Elaine charged through the corridor with lungs set ablaze and a terror that shredded what little remained of her confidence into fabricated leaflets, lost to the winds billowing her consciousness. Behind her, the insectoid beast roared, a sort of high-pitched screech that bounced off the vine-infested walls. The surgin' thing had appeared out of nowhere, pouncing from the shadows and nearly grabbing a hold of her with one of its pair of giant claws.

She'd been quicker, but this deathstalker, if nothing else, was a loud and formidable predator. Five minutes had passed, Elaine had approximated, since their game of cat and mouse had initiated. Elaine hadn't a clue if the direction she was blindly running in would lead her to where she needed to be.

Pointed feet armored in a thick layer of chitin stabbed the floor as the deathstalker swerved its trajectory and chased behind her. Upon her aimless and rapid retreat, Elaine ventured a fraction of a peek over her shoulder. Six pairs of dotted eyes glowing a violet-colored hue pierced her with its emotionless, yet all too famished glare. The insect had made its point clear; it wasn't intent on letting its prey escape so easily.

And Elaine couldn't just keep running forever. She needed to find the exit before the lesson concluded, otherwise, she'd undoubtedly fail. Glancing to the side of her waist, Elaine's vision focused on the wand, trembling inside of its holster with each of her movements. Yes, she was a sorcerer, wasn't she? What good was there in being capable of casting magic if she never used it to liberate herself from a dreadful set of circumstances?

Elaine swiped the wooden commoner's wand out of the holster, and as she took her next step, she used her intense momentum to whirl around on the bawl of her foot, her shoulder cape flapping wildly. Now she was staring at the monster only a few paces ahead of her, releasing another of its horrible-sounding shrieks. But it wouldn't stop, and that was precisely what Elaine was counting on.

Setting her jaw with a crack, gripping the wand firmly in her dominant hand, she began to echo a memory in her head. A memory of when she'd first performed the spell, of when she'd surrendered to an alien possession and permitted it to pave a path to her victory. It had helped her then; indeed, it would bail her out of trouble now.

Shimmering rays of golden energy illuminated the tip of her wand, giving it the appearance of some strange glowstick she'd once seen nobles use during the rare occasions when they bothered to visit their local festivals. Only this "glowstick" wasn't made of metal nor was it powered by a keystone, crafted instead by a wandsmith from a little village secluded in the misted hills.

The deathstalker closed in on her, readying to launch its claw in an attempt to crush her skull. Elaine inhaled sharply, and the name of the spell ejected out of her throat. "Icto Lumen!"

Like before, her magic had summoned a concentrated beam of light shaped to look like a javelin. Creaking open her eyelids that she'd squeezed closed, Elaine watched as the golden harpoon soared toward its target. It moved as quickly as a bullet from a runerifle. That is to say, had Elaine blinked or averted her gaze even for the briefest of seconds, she more than likely wouldn't have seen the otherworldly sight.

The projectile parted sheets of dust, rock, and debris that scattered the path, shooting them off to the sides in amassed clouds of dirt. The deathstalker, who had one of its pincers stretched in front of it, paused as the javelin of light collided directly into its face, forcing the creature to arch its spin backward, relying on the strength of its hindlegs to keep it from tumbling over.

An anguished shrill clawed out of its set of fidgeting mandibles. The deathstalker shuddered its enormous frame, blindly swiping at the air, lacking any coordination. It had tried to kill her, but Elaine couldn't keep that feeling of sincerity and guilt as she watched it randomly flailing itself in pain, the front portion of its skull engulfed in a plume of smoldering smoke.

However, Elaine realized she couldn't linger. Turning around, she bolted away from the deathstalker and dashed around a corner that, praise be to Aeris, wasn't that far from where she had once stood. Elaine slammed her back against the wall, and clasped her hands onto her shaking knees as she lowered into an exhausted crouch. Swallowing staggered breaths, feeling the sweat drip off her forehead, Elaine reluctantly inched to the edge of the corridor.

Peeking around the corner, she spotted the deathstalker fixating its split gaze on a golden ember of magic energy that must have detached from her previous spell. It appeared little more as an orb of pulsating light, no bigger than a child's closed fist, hovering idly in the air. Though it was clearly wounded—a horrid scar smearing over its skull and its top pair of eyes as a blackened streak—the deathstalker tried grabbing ahold of it, but as it was light made of magic, the sickled pincer merely phased straight through it.

The animal would keep swiping at it until the little orb of light faded out of existence. Elaine's hands shot to her mouth to blanket the gasp that nearly escaped as the deathstalker released a howl at the sky. Was it trying to communicate with others of its kin? Was this a distress signal? 

Somehow, Elaine didn't think so. It was a discordant mess of a noise, almost as if the deathstalker was angry, no, sad. The screaming persisted for nearly five whole minutes before its vocal cords finally fell silent, and the deathstalker trudged down the corridor in the opposite direction, back where it had come from.

Elaine diffused a sigh of relief as it disappeared in the distance, blending in with the darkness as a giant, dull shadow. If she could finish the test without ever seeing one of the repulsive, blood-thirsty monsters again, she'd make certain to offer Aeris an especially long, especially grateful prayer that same night. But having evaded one of the perplexing labyrinth's threats was no reason to celebrate. There was still a test to complete. Elaine reminded herself of this as she regathered her priorities, her determination.

"Hey, Elaine," said something behind her.

Elaine couldn't restrain her terror, and her startled scream assaulted the hallway. Wand still in her grasp, she spun as fast as she could—causing her shoulder cape to flap wildly—and resolved herself to strike down the deathstalker with a human voice. "Icto Lume—"

"Wait! Hang on a sec! It's me!" the boy stammered. Scrambling back in a startled, haphazard stride, he accidentally tripped over a protruding rock jammed halfway out of the ground, and collapsed with a thump!

Elaine stared blankly at him, bemused as she blinked. "Custas...?"

"Ah, coming to your senses again, are we?" he smirked, leaning forward to sit.

"I don't understand, how did you find me?"

"Simple answers to simple questions." Custas rose to his feet, brushing off the dust covering sections of his uniform. "We have only Luck to thank, my friend. Our destinies, they're obviously intertwined with one another."

Elaine drew a line with her mouth, and she raised a brow at him.

"That and I kinda, sorta saw your Light Magic spell," he said, awkwardly. "I'd advise not casting too many of those, by the way. These deathstalkers, they're attracted to light. The dulbrains confuse it for the glimmerbugs they hunt at the bottom of the canyons where they live. Shine off a few more light shows and you might wind up becoming a literal beacon for trouble."

"Really?" Elaine asked, dumbfounded. Was that why the deathstalker behaved as dazed as it did? She had indeed taken notice of how allured it was by the remnants of her light spell. She'd need to be careful.

"Anyhow, as inviting as this place is, I think we've overstayed our welcome," Custas said, striding past her, an arm stretched overhead. "What do you say we get outta here, you and me? I mean, unless you favor having a run-in with another of our buggy pals."

"Wait, you know the way out of here?"

Custas nodded. "That I do!"

Elaine leered at him, doubtful. "You say that, but how can I be certain this won't end up like yesterday? Us aimlessly wandering around; you pretending like you know where you're going."

"Okay, okay. I'll admit I'm not the best when it comes to directions," Custas grinned, holding up his hands defensively. "Even still, I'm being serious this time around. I'm aware of what's at stake just as much as you are. I wouldn't so easily jeopardize the fate of our student careers like that. Nah, I'll entrust this duty to a more reliable navigator."

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

Smirking, Custas tilted his head up. Elaine followed his stare, and what she found was a pair of amethyst-colored eyes peering right back at her. The creature fell off the ledge of the wall it was perched on, elegantly dropping to the floor before striding over to Custas, winding a curly tail as it did.

"It's a...cat?" Elaine said, more confused than ever.

"Oh, no. This isn't just any ordinary cat you can nab from a pet shop," Custas said. "This right here is one of the spirits I'm currently Bonded with. Elaine Harwood, I would like to formally introduce you to Felis the Seeker."

At first glance, the so-called spirit didn't exhibit any unusual or otherworldly traits that would communicate to the average eye that it was indeed a spirit as Custas claimed. Elaine stepped closer to it, and the tears in its guise began to show. The small animal was covered in a suit of shortly-trimmed, purple-colored fur accented by intricate, golden patterns extending from the top of its head and reaching to its tail. 

There was also an odd, diamond pendant resting on its furry chest. Yes, Elaine had no doubts now. This was a spirit; there were thoughts lingering behind its intelligent eyes that looked her up and down in a quick once-over.

Looking at the creature through mystified lenses, reaching forward her hand in an attempt at touching it, the spirit released a harshly-toned hissed, arching its back as it bore its mouthful of tiny daggers. It was enough to cause Elaine to gasp in surprise, and the spirit shuffled over to where Custas stood chuckling, rubbing its side against his leg.

"I don't think it likes me," Elaine moped.

"Yeah, he's a bit tense around strangers," Custas laughed. "I'm sure he'll warm up to you eventually."

"So, how will...Felis help us?"

Custas snapped his fingers, then he crouched to his knees, lowering himself so that his eyes met the spirit's who was currently in the process of cleaning a paw with its tongue. "I was already on my way in this direction when we came across you, so I don't think we're that far off of the beaten path. Felis," Custas whispered. 

The cat spirit paused mid-lick, the tip of its tongue partially stuck out its mouth. It cocked its head at him, one ear folded and the other twitching partially in the air.

"You will continue to lead me down the Chosen Road. And her as well."

Personally, Elaine was more of a dog person than anything else. Having grown up with Milo, as well as playing with a handful of other strays in her hometown along with Liam, she liked to think she could understand how most dogs felt. They shared certain mannerisms, behaved similarly to one another in regard to their basic tendencies and dislikes. If they were hungry, they whined. If they needed to go to the bathroom, some would scratch at the door. If they got angry or startled, they'd unhinge a growl.

Cats were a different subject entirely. In fact, Elaine couldn't recall a moment when she actually saw one of the felines wandering around Page. At most, she'd encounter two, maybe three if she was lucky, and they'd always exchange the same unpleasant, disinterested expression. 

Her younger self always thought of them as lazy, miserable creatures. However, right then and there, Elaine could identify the annoyed malice the spirit harbored in her. There was intelligence behind those set of celestial eyes.

It recoiled a scowl, and opened its mouth to showcase its reflective teeth at her again. Clearly, Elaine wasn't in the spirit's good graces. It pierced her with its cold stare, splitting into her mortal being and rummaging through the confines of her very soul. At least, that's what it felt like. But Elaine also harbored the abnormal feeling that its anger, at least, for the most part, wasn't entirely garnered at her.

"Look," Custas said, "I know you're not keen on the idea but I can't just leave her like this. Jeez, you need to calm down some, man. I swear to Kyntho, Elaine's human, not some mangy mutt."

Custas' rationalization didn't do much in service of appeasing the spirit—its disgruntled scowl having yet to fully disintegrate—but it started down the path ahead without any further complaints. 

Nodding with a snicker, Custas motioned for her to follow as he trailed behind the feline. Elaine wasn't certain if the spirit was as good a tracker as Custas sold it as, nor if it was even permitted for students to collaborate with one another, but sticking with them was no doubt a better option than blindly searching the halls as she'd done until this point.

Although Elaine felt a spike of fear prick her spine as she realized that the cat was leading them in the direction where the deathstalker had gone. If she listened well enough, she could just barely detect the distant cries of one of the enormous predators. Once again, she pondered, was she making the right call? Trusting them, or rather, the spirit and its alleged navigational prowess.

As that invisible clock spun its wheel—a shoal of minutes swimming by them in a hurry—and neither she nor Custas had yet to really say anything, Elaine was burdened with the courage to thank him for his help. The least she could do is strum up a conversation to pass the time, and this wasn't the first he'd assisted her with her problems either. The marketplace in Lakestone, the advice he provided during class. She hadn't dwelled on it much but, in spite of not knowing a lot about him, Custas was a pretty dependable friend.

"Fritz!" Custas cursed, tripping over one of the vein-like roots tangled on the floor, just barely recapturing his balance with his arms stretched out to the sides of him.

Elaine chuckled. Well, he's got his merits, that's for sure.

Past him, Elaine noticed that Felis had come to a stop, plopping its rear onto ground and raising a paw to its tongue. It really was just like an ordinary cat. But the spirit hadn't stopped out of exhaustion or plain laziness. 

Spanning in front of it was a chasm that split the corridor in half. A wide mouth with fangs that crumbled once Custas got too close to it, leading to its stomach of shadows. Elaine teetered over the edge, gazing down into pitch-black darkness, no color or life to be seen. Who knew how deep that drop would be?

She then gazed over the gap, her eyes landing on the other side. It wasn't an incredibly far distance. Elaine approximated that just over twenty or so feet bisected the path. If she gave a running start then maybe she'd be able to jump over it herself. But the shadows pulled her gaze like magnets, and once again, she peered inside of the seemingly bottomless pit.

"Wonderful, plainly wonderful," Custas said beside her. He grabbed a stone off the floor and dropped it inside the chasm. They waited, waited for a sound, anticipating the familiar thud! of rock meeting rock. It never came. "Huh. That's not very encouraging."

"What do we do?"

"Jump," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "We've got no other choice."

"...Ah...right, I guess we don't..." Elaine replied, trying not to sound too frightened. 

"Well, then," Custas said, moving to the side, stretching an arm to the chasm. His eyes were closed, and his lips curved a dimpled smile as he spoke. "Ladies first."

"What?!"

"Oh. Do they not have that saying in this country? What I mean to say is—"

"I know what it means!" Elaine shouted at him, her fingers balling to fists. "But there's no way I can just...I can..."

"Sorry, Elaine. We're kinda low on options. Felis says the exit is that way, and it's not as if we have the luxury of choice. If we turn back now to look for an alternative route, we'd just be wasting more time. Class is almost over, and if we don't make it out of this maze soon we could be facing expulsion."

Fritz! She hated that his logic made so much sense! 

Inhaling sharply, she turned to face the chasm yet again. He was right, the stakes were too high for her to reserve caution. Inhaling sharply, as well as making a subtle and quick prayer to Aeris, Elaine shut her eyes and charged, straight for the mouth of a gluttonous abyss.

With one final step, she leaped over the edge of the chasm and bolted into the air. Through a peek that fractured her sheathed gaze ever so slightly, Elaine discerned the emptiness lingering underneath her, and a horrible breed of panic engulfed her stomach like electricity-infused flames. Elaine held in the desire to scream as the image of her falling into nothing collapsed in her mind. If she were to be swallowed within the gap, pulled by some horrible tendrils of darkness, what then? What would become of her? What would—

"Wow! Nice jump!" she heard Custas cheer.

Popping her eyelids open, Elaine came to the comforting discovery that she had already made it to the other side of the chasm. She lowered into a crouch, and her lungs were singed out of her refusal to release her last breath. But indeed, she had made it.

Whirling around, she saw Custas clapping his hands in celebration. Felis had crawled onto his shoulder, not looking the least bit thrilled or happy by the arrangement. From this side, Elaine only then just registered how far the chasm actually was, extending well over ninety feet. Had she really succeeded at clearing such an enormous hurdle? 

Perhaps she was more athletic than she initially thought of herself to be. She always had to chase Liam as a child whenever he decided to sneak out of the house in order to duck classes. But capturing an annoying bush goblin was one thing; flying above an abyss was another.

"Okay. Guess it's my turn," Custas said, cracking his knuckles. 

Taking a steadying breath, Custas crouched slightly, and, with a sudden burst of speed, he leaped high in the air, his feet leaving solid earth behind as he soared over the yawning chasm. In his right hand, he clutched his wand—a simple commoner's wand that was no mere duplicate of the wand she owned. As he flew, Custas pointed his wand below him, shouting "Wind Magic: Venit Latus!" 

Instantly, a bluish glow erupted from the tip of the wand, summoning forth a fierce gust of wind. The force enveloped him, propelling him forward in an accelerated rush that caused his dark hair to whip wildly around his face. Custas landed with a thud that sent a spray of dust dancing in the wind. He skidded to a halt mere feet in front of Elaine.

Elaine gawked at him, utterly dumbfounded. "No way...You can use Wind Magic, too?"

"I can, indeed," Custas said, presenting her with a bow. "Surprised you didn't notice sooner, given how obsessed you are with magic."

"What...?" 

As Elaine replayed her memory, she briefly remembered feeling a current of concentrated wind slamming against her back. She had thought it was only her imagination, or perhaps the adrenaline festering her core was catalyzing phantom effects. In actuality, it was Custas. He'd used a Wind Magic spell on her without her even realizing it.

Was this the reason why he was intent on having her clear the chasm first? So he could cast a spell that would make her jump safer? Yes, more than likely it was. Custas seemed a bit too proud of himself as he twirled the wand in his hand and boasted a dimpled sneer. But that magic, she'd never seen anyone use Wind Magic before. And he'd used it so subtly; he must have been an expert at it.

She'd read that there were a plethora of applications for Wind Magic. There were stories of Professional Sorcerers at Diamer Coast that used Wind Magic spells to boost themselves up the titanic, seaside cliffs. Travelers who visited Page last year spoke of spotting sorcerers flying through the sky like humanoid, migratory birds. Soaring in formation towards the horizon's blade as uniformed blurs. Could Custas do the same? Better yet, could he possibly be able to teach her a few tricks—

"Ah, ah! I know that look," Custas said, staggering away from her. "You're not thinking of doing anything weird like before, are you?"

"Huh?" Elaine said, and only then did she come to notice that she had both her arms stretched for him. Her lousy habit had taken root in her life yet again. "Oh! Don't worry, I'm not going to freak out again..." she said embarrassedly, hiding her hands behind her waist in a swift motion.

Custas snickered. "Well, thank Kyntho for that."

"Your magic," Elaine continued, forcing a smile, "it was very impressive. I never knew you specialized in Wind Magic, of all things."

"Oh, it's no big deal, really. I can even teach you a spell or two if that's what you want—"

"Really?!" Elaine exclaimed, lunging for him and grabbing onto one of his arms.

"...R...Really, really," Custas said, chuckling anxiously. He glanced away from her—back in the direction of the chasm—but Elaine nevertheless could spot his cheeks turning red, a hand covering his mouth. "Anyway, we should probably get a move on, yeah?"

"...Ah...yes...that would be best," Elaine said, pulling away from him, hiding a blush underneath her blonde hair.

Awkwardness aside, Felis the cat spirit proceeded with its job as their navigator. Five to ten minutes of walking—a journey of which both Elaine and Custas fully indulged in a thorny quietude—until their path expanded into a courtyard composed of deteriorated structures lining the perimeter, half-finished, stone staircases ascended above their heads, and broken pillars that leaned against the walls or laid on the ground covered in violet veins.

Felis hopped on top of a boulder and rose onto its hind legs. The pendant on its chest glimmered with golden energy, and the golden patterns decorating its fur blinked in a flickering synchronization. 

Custas nodded. "Right, Felis says we're getting close."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be too long now." A screech echoed somewhere in the distance, followed by a scream a terrified shriek of a student. "Right on cue. Come on, we're outta here. If I ever have to see another deathstalker it'd be too soon."

Felis purred as it nodded its head, seemingly agreeing with Custas' sentiment.

They advances ahead of her, however, Custas paused when he came to realize she wasn't following them. He turned his head to face her, broadcasting over a look of confusion. "Elaine?" he said. "Are you alright?"

Frozen in place, Elaine could only utter a single word. "Fearne..."

"What?" Custas asked.

"That scream just now, I recognize it," Elaine whispered as she was struck by a cold chill. "It was Fearne. I'm sure of it."

"No, it...it can't..."

"She must have run into a deathstalker. We have to go and help her!"

"Wait!" Custas called, an arm raised at her. "Hang on a sec, Elaine. We need to be smart about this."

Elaine frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"Have you forgotten? This is a test," Custas explained. "We're being judged by how well we can escape the labyrinth, right? We can't turn back now, not when we're so close. We might fail."

"But Fearne's in trouble!"

"Trouble, huh? Look, I'm sure you were visited by the professor himself, yeah? I thought I'd gone insane when he appeared out of nowhere, looking like a ghost. But it was him, and he told me that we'd be immediately teleported out of here if anything bad happened to us. None of us are in any real danger."

"What does that matter?"

"It means our classmates will be safe," Custas clarified, speaking fastly. "It means our most important priority should be trying to escape. If we focus on helping every one of our friends we'll never pass the test. We'd be expelled for sure."

"But you helped me, didn't you? What makes me different from everybody else?"

"Yes, I did help you, Elaine," Custas acknowledged, lowering his glare to the tears in the cement. His blush—though subdued—had returned. "You were close by, it wouldn't hinder me much if we were to make it out of this place together. Fearne's my friend too, but returning to save her might result in all three of us failing. Something I'm sure she wouldn't want."

"But we can't—"

"Some people survive by running!" Custas shouted, staring at her with a strained expression. "As ugly as it sounds—and believe me, I'm aware—that's just how this world operates. If you can't pull your own weight, you're only left behind. I care about Fearne, no different from you. At the end of the day though, I've got my own problems to deal with. I want to be a Professional Sorcerer too."

Elaine stared at him wordlessly, digesting for the first time what should have been blatantly obvious. "...I'm...I'm sorry, you're right."

Custas hesitated, catching himself with a breath. "Yeah, yeah, I—"

"It would be selfish of me to expect you to go along with my recklessness willingly. After you've helped me so much, I wouldn't want to be the reason you could potentially fail," Elaine continued. "You stick to the plan. I'll meet with you later. After I rescue my friend."

"...Wait, what?"

Whirling around so quickly that her blonde hair nearly whipped her in the eye, Elaine bolted to where she had last heard the deathstalker and the mage. Behind her, Custas was calling her name, but she ignored him. 

It was a naive and thoroughly idiotic decision, one built on a foundation of irrationality. She abided by it nonetheless, falling into a full sprint as the screech of a stalker of death rang loud, inviting its prey for a feast of blood and bones.