On the other side of the sea, the news of the Gate's sudden closure spread like a storm carried by the waves.
It eventually reached Aurelion Isle—the central island where the royal families and the king of the world resided.
Aurelion Isle was unlike any other place in the world of Aetherion.
The island formed a massive ring floating above a seemingly endless oceanic abyss. Ancient crystals—rare minerals said to originate from the forbidden Mirage Island—were embedded throughout the land, holding the entire structure together. Many feared Mirage Island, for it was not connected to the main sea nor to the royal islands, and what lay within it remained a mystery.
Suspended in the void like a colossal ship in the sky, Aurelion Isle drifted silently above the abyss. Towering waterfalls poured endlessly from the island's edges, vanishing into the dark waters below.
Across the island stood the domains of the seven royal houses, the families who ruled the surrounding royal islands. Each house held a different duty in maintaining the balance of the world.
At the very center of them all stood the Grand Palace, the seat of the supreme ruler of Aetherion.
It was there that the message arrived.
Inside the vast throne hall, the seven royal guardians stood alongside their king as a trembling messenger delivered the report.
"The… the Gate closed the moment someone crossed it," the messenger said, his voice shaking. "It trembled violently and then sealed itself."
Silence filled the hall.
The king finally spoke.
"It must have seen a future that should not exist," he said coldly. "That is why it closed."
The messenger lowered his head.
"My king… we lost sight of the one who entered. The knights were careless. We could not identify the person responsible."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The messenger's head fell from his body.
The hall remained silent as the body collapsed to the floor.
From the throne, the king slowly spoke again.
"I do not care what it takes," he said.
"Bring the one responsible to me."
His voice grew darker.
"Or I will slaughter every knight who stood in the first stage of the trials."
The throne room remained shrouded in shadow.
Only the silhouettes of the king and the seven royal guardians could be seen.
And all of them understood one thing.
Something had awakened within the world of Aetherion.
Far away from the royal island, the scene shifted back to Solvaris Isle.
"It has been ten minutes since the first pair entered the maze," Louis said calmly. "Next pair—go inside."
One of the candidates hesitated and asked, "What happened to the ones who entered before us?"
Louis looked at them coldly.
"They became pet food."
Silence fell instantly.
No one dared to argue. Every candidate knew that if they caused trouble, they would be thrown into the abyssal ocean surrounding the island.
After hearing Louis casually say that previous candidates had become "pet food," nearly one hundred candidates abandoned the trial. Rather than risk such a fate, they jumped into the vast abyssal ocean below.
Fear had already broken their courage.
Every ten minutes, another pair entered the maze.
Time slowly passed as the line grew shorter.
Soon only two hundred candidates remained.
Aster sighed, clearly tired of waiting.
On the other side of the line stood the white-haired killer, his face completely emotionless as he stared at the entrance of the maze.
Out of the six hundred candidates, three hundred had already entered.
Yet no one had returned.
There were no screams.
No sounds.
Only silence.
As the line shortened, the next pair stepped forward—a lavender-haired girl and a strange old man who kept drooling while staring at her.
The two entered the maze together.
Many candidates whispered among themselves, curious about the girl and her connection to Louis.
Aster thought to himself that passing the maze would probably be easy.
"It's just a pet of that bastard anyway…"
He muttered the words under his breath, but it was slightly louder than he intended.
The white-haired killer heard him.
Idiot, he thought.
Ten minutes later, the lavender-haired girl returned.
She was alive.
Beside her stood a small girl wearing a royal-style outfit.
Aster stared at them.
Saving a kid… is that the trick? he wondered.
But something felt strange.
As more survivors appeared, Aster noticed something confusing.
Not all of them were children.
Some were old men.
Some were women.
Aster frowned, unable to understand the pattern.
Time continued to pass.
Finally, the line reached its end.
Out of six hundred candidates, only fifty-eight had returned alive.
Louis spoke again.
"Last pair. Enter."
Aster stepped forward confidently.
The white-haired killer silently walked beside him and entered the maze.
The moment they crossed the entrance, Louis spoke again.
"Sixty have passed."
The remaining candidates erupted in confusion.
"What?!"
"They just went in!"
"How can you already know they passed?!"
But Louis said nothing.
The moment Aster and the white-haired killer entered the maze, Aster looked around and muttered to himself.
"Awesome… the maze is filled with runes."
Strange glowing runes covered the walls, forming paths and directions throughout the labyrinth.
Behind him, the killer silently followed.
As Aster turned a corner, the white glow of the runes suddenly shifted—
From white…
to red.
Aster froze.
Blood covered the ground.
Pieces of armor, shattered weapons, and the torn bodies of previous candidates were scattered everywhere.
Aster's confident attitude wavered slightly.
He quickly turned around, checking behind him.
Would he kill me from behind? Aster wondered.
But the white-haired killer looked completely calm.
He casually asked,
"Yo… are you scared?"
Aster frowned.
"I'm not interested in talking with a murderer."
The killer tilted his head slightly.
"Oh? So that's what you think."
"You believe you can protect things without sacrifice?"
Aster looked annoyed.
"Protect what? What the hell are you talking about? Is that lavender-haired girl your sister or something?"
The killer sighed.
"You're an absolute idiot."
"Are you blind? Look at her neck."
"She was wearing the royal crystal pendant. Even though she changed into normal clothes, she forgot to remove it."
"She's royalty."
"I thought saving her might earn the respect of the knights."
Aster's eyes widened in surprise.
Then he suddenly asked,
"By the way… who are you?"
"How did you kill that guy so fast? And what happened to his head?"
The killer smiled faintly.
"Oh… that?"
"That's a secret. I don't tell strangers my secrets."
Aster shrugged.
"Fine. I didn't really want to know anyway."
"I only asked to test if you were a fool or not."
"But it turns out… you're just an idiot."
They continued walking deeper into the maze.
Soon they reached the center.
Four people stood there.
Two children.
And two old men.
The children looked like ordinary commoners, while the two old men wore clothing that suggested noble or royal status.
Aster looked at the killer.
"I'll lend you a hand. Take the kid and follow me if you want to pass."
The killer slowly shook his head.
"After all… you really are an idiot."
"Fool. Look carefully."
"Save the ones with royal status."
Aster frowned.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Save the kids. They have their whole lives ahead of them."
The killer waved his hand dismissively.
"Blah blah… shut up."
"Take the old men and leave."
Aster immediately refused.
"Never."
"I'm not like you. My head doesn't think like yours."
The two began arguing loudly.
Outside the maze, ten minutes had already passed.
Some candidates started whispering.
"Look… they're probably dead."
"The knights were stupid to let them go."
Louis heard the complaints, but he did nothing.
Inside the maze, Aster and the killer continued arguing.
Then suddenly—
A deep growl echoed through the labyrinth.
"Grrrrrr…"
Both of them immediately fell silent.
From the darkness ahead, something slowly emerged.
Two glowing eyes appeared first.
Then another pair.
And another.
A massive three-headed wolf-like beast stepped into the center of the chamber.
Blood dripped from its jaws as it casually chewed on the corpse of a candidate who had entered the maze before..