…"

"I should move from here though."

Thales moved observing his surroundings carefully.

He moved to higher ground if higher was even applicable here.

He was wondering aimlessly.

Through this chasm the pressure was choking the miasma was filling his lungs.

He started to cough.

"Shouldn't you be more wary of your surroundings boy~"

It was the voice of a woman, in this mysterious fog like place.

Thales instinctively lurched back.

Thales thoughts kicked into gear.

"Didn't expect to run into someone so soon, she is not good news I don't even recognize her voice but that's my own fault, I suppose I am unlucky for it not to be Eir or Beato, even Sophie although the last one would try to make me submit"

Thales said something to her

"F*ck off lest you want to die"

"He he tempers, temper I am not a fan of rough men."

"How would you even know any men, I am your sibling idiot woman."

"Well I know I'd prefer warmth to coldness and pleasure over pain"

Thales this time had be moving around not staying still but not moving too far unless he wished to be lost.

"You're right though boy~ you're my sibling we cannot share a bed however I'd accept a dog happily, so how about you play dead"

Thales snorted; he didn't want to release his trump card early.

The woman was acrobatic, nimbly moving around the unfixed area they found themselves in.

She was armed with short blades easy for women to wield.

"What's your name before I slice your throat? I do have a contribution to make after all and you are not a part of his faction."

"Well it doesn't matter and even though you were rude it would give me a peace of mind knowing your name" she said.

"I'm Epicura a pleasure to meet you, quite a beautiful damsel indeed."

She tooted her own horn.

"Unusual name but who cares about your peace of mind have you really not realized where we are" Thales said coldly rejecting her

 "Where are we?" She said blankly

"It's a place where you must remain peaceful I've been subtly trying to attack you from this distance" Thales said implying it was vague here.

"We can't kill each other directly here, it's a place where you must be resilient but inwardly, worldly pleasures are garbage here so I'd say sucks to be you."

"Fufufu is that so" She said with annoyance, with a distinct laugh and then composed herself.

"That must be why I was missing"

Thales said nothing to this.

"He he subtly attacking, with what" Thales scoffed silently.

"Although I am guessing I am not even wrong."

"Hey boy, why don't we travel together you're quite tall and even though I am confident I can kill you I'll cut you this one time deal and spare you, someone else can kill you I need to meet up with my faction anyway."

"Fine by me" Thales responded

"Good then it is a date"

"Don't even joke, Epicura"

"So she is confident she can kill me no wonder she didn't even pull anything out of her mind palace and was just using basic weapons, I'd rather the mental ones first because they're more dangerous, makes sense she wants to conserve her trump since she plans to survive until the late game under, Sahib I guess she is quite cowardly makes sense she would team up with a strong one and it seems not under a woman she values her beauty."

Thales made these inferences pretty quickly thanks to his heart path cultivation.

"She has soft red eyes, tied up black hair, a fashionable skintight suit, and heels although that seems impractical she is quite vain to not care, are my father's eyes red then?"

"She also is wearing a purple scarf, has a strong scent and her blade doubles as a fan."

Thales was paying close attention he had astute observations.

Not for any ulterior motives that would be a different type of weird for Thales.

"I wonder what her cultivation ranks are?"

"Well boy~ if you don't tell me your name I'll have to call you mutt"

Epicura said

"Call me what you want"

"Oh you do tease and you are a cold one"

"I'll call you frosty then your hair is almost blue even though it is green frosty can work too."

"Ok"

"You're no fun frosty and I'm not sure if I like you, but I don't dislike you, you don't bring me happiness but you don't bring me pain, usually it is one or the other."

"Even My boss is reduced to such a simple form but not you"

"Is that right"

Thales responded visibly uninterested but analyzing constantly.

"So what's the plan?"

"So if you weren't spawned here and it wasn't me do tell me Epicura what was your plan?"

"To beg like a dog, that is the easiest way, it's not like it would make me feel a type of way I've learned to live to change my way of looking at things but not who I am as a person, to still be always smiling but to frame things to not make me lose that smile, rather than lose myself"

"Smile more Frosty"

"I've realized this woman is an idiot I put on a voice but did she really not see me, remember me in the dinner party or otherwise to know my name?"

"Epicura what are your thoughts on lies"

"Lies are freedom, lies can help people, but more importantly help yourself, we're both liars aren't we Frosty"

"She beat me to the punch"

"You two would get on just fine in ordinary circumstances"

"Are you talking about the outsider Beatrix?"

"Yes"

"She wasn't lying then? But she was that is weird…"

"Maybe who knows, she seems like fun"

"I am getting bored frosty and while I do like talking to you I also would like to get out, so what is the plan?"

"To cultivate no Otherwise what is the purpose of who we are?"

"Well there doesn't have to be a purpose and even if there is I think the suffering is too much to justify it being any good, it's all too meaningless so my purpose is to pursue what makes me happy, but I have to be alive for that so I'd be happy with that too."

"Yeah well be quiet about that here"

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not really, um no actually it's not."

"Doesn't matter"

Thales and Epicura traversed through the constantly shifting mechanisms they were in.

Thales was slightly in the back while Epicura was happily ahead.

She looks like she would care about being elegant but she really didn't she hopped across the ladder like bridge with crude movements.

"Would she be comfortable wriggling like a worm too?"

Thales saw her smiling eerily, but despite being eerie he never felt bothered by it, it was colorful, it was her smile, and it was a happy smile.

Thales felt like he could feel the vibrations encircling each other, the air squishing the wind almost whistling on its own he didn't know why.

"Hey Epicura do you actually like the world?"

"Well I like the people in it and I think they were dealt a bad hand the happiness they should pursue isn't the physical kind there are finer things in life."

"This place is vast doesn't seem like we are getting out of here anytime soon me talking to you was a good idea, I like watching people."

"That sounded perverted, Frosty"

"Well it's all good as long as you don't drop a bombshell about how you're only my adopted sister."

"You really say strange things, Frosty"

"Yeah I thought so too"

They continued on striding, striding as best as they could.

"Hey Frosty if we were born differently what job would you have and what do you think I would have?"

"You I can say for sure you would be a prostitute, I would be a historian."

"That's both nice and not nice, so thanks and hey how rude."

"What was nice about it? Unless you like being demeaned which would be weird for you."

"Well you considered prostitution a job even though it's not the best work… I have newfound respect for you I don't think most girls do that because they have a choice."

"You would enjoy it though."

"Well yeah because I'm me not because I enjoy it for the sake of it"

"Interesting" Thales was being genuine when he said that.

"If I told you a found a space only one of us could fit through and if it were me I could guarantee the survival of us both afterwards but if it were you it would be unknown on both parties circumstances after you enter it, but you'd have a higher chance of survival, would you go through or let me go through?"

"I'd go through" She answered honestly without skipping a beat.

"How selfish"

"Luckily that moment doesn't present itself-if it did I'd defeat you for the greater good of us both!"

"Defeat is an interesting way to put it, but you'd never defeat me I'd not lose, no I will win"

"We aren't friends Frosty sorry if the nickname confused you"

"If you are capable of defeating me you should just kill me, painlessly please"

"Can a killing ever be painless?"

"I don't know never killed or been killed."

"What will happen after you die? I hope the system is built well enough as to where I can just hit my reset button and strive for happiness all over again. Maybe reach enlightenment."

"I don't think you're good enough for that Epicura."

"Well it was only a maybe."

"Finally an exit we've made it you idiot woman"

"Oh that's wonderful but slightly sad seems our journey together must end."

"Yes it shall so this is goodbye Epicura."

Thales shuffled in front, his neck creaking snapping back and forward a quick movement.

His eyes squinted, his focus tightened.

"This isn't right"

"Well all good things apparently must come to an end, that's why I can accept death so easily even if I struggle with life."

"No I mean it's a dead end."

"WHAT!" She bellowed shocked and didn't bounce back too quickly either.

"I hope we don't die here" Thales said.

His ears picked up on a noise; it was what he thought he heard before a whistle.

No it was a humming, a lullaby.

He heard creaking, slithering, sliding.

Humming, lunging, forcing, and grunting.

"No, one can… escape" the large figure although not originally large spat out blood.

As he lisped and spat his words out it appeared teeth were lost to time.

"Death" He finished after stammering around his words while also humming somehow, this skill had to be, a wisdom cultivator. It was a man who came into view, he was a broken man.

He looked aged even though he couldn't be that old, he had wisped of hairs, horrible burn scars and seemed to be comprised of machinery, he had a centipede like vessel robotic appendages dangled out he had 1 human arm somewhat human torso and somewhat of a human face he had a cybernetic eye scanning its surroundings the other a cool brown eye.

He dragged himself along with a cane, he halted to a stop.

"I am Zeno; humble yourself… or you may die… here with no god to pray for you"

Zeno grunted internally, he gargled and coughed blood, moving was agonizing living was agonizing and yet he lived on somehow.

"This is the Miray boy, quite tall now, is he a strong combatant, I have no clue if he can show courage I see no reason why he shouldn't live, the women seems like vermin, too womanly but she possesses inherent danger an unknown cultivation I can only assume something witchlike will spawn from her"

"I prefer not to kill a woman though" Zeno gathered his thoughts.

"We have no… reason for bloodshed here… we are merely tributes" Zeno spurted out

"Why would you spill… such an unclean fluid?"

Almost as if she was bored Epicura grouped an assortment of blades and attempted to skewer Zeno's head with them.

He tucked his head and shoulder rolled it as painful as that must have been, at least distance was on his side.

"Very good throw… but you realize if you resort to beast like attacks I'll… have to exercise justice here… girl"

"You threaten no god can find me here, but I wouldn't want a god to find me here anyway if god exists and is omnipotent it has no love otherwise suffering would be an illusion, a loveless god who is omnipotent how can that be a thing?" Epicura kept up her attack while sliding across the ravine and spitting in Zeno's face,

"Suffering is borne… from man you ignorant little girl it is an Illusion man's illusion"

Epicura wanted to retort but she had no time to think.

How can she win this is for sure her worst opponent.

"I will kill you, it is god's plan… you die here unfortunately" He said as he slithered out the way of her fan knives.

Thales stood in place watching this battle, for many reasons, he wanted to gather data in case he had to lay with the winner.

But for some reason, or no some feeling contrary to Thales he was conflicted on what to do.

He was complex but simple he cared not for Epicura as a person until she shared a rejection to divinity.

He was of course moved he wanted to help her, but he knew nothing about Zeno to be confident they could win in one piece she herself had said he was her worst opponent.

And Zeno wasn't even going to fight them until she tried to kill him.

Epicura dashed around and was trying to pierce Zeno's defenses.

While he was a very awkward opponent he hung off the terrain and slid out of harm's way very easily at face value of course he was in great pain when he exerted this effort.

Zeno had yet to attack what was his game was he being wary of Thales or something else?

"Yes hold tightly to your guts before they spill, geezer thinking you can hurt me"

"I'm better than you weak-minded, misguided fool"

Of course this was after a decent length of time in battle had already passed for who could easily throw words in battle, she was trying to crush his spirit.

"Words now hmm, for someone with a pretty little… head you don't use…" He coughed out blood again

He continued after nearly having a coughing fit.

"You don't use it, clearly I remain unmoved trust worse has been done un-un" he spat with a lisp.

"Can you afford to answer me like as a human, do you have the stamina to go with me all night" She laughed wildly

Every time she closed the distance he grew further as if he didn't know what motion was.

"She isn't that sharp it seems, yeah survival tier she hasn't even noticed I pulled out my preparations from my mind palace." Zeno thought.

"I should stop acting now"

She was somewhat close so she launched a cascade at him.

The corners of the mouth turned slightly even though consciously he was as still as a frozen pond

"Yes the tortoise heart toughs out again heehaw" He laughed inwardly

As her blades nearly decapitated her she nearly lost her balance. Reflection when confronted with an immovable object.

She did something even Zeno barely caught onto, her blades were fans again.

That scattered around. Now they were around the battlefield.

"Well even a old guy like you can make me take a break it seems" she said while licking her lips

"Let's go again"

Even if her words were worth less than dogsh*t to Zeno her provocative actions were getting on his last nerve without his consent.

Zeno didn't waste time while she was in this state.

He dragged his heavy body, he slid and removed his cane's sheath, it was a blade, he transformed he was now in a wheelchair, the chair itself had legs it dived through the air like a cannonball each move mapped out carefully.

He pushed the gas tank

His blade whipped at her like an angry snake.

She showed her agility while glitching the terrain somehow.

This made Zeno slightly panic, so that is what is going on, matter manipulation through some sort of device, your blades are a cover for it. He thought deeply but briefly.

Blood trickled down his mouth he pressed forward.

She attempted to stab him he was in range, but he rammed into her.

She nearly lost consciousness it felt like a truck.

"Thou shall not pass" he jested

Suddenly a blade leapt through the air and into the woman's temple interrupting the battle.