Astralis Arcanum – Teachers' Residence

Zane's Room

From the outside, Zane's room looked calm and ordinary—its door shut, its lights dim.

But inside, the air shimmered faintly under the soft hum of a blue mana barrier, sealing the space completely. Runes of concealment flowed across the walls like liquid light, forming layers of protection even the academy's top mages wouldn't detect.

In the middle of the room sat Zane, relaxed as always, leaning back in his chair.

Dozens of holographic screens floated in front of him, each displaying a different team's progress inside the Conscious Nexus.

The flickering images reflected in his deep violet eyes—each screen showing a different maze, a different struggle.

One screen showed Maera Raynhart, calm and analytical even in the shifting labyrinth. Beside her were Colonel Alven, Drevin Solveil, and a girl with the same dark green hair color as Seris Velmira—her features were timid and afraid.

Another screen displayed Ron, Lia, Selene, and Jax, carefully moving through the same misty corridors.

Others showed chaos—panicked students shouting, splitting up, or using their mana recklessly.

Zane sighed softly.

"Some of them are too hasty…"

He rested his chin on his hand, expression unreadable.

"They're treating this like a race."

The corner of his lips tilted slightly as he shook his head.

"It isn't meant to be cleared like that."

His eyes flicked toward two particular screens—Maera's group and Ron's.

Both teams were moving steadily, observing, adjusting, not rushing.

"Maera's group and Ron's group…" Zane murmured.

"They're doing fine."

He leaned back slightly, gaze narrowing.

"But if I had to guess…"

His smirk returned, faint but certain.

"Maera will clear this round first."

Beside him, Eira hovered lazily, her small holographic form holding a glowing data tablet. She turned her head curiously.

"Why, Boss? Why do you think that?"

Zane's smirk deepened.

"Well…"

He gestured toward the screen, eyes glinting.

"Just look."

Eira blinked and leaned closer to the projection.

On-screen, Maera and her team moved like a well-rehearsed unit.

Each step was coordinated.

Each member had a role.

Where other teams panicked, they stayed calm.

Where others wandered, they mapped their path with precision.

Even when the maze walls shifted, they didn't falter—they adapted instantly.

Eira's expression changed from curiosity to mild surprise.

"Oh… I see it now. They're not reacting—they're predicting."

Zane smiled faintly.

"Exactly."

William stood on the table beside Zane, his silver cane resting neatly against his small shoulder. His bright green eyes followed the screens, absorbing every image, every motion, with childlike focus.

He didn't speak.

He didn't blink.

He simply watched.

And as the silent hum of the barrier filled the room, Zane's tone dropped slightly—quiet but certain.

"Let's see how long it takes them to realize…"

His eyes flicked toward Ron's group again.

"…that this maze isn't testing direction."

He smiled faintly.

"It's testing perception."

Back inside the shifting labyrinth, Ron and Lia walked in front, Selene stayed in the middle, and Jax guarded the rear.

All four moved slowly, eyes sweeping every direction, watching for the slightest twist in their surroundings.

Ron pointed ahead sharply.

"Left wall is moving… it's coming to the front."

Lia scanned the opposite side.

"Right wall shifted back. And—there… a new passage appeared on the right."

Selene nodded once.

"Okay. Stick to the path. Don't get distracted."

Her voice was calm, but she fell silent again almost immediately.

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to sense the mana flow of the labyrinth—its heartbeat, its rhythm, anything.

Jax, now fully serious, stayed quiet as well, his earlier joking completely gone.

Every step echoed with tension.

They turned left, then right, then left again—

and finally, after what felt like hours—

They saw it.

An exit.

Not an illusion.

Not a trick.

A real opening glowing with silver light.

Jax's eyes widened.

"Wait… is it real this time?"

Selene opened her eyes and nodded slowly.

"It feels real. I don't sense any distortion."

Ron exhaled. Lia tightened her grip.

All four picked up their pace—

But the moment they were just a few steps away—

GRRRRNNNDDDD—

The walls moved.

Not subtly.

Not gently.

This time they slammed sideways, grinding loudly as the corridor twisted violently.

Ron lunged forward.

"No… no… NO!"

They ran.

For three desperate seconds, they sprinted toward the shrinking passage—

But the exit slid away, swallowed by moving stone.

And when they reached it—

Thud.

A solid wall stood in its place.

Ron slammed his fist against it.

"DAMN IT!!!

At this rate, we'll NEVER leave this place!"

Lia placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Ron… calm down. Losing control won't help us here."

Ron clenched his jaw, breathing hard, but slowly forced himself to relax.

Selene, however, said nothing.

She stood still, eyes half-closed, fingers trembling slightly as she concentrated deeper than before.

Her breaths grew slower… quieter.

She was listening.

Reading.

Feeling.

Jax leaned slightly toward her.

"Uh… what are you—"

Selene raised a hand silently.

"Shh."

Her eyes remained closed, her mana senses fully spread out.

Jax blinked.

"…Well. Okay. I'll shut up."

A few tense seconds passed.

Then Selene's eyes snapped open.

A sharp clarity filled them.

"I understand it now."

Ron, Lia, and Jax turned toward her immediately.

Selene stepped forward, her voice steady, controlled—but carrying weight.

"I finally know what this maze is doing."

Selene stepped closer to the unmoving wall, her midnight-blue eyes glowing faintly as she traced her fingers along the cold stone.

The others waited, silent, watching her expression shift from confusion… to calculation… to certainty.

Finally, she spoke.

"The maze itself isn't very big," she began quietly.

"From the paths we took earlier… I sensed every wall. I saw through every illusion. And I noticed something."

Ron straightened. Lia leaned forward slightly. Jax blinked, waiting.

Selene continued:

"The patterns and marks on the walls… they repeat. Exactly the same grooves. The same mana residue. The same stone texture. Even the Illusion were same."

She turned toward the group, her voice firm now.

"So I estimate that this maze isn't endless at all. It's actually quite small."

Jax frowned. "But it feels huge…"

"That's because it moves," Selene said.

"And it moves in a very specific pattern."

Lia's eyes widened. "A pattern?"

Selene nodded.

"Yes. I tracked the rhythm of the shifting walls while we were walking. At first it was random… but after comparing multiple changes, I found the cycle."

Her deep blue eyes sparkled—sharp, confident, certain.

"The maze repeats its entire shifting pattern every 106 seconds."

Ron blinked.

"You're telling me it loops…?"

"Exactly." Selene's tone was steady. "Every 106 seconds, the maze resets to the same formation, the same positions, the same illusions."

Lia gasped softly.

"So… that means we just have to wait for 106 seconds to—"

Selene nodded before she could finish.

"Yes.

Because the essence of this maze isn't about finding the exit…"

Her eyes shone with a quiet brilliance.

"…it's about finding the point from where the exit finds you."

Jax's jaw dropped.

"So—you're saying the goal is NOT to run… but to stand still?"

Selene smiled, pride slipping through her normally reserved expression.

"Exactly."

Ron let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Wow, Selene… you really are a genius."

Selene lifted her chin slightly, unable to hide her satisfaction.

"I know," she said softly, a proud smile blooming on her lips.

Selene stepped back from the shifting wall, her expression calm yet confident as she folded her arms. The faint glow of the maze's torches reflected in her deep blue eyes, giving her an almost ethereal sharpness.

"Now we just have to wait 106 seconds," she said, her voice steady. "After that, the exit will appear right in front of us."

Ron gave a firm nod. Lia exhaled gently, finally feeling a sliver of relief.

Jax stretched his arms overhead and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Finally… something that doesn't require running."

Ron turned his head slowly, giving Jax the most awkward side-eye imaginable.

"…We didn't even run that much."

Jax froze for a second, then cleared his throat and pretended he didn't hear him.

Selene didn't acknowledge either of them, her attention entirely on the shifting labyrinth before them.

The four tightened their formation, standing close together. None dared even a step away — the maze had already shown how effortlessly it could twist space and separate them forever if they slipped even once.

Around them, the labyrinth began moving again.

The walls groaned and slid, stone grating against stone. Passages stretched, twisted, folded back in on themselves as if the entire structure were breathing. Torches flickered violently as the maze rearranged itself, reshaping reality with every subtle rumble.

They stood still, unmoving.

Ron watched the motion carefully, trying to understand the pattern Selene had deciphered.

Lia quietly counted the seconds in her mind, timing the rhythm of the shifting stone.

Jax kept glancing around, every sound making him tense a little more.

Selene remained perfectly focused, her senses spread wide, tracking every pulse of mana in the walls.

Then, exactly at the 106th second, the rumbling grew louder — deeper — as if the maze were reaching a conclusion in its cycle.

A sharp GRRRRNNNDDDD echoed through the corridor.

The wall directly ahead of them pulled back like a sliding gate.

Another wall twisted sideways.

The mist parted.

A corridor aligned.

And from the shifting stone, a new path carved itself open—

—revealing the exit, glowing in soft silver light.

Selene allowed herself a proud smile, the corners of her lips lifting as she glanced at the others.

"There it is. Exactly when it should be."

Ron smirked, half impressed and half relieved.

Lia nodded warmly, admiration clear in her eyes.

Jax grinned wide, punching his fist into his palm. "Alright! Now we're talking!"

Together, they stepped forward toward the glowing threshold.

The moment their feet crossed it—

FLASH.

The maze vanished.

The stone walls dissolved into a cascade of fading light.

The mist retreated like smoke pulled through a narrow crack.

The scene blurred—

—and solidified again.

They stood once more in the white space.

But it was different now.

Where once hundreds of students had crowded this place, shouting in confusion and fear, now only a few dozen remained. Scattered groups looked around with varying degrees of exhaustion, shock, or disbelief.

Ron glanced around slowly.

"…Looks like most didn't make it."

Selene folded her arms again, her expression settling into calm determination.

"Or we are just early."

Lia straightened her posture, resolve flickering in her dusk pink eyes.

Jax whistled softly. "Man… this is gonna be rough if this is only phase one."

But none of them backed down.

Just as the four of them steadied themselves in the white space, a soft voice drifted toward them from somewhere to their left—calm and familiar.

"…So, you're here too."

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