As the maze trial pushes deeper into its first day, chaos begins to brew behind the curtain.
As the sun bleeds red over the horizon, the castle bells toll.
One.
Two.
Three.
A pause. Then a crackling flare of golden light shoots into the sky above the maze, signaling the end of Trial Day One.
Hundreds emerge, bloodied, bruised, dragging each other by the arms, sobbing, laughing, collapsing to their knees.
Some never emerge at all.
💀 Fallen on Day One
The death toll is not small. Faenet's official board lists each name with a flickering candle emoji beside it.
🕯️ Jerek of Windhollow – Fell into a mimic trap disguised as a chest
🕯️ Lira the Thornwitch – Poisoned by falseberries in Sector C
🕯️ Thornak Ironjaw – Crushed by an animated stone wall
🕯️ Alyra Venque – Slain by an enchanted beast, refused to leave her teammate behind
🕯️ Seven unnamed rebels – Lost in a collapsing floor trap in Sector F
"They fought like warriors," Rhiannan says during the live memorial stream, "and they will be honored as such. This trial is not just a test,..it's a crucible. And only the strongest will survive." She remained strong for the realm, but inside, she was falling apart over these deaths.
Advancing to Day Two
A golden list, shining and bold across Faenet's Trial Page:
✅ Nico & Nimra – Cleared 3 riddles and survived a magical plague trap
✅ The Dragon Twins (Fenix & Draven) – Carried two injured rebels across a lava pit
✅ Zaiya Bloodrage – Electrocution immunity test passed. With a smirk.
✅ Barrik Stonevein – Blew a hole through the hedge and was forced to redo the entire route. Still survived.
✅ Kazra Voralis – Bathed in fire. Laughed. Killed a cursed troll with her bare hands.
✅ Mother Tazzhra – Walked. Didn't run. Nothing touched her. Creepy as hell.
7,462 contestants remain
9,893 eliminated or disqualified
Death toll: 64 confirmed
A long row of tables stretches across the courtyard, lit by hanging fire orbs and stars above. Healers move swiftly. Wine flows freely. Meat roasts on enchanted spits.
Rhiannan walks the rows, blessing the wounded, anointing the fallen's names in gold on Faenet. Her presence restores energy and hope. Sasha broadcasts the moment live.
Mo rides a floating plate of pastries and yells, "IF YOU AIN'T DEAD, YOU'RE WINNING!"
Cheers erupt.
🔥 Faenet Post Highlights
👤 @ShantyQueen999: Kazra casually ripped a troll's jaw off like it was her ex's soul. 😭🔥 #QueenShit
👤 @GoddessWatchDaily: The Dragon Twins made me sob. SOB. They're the real MVPs. #DragonDaddyEnergy 🐉
👤 @DeadlyAndDivine: I can't believe Nico & Nimra played rock-paper-scissors mid-fight to see who got to kill the monster. #Iconic
👤 @MoForPresident: Not Mo stabbing that cheater with a pastry earlier today 💀 #BoneBladeOfTheGods
Back in the command center inside the dragon castle, where Rhiannan, her five mates, Mo, Sasha, and the rebellion leaders monitor every inch of the trial through enchanted rune screens and Faenet's livestream feeds, a sudden distortion flickers through the maze's northern quadrant.
"Pause that screen," Sasha snaps. "What the fuck was that?"
Everyone's eyes lock onto the paused frame, a cloaked figure crouched beside a rune trap... disabling it.
Rhiannan's eyes narrow.
"That's not one of ours," Elisha growls, claws twitching.
Mo hops on the table, his fur bristling. "Well well well, we got ourselves a sneaky little bitch."
Zaiya slams her fist into the stone table. "Saboteur. Possibly more than one. We have to root them out before someone dies who shouldn't."
Sasha rewinds feed after feed. Patterns begin to emerge. Runes disarmed in Sector D. Magical beasts inexplicably lulled into sleep in Sector H. Contestants who were top tier contenders suddenly found unconscious or mysteriously ill, twitching from poisoned supplies that weren't issued by the castle armory.
Mother Tazzhra hisses, "That reeks of blackroot. Forbidden shit. Only someone deep underground could've gotten that."
Kazra snarls, "Someone's trying to rig the trials. Possibly to ensure their champion becomes a sentry. Or worse, to discredit Rhiannan."
Meanwhile, back at the contestant camps just outside the maze, tension explodes.
Barrik hauls in a trembling contestant, a healer from the Southern Glades, who had a forbidden vial of venom tucked in their boot.
"I swear it's for protection!" they beg, but the crowd doesn't buy it.
Gailia steps up, eyes blazing. "From who? Because we're supposed to protect you."
Rhiannan portals into the scene in a swirl of dark mist. Her aura crackles with divine energy.
"Anyone caught sabotaging will be stripped of their magic, cast from the rebellion, and sentenced to the goddess's judgment."
The crowd goes silent. The saboteur whimpers.
And then, Mo jumps onto their shoulder, sniffs them, and dramatically flops down.
"She's not the main one. Just a pawn. The real bastard's still hiding."
🕵️♂️ Faenet Reaction
Top Trending Hashtags:
#SaboteurScandal
#MazeMadness
#SentryOrPsycho
#MoKnowsAll
#ProtectOurPentacle
Fan Comments:
👤 @Knightfangs12: That cloaked fucker in Quadrant D is sus as HELL. I've watched that replay ten times.
👤 @WitchyAF69: Mo is the best lie detector. Give that monkey a throne.
👤@GoddessWatcher23: Who do y'all think planted the saboteur?? 👀 My gold's on the exiled council members.
👤 @FoxFangirl88: I bet they're trying to kill off Nico or Nimra. They're too damn good.
Rhiannan reconvenes with her inner circle and the rebellion leaders.
"We pull every feed. Every enchanted item that passed registration. Every person who delivered supplies. We interrogate. We don't sleep until we find the rot."
Sable bares his teeth. "And when we do… I want to remove their spine and wear it as a belt."
Mo claps gleefully. "I'm in!"