A man fought viciously in the dark, his sword flashing as the undead closed in. Fire danced along the hall, forcing the undead back before his blade struck, slicing them apart with precise thrusts that left them immobilized. He exhaled, fatigued, before composing to finish them by lighting their bodies aflame, watching them burn to ash, granting them final rest. Only then did he move towards the first source of water he'd found, a puddle shimmering on the smooth wooden floor.
Tobi was now in the maze. He staggered, barely holding himself together. He should have been dead. By all rights, he should have perished when he fell from the atmosphere just a few hours ago. And yet now here he was, surrounded by the remnants of undead corpses. He sighed, pushing his shoulder back into place with a sharp pop, chuckling bitterly at his own struggle to stay alive in this hell.
The sword he wielded was looted from a corpse. Among the many he'd come across, this one was steel, not just some ceremonial relic like the others. Only a day had passed since he returned to Earth, and he had already fought through a gauntlet that this tree graciously provided him. He had managed to rest briefly after reaching the third floor, where a wooden circular room offered the safest refuge. That reprieve, however, was extremely short-lived as he woke up to find himself attacked by what appeared to be an invisible wolf.
"It's been a while," he laughed, missing the god's regenerating factor and the pain negation it had provided as he heated the water with his charred fist, channelling fire into it. His burned skin throbbed viciously, but he paid it no mind. Humming quietly, he crouched near the puddle, waiting for the water to cool. He had heated it just enough to purify it; his actions were instinctual from his past. Yet his memories remained clouded. He was two people at once, existing in contradiction but each had the same goal.
One thing that gnawed at his mind. A memory from the future, no doubt. There was someone he couldn't lose sight of. His light. A woman he had cherished deeply. And yet, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't recall her face. He thought of her constantly, but she remained elusive, a whisper lost in the void of his mindscape.
At last, the water cooled enough to drink. He cupped the water in his palms and lifted it to his lips and drank deeply, relieved. Afterward, he used the rest to freshen himself, revelling in the fleeting sensation of cleanliness in this new world.
"I'll need to apologize to Amais," Tobi said to himself, laughing softly. He hadn't expected the maze to be this difficult or perhaps he simply hadn't remembered it correctly. He ran his cloak down his blade and poured just a little water over his sword, wiping away the blood, his gaze drifting to the mirrored walls around him.
It moved.
He thought calmly as he continued cleaning, watching the blade as it gleamed under his effort. And yet, something lingered in the reflection. There was something watching him. He sighed as he held the sword. He needed to find Amais before sleep would take him. Especially with that thing lurking in the mirrors. Amais didn't need to sleep anymore so he could stand guard.
Tobi walked onward. The maze was strange, with endless corridors, occasional creatures lurking in the dark, and reflections everywhere. Though this wasn't his first time here, he was more vulnerable now without that god's power. And without that power, he noticed things he hadn't before. Things that had once been hidden.
That damned god betrayed me, Tobi thought with amusement. He had lost his overwhelming strength and abilities. The fire that had scorched half his body still lingered and allowed him to use the flame god's fire to an extent. It wasn't much, but it was something. Other than that, he was human, reliant on his experience, his endurance, and pain tolerance, which all came from a distant future he had yet to remember. He now descended another staircase, the fourth one he had reached thus far.
Amais felt drained as he moved down yet another staircase. This had been the ninth one. Bit by bit, he was making progress. The wooden, dome-like room ahead felt like a checkpoint, and he allowed himself a brief moment of much-needed rest.
Just a little break. Not too bad, right? he thought. He wondered if Tobi was still fighting that god plant thing or maybe he was done; to be honest, he wasn't too sure it was a god right but Tobi had a god so maybe. He lay back, closing his eyes for just a moment. Sorry, Tobi. I imagine you're well. You're the enigmatic, experienced hunter. You'll win, I hope, he thought, exhausted.
Even if he wasn't physically exhausted, he was mentally spent. Everything in this maze clawed at his sanity, especially since he's been at it for a week straight now. And this place, this dome, felt so foreign, different from the mirrored corridors he'd gotten used to and loathed. There were no reflections here, just regular old nice wood. He had grown to hate seeing his own image staring back at him. Even if he was a handsome devil. The ichor or god's blood, ensured that, luckily.
There are multiple gods, so… I wonder whose blood I was lucky enough to get, Amais wondered excitedly. Hopefully, it was a cool one. Maybe he'd get powers. "Wouldn't that be nice?" he thought, grinning widely before scowling and looking down once more, knowing he shouldn't waste time and sighed, then stood. No point in delaying any further; he had a place he had to go. He descended through this labyrinth once more; Tobi's stalling couldn't go to waste.
What he didn't know or really what he couldn't know, was that Tobi was no longer stalling. The plant god had already been felled. And at this very moment, Tobi was in the maze with him, descending his own path toward their inevitable reunion.