As soon as I stepped into the maze, I felt like every wall was watching me.
The air felt heavy.
Alive.
I took a deep breath and began walking.
Hours turned into what felt like days before I finally reached a massive chamber. At the far end stood a large stone door.
Three pedestals stood before it.
Above the door were three carvings: a bat, a scorpion, and a spider.
Beneath them was the faint image of a heart.
I spent hours studying the room before noticing several hidden passageways built into the walls.
Then it clicked.
I needed the hearts of those three creatures.
I opened the first passage and stepped inside.
The room beyond was enormous, nearly the size of a school cafeteria. Massive stone pillars hung from the ceiling, dripping acid onto the floor below.
A horrible screech echoed behind me.
I spun around.
A giant bat hung upside down from the ceiling.
It was nearly three times the size of a man and drooled acid from its fangs.
I immediately drew my chained blades.
The creature dove toward me.
I rolled underneath its attack and slashed one of its feet off.
Acidic blood sprayed across the floor, melting a section of my armor.
The bat shrieked and switched tactics.
Balls of acid shot from its mouth.
I dodged between them before wrapping one of my blades around its wing.
With a hard pull, I tore the wing completely off.
The creature crashed to the ground.
Before it could recover, I drove my blade between its eyes.
Silence.
Taking a deep breath, I cut out its heart and returned to the main chamber.
The moment I placed the heart on the pedestal, the bat carving sank into the wall.
One down.
Two to go.
The second chamber belonged to the scorpion.
Unlike the bat, it wasn't hiding.
The giant creature sat in the center of the room waiting for me.
The moment I entered, it charged.
Its poisonous tail struck toward me.
I raised my staff and cast a control-creature spell.
The scorpion froze.
Then slowly knelt.
For the next thirty minutes, it would obey me.
I smiled.
"Perfect."
Climbing onto its back, I guided it directly into the third chamber.
The spider's chamber was the largest of all.
Webs covered every surface.
And at the center stood the biggest monster I had ever seen.
The spider towered over us.
Eight razor-sharp legs.
Massive wings.
A venomous stinger.
Enough eyes to make my skin crawl.
I pointed forward.
The scorpion charged.
The two monsters collided in the center of the chamber.
The fight was brutal.
But it wasn't close.
The spider was stronger.
One strike from its stinger pierced the scorpion, paralyzing it instantly.
But the distraction was all I needed.
I sprinted underneath the spider.
With both blades spinning, I slashed upward.
The creature's abdomen split open.
The spider collapsed.
Dead.
I claimed the spider's heart.
Then I took the scorpion's as well.
Returning to the main chamber, I placed both hearts onto the remaining pedestals.
The carvings disappeared.
The massive door slowly opened.
Beyond it was an even larger chamber.
As I stepped inside, a deep voice echoed throughout the room.
"Greetings, traveler."
I froze.
"My name is Sobak the Dragon. I commend you for reaching this place."
A gigantic dragon emerged from the darkness.
"And who might you be?"
"My name is Jericho. Son of Hades."
The dragon nodded.
"Of course you are."
Then he smiled.
"And I am your final test."
A glowing exit appeared behind him.
"Pass through that gate and you leave the maze. But first, you must prove you possess the strength to defeat me."
The dragon's body began to shrink.
Bones cracked.
Scales shifted.
Moments later, he stood in human form.
Seventeen feet tall.
White skin.
Dragon scales running across his body.
A giant mace resting on his shoulder.
I immediately knew this wasn't going to be easy.
The battle began.
His first swing sent me flying through the air.
I crashed into a wall.
My leg broke instantly.
Pain shot through my body.
Still, I forced myself to stand.
I attacked.
He blocked effortlessly.
Another strike knocked me to the floor.
Desperate, I unleashed a dark magic spell.
The blast struck him directly.
Nothing happened.
Sobak laughed.
"Magic does not work on me."
My stomach dropped.
"You came here only to die."
He raised his mace.
"And when you're dead, I'll kill everyone you've ever cared about."
Something inside me snapped.
Purple fire erupted around my body.
The room shook.
My skin turned pitch black.
Golden armor formed around me.
Black feathered wings burst from my back.
A massive spear-sword glowing with crimson energy appeared in my hand.
Red cracks spread across my face.
My eyes became pure crimson.
Even my mouth transformed into horrifying mandibles.
I wasn't sure what I had become.
But I knew I wasn't human anymore.
Sobak took a step backward.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
I fired another spell.
This one worked.
The blast launched him across the chamber.
He slammed into a wall.
The dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of fire.
I answered with my own.
Purple hellfire collided with his flames.
The entire chamber shook.
From that point onward, the fight was no longer equal.
I overwhelmed him.
Every attack.
Every spell.
Every clash.
Until finally he lay broken before me.
My spear-sword rested against his throat.
One strike would end his life.
But I stopped.
Even now.
Even after everything.
I couldn't kill.
My voice echoed unnaturally.
Dark.
Ancient.
Almost evil.
"Obey me forever."
The dragon stared up at me.
"And I will spare your life."
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then Sobak lowered his head.
"I will obey."
I lowered my weapon.
The battle was over.
Without another word, I turned and walked toward the exit.
The moment I emerged from the maze, I saw Kanan waiting outside.
Beside him stood another figure I didn't recognize.
Both stared at me in horror.
Shock filled their faces.
Before either could speak, the world suddenly spun.
The power vanished.
The armor crumbled.
My wings disappeared.
I returned to my normal form.
Then everything went black.
And I collapsed