Cassia nudged Suri awake, her touch a blend of patience and insistence. With a sigh, Suri dragged open her heavy eyelids. Interrupted sleep seldom improved one’s mood, and this morning was no different, especially given the circumstances. With fluid and practiced motions, the servant assisted Suri in dressing. All in silence.
Together, they navigated a maze of arched corridors that crisscrossed like veins throughout the fortress. Despite the lingering haze of the early hours, Suri sensed the servant’s urgency and quickened her pace. Cassia was surprisingly silent, a fact that stood out noticeably given their brief acquaintance. The wanderer resorted to her quirky habit, as she always did in unclear situations. With unwavering focus, Suri memorized their route, mapping the castle’s intricate layout in her mind.
Upon reaching the central tower, they found Magister Pankratz expecting their arrival. He held a chain, its ends encircled by a crystal emitting a soft yellow glow. Restlessly shifting his weight from foot to foot, he exuded an air of impatience. Spotting the blood mage from a distance, the man immediately advanced to greet her.
“Time is of the essence. We have dallied too long already,” he tossed out, forgoing a traditional greeting. “Come.”
With a decisive pivot, the Magister headed straight for the castle’s inner courtyard. Suri trailed behind. The Head of Council had a penchant for speed, often prompting his companions to keep pace. This was his subtle way of asserting dominance.
A brisk, menthol-infused breeze brushed against Suri’s face as they stepped into a paved square beneath a blue glass dome. At its center stood an immense tree, its once-vibrant life now extinguished. Bereft of lush foliage, the majestic branches, white with age, spread out in intricate patterns. The tree emanated an aloofness reminiscent of stone. Drawn to its presence, Suri reached out and felt the rough bark beneath her fingers—it was as solid as stone itself. The craftsmanship was so impeccable that even the most discerning eye would struggle to find imperfections or signs of sculpting, its flawless form a testament to the artisan’s skill.
At a certain moment, the Magister unsheathed a short dagger. With skilled precision, he incised his palm and pressed it against the lifeless trunk. As the vibrant crimson fluid touched the pale bark, the massive roots stirred, embarking on a mesmerizing dance that revealed a hidden passage leading downward.
“Return to your duties,” the Magister commanded, dismissing the servant before continuing onward with the blood mage. The faint glow from his crystal barely pierced the darkness. The wanderer walked through the dimly lit path, and concern flooded her mind. Was she ready for what lay ahead?
Delving deeper, they entered an expansive chamber. Its vastness dwarfed the murky light from the crystal, which struggled against the encroaching blackness. An unsettling silence filled the void, as if a lurking entity was devouring both light and sound.
Abruptly, Magister Pankratz seized Suri by the shoulder, demanding her undivided attention.
“We call this place the Heart. Whether born in Azur or a wanderer, each of us undergoes an initiation here, gaining strength or reclaiming a forgotten name”. His voice remained unwavering and steady, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
“Yet, the Heart’s grace isn’t bestowed upon everyone. Only those possessing substantial magical energy can embrace its gift,” he elaborated, his gaze penetrating the shadows.
The Magister released his grip.
“I hope you’ll be fortunate enough to witness the dawn…” his voice soon resonated from afar.
The girl jolted, as if emerging from a trance. All around her was an impenetrable darkness. She couldn’t determine when the Magister had left, taking the sole beacon of light with him. A chilling presence covered her, deepening her feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Tremors coursed through Suri’s body, and sweat dampened her palms. The obscured entity appeared to draw strength from her deepening apprehension.
Suri clenched her fists, grappling with the disorientation as she tried to remember her initial path. Without any means of defense against potential threats, she refused to stand still. Extending one hand forward and the other to the side for guidance, she pressed forward. One step. Then another, and another. As she found no barriers, her pace quickened. With a few more steps, the wanderer might confront a wall. Suri held onto the belief that the exit wasn’t far, given their recent presence in the grand hall with the Magister. But the absence of light began to cast doubt on her chosen path. Despite this uncertainty, she pressed on, driven by her tenacious resolve.
“It’s intriguing when a creature can no longer walk, will it crawl towards what it believes is the exit?” came a deep, velvety voice.
Suri froze, resisting the impulse to move or glance back, lest she lose her bearings. While the voice appeared to originate from behind, the all-encompassing darkness rendered her blind to any threat.
Moments later, the voice resurfaced, now distinctly to her left.
“Creatures don’t discern when their unwavering resolve transforms into mere obstinacy”.
The words flowed, like honey, caressing her senses. Up ahead, dull lights began to flicker, growing brighter with each passing moment. These new glimmers, reminiscent of fireflies, encircled Suri, illuminating her way.
“Will the creature continue its path even if shown that what it seeks isn’t there?” asked the emotionless voice.
“Yes, I will,” Suri blurted out. The words spilled from her lips, and she touched them in surprise. “Doubt may eventually shake my determination, but stubbornness compels me to verify for myself rather than take someone else’s word for it.” After a prolonged silence, each clearly pronounced word tasted sweet. Since waking up in the cave, she hadn’t been able to utter a single word, no matter how hard she tried. What had changed now?
“Who… or what are you?” she whispered, her voice quivering with excitement.
“Shug,” came the reply.
But the voice offered no further explanations.
The wanderer moved forward, bathed in the gentle shimmer of the lights. A lingering hope that the Magister might reconsider and return for her was quickly fading. A shadowy obstruction in the distance caught her attention, reigniting a glimmer of hope for an exit.
When Suri approached, the silhouette resolved into a looming cubic structure. Its matte-black surface was flawlessly smooth. Gazing upon this oddly out-of-place entity, a sense of déjà vu washed over the girl. It felt uncannily familiar, like something she had encountered before, but on a much smaller scale.
The Core. The name resonated within her. It was the term used for the data storage unit in the archive where she had devoted endless hours. But the Core she recalled could fit in one’s palm. The enormous cubic structure towered above, compelling her to tilt her head just to take it all in.
“The creature barely has the capacity to hear Shug. And it ventured this far,” the walls of the cube vibrated. “Does it so eagerly wish to part with its breath?”
The question came before Suri could fully comprehend it.
“What are you talking about?”
The voice continued, speaking more to itself.
“Does it truly know nothing? Completely unprepared to meet Shug. The creature was never taught how to communicate with Shug, nor informed that every step taken within the Heart’s domain could be its last. It seems the creature’s sole purpose is to become a sacrifice.”
The girl staggered, feeling as though the boundless emptiness had drained the air of oxygen.
“But the Council named me a blood mage…” Memories of the Council’s words flashed in her mind, emphasizing that only she could determine whether she received answers.
“Gulyp-gulyp, and the creature simply believed?” the cube laughed. “True, Shug requires a blood mage. But even Shug cannot confirm with certainty that the creature is the one needed.”
Suri took a deep breath to steady herself.
“And how can you be certain?”
“It’s both simple and impossible in your current state,” the cube gurgled, slowly turning its matte side toward her. “One must reach the bottom of the Labyrinth.”
“And what’s there?” Suri exclaimed, determined to push past her persistent doubts.
“What, when, or why? Boring and pointless. The main question is how the creature plans to survive the journey. That’s far more enigmatic. And Shug knows the answer.”
“So, you’re suggesting a deal? What do you want from me?”
The walls of the cube pulsated, as if processing vast amounts of data.
“The energy level of the fortress of Azur has critically depleted,” intoned the indifferent voice. “Most functions are offline. Shug is utilizing its own reserves. A new source is imperative.”
“So, the Council believes I can be that source?”
“Shug does not have that information. But what the inhabitants of Azur provide is insufficient,” the voice confirmed. “Yet, that’s not what Shug desires.”
Suri sensed a hint in the strange interlocutor’s voice and couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity.
“What is it?”
The cube instantly calmed, and Suri felt she had imagined its earlier movement.
“The path to the bottom hides within the eyes of a blood mage. The creature must verify this.”
“Hmm, sounds like a death sentence with dubious benefits,” the girl remarked, examining the matte-black cube. The astonishing structure floated in the air, scattering many sparks on the floor. Bright and dim, large and small, they floated around Suri, harmless. In reality, she didn’t even feel them radiate the slightest warmth. Too realistic for the figment of her sick imagination.
“Stubbornness of Astarta is downright infectious,” grumbled the cube. “The creature is free to do as it pleases. Shug harbors no concern for its fate.”
The casually dropped phrase struck the girl like a bolt from the blue. Her vision blurred, and a painful lump formed in her throat. No. None of it felt real—Azur, the Core, the Council, Cassia, or even the Judge. She had never truly believed in what was happening. It could only come from her memories.
Otherwise, how could the mysterious force know this name? Was it mere coincidence?.. Or perhaps the whisper of her mother’s ghost?
“How? How do you know that name?” Suri demanded.
The entity remained silent. If it held such significance for the girl, it would undoubtedly use it.
“The secret of that name is buried deep within the Labyrinth,” the voice intoned. “Indeed, Shug and the creature pursue the same goal.”
Suri’s disbelief deepened. The cube clearly held knowledge it wasn’t willing to share. If the denizens of Azur discovered her in the depths, then that’s where she needed to focus her search. Shug confidently stated that they shared the same goal. Even if it was a lie, in the maze, she might stumble upon some clues.
“My fate doesn’t matter. Either way, according to your words, I’ll become a sacrifice: either yours or the Labyrinth’s,” the girl smirked. Suri made the decision almost instantly. She just had to voice it out, letting the words fly free.
“So instead of dying in ignorance, I’d rather give my life trying to find out what happened to me,” she continued.
“Shug has always been generous and grants creatures’ wishes.”
The girl sat down on the floor right in front of the wondrous speaking cube, preparing to uncover as much as she could. Suri remembered how recently she was drowning in a soft chair in one of the numerous halls of the International Data Storage Fund, analyzing the Core cluster. At that time, little could distract Suri from her work. Especially when it came to the dead languages.
“Why couldn’t I speak?” came a new question.
“Each creature experiences its own deprivation upon leaving the dungeon. Often, it’s total or partial amnesia,” the voice commented. “Sometimes the consequences can be different.”
Losing her voice was… inconvenient. But it didn’t truly bother her. After all, who would complain if they could fly, become invisible, or forget how to swim in their dreams?
“Since I and other wanderers were found in the maze, the inhabitants of Azur must have a way to descend to the surface. So why would they risk everything for Azur? Or for you?”
Unexpectedly, the cube released a burst of bluish flashes, creating a luminous halo. This behavior reminded her of the Core’s actions when it projected holographic materials. Though this time nothing else followed.
“Shug exhausts its resources for creatures too weak to bear the burden of the open world, and this weakness threatens Azur,” the cube’s voice resonated with intensity. “Shug believed these creatures had evolved, that they wouldn’t send mere sprouts. Such unfathomable foolishness!”
The cube’s agitation intensified, flashing more frequently. Soon, the girl felt a mounting unease. The pressure became almost unbearable, causing her to involuntarily lean back.
Her movement did not go unnoticed. The cube observed its guest intently before whispering, almost inaudibly, “Unless the creatures were confident in the successful outcome of the meeting…”
Suri pondered, reviewing everything that had happened since she woke up. This entity, calling itself Shug, was clearly withholding a lot. However, it possessed the power to sustain an entire castle aloft. If those powers were to fade, everyone on Azur would face certain doom. Including her.
[It’s hard to stay dry on a sinking ship,] a velvety voice interjected, interrupting the blood mage’s thoughts. Startled, Suri’s gaze snapped to the cube.
Almost immediately, Shug responded, [What? Doesn’t that saying fit the situation?]
