Cris sat in his room, staring out the window as he watched the sun rise on the morning of the Academy Games. Time had seemed to go in a blur after he’d met Anna, and he and Finn had met with Rainier and the others. That wasn’t to say that he was unprepared, however. He’d used the past couple of weeks well, and while he was nervous, he felt as prepared as he possibly could be.

  Paying close attention in his classes, Cris felt he was finally getting a good grasp on the fundamentals of spirit magic and some of the laws governing the way the world of spirits and demons worked. As Rainier said, it was unlikely he’d ever fully understand it all, but he was at least understanding basic conversation now. At the very least, he had a good idea of what might be thrown at him from other students in the games. Even among the A-Rank students, there was a limit to how much could be used against him, and some of those students wouldn’t even be well suited to combat, which seemed to be where Cris would thrive.

  That was still, of course, his biggest problem, though. Since Cris seemed to be more suited to combat magic, he needed a better grasp on his magic than he seemed to have. Unlike Heidi and Elsa, who could largely use their innate instincts their Spirit Guides provided, Cris didn’t have those. At least not yet. He would need to directly channel his magic and expend it.

  It was known as inner and outer magic. Most people could eventually use both, but generally it was best to focus on one kind if a Spirit Guide led them in one direction. Heidi, for example, was much better suited to inner magic. Essentially, her magic was channeled inward, largely on instinct, giving her better balance and better vision at night. Cris meanwhile, seemed to have a Spirit Guide that required outer magic. He would need to channel his magic outwardly to combat an external force, whether that be channeling the magic into a weapon or even into some kind of force of energy.

  Finn was a unique case. His ability seemed to require both inner and outer magic almost interchangeably. He would expend magic outwardly to send out sound waves with echolocation, but also bring it within himself in order to receive the soundwaves that came back to him. It used a lot more power and could tire him out quicker, but that was why his listening devices were so important. They drastically reduced the power necessary. Cris didn’t want to admit it to Finn directly, but he was thoroughly impressed with the ingenuity to address a weakness and manage his skillset. Although Finn’s talents only making him a B-Rank made Cris that much more wary of someone like Levi.

  He’ll definitely be after me in the games. Not just Anna and the council, Cris thought.

  Supposedly the games would be held in the Labyrinth underneath the city. The task or competition was unknown, but from what Heidi and Elsa had said, the likelihood was that it would be some kind of race or retrieval quest. On the surface it sounded simple. Get somewhere or get something or both. The hard part was getting through the maze, the Labyrinth always changing, and also the obstacles it presented both from the Labyrinth itself and also whatever the school staff and councilors put in there.

  And the other students. And Anna. Cris clenched his fists.

  Combat between students was not only expected in the games, but encouraged. Demons would never be unleashed in the games. They would die from the overwhelming spirit energy anyway. But a good way to prepare for future combat against them was with other students trained in spirit magic combat. The infirmary was well equipped to deal with the worst of the injuries. And cameras were all over the place to ensure nobody was lost and things could be broken up if they got too severe.

  Rainier had ensured Cris that this would help ensure Anna couldn’t be too direct in approaching him or anyone else. Even with a council member potentially after him, they wouldn’t be able to help her get around those.

  That wasn’t to say she wasn’t going to try, though. And Eleanor agreed that there was a method that was very likely to be put in play. One that Heidi had wondered about as well. Echoes. And with the Labyrinth and all the staff involved, Echoes would be all over the maze, meant to interfere with every student. It would be expected and permitted for them to go after Cris and anyone he was with.

  “I’ll have your back there, don’t worry,” Eleanor had told him encouragingly. “Just you watch.”

  While it was a nice sentiment, Cris was kind of creeped out by her giddy appearance as she’d said that. He was pretty sure she almost seemed to enjoy being the lone council member that Rainier was willing to discuss these things with now.

  There was a knock at the door as Cris was finally starting to get himself ready to leave his room. He’d thrown on his usual red shirt and black coat instead of his school uniform, and he’d strapped his new dagger to his belt and stowed away his gloves. He wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to dress, but as he opened his door to see the rest of his team, he figured he was probably fine.

  Heidi, Elsa and Finn were all dressed casually enough as well. Heidi in her pink shirt and brown skirt and beret, Elsa in her yellow shirt and black skirt, Finn in his orange shirt and blue jeans. Each seemed to have their weapons of choice ready as well. Heidi’s dagger was at her waist, Elsa was adjusting the blades in her shoes and Finn had his slingshot. It actually brought a small smile to Cris’ face.

  “What’s this I see?!” Finn said upon seeing it. “Cris Parker…are you…happy?”

  “I’m looking forward to kicking some ass today,” Cris said, shutting his door. “Any news on what we’re doing?”

  “We’re getting an update in the dining hall,” Elsa answered. She frowned, glancing at Cris’ new dagger. “You sure about doing this? I know Rainier said there’s not much we can do but go ahead with it, but…”

  “It seems dangerous if that girl Anna is really a…you know what.” Heidi paled as she spoke, the idea as haunting to her now as it was when Cris and Finn had first updated her and Elsa on what they’d learned. Rainier had only permitted telling them.

  “He seems pretty sure that whatever Rose saw means we can’t avoid it,” Finn explained as they began making their way downstairs towards the dining hall. “Sounds like it was vague, though. Not sure what can really be understood from that.”

  “Maybe she won’t even go after us,” Cris said. “Might be too public. First priority should be to deal with the other students.”

  “It’ll help once we know what the event is,” Heidi added.

  It wasn’t long before they found that out. Shortly after their group was seated, they noticed Rainier, Rosalyn and two council members entering the hall. Cris was pretty sure the two councilors were named Cecil and Lucian. The former had seemed friendly enough, but of course, both had voted for Cris to be thrown into these games.

  “Students of Daedal Academy,” Rainier called out once the group had come to a stop in a position where they could be easily viewed. Everyone went silent quite quickly. As much as Cris was wary of Rainier, he had to admit that the man seemed to be held in high regard amongst almost everyone at the school. “I hope you are all looking forward to this month’s Academy Games. A special event will be held today in the Labyrinth. A particularly difficult task to test the skills you have all been learning at this school. Here to explain, is a member of the Babylon Council. Councilman Bennet, you have the floor.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Rainier,” Cecil said, the students murmuring excitedly before he began to speak again. “As I’m sure most of you have heard, we are indeed holding our event in the Labyrinth this month. It has been many years since we’ve chosen to hold an event down there. The last time was…unsuccessful.”

  That created more murmuring. Cris was surprised. It seemed that not many people were aware of this. He glanced at Rosalyn at Rainier’s side, seeing that she was the only student who seemed to have a knowing look in her eyes. She caught his eye and briefly raised a hand, almost as if to signal she’d explain later. He nodded, and then looked to Cecil again as the councilor continued.

  “We have ensured safety within the Labyrinth for this event. Cameras are located in every corner and guards will be located in strategic places to reach any wounded students.” Cecil paused, nodding as students seemed to be taking him at his word. “Now, as for the event itself. As I’m sure many have predicted, this will be a special kind of quest. Students are permitted to enter the Labyrinth in teams of up to four members. These teams will be seeking one of three prizes in the maze. Three chests have been placed at different locations. Each holds a…special prize. Each has a different value, however. The winning team must exit the maze holding the chest with the highest value prize. Exiting the maze without a chest is an automatic disqualification. The two lower value prizes will be closer to the entrances and exits and easier to retrieve and leave with. The highest value will be deeper in the maze.”

  “So we can go for an easier second or third place win,” Finn said. “Or we can risk everything and go for the top prize.”

  Cris nodded. It seemed fairly straightforward. The most ambitious students would seek out the top prize. The ones who wanted to compete but not risk too much would seek out the lower prizes. Of course, Cris was pretty sure it was somewhat of a trap to force the less confident students to engage each other in combat. The fighting would be immediate if the first two treasures were closer to the entrance.

  Cecil finished up with a brief warning about fighting rules and being careful not to take things too far, but also making it clear combat was a part of the games. As he finished up, he wished the students in the hall good luck, before he and Lucian made their way back out. As they exited, they both glanced in Cris direction. Cris couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and smirk at them, trying to make it clear he wasn’t intimidated. They didn’t react.

  “Cris!”

  He blinked, looking up in surprise at his three companions. All three had called out his name in exasperation. “What?”

  “Don’t go antagonizing our enemies,” Finn said, sighing.

  “We don’t need a bigger target on our backs,” Elsa muttered.

  “Just be careful…” Heidi added.

  “Yeah yeah…” Cris waved his hand dismissively. “I know.”

  They were able to eat the rest of their breakfast in relative silence. A few minutes later, though, Rosalyn made her way over as Rainier left the building. She sat down next to Cris, although she appeared to be attempting to look casual as she did so.

  “Are you guys ready?” she asked, glancing at some of the other tables to see if anyone was watching them or listening to them. Cris was pretty sure he caught sight of Levi and Mara, but they were too far away to hear.

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  “Ready as we can be,” Cris said. “Anything we should know before things get going?”

  “Not much. Rainier and Councilwoman Frost are going to be in the staff control room watching the games there. They’ll be able to keep an eye on the council and also other staff members. It’s basically where the staff watch their Echoes from.”

  “How about you? Are you entering the games?” Cris asked.

  Rosalyn shook her head. “Not much need since I’m S-Rank. I might’ve if I could’ve been on a team with you guys, though.”

  Heidi opened her mouth to speak, but Cris interrupted her before she could start. “Better to have you watching on the outside anyway. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

  “Right. Mr. Rainier said the same thing.” Rosalyn glanced at the other tables again and then leaned forward lowering her voice further.. “Honestly, I don’t know what my vision means. But it does seem insane to send you in there, Cris. If this devil really is after you…”

  “What happens if you try to change what happens in one of your visions?” Cris asked.

  “I don’t understand most of them,” Rosalyn murmured. “But I’ve never been able to change the ones I do…”

  “I guess nothing can be done about it then, huh?” Cris leaned back in his seat, feeling oddly relaxed.

  “Controlling what we can, I guess,” Finn said quietly.

  “Just make sure those cameras are always in view,” Rosalyn warned. “And stick as close to guard posts as possible.”

  “We’ll try,” Heidi promised. “Thanks, Rosie.”

  “Well…we’ll try,” Cris said. “But we also have other things to do.”

  “What?” Rosalyn asked.

  “We’re getting that top prize,” Cris vowed. “We’re winning this thing.”

  Groups of students were spread around the city, placed at as many entry points to the Labyrinth as there were teams. Cris and his team were located at the Coliseum. It wasn’t necessarily a great strategic location, the treasures possibly being anywhere, but it was a central location for spectators. A variety of screens had been set up and the seats were full, many eager to watch the display of magic and combat skills from the Academy’s best.

  Cris had to admit, he found it kind of cool. He even raised his hand to the audience as his team was announced, getting a surprisingly loud cheer. Of course, part of his motivation there was to appeal to the city and gain some support. It would be harder for the council to go after him if he put on a good show and the city liked him.

  “So, anything else I should know about this Labyrinth?” Cris asked as the announcer was running through the rules and objectives of the competition for the audience’s benefit.

  “It’s not that bad the closer we are to entry and exit points,” Heidi said. “Deeper inside, it gets dangerous. The terrain changes, walls move and magical energy can amplify or slip away. If you go really deep, and towards the edge of the city, some people say there are paths to…”

  “Paths to Hell,” Elsa said. “Rumors mostly, although the Labyrinth does grow, and the Ancient Greek one certainly was able to go into the Underworld.”

  “It’ll be impossible for us to get that deep, though,” Finn said. “Even S-Ranks struggle to get anywhere near the edge of the city down there.”

  “So how close do you think the treasure is?” Cris asked.

  “The lower value ones will probably be pretty close to somebody’s entry point,” Finn said. “It’ll still be hard to get to them, though. Not only with students fighting and the Echoes, but also just the difficulty of the maze. Might not change as much near the exits, but it will change a bit. The top prize will probably be a mile or more from the nearest entry point. Could be further from us. And with moving paths, it could change.”

  “So we could be down there a long time, huh?” Cris studied the faces of his teammates. He wasn’t sure how committed they were to his idea of going for the top prize. They seemed determined enough, though. Heidi confirmed that a moment later.

  “We’ll show those councilors, Cris,” she said, smiling and holding up a fist. “And whatever else comes at us.”

  Elsa nodded. “I’d like to win this thing, too, so I’m all in.”

  “Should be a piece of cake tracking it down,” Finn added confidently.

  Before Cris could answer, he noticed a countdown clock appearing on the screens, thirty seconds remaining on it as the announcer declared that the games were about to begin. “Ladies and gentlemen!” he called out. “Who will find the treasures? What will our hunters face in the depths of the Labyrinth? Will a new hero rise among them?”

  Cris tried to ignore it, noticing some of the other teams on the screens getting ready. He braced himself as well. He wanted to get into the Labyrinth as soon as possible and find out just what they were dealing with. He watched as the timer reached ten seconds and took a deep breath. Then five.

  Four.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  Bang!

  A cannon blasted, and the announcer’s voice blared through the speakers. “Begin!”

  Cris and his team took off, a chorus of cheers and applause following them as they ran into the entrance of the Labyrinth. And, as soon as they passed into the shadows of the tunnel and the sandy ground of the Coliseum turned to the cobbled stone of the Labyrinth, the sounds of the crowd vanished in an instant. Cris could tell immediately that they were in a magical place. Whether that was good magic or dark magic, he would have to find out later.

  “That’s creepy,” Finn said, almost in a whisper, their group coming to a stop fairly quickly. They all turned around, noticing a wall moving up to block where they’d just come from.

  “Have you guys been in here before?” Cris asked, surprised at how quickly their path back to the Coliseum had been blocked.

  “Twice,” Elsa said.

  “Just once for me and Heidi,” Finn added, Heidi nodding to confirm. “Eventually you’ll have a class come down here for some training.”

  “Nice that I got that chance before this…” Cris said sarcastically.

  “It’s weird we got cut off that quickly,” Heidi murmured nervously.

  “Think we’re already being targeted?” Finn asked, glancing around. He answered himself a moment later, though, nodding towards a camera nearby. “Nah, probably not. Guessing they’re cutting everyone off.”

  Cris wasn’t sure if that was enough confirmation, but decided to accept it for now, glancing around and taking in their surroundings. It was very much a dungeon-like setting. The walls were stone, rusty bars along them where other paths could be seen and a few torches lit the way every few meters. The path was cobbled where he and the others were standing, but he could see that ahead, the path was mostly dirt, and through one set of bars it was grassy. There was even a breeze that brought both a cold gust from one direction, and a warm blast from the other, suggesting the temperature would change wherever they went, too. Cris was even pretty sure that in the distance, he could hear the first sounds of students engaging in combat.

  “All right, Finn,” Cris said, deciding they needed to get started, “you’re up. Find out what way we’ve gotta go.”

  “Not gonna work quite like that, buddy,” Finn said with a grin. “I can try to avoid other students, but I won’t be able to track down the treasures.”

  “Then let’s avoid fighting for now,” Elsa said. “Find a clear path to go further in.”

  “Roger!” Finn said, saluting both Elsa and Cris.

  “You can’t track Echoes with echolocation, right?” Heidi asked as Finn began making clicking noises.

  He paused his clicking and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. We’ll almost surely run into one if we’re avoiding students so be ready for that.”

  “Better one Echo than a group of students,” Cris pointed out.

  “I guess…” Heidi didn’t seem so sure, glancing around nervously.

  After a few moments, Finn seemed to find a path he liked and began leading the way. Immediately, the temperature began to drop a few degrees and Cris heard the others begin to shiver. He was glad he’d brought this coat, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like he needed it. In fact, he almost felt too warm with it. But as he began to think that, he began to cool down.

  “You okay?” Heidi asked, falling into step beside Cris as they walked, seemingly noticing his confusion over his body temperature.

  “I…yeah, I think so.” He placed his hand on his chest, feeling that strange warmth and tried to will himself into being warmer again. He felt it grow slightly, his eyes widening. “I’m…controlling my body temperature.”

  Heidi raised her eyebrows in interest. “Really?” She laughed uneasily. “Wish I could do that.” She shivered slightly as a gust of cool air passed over them.

  Cris nodded, absentmindedly handing her his coat and ignoring her squeak of alarm. “Weird…is it something to do with my Spirit Guide? Some kind of reptile thing maybe?”

  “Reptiles are cold-blooded, Parker,” Finn said from up ahead, before continuing his clicking and ignoring them.

  “Right…” Cris continued thinking about it, focusing on the warmth in his chest and trying to increase and decrease it. He hadn’t been able to do that up until now, but he was finding it easier the more he did it. Maybe it was as simple as having the temperature force him to use such an ability that made him realize how it felt and how he could use it.

  “Well, it’s a good time to get some kind of grasp on your abilities,” Heidi said. “We’ll probably need it at some point today.”

  “If something attacks us with ice I might be okay,” Cris muttered. “Don’t think I’ll be much good otherwise.”

  Still, he was glad to be managing some kind of control, even if it was for something so minor. And, feeling the way he was able to control his body temperature, it made him wonder just how far he could push it. It wasn’t that dissimilar from how he’d felt when fighting Levi. It was like he was moving the temperature within himself. Wasn’t that inner magic? But when he’d fought Levi, he’d sent something outward. That must’ve been outer magic. So could he send this warmth outward? He looked ahead, seeing Elsa and Finn clutching their arms, shivering in the cold, and imagined the warmth in his chest moving towards his arms and down towards his fingertips. He imagined it as just a trickle, and then flicked his fingers forward.

  “Ah!”

  “Whoa!”

  Finn and Elsa both jumped in surprise, turning around suddenly. “Did you feel that?!” they both said in alarm, looking at Cris and Heidi in shock, before turning their gazes to the path behind them.

  Heidi, however, was staring at Cris, eyes wide in alarm. “Cris…did you just…?”

  Cris stared at his hands, the Spirit Steel on the gloves he wore glowing briefly, before fading. “Yeah…I think so.” He couldn’t help but grin as he looked up at Finn and Elsa. “I think I just sent some kind of warm air current at you guys.”

  Elsa blinked in surprise. “Seriously?” She stepped towards him. “Try again.”

  Cris nodded, holding out his hands again. He focused on the warmth in his chest, feeling almost as though it had grown, and once again imagined it flowing outwards and into his arms and down through to his fingertips. This time, he noticed the Spirit Steel glowing brighter immediately, and this time he tried to almost pool the warmth towards that area. He felt the warmth fill his hands, and then aimed his palms out towards Elsa and pushed at the air.

  Whoosh!

  A heavy wind blew outward, startling Elsa and causing her to stagger back. Finn also stumbled, catching himself on the wall of the maze. However, both managed to steady themselves, and then each sighed in relief, their shivering coming to an end. Cris noticed that the warmth seemed to be lingering in the air.

  “Well, that’s a useful trick,” Finn said. “Wonder what that means about your Spirit Guide, though.”

  “Seems to confirm something with wind,” Elsa pointed out. “But being able to warm the air…”

  Cris was about to ask if they’d ever seen anything similar, but just as he opened his mouth, a yell was heard up ahead and around a corner. He quickly locked eyes with the others, and they all nodded, crouching down and waiting with the exception of Finn. He slowly crept forward, making a few clicking sounds as he did so.

  “Walls must’ve changed up ahead,” he whispered. “Otherwise I should’ve known people were coming.”

  Then, suddenly, a light was visible towards a darker section at the end of the path they were on. Cris was pretty sure someone was holding one of the torches some of the walls had. After a moment, he noticed three people running. In the lead was a familiar face. It was Sam Dayal, two people Cris was unfamiliar with trailing behind him. They all seemed to be running from something. Squinting, Cris managed to spot it. Some kind of misty, bluish white shape was just behind them, roaring as it gave chase.

  “Is that…an Echo?” he asked, the fleeing Sam and his team easier to see now.

  “Looks like it,” Heidi said, voice shaking. “We should probably -”

  “No!” Finn hissed, eyes widening. He’d continued clicking away, apparently checking the path beyond Sam and his team. “There are a few other teams running in other directions. They’re trying to get people away from something. We should move ahead.”

  Heidi didn’t look like she liked that idea, but Cris and Elsa nodded, each standing and getting their weapons ready. As Sam and his team approached, he briefly slowed, shaking his head at them and looking like he thought they were nuts. “You guys are crazy!” he shouted, before continuing on.

  Cris supposed he was probably right, because as soon as Sam was gone, he got a good look at the Echo charging towards them. It was a massive, four-legged beast with horns. It was hard to tell for sure with its form being so misty, but Cris was pretty sure it was a bull.

  Appropriate for this place, he thought, clenching a fist and preparing to punch, while also holding up his dagger with his left hand.

  Heidi also held her dagger up, while Elsa had the blades on her shoes out and Finn was readying his slingshot. Cris had no idea what their attacks would do, but he felt his heart racing as the bull got closer and closer, its eyes locking on to them. If what Heidi said was true, this thing would certainly pack a punch.

  “Get ready!” Finn shouted, raising his slingshot higher, preparing to unleash the first attack.

  “Moooaaawww!” the bull roared, its charge sending shockwaves through the Labyrinth.

  Crash!

  And suddenly, just as the creature was only a few feet away, another Echo crashed through the wall.