The Mazeheart was nothing like Thalen expected.
He had pictured a chamber carved from ancient stone, maybe filled with relics and guarded by some monstrous sentinel. But what awaited him was something far stranger something older.
The moment Thalen stepped through the golden gate, the world shifted. The heavy pressure of the maze dissolved, replaced by silence pure and absolute. Dain followed closely behind, wincing with each step, his aura still shaky from the battle with the rogue Tyrant-wielder.
The chamber beyond stretched endlessly in every direction. The floor beneath them was a perfect mirror, reflecting the sky above a sky of swirling orange and red flame, dancing slowly like a living canvas. There were no walls, no ceiling only fire and reflection, as though they stood between two burning heavens.
"What… is this place?" Dain whispered, spinning slowly, his reflection warping beneath his boots.
"The Mazeheart," Thalen said softly. "But this feels more like a memory than a place."
A sudden voice interrupted them. It echoed not with volume, but with weight, like thunder hidden in silk.
"So you are the ones who made it to the center."
Thalen instinctively raised his sword. A figure walked toward them seemingly from nowhere emerging out of the fire's glow. She was cloaked in white and gold, with long braids woven with metal threads. Her eyes were strange: one was gold, the other pale blue.
Dain reached for his own weapon. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled slightly. "I am Keeper Vaen. Long ago, I was an SSS Hero. I've waited here since the Maze's creation."
"You're alive?" Thalen asked.
"In a way. I am bound to this trial. A flicker of aura and mind kept alive by the will of the first Tyrant." She stepped closer, her voice gentle yet heavy with sorrow. "You fought a broken one to get here, didn't you?"
Thalen nodded. "He nearly killed us."
"A shame. That one was once a friend. He lost control because his heart never matched the weight of his spirit."
Her gaze fell on Thalen. "But you… something is awakening in you."
Thalen shifted uncomfortably. "It's not the Tyrant Spirit, if that's what you mean."
"No," Vaen said, smiling. "Not yet. But your sword glowed with its echo. That means it recognizes what you carry inside you."
Thalen looked at the weapon on his back. It had gone dormant again, but he could still feel it breathing.
"Why are we here?" he asked. "What is this trial really for?"
"To measure not just strength, but intent," Vaen said. "The Tyrant Spirit is not merely power it is rule. To wield it is to become burdened by fate itself. Most who reach this place fail the final test not because they lack power… but because they seek power for the wrong reasons."
Dain frowned. "What if we're just trying to protect the world?"
"Even protection can become tyranny if born of fear," Vaen replied.
Silence followed. Then, the mirror floor beneath them rippled. Flame surged around the three of them and split into nine fiery silhouettes.
Each burned with a distinct aura. One wielded a lance made of lightning. Another held a bow strung with shadow. A third floated above the floor, robes billowing with cosmic energy.
"The Nine SSS Heroes," Vaen whispered. "The current wielders of the Tyrant Spirit. You must know them. One day, one of them may be your teacher. Or your enemy."
Thalen studied them.
One silhouette stood out. Its aura was unmistakable. He had seen it before at the Spire, in his vision.
"That one…" he pointed.
Vaen nodded. "Vael Seros. The first Tyrant. The one who created this trial and gifted us the path."
"He's still alive?"
"Yes," she said. "Though he has withdrawn from the world, he remains the measure by which all others are judged. He was born with the Flame Aura. When he awakened the Tyrant Spirit, he fused both into the Eternal Pyre, a force that burns not only flesh, but lies and illusions. He is the greatest among us. And perhaps… the most cursed."
Thalen clenched his fists. "I want to meet him."
"You may," Vaen said. "Someday. If you continue to survive."
The flames surrounding them surged higher.
Dain shielded his eyes. "What now?"
"The final task," Vaen said. "It's simple: I will read your aura. Your true intent. If you pass, you will be granted access to the exam."
"I thought this was the exam," Thalen said.
She shook her head. "This is the gate. The real trial comes later."
She stepped toward him and placed a hand gently against his chest.
"Close your eyes."
Thalen obeyed.
At once, he was plunged into darkness. Not blindness but memory.
He saw his father's hands, scarred and calloused, lifting a wooden training sword. He saw the look of disappointment when he failed again and again.
He saw his friends stronger, faster, smarter. The ache of always being behind.
He saw Dain smiling after his first aura spark. He saw Fera standing tall after knocking him down in a duel.
He saw the nights he trained alone, bleeding fingers, broken wrists, muttering every form and sequence until his voice gave out.
He saw the day he decided he wouldn't quit.
Then… he saw himself.
Standing atop a ruined field, surrounded by fire. Holding a blade bathed in gold and crimson. Alone.
And smiling.
His eyes snapped open.
Vaen stood before him, face unreadable.
"You will take the exam," she said at last.
Thalen exhaled slowly.
Dain stepped up, but she stopped him.
"You cannot," she said gently.
"What? Why?" Dain asked, stunned.
"Your aura is pure, but it is not ready. The Tyrant Spirit would devour you."
Dain looked crushed. But after a long moment, he nodded.
"I'll get stronger," he said. "Then come back."
Vaen touched his shoulder. "And I believe you will."
The chamber began to fade.
Flames dimmed.
Light rose.
"Thalen," Vaen said as her form dissolved into golden dust, "do not lose your reason. Or you will become the very tyrant you seek to surpass."
They awoke at the edge of the maze, back in the physical realm. Dozens of initiates lay unconscious, some groaning, others broken. Only a few stood tall.
Arkan waited.
"Five passed," he said. "Only one may take the exam."
His eyes met Thalen's.
"Come with me."
As Thalen followed, Dain gave him a thumbs-up from the ground. "Go make us proud."
Thalen didn't reply. His heart was too full.
Because for the first time in his life… he wasn't the weakest anymore.
He was something else.
Something new.
Something dangerous.