⏳ 2 hours until the maze gates open again…
The castle buzzed with tension and anticipation like a war drum echoing through the halls. Everywhere, contestants sharpened blades, fastened armor, kissed lovers, and mentally prepared for whatever the gods...and the maze...would throw at them next.
But up in the royal observation wing, Rhiannan and her five were doing their best to distract themselves from the weight of it all.
"Two hours, huh?" Kaleb said, eyeing the massive hourglass that Sasha projected into the center of the common room. "Just enough time to fuck around and find out."
"You're not fucking anyone right now unless it's a pancake," Liam drawled, already sipping from a glittering Faebucks mug like he hadn't nearly died two trials ago.
"I will make pancakes happen," Arwen replied, shirtless and smug. "Just say the word, sugar tits."
"Focus, whores," Sable growled, though the corner of his mouth tugged upward in amusement. "We're here to watch people fight for immortality, not reenact breakfast porn."
"Speak for yourself," Rhiannan muttered, stretching out her legs as she lounged in her throne. "The fact that no one's trying to sabotage today is already a miracle. Let's hope it stays that way."
The group stood as the enchanted announcement bell rang across the castle and courtyard below.
"TRIAL TWO BEGINS IN TWO HOURS," Sasha's voice echoed like a divine war cry. "FINAL REGISTRANTS REPORT TO THE EAST WING FOR GEAR CHECKS. ALL VIEWING SPELLS NOW LIVE ON FAENET."
🎥 [Cut to Faenet Live Feed – Comment Highlights]
👤@MoonFae94: Omg who else has a shrine to Rhiannan? Just me? Cool. 🥲👑
👤@SpicyKazFan69: IF KAZRA DIES I RIOT 🔥🔥🔥
👤@WyrmWatcher21: The twins are mine. Just saying.
👤@TazzhraSnacks: Anyone else miss the bone seer? No? Good.
👤@PantherQueenZ: I have 500 gold on Zaiya. Do NOT let me down mama. ⚡
👤@SashasBurnBook: No sabotage? Y'all got PTSD from yesterday lmao
👤@RhiFan420: Where's Mo?? I need my favorite chaos monkey 🐒✨
📸 [POV: Nico – Rogue Twin Scout]
He crouched low near the maze's entrance, his white blonde hair pulled back tight, a single dagger spinning between his fingers.
"I'm not dying today," he muttered to Nimra beside him, who simply checked her boots and nodded once.
Their invisibility trick had saved them yesterday, but today...no tricks. Just survival. Just chaos. Just them and their wits.
[POV: Kazra "The Red Bitch" Voralis]
The hellspawn general grinned, licking blood off her blade from a warm up brawl she may have started on purpose.
"Time to earn my name again," she whispered, eyes glowing like magma. Her banshee scream was locked, loaded, and ready to fuck up some enchanted fauna.
[POV: Random Human Nobody with Too Much Hope]
He adjusted his chest plate and looked up at the castle, hand clutching a small wooden pendant of Rhiannan's sigil.
"Let them see me," he whispered, barely audible over the growing crowd. "Let them remember me."
⏳ Time Remaining: 01:27:12
The crowd buzzed. Magic pulsed in the air. Rhiannan and her men took their seats, drinks in hand, battle hardened and exhausted...but ready to witness what came next.
Because the maze was awake.
And it was hungry again.
Mo strutted proudly through the courtyard gates, clutching a parchment that clearly gave him Very Official Business™ authority. Perched on his shoulder...shaking, muttering, and nearly hyperventilating...was Reyna Voss, legendary Faenet superfan and conspiracy thread moderator, known across the network for her ten hour livestream breakdowns and her obsession with ancient magicks and forbidden history.
"Let's go, Four Eyes," Mo grinned. "You got theories. You got brains. And you damn sure got a mouth on you."
She clutched her satchel to her chest like it contained the secrets of the universe, which, let's be real, it probably did.
They made it to the royal balcony as the trial countdown ticked below two hours, and the guards stepped aside as Mo waved his parchment in their faces like a VIP pass. The doors flung open to reveal Rhiannan and her five lounging at the long marble table, laughing and talking shit over breakfast.
Reyna froze. Absolutely froze.
Like… statue mode.
"I..II can't...my simulations didn't prepare me for this...oh my goddess, Kaleb has dimples in real life..."
She dropped her satchel. Scrolls and coded rune paper spilled everywhere. Sable blinked as a rolled up dossier titled 'Probable Lineage of the Forgotten King (6 Theories)' hit his boot.
Rhiannan stood slowly, brows raised. "Mo. Why is this adorable disaster hyperventilating on my carpet?"
Mo grinned. "This is Reyna Voss. You've definitely read her Faenet theories. 'The Bone Seer Is Not the Real Threat,' 'The Crown May Not Be The Endgame,' 'What If Sasha Is The Real Villain?'.."
"THAT ONE WAS A JOKE!" Reyna yelped, face bright red.
Kaleb chuckled low in his throat. "She's the one who caught the saboteur's rune trail pattern during Trial One."
Rhiannan's eyes lit up. "Wait. You're that Reyna?"
Reyna nodded, nearly crying. "I also predicted the maze layout based on magical ley lines and castle blueprints. I've been tracking trial patterns, rebellion communications, forgotten bloodlines, and Faenet encryption anomalies since your resurrection, and...I'm a really big fan," she whispered, then immediately slapped her own forehead.
Rhiannan grinned. "You're a fucking nerd."
"I know," Reyna whispered reverently.
Liam stood, walked over, and helped her pick up her scrolls with a wicked grin. "You just might be the weirdest thing we've brought into this castle."
"Thank you, I'm honored," Reyna said, absolutely sincere.
📸 Faenet Liiiiiive:
👤@QueenReynaReigns: IS THAT REYNA FUCKING VOSS?!?
👤@BloodAndScrolls: She wrote that 74-
part theory on Sasha's sarcasm patterns
👤@TrialJunkie: She tripped over her own brain and I've never related more
👤@SashaSnapped: REYNA KNOWS TOO MUCH
👤@RedBitchAppreciation: I want her and Kazra in the same room. For science.
👤@MoFanCentral: OF COURSE it was Mo who brought her in 💀💀💀
Reyna was seated beside Rhiannan...barely holding it together...as Kaleb poured her a goblet of something warm and fruity.
"So," Arwen asked, leaning on the table with a lazy smirk. "What else are you hiding in that big brain of yours?"
Reyna blinked.
Pulled out a parchment.
Unrolled a hand drawn replica of the Forgotten King's sigil from the vaults of the Bone Seer's tower.
"I think I know where to find his name."