As we arrived at the epicenter, the heart of the Despero Labyrinth, a sense of foreboding settled over us.
The eerie silence of the labyrinth was punctuated by our cautious footsteps, echoing through the winding corridors.
And then, as if summoned from the depths of nightmares, a colossal creature emerged before us.
"ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!"
The horrifying screech of the creature caused the room to tremble, the beast's terrifying visage sending shivers down our spines.
Gasps of fear escaped my companions' lips as they stared wide-eyed at the monstrous being.
It seemed like a phantom, but having the form of a magnificent dragon.
It was at least thirty meters tall, with a terrifying aura that threatened anything that dared to move close to it.
"Another one?"
"T-this beast... is strong!"
"We can't win!"
Their worries were palpable, the weight of doubt and uncertainty settling upon their shoulders.
The sheer strength and intimidating presence of the creature left them questioning their ability to face such a formidable opponent.
"Hmmm... I see."
Unlike the others, I remained steadfast, my voice cutting through the fear that gripped our group.
"Don't be afraid, guys." I assured them, my tone unwavering.
"This monster is not real."
It was just another illusion conjured up by the Labyrinth.
'I'm surprised Aria can't detect the hollow energy wavelength.'
Perhaps there was some sort of effect at play here. If Aria was seeing and feeling the power of this illusion, that meant her senses were being affected.
'But since I'm using the goggles to see through the illusion, my actual senses are inconsequential.'
That meant I was the only one here with the Ability to discern what was going on.
My words didn't seem to offer any comfort to my friends. Their gazes were still filled with a mixture of disbelief and anxiety.
"The hell are you talking about, Lewis?"
I groaned as I heard Larry's shaky tone.
"It has a black marker, right? I can tell that it's unfathomably strong!"
It didn't even have any color on the marker. It wasn't real at all.
"We should retreat." Drake whimpered.
'Haa... this is what I get for now explaining things thoroughly to them.'
My past decisions were coming to bite me now.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to begin educating them on what was going on.
And so, while everyone shrank back in fear, I forged ahead.
My steps.were resolute, ignoring the roars and the creature's menacing approach.
It was crucial that we pressed forward, undeterred by the illusion's attempts to shake our resolve.
Drawing closer to the monster's massive form, I steeled myself for what lay ahead.
"GROOOOAAARRRRH!!!" As the creature lunged towards me, its wicked claws poised to strike, I did not flinch.
I continued moving forward, my focus unwavering, refusing to let the illusion break my stride.
'It's very scary. All my senses are telling me I'll die if I don't run.'
But then, I knew it wasn't real.
None of it was.
'I just have to keep moving forward!'
And then, as if on cue, the monster's imposing form began to flicker, its roars turning into a deafening buzz.
~ZZZTTTZZZZ!~
It was fading away, dissolving into thin air like a mere mirage.
"Bingo."
As soon as the dissolution occured, the heavy feeling of intimidation began to lift as well.
In the place where the illusion once stood, a spark of light emerged, coalescing into a card—an Arcana.
'Finally!' My grin widened as I watched the glowing card float before me.
"Lewiiiissss!!!"
"You were right!"
"How did you figure it out?!"
Awe and shock painted the faces of my teammates as they drew near, their eyes wide with amazement.
'Guess they can move now.' I mused.
I could see the admiration and gratitude in their expressions. It could have been my imagination, but I saw Larry wipe away some droplets of tears.
As they gathered around me, I explained that it was through the use of my goggles that I was able to see through the labyrinth's deceit.
"T-then... does that mean that all along, we were just seeing—"
"Let's focus on the task at hand." I quickly interrupted Larry's words, pulling the focus to our grand prize.
'They can't find out that I knew everything was an illusion all along!'
Fortunately my diversion worked.
We all stared at the newly acquired Arcana—the card of [Temperance].
A sense of elation washed over us, smiles forming on our faces, as we reveled in our triumph.
'[Temperance], huh? Makes sense.'
The Arcana induced various kinds of emotions in a target, so it made sense that the Labyrinth was able to trick everyone by taking advantage of their emotions.
It was a good thing I had my goggles
*********
The team once again unanimously decided that I should keep the Arcana.
I didn't mind at all, though it made me feel reassured that they trusted me that much.
Honestly, the more I thought about my earliest apprehension of these three, the more I laughed at myself.
I kept the [Temperance] Arcana in my satchel, and once the task was complete there wasn't any further reason for remaining in the Despero Labyrinth.
It was a shame that none of these three could use any of the two Arcanas we had found, but there was nothing we could do about that.
There was simply no time.
'I have to wonder how they'll use it to fulfil their wishes, though. It could take decades to fully master an Arcana.'
Hopefully things turned out well.
After walking though the labyrinthine paths of the Despero Labyrinth, we finally saw the opening.
'Finally! We can start looking for the next one.'
However, the moment we stepped out of the Labyrinth, I suddenly had a dark feeling of foreboding wash over me.
My goggles were detecting a wave of imposing energy, and I quickly realized something was off.
'Huh? This is—!'
"Guys... something is wrong." Aria beat me to it as her brows furrowed and she frowned while looking around us.
It seemed she already realized the problem. I also looked around, my heart steadily racing.
'We're surrounded!'
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[A/N]
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