Plan B

Not long, he is already floating above the maze. The sight was spectacular. Circular maze was so big that he seemed to be a particle in the sky.

His gaze fixated to the gray thick clouds that seemed to be getting fatter and fatter. Thinking that a heavy storm should have been dropped during the match but didn't. 

Everything is happening from the maze all at once. Tigers striking each other left right and centre. Without remorse, It is as if their natural instinct is to do violence against each other.

Zyrral began wandering in the sky, looking at the right path towards the center.

The soon-to-be king did not believe what he had seen. The nearest path towards the center is unfortunately packed with beaten up bodies of fellow sabertooth tigers. 

While several of them were still standing on top of those bodies. Bigger tigers that did not seem that young to join the Rite of Passage. Some of them packed a serious amount of muscle.

Confused by this predicament, Spirit Zyrral hovers through that section of the maze. A red star could be seen sticking on their torso.

"Sir, there is no Zyrral sighted sir." One of the red stars, the slender one, closed his eyes while murmuring.

'Who are they talking to?' Zyrral tried to think. He doubted that there would be peace if Zyrral actually met them.

The magic that they used was some kind of branch from the wind magic.

[Communication]

The golden silvered tiger clenches his fist and fangs. 'All of this beating of several kin just for me?!'

He would strike those Red Stars if he could. But alas, he was in his spirit form. The most damage that he could muster was equivalent to a simple harmless pinch.

Spirit Zyrral's body went up the maze once again. His eyes saw Flamel looking down on the red stars. With a flick of a thumb, bodies of sabertooth tigers glows of shining bright yellow lights.

Zyrral watched in shock as the glowing figures vanished one by one. Moments later, those same bodies of light appeared outside the maze, materializing as the injured tigers were ejected from the Rite of Passage.

[Teleportation] magic from Elder Flamel.

Strangely, the elder did not lift a paw to punish The Soldier for trespassing in the rite

'Cursed elders.' Anger from within Zyrral tried to ooze out from him. 'How much is the extent of this treachery?' 

Meanwhile in the center. Several tigers are already resting at a wide stony plain. Feelings of relief could be seen from their faces. They entered from another 2 entrances to the center field. Most of them are from the east and west gate.

The ones from the south however … getting massacred. This obviously a countermeasure to prevent Zyrral from passing the trial.

Spirit Zyrral could see that The Soldier began to spread their forces towards the east and west entrance of the center field. He thought that the soldier would do anything to prevent Zyrral to pass.

The way towards the center instantly became locked. Except for the entrance from the north.

But there is something obscuring his spirit vision there. A dark fog enveloping the further entrance. Not only that, he could see that the whole north of the maze had been shrouded by the same fog.

He tracked the entry point of the northern part of the maze. It is somewhere behind a thick part of a vine somewhere west.

Spirit Zyrral cancelled his [Spirit Channeling]. Letting his spirit sucked into his sleeping real body.

His main body gradually woke up. The feeling of gloom had been decreased, but some still left behind because of the maze's strange aura.

Zyrral gradually emerged from the vine. Warily looking at his left and right.

There is no one here except for them.

"Have you woken up from your sleep boss?" A whisper came from his left.

It is one of his companions. No smile etched on his lips.

Meanwhile the other one with yellowish fur slept on his right, covered by the overgrown vines.

There was no anger when Zyrral found out about that. He could not be angry at one of the tigers that helped him when everyone he trusted betrayed him.

"Hey! Wake up!" Zyrall's paw poke the sleeping tiger. "We have to move. Follow me!"

The yellow fur companion began to follow Zyrral without objection.

"I saw tigers going right. Is that where we are heading?" asked the Yellow Fur.

Zyrral thinks carefully for his next answer. "This time going left. I have a bad feeling if we go through the right."

Not dying from The Soldier was one thing. But not disclose Zyrral's trump card is another. For now, His [Spirit Channeling] ability is his greatest asset. He did not fully trust his own companion that he had known from the last hour.

Once again the two followed Zyrral without any objection.

Zyrral led them to a wall of overgrown vines. He paused, slipping his paw through the dense foliage. Behind it was the hidden path he had seen in his spirit form.

"Let's go through this vine, there is another way."

The two tigers exchanged surprised glances but didn't hesitate. They charged forward after Zyrral.

Not about 50 metres, Zyrall could feel the strange aura heavier all of the sudden. It felt darker and more intense. Almost like they were heading to the gates of the underworld.

"Are you sure we are on the right track?" the reddish-furred companion asked, his voice tinged with unease.

Zyrral thought for a bit. "Yeah, do you not trust me?"

He didn't blame them for their doubt. The path ahead was shrouded in an eerie stillness that seemed unnatural, even for the maze. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, to find another way. But Zyrral silenced those thoughts.

Having to choose between getting beaten up by The Soldier and losing the Rite of Passage for good, or going through a mysterious eerie path to the north? He would choose the second option.

Still, all of his instinct told him to run away from something ahead of them in the north of the maze. But a king must trust his logic over instinct.

Ahead, the fog loomed closer, its edges swirling like tendrils reaching out to ensnare them. Zyrral's resolve hardened. Whatever lay within, he would face it head-on.