Lucius’s routine was ever the same. There he laid on the cold hard tile, breaths silent and body full of style, when his eyes fluttered open, and thus he said with a smile:

  “Good morning. My, what a pleasant day!”

  It was six-o-clock somewhere, and after a good night’s rest, Lucius was ready to tackle whatever new challenge awaited him. One problem, however: there was no food! No yogurt or fruit to partake in—oh, the horror. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and yet here he was… bereft of even a light snack. The only thing to eat in the maze were the fleshy creatures outside, at least for those desperate enough to try. That was a thought he didn’t bother to entertain.

  Lucius sighed and was just about to groom his hair when he heard a loud groan. It was Jack, and his condition looked significantly worse for wear. His arm that had stopped bleeding now practically oozed with pus. It was healing along nicely just yesterday; whatever measure the young man had taken must’ve expired.

  “Mister Thames, are you alright?” Lucius said, doing his very best to make Jack look presentable.

  “To be honest? It isn’t looking good for me, Lucius.” Jack laughed, but it was a bitter one. Still, the hope in his eyes hadn’t dimmed just yet. “We need to find Marco. He’s the only one who can… who can fix me right now.”

  “You’re in no condition to be moving around.”

  “It’s either that, or I die.” A firm determination settled into Jack’s expression. His eyes and brow hardened, and he gritted his teeth to distract from the pain. “I can survive for another day. Let’s keep moving.”

  So he said, but Lucius couldn’t have him deteriorating any more than he already had. Thus, the gentleman proposed an idea.

  “How about this: You stay here and preserve your energy, Mister Thames, while I go and search for the others.” Lucius pulled out a bright blue handkerchief and tied it into a long ribbon. “I will leave this hanging just outside the entrance. It won’t be difficult to find, both for me and our missing duo just in case they pass by, and I shall also leave a trail so that I won’t lose my way back here.”

  Lucius didn’t actually have anything to leave a trail with, but he was certain in his memory. One must be bold in the lies they spout in order to come across as trustworthy.

  Jack stayed silent, pondering. On one hand he didn’t seem to like the idea of being left alone, but it was also he that was most aware of his current condition.

  “... Alright,” Jack said. “We don’t have much of a choice. But will you be okay out there?”

  Lucius chuckled. “Never mind me. If nothing else, I trust these two feet of mine to dash like the wind.”

  Jack’s mood became a little brighter, and he grinned as he bid Lucius farewell with a weak wave. The thought of the man abandoning him never seemed to cross his mind. “Stay safe out there.”

  With that, Lucius stepped back into the dreary halls of the maze. It was time to get to work. Though he didn’t know for certain where Marco and Mili could have gone, he had his predictions.

  The day before, Lucius had discovered a long winding stretch of wall that felt different from the usual. When he tapped on it, the sound was subtly different. More solid. The normal bricks had a slight echo when touched as if the space behind it were hollow. What did this mean?

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  It meant that the maze was not as endless as it seemed. The reasoning for the more solid sound had to be because it had an actual base behind it - something that wasn’t intended to be moved or broken into. Something that could stop a certain monster from escaping. Lucius understood it then: he had found this realm’s very edge.

  But he couldn’t be certain if it was uniform all throughout. He checked the mental map in his head, measured the distance (it was approximately twenty football fields up and ten to the right from where they started), and so all that was left to do was prove his theory.

  Lucius warmed himself up and took off sprinting as fast as he could. If the maze was in the shape of a square, then he would find the rightmost edge about another ten football fields away. It didn’t take long, and he hardly broke a sweat, before discovering that… yes, indeed. It was a square. The inside layout was nonsensical to be sure, but with the boundaries clearly defined, searching for the missing duo was now a much easier task.

  Coincidentally enough, during his jaunt Lucius also found the exit. Yes, the one the message window told him to find. It was a pale white door just sitting there in a small alcove, barely noticeable. One would have passed right on by if they weren’t paying attention.

  When he approached the door, a familiar levitating screen popped up before him.

  >[Congratulations! You have discovered the Forgotten Maze’s exit. Would you like to move on from the Tutorial? Reminder: Any treasure you discover here may be carried on to the main scenario. You will not be able to return upon leaving, so use this chance to collect as much loot as you can!]<

  Lucius chose not to go, of course. Where would the fun be in departing all by his lonesome? He still had a lovely seed that had yet to blossom, but it wouldn’t be long now. All in due time.

  Still, it was a neat find. Lucius saved the spot in his head before resuming his search.

  Eventually, just as he was about to round a corner, Lucius heard a pair of very faint footsteps. He quickly hid himself and peeked out from behind the wall. There they were: Marco and Mili in the flesh. The two appeared disheveled and utterly exhausted since last he saw them. Why, he wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep with how deep the shadows were below their eyes!

  But that was very much ideal. Lucius needed them to be a bit tense for the play he had devised. They were the actors, and Jack was the lucky protagonist. The young man always wished to be special, after all, so why not make him into the star of the show?

  But all good leads required someone to serve as the supporting role: to prop them up, and to inspire them to action.

  What better to do so than with a little… drama.

  Lucius grabbed his cane, pulled out the hidden blade, and then stabbed himself right in the stomach. He did so without a word, without a flinch. He carefully aimed at a point with no vital organs, and then pierced through until the silver blade was coated in red.

  Blood dripped from the hole and stained his clothes, but not much. Lucius tensed his muscles and stopped the bleeding. It was a shame he had to dirty his darling suit; however, a little mess was necessary for what he needed to do next.

  Lucius emerged from the corner and put on a big show of clutching his waist, groaning, shuffling forward as he met the relieved, and confused, looks of his companions.

  “... Mister Bernardi? Oh, is that Miss Mili as well? How fortunate that I… that I found you…”

  Lucius collapsed onto his knees. Marco and Mili immediately rushed to his aid, laying the poor, helpless man out on his back and frantically attempting to patch him up. The two, quietly, expressed their joy in reuniting with him again, sharing laughs and even a few tears. But as they did so, one important question remained in their minds.

  “Lucius, how come Jack isn’t with ya?” Marco asked. “And this injury… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s—”

  “A stab wound,” Mili said, frowning. “Ain’t nothin’ we’ve seen can make a clean hit like that. Either there’s a pointy thing running around, or you were stabbed by someone.”

  This was it. This was the reaction Lucius had hoped for. Now, everything was fitted into its proper place.

  Lucius hid a very wide grin, and then said to them in the most pitiable of whispers. “I dare not come to conclusions, but… I believe Mister Thames has gone mad.”