It happened on the third night.
Ash had felt it coming—the hesitation in their eyes, the whispers when they thought he was asleep, the way Arin's hand lingered near her blade. Trust was fragile in the Labyrinth. And fear? Fear poisoned everything.
He just hadn't expected it to come from Kael, the thin noble boy with the staff.
Ash was walking alone through a cracked hallway of mirrors—reflections warping with every step—when the floor lit beneath him. A rune trap.
Too late.
Chains of arcane steel erupted from the walls and bound him midair.
Kael stepped into the corridor with a grin far too smug for someone about to commit treason.
> "Sorry, Ash. Nothing personal. You're just… too dangerous."
Behind him stood three others. Students from noble families. They'd seen Ash's power. They feared it.
"You're planning to kill me during a school trial," Ash said calmly, eyes closed. "How very noble of you."
Kael raised his staff. "This is Velmora. 'Kill or be killed' isn't just a rule—it's a lesson."
The spell activated.
A spear of pure light surged from Kael's staff toward Ash's heart.
And stopped.
Inches away.
Ash opened his eyes. They were glowing red now, not gold.
The spear disintegrated.
Chains shattered like glass.
Kael took a step back. "What—what did you—?"
"You triggered my seal," Ash said softly, stepping forward. "So I guess this isn't murder."
It was an execution.
In five seconds, it was over.
The three behind Kael were dead before they could scream.
Kael dropped to his knees, bleeding from the eyes, the mark of fear carved into his soul.
Ash leaned down.
"Live," he whispered. "And let the academy see what betrayal costs."
---
Later, when Arin and Lyssara found him again, Ash was silent. Red energy still clung to his skin like smoke.
Arin studied him.
"You let one live," she said.
"I want a witness," Ash replied.
Lyssara chuckled. "Gods help the ones who make an enemy of you."
Ash didn't
answer. But somewhere deep inside the Labyrinth, something laughed.