The ground had not finished shifting.
Not even close.
Leon barely had time to steady himself before the corridor they stood in twisted again, stone folding inward like paper under invisible hands. The path ahead split into three—then five—then collapsed into one again.
This time—
It didn't stabilize.
"…That's new," Leon muttered.
Beside him, Lira's expression hardened.
"…No. That's not the maze anymore."
Leon glanced at her.
"…Meaning?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Because she didn't need to.
The air answered for her.
It changed.
Not like before—subtle, creeping, watchful.
No—
This was immediate.
Decisive.
The pressure dropped.
Then surged.
And the world—
Stopped.
Not physically.
The stone still trembled.
Dust still hung in the air.
Leon could still move—
But something deeper had paused.
Like a breath being held.
"…Alright," Leon said quietly.
"…Now I'm interested."
A voice echoed.
Not from the corridor.
Not from above.
From everywhere.
"…Phase One complete."
Lira's eyes widened instantly.
"…No…"
Leon tilted his head slightly.
"…You've heard that before?"
Her voice came out lower now.
Tighter.
"…This isn't just a survival trial."
The voice continued.
Cold.
Detached.
Unfeeling.
"…Commencing Selection."
The word hit differently.
Leon felt it.
Not physically—
But instinctively.
Danger.
Real danger.
"…Selection," he repeated quietly.
"…So now we get sorted?"
Lira shook her head slowly.
"…No."
Her eyes were locked on the shifting walls.
"…Now we get reduced."
The corridor around them cracked.
Lines of light appeared across the stone.
Thin at first.
Then spreading.
Leon stepped back slightly.
"…That doesn't look friendly."
The cracks widened—
And the walls—
Opened.
Not into another corridor.
Not into another section of the maze.
Into void.
Endless.
Dark.
Silent.
The maze was breaking apart.
"No way…" Lira whispered.
Leon watched as entire sections of the arena simply disappeared—falling away into nothingness as if they had never existed.
"…They're cutting it down," he said.
Lira nodded slowly.
"…Only a fraction moves forward."
"…And the rest?"
Silence.
Leon exhaled.
"…Right."
The ground beneath them shook violently.
Then—
Stabilized.
What had once been a sprawling labyrinth—
Was now—
A platform.
Floating.
Surrounded by nothing.
Leon glanced around.
"…Well."
"…That's one way to clean things up."
But something else had changed.
They weren't alone anymore.
Figures stood across the platform now.
Some injured.
Some barely standing.
Some perfectly still—
Watching.
Counting.
Leon's eyes moved across them.
"…How many are left?"
Lira answered quietly.
"…Less than fifty."
Leon let out a low whistle.
"…From how many?"
"…Thousands."
Leon paused.
"…Efficient."
The voice returned.
"…Participants."
Everyone froze.
"…You have been evaluated."
A faint glow appeared beneath their feet.
Circular.
Precise.
"…Your survival was noted."
The circles pulsed.
"…Your potential has been measured."
Leon looked down at the light beneath him.
Then back up.
"…And now?"
The voice answered.
"…Now you will be chosen."
The glow intensified.
And then—
It split.
Some circles brightened.
Others—
Dimmed.
Leon's remained steady.
"…Huh."
Lira looked down at hers.
It flickered.
"…That's not good," she whispered.
Leon frowned slightly.
"…What happens if it dims?"
She didn't answer.
But someone else did.
A scream tore across the platform.
One of the participants—
A man standing near the edge—
His circle had gone dark.
Completely.
And then—
He disappeared.
No flash.
No sound.
Just—
Gone.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Leon's expression didn't change.
But his grip tightened slightly.
"…So that's how it works."
The voice continued.
"…Selection in progress."
More circles flickered.
More dimmed.
Another person vanished.
Then another.
Panic spread.
Some tried to run—
But there was nowhere to go.
Some attacked others—
Desperation overriding logic.
But it didn't matter.
The light beneath their feet—
Did not change.
"…It's not about fighting anymore," Leon said quietly.
Lira nodded.
"…No."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…Now it's about worth."
Leon exhaled.
"…Yeah."
He looked up.
High above—
Caelus Aurelion watched without expression.
"…Let's see," he murmured softly.
"…What you are worth."
Below—
Leon rolled his shoulders slightly.
"…I really don't like being judged."
His circle pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It changed.
Not brighter.
Not dimmer.
Different.
Lira saw it immediately.
Her eyes widened.
"…What is that?"
Leon looked down.
"…I don't know."
The light beneath him had shifted color.
From gold—
To something deeper.
Something unstable.
Something—
Wrong.
The voice paused.
For the first time.
"…Irregularity detected."
Every remaining participant froze.
Leon sighed.
"…Here we go again."
The light beneath him pulsed violently.
And for a brief moment—
The void around them—
Reacted.
Not to the trial.
Not to the selection.
To him.
High above—
Caelus Aurelion leaned forward sharply.
"…That shouldn't be possible."
Below—
Leon looked up.
And smiled faintly.
"…Guess I'm not on your list either."
The voice returned.
But now—
There was something different in it.
Not detachment.
Attention.
"…Subject identified."
A pause.
"…Designation: Variable."
Leon's smile widened slightly.
"…Yeah."
"…We've established that."
The platform trembled.
The selection—
Was no longer proceeding normally.
Because one participant—
Had just broken the system.