Was it a liquid triggered by damage to repair it? Or was it liquid that had been stuck in these walls for longer than they'd been born.

They were unable to reach any definitive conclusion and could only continue navigating the next pathway, hoping to find additional clues that might explain their situation.

♢♢♢♢

"Finally! This path looks different!" Selene exclaimed with genuine relief, pointing ahead toward a passage that appeared to slope upward rather than continuing the horizontal maze. "Maybe it leads toward an exit!"

Moon nodded, equally relieved to find any variation from the endless cycling through identical corridors.

They urged Mirage forward, following the ascending path with cautious optimism.

The passage was noticeably narrower than previous routes, the walls pressing closer on both sides. Mirage had to move more carefully, his armored body barely fitting through the constricted space.

At the end of the passage they encountered something completely new. A circular opening that resembled a one-way door mechanism. The structure was different from the other passages, as if designed to control flow in a specific direction.

Moon dismounted and pushed against it gently, testing for response. Nothing happened, it remained sealed.

"Help me," Moon said to Selene. "We need more force."

Both awakeners positioned themselves and pushed with their combined enhanced strength. The valve resisted stubbornly.

Moon called Mirage forward. "Push with us,"

The horse pressed his armored chest against the barrier alongside the awakeners, adding his considerable mass and strength to their efforts.

Finally, with all three straining together, the valve began to yield. It slid open slowly, grudgingly, creating an opening just large enough for them to squeeze through one at a time.

They entered quickly, pulling Mirage through before the valve could close again.

Inside this new passage, the environment felt different. The wall movements were so much stronger, Moon could feel it resonating through his entire body.

"Do you feel that?" Selene whispered, her voice barely audible over the ambient noise.

"Yeah," Moon confirmed grimly. "We're getting closer to something vital in this area."

They continued upward through the narrowing passage, the walls pressing tighter.

Swish!

"Do you hear that?" Selene immediately said. The sound was faint, but it was there, that was undeniable.

Moon nodded his head. He could hear a distant rushing sound, like wind howling through a canyon, coming from somewhere behind them in the passages they'd already traversed.

Gush!

The sound grew louder rapidly.

Moon's eyes widened as realization struck. "Mirage! Move now!!"

"What is it?" Selene asked, feeling the urgency in Moon's voice.

"Something's coming!" Moon shouted over the increasing roar. "A wave, a flood—I don't know exactly, but we need to get to higher ground or find shelter immediately!"

The rushing sound grew from distant rumble to thunderous approach, echoing through the passages with terrifying speed.

And they were directly in its path.

It didn't take long for the approaching disaster to reveal itself. A massive wave of deep, dark red liquid came thrashing through the passages with devastating force, filling the entire tunnel system.

Moon turned his head, his eyes widening as he witnessed the rushing torrent bearing down on them. "Selene! Hold tight!"

Selene's grip tightened desperately around his waist, her arms locked in place as the unknown liquid crashed over them with overwhelming power, sweeping all three, forward through the passages toward an unknown destination.

The liquid was syrup-thick and viscous, with a slightly warm temperature against their skin. The entire passage filled completely with the substance, giving them absolutely no chance to surface or find air pockets to breathe. They could only hold their breaths and endure.

As powerful awakeners with enhanced constitution attributes, both Moon and Selene possessed the ability to hold their breath in such extreme conditions for approximately twenty minutes. Had the liquid been water, the task would have been considerably easier. But the pressure, combined with the thick consistency of the fluid, made everything more difficult. The syrupy substance seemed to resist movement, making even basic motion exhausting.

They remained engulfed in the rushing liquid for approximately fifteen agonizing minutes, holding onto each other tightly to avoid being separated by the powerful currents. Moon kept one hand gripped firmly in Mirage's mane, refusing to let the horse be swept away.

Moon's mind raced through multiple contingency plans for extending their breathing time. He considered using his elemental manipulation to create temporary air pockets—perhaps flash-boiling small amounts of the liquid with fire, or using wind to compress gases. But the density and pressure made such techniques risky. Creating bubbles might work, or it might just waste precious mana they'd need for whatever awaited them.

While Moon and Selene could theoretically hold their breath for twenty minutes in these conditions—maybe slightly longer if they remained completely calm Mirage definitely couldn't match that duration. Horses had different physiological limits.

Moon was genuinely afraid that Mirage would die from suffocation before they found air again.

The horse was struggling, Moon could feel it. Mirage's powerful body was fighting against panic, against the instinct to breathe despite being submerged. The armored mount was remarkably brave, but biology couldn't be denied forever.

'Just hold on,' Moon thought desperately, maintaining his grip.

'Just a little longer.'

Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only another minute, the passage suddenly widened dramatically.

The constrictive tunnel gave way to an absolutely massive chamber.

Moon, Selene, and Mirage were expelled from the passage opening with force, tumbling through the thick red liquid into open space. The current that had been pushing them forward dissipated as they entered the enormous chamber.

Moon kicked powerfully, swimming upward—or what he hoped was upward in the disorienting darkness. His lungs were beginning to burn, the twenty-minute limit approaching rapidly.

Mirage was thrashing weakly now, the horse's oxygen completely depleted.

Then Moon's head broke the surface.

Air!

He gasped desperately, filling his lungs with oxygen. The chamber wasn't completely flooded, there was a pocket of breathable atmosphere in the upper portion.

"Selene!" Moon shouted, his voice echoing strangely in the vast space.

She surfaced beside him moments later, also gasping and coughing. "I'm here! Mirage—where's—"

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