### Chapter 184 – Prayer for the Maze (3)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Maze’s Hell
Sage’s Advice: 2]
—
We wish you a merry Christmas…
With that delightful carol endlessly tickling my ears, I made my way to the spot indicated by the conversation tab. It hadn’t even been five minutes since I left the room before I was certain of one thing: this place is a boarding school. A rather old-fashioned one, straight out of England or America.
— Click!
As I stepped into what felt like the modern-day equivalent of the “Teacher’s Office,” I found Grandpa and Ahri already there.
“Oh! You made it. I was starting to wonder if you got lost!”
“I was just taking a look around. Walking helped jog my memory of the hotel’s information.”
“Right. Now, go say hello to your sister.”
“…”
“…”
Neither Ahri nor I smiled. It was absurd; we were set up as twin siblings.
“Honestly, we don’t look that alike.”
“Duh, we’re fraternal twins, not identical! If we were identical, it wouldn’t be normal scientifically for us to look more alike than a typical brother-sister pair.”
Not to mention it felt like we belonged to different races. Ahri had this otherworldly look—like a mix of Western and Eastern lineage—while I, obviously, didn’t.
I shrugged it off. If we were in a hotel, you can just deal with it, right?
“What school is this? Given the vibe, it feels like it’s in the U.S. or England—”
“I’d say it’s probably early ‘80s, the school is Eastwood High, and yes, it’s in America. By the way, now that you’ve pieced some of it together, we seem to be set up as first-year transfer students.”
Upon hearing the name of the school and the country, I instantly recognized them. As for the time period, that didn’t seem like part of the knowledge they’d implanted in me.
“Do you know this school?”
Ahri nodded confidently, “It’s the high school where the maze went. But the education system here is different from Korea’s six-three-three; it’s five-three-four, which means we’re more like eighth-graders than first-year high schoolers.”
“Sounds like you know a lot.”
Suddenly, Ahri’s expression turned a bit wistful.
“I’ve often wondered what kind of person the maze was back on Earth. I spent a long time looking into it. She went through a really tragic and frightening event in this very school—a pivotal moment in her life where she ended up working for the Administrative Bureau at a young age.”
Right now in the timeline, the maze faced some pretty tragic and terrifying events at school. Hearing this helped the “hell” aspect of this place come into clearer focus.
“It can’t be a coincidence that her most troubling time is being replayed, right?”
“…”
That time likely marked the first major chaos disaster in the maze’s long life. Sure, she’d encountered all sorts of hellish situations afterward while working in the Bureau, but nothing would compare to the initial shock of her childhood.
This hell was, in essence, a replay of the most painful moment in the life of the trapped.
…Who would create such a torturous place forcing so many to suffer through it? I let out a sigh and returned to the present.
“Since you’ve traced the maze’s past, do you recall any kind of ‘accident’ she experienced?”
Ahri showed a bittersweet smile.
“I used to know. It was a given.”
So it seemed the hotel had erased parts of her memory related to what the maze went through. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t all too surprising. There’s no way they’d let us come in with full knowledge.
“Still, if we’re in her childhood setting, at least that’s a plus. She shouldn’t be causing chaos with the legacies she obtained in the hotel.”
“Rather, we’re supposed to rescue the maze, not hunt her down.”
“Right. But from what we’ve heard, the very person we need to save feels the most dangerous.”
“Plus, you might not have noticed, but the maze isn’t the only one without legacies.”
That made me stop. Just as I was about to call forth my grimoire, I noticed nothing happened. It seemed like the threads connecting my grimoire to me had been severed here. Just like various rooms that sealed away legacies, it looked like I couldn’t use my grimoire in this place either. Was I meant to rely only on blessings?
Fortunately, my wing tattoos and pen seemed fine. Grandpa slapped the desk.
“First things first. You two need to go to class this afternoon. You should try to find the maze, and if possible, search the school too. Just remember that as students, you’ll have limitations, so don’t do anything reckless to avoid trouble with security. I’ll take the lead on searching.”
Teachers usually have more freedom of movement than students, right? After quickly dividing our roles, we left the teacher’s office.
As Ahri and I walked down the corridor, I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “There’s been something weird I’ve noticed for a while.”
“What is it?”
“This school, you said it’s set in the ‘80s?”
“Yeah, I can’t recall exactly what year. They likely erased that specific memory from me too.”
“How is it possible for this to be set in the ‘80s if it’s your mom’s childhood? It feels like not only this school is odd, but even the first party you talked about or details in your perfect life. There’s always this ‘time frame’ that seems skewed.”
Instead of answering, Ahri just smiled.
“Hey, remember back before we entered the Gate Room? Didn’t we agree to be open with each other instead of hiding things?”
“I can definitely tell you this: first, it’s not really a personal secret. Second, it wouldn’t matter in this hotel. Third, once you step outside, you’ll naturally figure it out.”
With that, Ahri swiftly moved past me, hinting she wouldn’t elaborate further.
That afternoon marked my first encounter with the maze since entering the hotel.
—
“The Iroquois Confederacy faced the largest division crisis since its formation during the Revolutionary War…”
“Each of the six tribes split off to pursue independent paths…”
… I felt a blankness settling in. If only we were learning math or science; I could probably handle that. But digging into the events of American Indian tribes from history was a mental exercise I wasn’t prepared for.
— Clap!
Amid it all, the one thing breaking my stupor was a loud cheer from the back.
“Teacher! Can we take a break?”
This was neither the time for breaks nor was it recess. The girl who boldly suggested a break didn’t even wait for a response from the teacher before digging into her bag.
“Whoa, whoa! Did the class get boring? I should’ve jazzed things up a bit! What story is fun to you, Maze?”
“Let’s eat our sandwiches.”
“Sure!”
What do you mean by ‘sure’? Is this a classroom or what? The rules of authority are about to crash and burn!
I watched as the student derailed the whole class to munch on snacks while the teacher actually joined in the madness. Watching this unfold ignited a flame of fury in my inner Confucian dragon.
Yet, amidst it all, the maze waved her hand like a queen among a buzzing hive of bees.
“Hm. Thomas, do you want a sandwich?”
“Yeah! I want one!”
“Do a handstand for 30 seconds, and I’ll give you a bite.”
Sure enough, as a white boy attempted to balance for a nibble of the leftover sandwich, I felt like I was losing my grip on reality.
Han Kain: Your mother is quite something.
Kim Ahri: American kids are like this by nature.
Han Kain: Don’t stereotype American kids as crazy!
Kim Mooksung: Save on words!
Both Ahri and I were unable to stop the chaotic atmosphere, and we didn’t even find a suitable moment to jump in. Worst of all, if we accidentally got mixed up in this, it could get dangerous! This situation could easily be seen as a form of spiritual contamination spreading.
By the time the next class started, the antics escalated even further.
— Whack!
“Haha! That’s a knuckleball!”
“Headshot! Nice!”
“Maze! Over here, over here!”
“The ball’s rolling!”
Outside, the frantic sounds of a snowball fight felt incredibly lively. Over twenty kids covered in snow rolled about, while the maze pitched snowballs with more precision than a major league pitcher.
What a joyful scene, except for the fact that it’s math class right now.
Of course, it looked like there wasn’t a big issue. The teacher had even joined the snowball fight outside. The only ones staying behind were either sick or too sleepy, along with me and Ahri.
“… The maze seemed to have a pretty good school life.”
“Isn’t she super cute?”
Seeing Ahri gazing at her mother’s past with such a smitten expression made me shake my head.
“Is she really that well-behaved?”
“She’s a middle schooler, after all. It’s an age where they can be quite reckless. And besides, from what I can tell, she hasn’t done anything wrong—just seems to enjoy playing.”
— Whack! Bang!
All of a sudden, a snowball flew in and hit me right on the head.
“…”
“Ha! Is this fun or what?”
Kim Mooksung: Ahri, can you come out for a moment?
Suddenly, Grandpa called for Ahri, looking like he had discovered something noteworthy. Ahri, still baffled after being hit with a snowball, hurried outside as if being called by destiny.
— Whoosh! Whack!
A second snowball? This must be more than just coincidence.
“Wait, who threw that? I said I’m not going out—”
“Are you really not coming out?”
As I glanced toward the window, I realized a girl, resembling a snow fairy, was beaming at me from the other side.
“…”
“Why aren’t you coming out? Let’s play together! If you stay there, I’ll just keep throwing!”
“I already said I want to stay put…”
“If everyone plays together, it’s more fun! Come out!”
Feeling progressively exhausted, I turned my attention back inside. I really didn’t want to relive middle school learning experiences, but I also didn’t feel like stepping outside.
“… You don’t listen very well, do you?”
?
“Look into my eyes.”
My mind went blank. It felt like my consciousness was drifting, almost like I was dreaming. Without even realizing it, I turned my head toward the burning glow of her eyes. Those eyes, similar yet different from Ahri’s, held an infinite whirlpool—blessing from one born above.
“You are my friend. Friends should follow me.”
Why had I been acting on my own volition? Was it rational caution or a primal fear coming from my timid psyche in front of a predator? Friends were fundamentally one. Being the maze’s friend meant I should follow her naturally. That’s just the way it is.
“You’ll have a great time with me!”
Oh! At last, my mind felt clear. How delightful it would be to follow the maze! Let’s go outside. Let’s have a snowball fight! The discomfort that had filled my mind washed away in an instant, replaced by pure tranquility.
Joyfully, I stood up and headed outside—
— Stab!
“AAAAAAAH!”
“Stop messing around! Do you think I’d fall for such an easy trick?”
I quickly grabbed my pen and dashed out down the hallway, hoping to avoid the maze’s gaze.
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