I remain unmoved, trust I’ve seen worse

This blade as it soared and found its mark with ease, could have been thrown by a robotic extension, but considering Epicura's field affect that would have been very difficult to pull off.

The person who threw the blade was her temporary companion Thales.

She was shocked for a moment, but really she had never stopped smiling at Thales.

Her body slumped to the ground but before it made its descent into the unknown.

She said one last thing, "Thank You for respecting my wishes, my younger brother, Thales."

Thales did kill her painlessly.

He heard her.

"All for the greater good and happiness for the world"

Thales with ease learned and tossed the blade and utilized it with his superior dexterity.

He saw the experience of it and knew how to use it.

He had a bored look after looking at Zeno, who sprung his arm and caught her body before it disappeared.

"We would…Not want your body to remain unfound maybe after this you can… at least find peace from humans if not a god."

"I know what you think Miray boy, I did not save her out of my virtue alone, come… learn the truth of what we are, how animal and adaptive we really are."

He said spitting blood near the body careful not to carelessly spill it over his sister's body.

"You're a smart boy, you caught onto my intentions quickly and" he coughed.

Thales gave him a moment remaining as patient as a monk he wanted information after all.

"Realized I never wanted death unnaturally but I am not stupid."

"I will win while limiting casualties… for my job is to endure my trial and God will grant me release and a better material than before"

"Sure "Thales said.

"I would not personally do such an act so child if you wish partake in nature."

And Thales did whatever that may be.

After he was done they came to a common agreement.

Thales would be a part of Zeno's camp until they met up with their guardians then they would leave it to fate.

"Who is your guardian?"

"He is not in the game itself but his present can be felt elsewhere, guardians can act in many ways you see that is why I know I can win"

"So he isn't being direct, is it someone important enough I would recognize by name alone?" Thales speculated.

Thales now couldn't forget about Epicura but he had no problem being a metaphorical sl*t

Working with her was only a means to an end now he has a new means, as long as more people benefited from her death he personally didn't care his eyes were on the bigger picture as cold as that sounds

The old man was reasonable with him so he didn't have to pretend to even be somewhat cordial, he called him old man because Thales couldn't comprehend how someone with his experiences could be so worse out and in fact he asked

"Hey, old timer what happened to you why are, you in such a sorry state?"

Zeno smirked albeit with pain "I have not aged rapidly Young man, but you should be less ignorant, not everyone is as good or has the same trials as you to come out unscathed my damage just happened to be physical"

"That is- true, I apologize for being insensitive to our circumstances" Thales said with a mix of pride and genuine sorrow

Zeno didn't care he hummed the same song, it sounded like it would be sung by creepy children, a song of folklore and prophecy. Tranquil you could even think of it as soft

Ultimately it was unsettling.

Thales wasn't too bothered about it; Thales was thinking about practical issues, he brought drink but what of food, why did he commit to starving himself?

Thales wasn't told explicitly but he thought he could just loot corpses of people he killed for food but what if no one brought food, if somehow that inexplicable circumstance was the case then food would naturally be available Thales thought.

He hadn't spoken to Zeno much, Zeno apparently knew a way of direction to somewhere relevant and he just happened to be making the rounds to see if anyone wanted to join him when he encountered Thales and Epicura.

Thales wondered why he would suffer for something like that but he didn't care anymore than he needed to.

They didn't talk because they didn't need to.

They entered the place, it was a house.

Thales shouted.

"Honey I'm home!"

His voice echoed like he predicted

It was quite juvenile but it worked

"So this house reflects things, this might be dirt easy for Zeno, what about me? He might try to kill me here even, human nature is fickle"

The house was a quiet House, it didn't look big but there were a basement, Thales thought he should open it.

Zeno insisted he should go first; Thales didn't have a good reason to deny him that, so he let him go.

If worse came to worse Thales thought he had tools to prevent Zeno from killing him if push came to shove.

He opened the door; it was maddening what lay ahead, stairs a grim passage, like it was beckoning, seducing their souls to go down, even.

So Thales went down with Zeno while he still had a choice, they could not see each other, neither had fire, but it seemed dumb to attempt to kill each other here, Zeno seemed like a rational man after all.

If pain didn't drive him crazy enough to betray reason, impulses shouldn't be a problem either.

"I f*cking hate stairs this isn't even the trial and yet it challenges me nonetheless"

Zeno thought

"I curse the person who made stairs; I'd butcher the person who made stairs"

Zeno thought with a gaze as tough as armor. He grunted and wheezed as he slithered down the stairs.

While Thales had no problem following along, eventually the endless steps stopped they reached a landing, were they even in reality anymore? Thales had no concept of direction in this place the world reflected itself, reflected Thales.

"So it's a House of Mirrors huh, yeah I'm cooked"

Thales didn't place much value into Zeno not killing him first easy chance he got. Anyone here would after all.

"Hey I don't care about my appearance but what if the mirror proposes you then I might lose here."

Thales watched he wanted to see what could happen.

He saw himself, he saw the mirror world, but nothing happened.

Where was the sin, where was the despair, where was the shadow.

Zeno muttered "This isn't a spiritual place, only a mental one… are, you perhaps not conflicted?"

Thales said, not yet.

Anti-climatically Thales found his way pretty easily.

"If it is my voice, I don't mind hearing my screams all day, if it is my body I don't mind seeing my scars all day, if it is my soul, my soul is growing, it has an insatiable hunger how can it be stopped here?"

While Zeno used his armor he developed the tortoise heart to reflect the shadow upon itself which ended up creating a singularity directly removing them to another stage in the labyrinth.

 "And that is that."

"I thought it would be challenging and present a chance for him to kill me but I suppose luck is on my side. I am glad I don't have deadweight with me."

Thales thought to Epicura and grimaced slightly. But he moved on.

They were in a garden, great smells were here natural smells, and Thales felt right at home.

Home was not good though, he knew to be wary.

"Finally, ugh… a break"

Zeno said while he slumbered to a nearby tree with plants, slowly lowering his guard.

Suddenly the plant life came to life; it snapped it sprouted attempting to devour Zeno.

It crunched down on his head eating a portion of his metallic torso but not tearing it.

Zeno instinctively resisted.

But he stopped when he gained conscious thought, he did not break free.

He was as still as a statue.

He was letting it eat him.

"He he finally my suffering can end, I no longer need this brave face, bring me in your arms the Order of the universe, animals eat plants we eat animals and then our sustenance dries up and returns to plants, he somehow managed coherently as if he was in a flow state."

"NO you can't no, you idiot bastard, what madness, you can escape why you are letting yourself die." Thales said overcome with emotion a tear fell down his eye.

"Why are you so strong in the face of circumstance, don't let fate play with you ret*rd"

Beatrix Point of view

I was in a lush thick jungle.

I was lost; I must make it to Thales.

A voice chirped in my ear a while ago a grey voice I didn't like it said my name; apparently I was in The Wheel of Rebirth.

Would this be the story of a snake that gets so hungry it drives it insane to the point it eats itself.

I saw a running river in front of me unfathomably deep.

Before I considered stepping into the river

A hole in space opened in front of me.

Out plopped a man bruised and battered, he had green fluids on himself, what happened to him?