### Chapter 185 – Prayer for the Maze (4)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Maze’s Hell
Sage’s Advice: 2]
—
Outside, the flames blaze. The flames blaze. The flames blaze.
As I drift off into a daze, it felt like I was dreaming, then the incense candle for the prayer of rest flickered weakly. This can’t happen… I knew that the moment that candle goes out, who knows what might happen to my comrades?
This candle, which allows the living to reach the realm of the dead, burns with the vitality of a person. I bit down hard and pinched my thigh. There was no spot left on my thigh that wasn’t bruised.
Now, I finally understood everything the sponsor was saying.
“It’s different from the Curse Room. Participation isn’t mandatory.”
“You don’t need to overexert yourself.”
When I thought about it, it was somewhat contradictory. The first sentence seemed to imply that I didn’t need to participate, but the latter advised not to push myself too hard. It would be awkward to tell someone who wouldn’t do anything to not overdo it. This phrase would be more appropriate for someone who needed to do something while also looking after themselves.
But looking back, it didn’t hold too much significance. The first sentence meant I shouldn’t directly enter the maze’s hell, while the second meant to participate in the prayer of rest from the outside without overdoing it…
The flames blaze.
Just a moment ago, it seemed the candle burned down the last bit of my remaining vitality. Drool began to uncontrollably flow from my mouth, and my consciousness slowly faded.
Ah! Suddenly, I felt a bit angry!
“Lacking in talent, and on top of that, I lack diligence. It was the same out here and in the hotel.”
Looking back now, that’s just harsh, you jerk! Where in the world can you find a middle schooler struggling like I am?
For real, my older brother Kain always says the Owl is less helpful than Peiro, but if I take a closer look, my useless sponsor just seems to hurl insults at me while pretending to take care of me every time we meet.
— Whoosh!
As I faced forward again in my brief moment of anger, the flame grew to the size of a child’s fist. I can hold on a bit longer now. Thank goodness. My next turn is for Sister Songee; before that, let me hold out a bit more.
Mooksung Grandpa, Ahri Sister, Kain Brother! Please, all of you, do your best! And…
If possible, could you do it a little ‘faster’?
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 92
Current Location: Maze’s Hell
Sage’s Advice: 2]
—
After drawing the maze’s eyes, my timid escape play in the corridor ended in tragedy. I got scolded by the school teacher. Really got a huge scolding.
… Well, to be fair, if I suddenly waved a writing tool in front of my school friends, it would make sense to get scolded.
Should I be thankful for that?
A sudden flash of color on my eyeball appearing and disappearing isn’t something that can be understood with common sense regarding ordinary writing tools. The teachers just interpreted it as me waving a writing tool in the air, which shocked the maze quite a bit.
I wasn’t released until I heard the threat to apologize to the maze two or three times before dinner.
“Kik! Kik kik!”
“Stop making little kicks and just laugh out loud.”
“Are you really that dumb? You just crossed the line with a kid and ran away?”
Watching Ahri’s mocking attitude made me want to mock her back too. It’s all because of her mother I’m in this trouble, and she’s laughing?
“Hey, this is all your mom’s fault!”
“From what I gathered, the maze was just trying to have a snowball fight!”
“No, it’s not! She used some kind of incomprehensible power! Was it hypnosis? It felt like she was trying to forcefully move my heart with some supernatural ability.”
Only then did Ahri show a somewhat serious expression.
“Was it not just charisma but hypnosis? What did it feel like? There are many types of related abilities. Did she show you hallucinations like Songee? Or confused your mind? Or did she suppress your heart completely?”
When she asked those detailed questions, I couldn’t respond flatly. I could only think of something similar.
“It was kind of like what you occasionally did.”
Ahri tilted her head for a moment.
“That came from using ancient blood. It’s what vampires use to charm their prey—well, that’s enough background — I mean, now that the maze doesn’t have any legacies, she shouldn’t be able to do that.”
“No, I’m saying it felt similar from the recipient’s perspective, but there were definitely differences. Back then, your ability seemed to center around your ‘eyes,’ right?”
“The source of my power has always been blood. However, in the case of hypnosis, eye contact acts as a medium for that power.”
“I felt like the maze’s eyes were just a supporting role, and that the ‘words’ were the key. More than anything else.”
“More than anything else?”
“It suddenly sounded like English when she spoke those strange words. Of course, given the setting is America, everyone would normally be speaking English.”
“Right, it’s being translated to Korean thanks to the hotel. But that ‘word’ was in English? Could it be that it wasn’t translated by the hotel because it contained some supernatural power? Either way, that’s a good change.”
“What’s good about it?”
“If the maze uses strange powers with her mouth, it would usually be hard to react instantly, but because of the hotel’s translation, we would know immediately. If she starts speaking English, it means she’s up to something strange, so we need to be cautious.”
I got it. As a result, we now had a criterion to spot when the maze would say ‘strange words with powers.’ If English pops up, she’s up to no good.
…‘Up to no good.’ Ah, Ahri is starting to use aggressive language about the maze.
“Since you’re saying ‘up to no good,’ it seems you’re starting to find your mom a little scary?”
“To be honest, a little bit. She’s a wild psionic who hasn’t gotten any education from the Bureau.”
“A wild psionic?”
“She has no hesitation about using her abilities on regular people, almost as if she naturally brings her powers into everyday life. This behavior is typical of wild psionics. The Bureau teaches restraint on using powers that stray away from common sense, limiting them to only essential moments.”
It felt like a refreshing tale about the Bureau that I hadn’t heard in a while. It seemed the reason the world I remembered was bearable was indeed thanks to the Bureau.
“Kain, by the way, do you have anything regarding the ‘scenario’? The blessings are functioning normally.”
“If there was something, I would’ve mentioned it. There’s nothing. Just a bunch of nonsense about entering the maze’s hell for a hotel party or something. And it said we should wait for nightfall.”
“Will something happen when it gets dark?”
“Probably? What was the reason Grandpa called you earlier?”
“Evidence of some strange ritual. It’s something very old.”
“Should I go too?”
Ahri shook her head in response.
“It’s an incredibly delicate and ancient trace, so it’s better if non-experts don’t approach. Anyway, Grandpa and I are sifting through candidates, and by dinner time, we should know the result, so you don’t need to scout as well.”
“I don’t know what it is, but that’s a relief.”
“Then just do your part.”
“Yeah?”
“Go apologize to the maze.”
With those words, Ahri left, chuckling to herself.
Why is everyone, including the teacher and Ahri, insisting I apologize? Aren’t the ones who used hypnosis in the wrong?
What a meaningless talk. They must mean I should resolve the situation instead of determining right or wrong. Either way, it’s clear the teacher wouldn’t understand anything about hypnosis.
Finding the maze was quite easy. I don’t know how much she loves snowball fights, but she was out on the playground, throwing snow at her friends. Watching her play with the kids outside the window, she certainly didn’t come off as that ‘evil’ of a being. All I had seen her do so far was enjoy herself even in class.
If you think about it, finding school boring and always wanting to play is a wish every kid has. The maze just happened to be born with the ability to fulfill that wish.
As I walked outside, enjoying the pleasantly chilly winter atmosphere that felt completely ordinary compared to the hotel’s second floor, the kids noticed me.
What are you, the maze’s personal guard? The kids, although clearly aware of me, began to approach with menacing faces as if their queen had issued a command.
“Hey! Han Kain! You—”
“What are you doing messing with the maze’s game—”
“Are you gonna apologize or what, you nasty—”
It felt like this. While I blankly absorbed the noise from the so-called ‘maze personal guards’, all of a sudden, everything quieted down. The maze waved her hand with an air of ‘I might let it slide,’ and the kids stepped back, scattering in an instant just with that gesture. With just a flick of her wrist, she was commanding more than ten kids like a sovereign emperor.
“…”
“Hmm. Ahem!”
That haughty expression. So you’re saying even though you wronged me earlier, you’re still showing mercy?
I think I finally get it.
The one who made Ahri, someone who was a superhuman from birth, the one who even created followers for the Bureau. When you strip away all the mysterious packaging, objectively, that girl is just a middle schooler. Her actions and thinking are no more mature than Seungyub’s.
While that realization annoyed me, it also brought some odd relief. If she had been a girl exuding unknown ominous energy since that age, not being able to read her intentions, I think I would have been thirty times more terrified than I am now.
“Uh… maze? I’m sorry about earlier. You surprised me suddenly with those ‘weird words.’”
“‘Weird words.’”
“…”
“Can you tell the difference between my words?”
Despite being such a nonsensical conversation, I immediately understood her meaning. She was asking if I could distinguish between her ordinary words and the ones imbued with power.
“At least, they sound normal right now.”
— Boing!
“… What are you doing?”
“I’m just looking at the sky.”
As I deliberately averted my gaze during our conversation, she must have found it amusing, because she started jumping in the direction I was looking.
— Boing! Boing!
Instead of a snowball fight, we had a brief staring contest to see who could maintain eye contact.
“Ah, this is exhausting! Just chill out normally for once! But hey, that pen from before, what’s up with that?”
“…”
“If you say it’s ‘expensive,’ I’ll bury you in snow. You know it’s a weird item.”
“That’s a treasured heirloom passed down from my late grandpa—”
“Stop lying. The ‘late’ part is already a lie. I’ve already decided to bury you in the snow with that.”
Is this some kind of superpower? Or is my lie so weak that I’ve been found out? I can’t figure it out.
— Whoosh!
Snowballs began to crash into me.
“Here we go again?”
— Whoosh!
“Are you not going to dodge?”
“If you’re trying to bury me up to my knees in snow, then no.”
— Thwack!
“Are you seriously just going to stand there and let yourself get buried in snow?”
We wish you a merry Christmas…
We wish you a merry Christmas…
We wish you a merry Christmas…
And a happy New Year!
From somewhere, a cheerful tune could be heard.
When I snapped back to reality from the music, I found myself holding snowballs in both hands. Wait, did I get hypnotized in between?
“Ugh! You put ice in there! She threw ice at me!”
But given that the frozen fastball I threw knocked the maze out in one shot, maybe not! Should I try a little more?
“Hey!”
“Ugh! This guy’s amazing at throwing snowballs!”
We wish you a merry Christmas…
We wish you a merry Christmas…
We wish you a merry Christmas…
And a happy New Year!
—
About two hours must have passed? The sky had started to darken. It seemed like dinner time was approaching. I still had no clue why this place was called ‘hell,’ but it had been more than half a day since I entered the maze’s hell. In the meantime, the awkward atmosphere between me and the kids dispersed. After all, it felt just like some petty kid’s battle.
“Hey! Hey!”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s all go in now. It’s getting dark. Aren’t you hungry?”
At that, the kids started saying they were hungry one by one, and a natural breakup began to occur.
“I’d like to stay out a little longer, though…”
“Maze, let’s just head in. It’s getting late. And… late hours can be dangerous.”
The ‘scenario understanding’ indicated that something begins when it gets dark. There’s definitely a reason this place is named ‘hell.’
…
Even as the other kids started moving towards the dormitory, the maze showed no intention of going inside and continued throwing snow at me.
“Let’s go in now.”
“Ah~! You told a weird story, so everyone went inside!”
“That wasn’t a weird story; it was about dinner!”
“How annoying! Hey! — Huh, did you dodge?”
I was starting to feel tired. My body may have stiffened, but my mind isn’t processing like a middle schooler, so I’m getting worn out. If I go back first, maybe she won’t follow me in?
“I’ll go in first.”
“Really, are you leaving me behind?”
“…”
“You like me too, don’t you? Everyone likes me!”
“I told you it’s useless.”
“… How do you manage to always decipher my words?”
— Whoosh.
My breath caught. In that instant, time fractured into ten pieces, and a strange sound echoed from that gap.
An overwhelming silence descended upon the space.
The chirping of the birds that had chimed from the trees grew quiet.
The sound of snow sliding off a statue or car.
The tinkling sound from a Christmas tree shaking in the wind.
No noise echoed through.
— Whoosh. Whoosh.
Breath can be heard. A deep and low sound different from any human breath tickled my ears.
“Kain? What are you doing?”
Then, a girl who had no understanding of the ongoing changes appeared.
… How in the world am I ‘feeling’ this change?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.