The ship cut smoothly across the calm morning sea, the wind filling the sails just enough to keep them gliding at a steady pace. Bluewave grew smaller behind them, until it was just a bright dot against the horizon.

Puddle leaned over the railing, eyes wide. "Master! Look ahead!"

Rhys followed her pointing hand.

A small island was coming into view — shaped like a crescent, wrapped in a ring of thin, pale mist that never seemed to fade. Even from a distance, the beaches were clear and white, and the green tree line shimmered with morning dew.

Lyra stepped beside him, her expression thoughtful. "Mist Island… It's been quiet for centuries," she said. "But that mist isn't natural. Not anymore."

"So this is our next stop," Rhys said.

"Yes," Lyra replied. "And not just for sightseeing."

Puddle floated up and spun in a small circle. "There's a dungeon there, right? The Labyrinth of Mist!"

Rhys nodded. "Yeah. Only three floors… but people say it's harder than it looks."

Lyra folded her arms lightly. "It's not dangerous because of monsters. It's dangerous because the senses break down inside. Skills stop working. Mana senses go silent. You can't rely on system windows either."

"Basically," Rhys summarized, "we go in blind."

"Exactly," she said.

Aurelius screeched from the mast, feathers glowing faintly in warning. Even Moonbounce dimmed a little, as if the mist ahead was making it uneasy.

Aria's voice drifted from behind them as she leaned over the edge of the ship. "You sure know how to pick your dungeons, Rhys. First a sea invasion, now a maze where we fight with pure instinct?"

He shrugged. "Better than fighting angry sea gods."

Lyra cracked a small smile. "Barely."

The ship approached the island, the hull brushing gently against the shallow sand as they anchored near the beach. The mist curled around their legs, cool but strangely weightless.

The beach itself was beautiful — soft white sand, calm blue water, shells scattered like tiny gems. But beyond the first line of trees, the dense mist rose in a wall, thick and almost shimmering.

Rhys stepped onto the sand, adjusting his sword. "All right. The Labyrinth of Mist… Let's see what this place has for us."

Puddle floated at his side, unusually serious. "Master… I can't feel anything inside that fog. Not mana, not danger. Nothing."

Rhys nodded. "That's why we're here. I need training that doesn't rely on skills."

Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder, her gaze calm but firm. "Then remember this: in the Labyrinth, doubt is more dangerous than any monster. Trust what you feel — not what you expect."

Rhys took a breath, looking at the shimmering wall of mist.

"Okay then," he said. "Let's go."

And with the morning sun behind them and the unknown ahead, they stepped toward the entrance of the Labyrinth of Mist — their next challenge waiting inside the silent white fog.

The edge of the mist loomed in front of them like a solid wall. The closer they got, the more the air felt… empty. Not hostile, not dangerous — just empty, like even sound was being absorbed.

Lyra stopped just before crossing the threshold.

Rhys turned. "Lyra?"

She shook her head gently. "I can't go inside."

Aria blinked. "Too dangerous for you? Seriously?"

Lyra smiled faintly. "The opposite. I'm too dangerous for it."

Sophia frowned. "…Meaning?"

Lyra stepped back from the fog, the ground under her boots lightly shimmering from her natural mana. "The Labyrinth reacts to presence. Even if I suppress my power, it will twist the floors, break the trials, or collapse entirely. It wasn't built to handle an Ancient."

Caria nodded slowly. "So if you enter… the whole dungeon could collapse."

"Or worse," Lyra agreed quietly. "It could trap you all."

Rhys accepted that without argument. "Then wait outside. We'll handle it."

Lyra placed a hand over her heart, smiling softly. "I'll wait right here. And I'll feel everything at the exit — if you need help, call me."

Rhys turned to Puddle, Aurelius, and Moonbounce. "You three stay with Lyra."

Puddle's ears drooped. "But—"

"No," Rhys said gently but firmly. "This place cuts off mana sense, abilities, and instincts. If I take you in, I'll end up depending on you instead of learning."

Aurelius chirped once, then hopped onto Lyra's shoulder. Moonbounce drifted beside her, its glow steady. Puddle reluctantly floated to Lyra's side, arms crossed.

A moment passed.

"Stay safe," Lyra said quietly.

"You too," Rhys replied.

Aria cracked her neck. "Alright then. So it's just us four?"

Rhys nodded. "Yeah. You three help me by not dying."

Sophia sighed. "Sounds about right."

Caria pushed her glasses up. "Once we step inside, no spells, no skills. Only instincts. Only what we can touch or hear."

Aria grinned. "Perfect. My kind of challenge."

Rhys adjusted the hilt of Runius — his dark blade. The mist almost seemed to bend toward the sword, but not in a hostile way. Just recognition.

"Three floors," Caria said. "Small, but brutal."

"Then let's finish it fast," Rhys answered.

He stepped forward.

The mist swallowed his figure immediately — silent, cold, and total.

Aria followed with a muttered, "Here goes nothing."

Then Caria.

Then Sophia.

Lyra stood outside the fog, watching the white veil ripple faintly where they had entered. Puddle drifted up beside her, worry in her soft voice. "Will they be okay?"

Lyra placed a calm hand on her head. "Rhys will be. He's growing faster than he realizes."

She looked at the mist — eyes sharp, focused, ancient.

"And this trial…" she whispered, "will push him closer to the strength he needs."

Inside the Labyrinth of Mist, the world went silent.

Rhys opened his eyes.

And the first floor began.

Rhys blinked.

For a moment, he wondered if his eyes were even open.

The world around him was a pure blanket of white — not fog, not smoke, not light. Just emptiness. No movement. No shadows. No sound. Not even the echo of his own breathing.

He lifted his hand in front of his face.

He couldn't see it.

"…Great," he muttered. "We're blind already."

"Pretty much," Aria's voice came from somewhere to his right — distant, muffled, like she was speaking through a thick wall.

"Don't move too far," Caria warned from somewhere else. "This place warps distance. She could be three steps away or twenty."

Sophia let out a slow breath. "And it's already cutting off mana sense."

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