Chapter 65: Ch. 65 – Door to the Labyrinth

Despite the peaceful days, time always had a way of passing faster than it seemed. Two months had passed, and the bunkers and Arkadia had been connected. We had even made a relay station that was about half a day away with the excess wire that we had created, but the two months of Katye's and my deal was up, so I had to hold up my end of the bargain.

A couple nights of discussion helped us make a game plan of how we were going to search for the entrance to the labyrinth. I made a sketch of the valley which we broke into regions for both of us to explore with our Earth Domains. We all had agreed that the entrance was likely in one of the natural caves in the area, so we focused on the cliffs, and it did not take long before we found a promising cave.

The cave was in the mountains that circle the northwestern side of the valley, near the large pond that was the source of the river. It was on a small outcropping of rocks that overlooked the entire valley which made it a beautiful location, albeit a little dangerous, until I made a secure path up there. Although there were about two dozen caves that Katye, Echo, and I had found, this one was where we could feel a 'call' to explore deeper.

"Be good for Raven and Echo. Becca and I will be back in the morning," Katye said to Madi as she ruffled her hair.

"Why do you have to go, Auntie K?" Madi asked with a pout.

"Becca and I have to do something with our magic and it's better if we are away from the rest of you," Katye replied.

"But you said your magic was safe!"

"It is, but that's because we learned how to control it. Since we have a way to talk to the bunkers regularly now, we need to practice our other powers. It won't be every night, so don't pout."

That did little to stop her pouting, but Madi went inside the house with Raven and Echo. Raven shot us a wry smile before she followed her, leaving Echo behind to kiss Katye goodbye. I did my best to not react and turned around, walking away from them. Again, I had to remind myself that I had no right to have that hint of jealousy, but it always came from deep within me. I headed out to the field where Raven's garden was so that I would be out of sight from the little village with Katye a few steps behind me.

Tapping into my Soul Realm, I transformed into my Dusa form. The night air was cool against my scaly body, but thankfully, I was not cold-blooded when I changed like this. My entire body was covered in armor-like, dark silver scales with solid plates over the muscle groups on my chest. I did have clothing, per say, but it was little more a long strip of blood red silk that wrapped across my chest and hung down my front while a second piece of black silk acted like a belt and either end draped down each of my legs to the same length as the piece of red. Although I liked the color combination, it was not really my style of clothing.

"Are you ready?" I asked with an outstretched hand.

Katye swallowed hard when my eyes locked on her and she hesitated for a moment before she stepped closer, taking my hand. I pulled her into my arms and picked her up in a princess carry. She reached up and put an arm around my neck, but that placed it right between my cleavage which was more developed in my current form.

"I promise I won't drop you, so mind your hands. This is my body and it is surprisingly sensitive despite the scaly appearance," I said.

"Sorry," she replied with a faint blush, realizing where her arm was.

"It's fine. Try around my waist if you insist."

Katye slid her other arm around my back, and I tightened my grip on her as I flapped my wings. I launched us into the air and climbed into the night sky while wrapping us in a bubble of Wind mana. Her hold on me stiffened when she saw how high we were going, but I chuckled and tilted my wings, so we glided down towards a clearing near the cave. Landing was not too difficult, and I placed her down carefully though she was a little slow to let go of me, but once she did, I released my transformation.

"Not too bad, right? Raven seemed to enjoy our few flights, though I doubt she would tell me if she didn't," I remarked.

"It was fine," Katye said dismissively as she headed towards the cave with a light huff.

I frowned since I could tell she was in a mood and just followed her silently up the path. She switched on her flashlight and shined it into the entrance of the cave before she nodded at me. I pricked my thumb and drew Ishu's symbol then summoned him.

"You summoned me," Ishu said as he appeared.

"You know you don't have to say that every time," I retorted, but he just stared blankly in reply, and I sighed. "We think we found the way underground, but you know more about this than we do. I want you to help us find the entrance to the labyrinth and avoid any traps that there might be."

"I understand," he replied then started walking forward without another word.

"Charming fellow, right?" I chuckled as I switched on my wrist flashlight and followed behind him.

"At least he can help us. Tori really didn't explain much to either of us before he placed us here," Katye said with a shrug, walking next to me.

"True. I've already noticed some improvements with the Super Speed ability since I started training my unattributed mana as he suggested.

She sighed, "Lucky you. You're still leagues above me when it comes to elemental spells, even with our constant practice the last two months."

"We all have our strengths. You're far better than I am with unattributed mana. Now that we aren't so focused on creating wire, you could try learning some of the other spells that he mentioned."

"Possibly, but I feel like I should focus more on the elements first. I've barely focused on anything but Earth."

"That's how I started out," I retorted then noticed that Ishu had stopped at a dead-end. "What is it?"

"Through here," Ishu replied before stepping through the wall.

Katye and I shared a look before we both activated our Earth Domains. We had already learned that we could meld our Domains if we chose to, so we both examined the area that he walked through. It was a solid wall, but it was only four feet thick which meant that whatever repelled our energy in the valley was not present here. I opened up an archway for us to pass and into a large chamber.

It was nearly a hundred feet wide and circular except for a giant set of stone doors. In the center of the room, there was a stone ring with a horizonal pulley system that was fed into the ground. There was a large crystal to the side which Ishu was standing by, so we walked over to him.

"A Light Crystal, inject your mana into it and it will light this place properly," Ishu explained.

I shrugged and placed a hand against the crystal, channeling my mana into it. Almost immediately, the crystal lit up with a bright white light that was a little painful to look directly at it. Another three crystals, that were spread out throughout the room, also lit up and we could see the entire room.

The giant stone doors drew our attention since it was obviously the entrance to the labyrinth. They were made out of a blue-gray stone that was polished to a high shine and had an eight-point white star centered over both doors. On each side of the doors, there were heavy chains that came through the floor and roof, and a series of weights that started at the size of a car and grew larger.

Katye and I looked around and I was drawn to the large stone circle in the center of the room. The pulley system had the same heavy chains as those by the stone doors, so it was easy to guess that it had something to do with opening the doors. I was about to step into the circle to get a better look at the pulley, but Ishu stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder.

"There is an enchantment that suppresses all forms of mana," he said then stretched out a hand over the ring, but it was like anything that crossed that invisible line was erased, though his hand returned when he pulled it back.

"Do you think it's a trap then?" I asked.

"It's probably a test of strength," Katye remarked.

"I agree with your companion," Ishu replied.

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"And how the hell are we supposed to be able to lift something that's the size of a bulldozer without our mana?" I complained, noting the largest of the blocks.

"Soul Power," Ishu said simply. "You have already told me that your Dusa form is related to a Dragon which are revered for their powerful bodies. One of the simplest applications of Soul Power is enhancing your body."

"Alright... I haven't trained that too much, but I can give it a try," I sighed, stepping into the circle.

As soon as I crossed the threshold, it felt like an iron chain was locked around my mana, holding it place. I could still sense it, but I was unable to move it throughout my body. I ignored the strange sensation for now and headed over to the long chain that was suspended at waist height between the two wheels of the pulley. When I touched the heavy chain, a foreign energy rushed into my body and I could feel it head towards my Soul Realm. Instead of suppressing my Soul Power, the energy seemed to excite it, making it far easier to feel.

"Katye, come try this," I said, removing my hand from the chain and the feeling disappeared instantly.

Katye stepped into the stone circle and frowned instantly when she felt her mana locked away, but she continued over to my side. She placed her hand on the chain and her eyes widened with surprise. "What is that?"

"My guess is that the chain excites our Soul Power just like the stone circle suppresses our mana. It's trying to teach us how to use Soul Power," I replied with a smirk.

"Then let's try it," Katye said, placing her second hand on the chain.

I nodded my head and circled around to the other side then grabbed the chain as well. I took a deep breath and tried to channel my Soul Power. Under the effects of the foreign energy, it made my whole being feel like it was vibrating as my Soul Power infused throughout my body. I waited until Katye gave me a nod before we both started to pull.

Surprisingly, we were able to lift the first block on both sides of the stone doors, but once the slack between the first set and second ran out, things got significantly heavier. I tried to channel even more of my Soul Power into my arms, back, and legs while shifting my body back, even trying to use my weight to help pull the chain. Katye copied my stance, but we were barely able to lift the second set of weights. We were forced to give up when Katye's strength failed her and mine was right behind it which caused a loud bang as the weights crashed back down to their original places.

"Only three and a half more to pick up," I panted, directly dropping to the ground as I felt a weakness wash over me since I had used quite a bit of my Soul Power.

Katye was in a similar state as me and complained, "How are we supposed open this? The walls all have that repelling energy so it isn't' like we can break through... We have to open the door."

"If I may interject, both of your control over Soul Power is abysmal, and I thought your unattributed mana was your worst quality. Even Novice-ranked casters would have better control over their power. How is it even possible that you have a Dusa form?" Ishu remarked with disdain.

The few times that Ishu had led me through the different exercises that he taught me, also taught me why he had not been enthusiastic about instructing me. In simple terms, he was a brash asshole who never uttered a kind word when training. He had no concept of encouragement and would constantly call me a beast while insulting my intelligence in different ways. If I did not need his help so much, and knew about his past life, I would only summon him to kill him over and over after some of the shit that he had said.

"That was my first time trying to use Soul Power," Katye complained.

"It doesn't matter; it was a pathetic attempt," Ishu said which caused me to chuckle since it was similar to how he treated me.

"I told you that he was charming," I teased.

"Indeed," Katye sighed.

"I guess we are done with you for the evening. Thank you for your help, Ishu. You are dismissed," I said, and, upon my command, his body began to fade away.

Katye rubbed her face and remarked, "Couldn't he have made this easier on us? Soul Power was not in any of our stories."

"We've already ditched the script on 'the 100' so we should probably do the same with the stories. They are little more than the basics of our powers at this point and I've sensed things that did not exist in either world. Hell, Iseto's powers certainly didn't fit in them," I replied.

"I know," Katye sighed. "It's just frustrating to be stopped right at the front door."

"Agreed, but what can we do other than practice and come back later when we have made some improvements?"

"I'm not just going to give up. I want to keep trying."

"Fine, you keep trying," I said, standing up. "I, however, am going to head back outside. Since this is the entrance to the labyrinth, we need to make sure that we keep control of it. I'm going to start working on building a house here since the location is actually quite good."

"Becca... I can't do it alone," she insisted.

"No, you can't... but adding me to the mix isn't going to get that door opened tonight, and this is just the front door. What do you think is waiting for us inside? Tori wanted this place to be found, the key to opening it is Soul Power which the chain energizes to make it easier for us to notice it... There are going to be more tests and trials that will teach us new ways to use this power he gave us. If we set up here, outside of the cave, we'll be able to easily move between our home and the labyrinth and test our strength regularly without upsetting Madi."

"Damn... when did you become the voice of reason?" Katye grumbled as she stood up.

"When you thought this treasure could solve the gap between us instantly. That's not Tori's style. The labyrinth is likely to be our real treasure and whatever is inside will be nothing more than a glorified trinket in the long run."

"You may not have known much about 'the 100' but, at least, you know your brother well... and even me, it seems."

"I've always had a good sense of people which is why I don't like a lot of them," I chuckled. "I do you, though."

"Oh, should I tell Raven of your confession?" she teased as we walked out of the cave together.

"Go float yourself," I retorted.

After we left the cave, I secured the entrance of it with my own set of stone doors and stamped one of the doors with a dragon silhouette like the one in my Soul Realm. Once Katye had her own Dusa form, she could put her own symbol on the other door.

Instead of directly building the new house that would be for all five of us, I created half a dozen models that were all different in design. My idea was to have the others vote on which one they wanted so that I would not get blamed later for my crazy creations, though all of them had their own unique flair. I might have had the mind of a thirty-seven-year-old, but that did not mean that I had to act that age. This was my chance to make a building straight out of my imagination.

While I worked on my models, Katye meditated on her Soul Realm. From what she had described to me, her Soul Realm was a nebula of swirling violet energy with hints of black framing it which was not too different from mine originally. Unlike me, though, when she focused her attention on her inner world, the wispy energy would swirl around thirteen points, like baby stars that were slowly forming in a nebula. It made me curious to see what her Dusa form would be, but I would have to wait some time before I would finally see it.

 

 

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