The change in everyone's expression was unmistakable, but on Elna's face it was sharper, almost painful. Her worry sat there openly, as if she couldn't hide it even if she tried.
"You already read what I read, Leo. No one can escapes that place. Even you," Arthur said. His voice wasn't loud, but there was a hard edge beneath it, the edge of someone trying not to panic.
"It is a necessary thing that I need to do," Leo answered.
"Why?" Arthur pressed. He leaned forward slightly in his stone chair, knuckles white against the armrest. He didn't want Leo to go to the Maze of Madness.
Leo's tone stayed calm. "The time flow inside the Maze is different. Every single day here equals forty-eight days in there. We have less than six months before the seals on the God of Light breaks, and the two gods on our side are in slumber."
Marco's gaze shifted to Ilandra. "What about Ms. Ilandra? Wasn't she the Goddess of Nature?" He said her name casually now, something unthinkable weeks ago.
Ilandra gave him a small, warm smile. "I still have one more orb that needs purification. Even after that, I will only reach S1. It will take far more for me to return to what I used to be."
Leo continued, his voice steady despite the weight of what he was saying. "I'll stay in the maze for three months in the real world. That's about twelve years inside. During that time, I'll push my strength as far as I can and find what the Creator needs. After I come out, we'll destroy the corruption creating all the monsters in the Shadowlands and save the Goddess of the Moon."
Briva frowned, brows pulling tight. "Why can't we do that now? I don't think defeating that creature is any harder than the fight we already had."
Leo shook his head. "When we fought Lucius, we had the power of the Moon Goddess and the Creator with us. And we still almost lost." He let that sink in before adding, "The corrupted beast is at least S two, like Lucius. And the area around it is filled with monsters."
Even after all his explanations, their expressions didn't soften. Worry still clung to them, heavy and unmoving. It sat in their eyes, in the way their shoulders tightened, in the silence stretching across the stone table.
Leo exhaled slowly. "I want you to trust me. I already have a plan to get out."
No one spoke. Their silence wasn't doubt, but fear, fear for him, fear of the maze, fear of the six months that were shrinking faster than they could count.
"In the meantime," Leo continued, "all of you need to take control of your new power. You can activate your inner power now without me summoning creator's domain, but it requires discipline. Liam and Marco, this is especially important for you. If you don't learn to control it, the next time the Creator finds another piece of his power, you'll lose control."
Marco gave a weak grin. "A few days ago I didn't have enough mana to finish an enchanting spell Mr. Edgar was teaching me, and then suddenly I did. He's suspicious now."
Leo nodded. "If you can control this power, you'll reach C rank soon. And you too, Liam. Once you stabilize it, you can move to B rank and continue your plan."
Liam straightened with a little pride. "I'm already used to my item of power. Once I get full control over this new strength, I'll start the main part of my plan. My father already gave me the Regent title, so I have authority to move things forward."
Leo acknowledged him with a quiet "Good." Then he turned to the others. "Luciana, Elna, patrol the Shadowland beyond the border. Gather information on the orcs. Something tells me they're going to cause trouble soon."
He shifted his gaze to Arthur. "You and Briva patrol the opposite side. I need information about the beast."
Arthur nodded once, serious.
Leo lifted his hand, and fog curled around Arthur's right palm, swirling like smoke before tightening and forming a small, glowing mark. "While I'm gone, Arthur will summon all of you and run the gatherings. But it is only once per month for the time being."
Arthur stared at the mark. "What is this?"
"I'll tell you later," Leo said and continued after a second. "If that is all, we can conclude the gathering."
"Actually… there's something I need to mention," Arthur said, lifting his arm toward one of the ten monumental buildings at the far edge of the domain. Its towering white walls caught the dim light, glowing faintly like stone dipped in moonlight. "A structure identical to that showed up in my domain. Same size, same shape. It just appeared out of nowhere. It sits right in the center, but the doors won't open, no matter what I try."
Leo blinked, his surprise visible for once. "Is that so?"
"It happened in mine as well," Luciana said, crossing her arms. Her voice was steady, but the slight tension in her posture made it clear the phenomenon unsettled her.
Leo frowned in thought. "When you pledge yourselves to the Creator, a piece of your domain anchors itself here. And from what you're describing… a piece of this place is manifesting inside yours." He turned slowly, gaze sliding toward the colossal tree rising like a living pillar. "That tree belongs to Ilandra."
Luciana gestured impatiently. "So what does that mean? And why hasn't our domains showed up here yet?"
"One difference," Leo said, "is that Ilandra's domain was shattered long ago. She's lived here ever since, so her power blends more easily with the Ethereon. Your domains are still... small. I suspect you'll need to reach S rank before they're strong enough to echo here." He let his gaze sweep across the vast hall. "But one thing is certain, as each of us gains power, the rest of us rise as well. Our domains influence one another. They're slowly merging inside the Ethereon."
He drew in a slow breath. "Elna, Briva, you're new A ranks. Start forming your domains as soon as possible. You rose with the Creator's help, and your domains need to catch up to the power you now hold." His eyes shifted to the others. "Those who already have domains, focus on stabilizing them."
He pushed himself to his feet. "We can end the gathering here."
Others rose. One by one, they bowed toward the throne hall, their silhouettes outlined in the pale silver fog that curled along the edges of the room. Elna and Briva followed suit, though Elna's bow carried a small, private smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"Do you want me to relay a message to your family?" Liam asked, just as the fog began to wrap around him.
Leo shook his head once. "No. They know I'm alive. But this isn't the right time to meet them."
Liam nodded and then vanished. The others followed, dissolving into mist until the hall became quiet again. Only Ilandra and Elna remained.
Ilandra gave Elna a soft, knowing smile before turning toward her massive tree, the roots shifting slightly as if welcoming her home.
"I thought you wanted to talk," Leo said, stepping closer with a small smile.
Elna's eyes were steady. "How are you planning to escape a place no one has ever escaped?"
"One person did," Leo said lightly. "Though he lost his sanity." He delivered it like a joke, but she only stiffened.
He stepped in and gently took her hand. "Come with me."
They walked side by side toward the open yard that fed into the long bridge. The air thinned as they stepped closer to the edge of the domain, the vast landscape stretching beneath the soft shimmer of fog.
"We don't have time to be careful," Leo said quietly. "I need time, and the maze is the only place that can give me enough of it."
"But how do you plan to get out?" she insisted. Her voice stayed calm, but emotion trembled underneath. "That place belonged to a god. You can't underestimate him."
"I don't," Leo said. "Captain Edmond drilled that out of me before I ever held a sword. But you have to let me do this. It's the only path that leads forward."
She lowered her eyes for a moment, then sighed. "You're going to do it anyway. No matter what I say."
Leo let a faint smile shape his lips. "Maybe. But I'll be very happy if you say the thing I want you to."
Her expression softened, a reluctant smile rising to meet his. They stood together at the edge of the bridge, gazing out at the endless domain.
…
Leo spent the days before his departure tightening every loose thread he could find. He reorganized patrol routes, reassigned tasks, reinforced the defenses of Hope, and made sure every member of his group understood their role. He couldn't afford any gaps. Once inside the Maze, everything outside would be out of his reach, and he needed his people to stand on their own without him.
One of the things he made sure to handle was Arthur's access to the domain. He taught him that by praying directly to the Creator, Arthur could rise into the higher layers of Leo's domain. It was one of the strange new abilities Leo had gained from the knowledge buried inside the God of Knowledge's staff.
But no matter how much power he gained, there was one fact he couldn't alter, The Maze belonged to a god. He still wasn't strong enough to drag his domain inside a god's territory. That meant he would enter the Maze blind, with no throne, no fog, no boost, and no safety net. Just himself.
Every free moment he had, he gave to Elna. It was only three months for her but nearly twelve years for him.
He didn't say it out loud, but the thought sat behind his ribs like a stone. He didn't want to waste a single second of what little time they had left together.
Now, the day before he left, he stood on the balcony of his castle room. Cold wind slipped past him, carrying the strange scent of the Shadowlands, the spice of corruption mixing with the faint sweetness of the new life sprouting from Ilandra's power. Light and darkness painted the horizon in uneven strokes.
Behind him, the door opened softly.
"Leo," Elna said. "Mr. Ryan and Mr. Edgarth are downstairs. They're ready."
Ryan and Edgarth had already decided to return to the Kingdom of Light. With the situation worsening and the Church shaken, they were needed there far more than here.
Leo nodded and followed her downstairs to the castle's main gate.
The two men stood waiting, cloaks wrapped around them. Seeing them like this, simple travelers instead of the towering figures they had once been in his life, brought a soft smile to Leo's face.
"You're growing fast, Leo," Ryan said the moment he spotted him. "Faster than even him." He jerked his thumb toward Arthur, who stood nearby with Briva.
Leo chuckled. "I still haven't reached him."
"But you're close," Edgarth said. The corner of his mouth lifted, barely, but enough to count as a smile from him.
He wasn't wrong. The last surge of power had pushed Leo from the edge of A2 straight to A4. Under normal circumstances, climbing even one A-rank tier took years, sometimes decades. Jumping three tiers in a single ascent was unheard of.
"As one of your teachers," Edgarth added, "I'm proud."
Leo bowed his head. "Thank you."
He turned his gaze to Ryan, expecting a lecture.
"I'm not going to say that," Ryan said immediately.
They both laughed, soft and brief.
After a few more words exchanged, the two men said their goodbyes and began walking toward the city gates. Leo watched them go.
Then he noticed Luciana intercepting them.
She stopped Edgarth specifically, speaking to him in low tones. Her expression soft. His unreadable. When she stepped back, Edgarth gave her a single nod before turning away.
Leo felt his mouth twitch in a crooked, suspicious little smile. It was a weird expression, even for him.
But he forced himself not to jump to conclusions.