Ninjago: Amplified - The Illusive Labyrinth [Halloween Short Story]

[3] - The Ceaseless Maze

At last, the ground straightened, and they dropped into a new clearing. Aurora's breath was knocked from her lungs at the impact, and she dug her hands into the ground, forcing herself to halt.

The group groaned as they regained their senses, disoriented.

Aurora blinked her eyes in the pitch-black room, slowly recognizing their situation. She summoned another shield, brightening the area in a soft, silver light. Her attention swept back to her friends, who were sitting on the ground at her side.

"Everyone alright?" Aurora asked, to which her friends dizzily affirmed in unison.

The trapdoor clanged from above, closing off their exit. The light that once filtered in from the drop diminished completely, leaving Aurora's shield as their only light source. Aurora's element could only do so much– even with her shield's glow, it was extremely difficult to see.

"I think there's a torch here," Akiri announced, using her night vision to retrieve the item from the nearest wall. "If we can find a way to light it, then–"

As if on cue, the torch lit with an abrupt blue flame as it was pulled from its hanger.

"...That works too."

Aurora rubbed at her eyes, trying to get used to the new lighting. She unsummoned her shield as Akiri stepped before her, holding out a hand for her to take. Aurora accepted it thankfully, and her girlfriend helped her get back to her feet.

As the group stood from the ground, brushing themselves off, a new figure zipped into the air behind them.

"GUYS!" Eris beamed, relieved. "I'm SORRY!!! I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN, I SWEAR!!!"

"It's alright, Eris," Yuri comforted, rubbing at her sore arms. "We know you didn't mean it."

"Don't go pulling any more levers ever again." Onyx chided. "That was a bad idea."

"Again, last time, I swear!" Eris assured, crossing her heart. "But, hey! I could easily get you guys back there. All I need to do is open the trapdoor again!"

"But how would you get us back up??" Gold asked, pensive.

"I could find something!" Eris dismissed the question entirely. "Just hang tight. Lemmie get the door open, first!"

With that, the ghost phased through the wall, heading for the room above. The group waited in silence for a few heartbeats before she returned again, this time much less determined.

"Uhhhh... Okay, so... Problem."

"Let me guess," Onyx pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "The lever's stuck."

Eris pursed her lips into a tight line. Slowly, she nodded.

"Great." Onyx dragged a hand over her face, groaning into her palm. "Of course it is."

A familiar unease crept through Aurora's skin, but she forced it away with a scowl. Her friends needed her– now wasn't the time to get distracted by old fears.

"Well, at least we aren't stuck." She gestured over to the opposite side of the room, where two different pathways diverged from where they were standing. "I'm sure there's a way out somewhere."

The group grew quiet as Aurora led them through the first entryway. They trekked through a seemingly never-ending corridor, except this one was far emptier than those they'd seen on the surface. There were no signs of any sort of life down there– neither present or past. They were encompassed by nothing but cool, stone walls.

Aurora took a few turns when possible, but most of them had led to dead ends. It was only when they'd reached their third roadblock that Gold broke the silence.

"I... Think I know what this is." They confessed. "This isn't like the palace... This has to be a labyrinth."

"Labyrinth...?" Akiri echoed. "Why would that be?"

"Maybe they were trying to hide something down here?" Yuri guessed.

"Maybe." Gold nodded thoughtfully. "Either way, this place is likely designed to get intruders lost. It's too bad they didn't account for an android coming here."

"Now that I know what this place is, I can keep track." Gold tapped the side of their head with a grin. "We'll find the exit in no time."

An overwhelming relief spiked in Aurora's chest at the reassurance. When she realized it, however, she scolded herself.

Come on. Focus.

"You take the lead, Gold." Aurora stepped back, allowing the android passage. "At least, now that we're down here, we can figure out what's going on with this place."

Silence seeped back into the air as the group trudged on. The more twists and turns they took, the more Aurora's apprehension grew. Eventually, she couldn't force away the growing fear in her gut, her dim surroundings much too familiar for comfort...

That was when someone brushed against her shoulder. Akiri gently grabbed Aurora's hand in her own, giving it a soft squeeze.

Aurora forced a smile, though it was quick to fade. Although she hated to admit it, the possibility of being trapped made her more afraid than she anticipated...

However, Akiri's support was enough to drive her forward. The two stuck close to each other as time dragged on, and Akiri kept Aurora grounded without needing to say a word.

At last, they came across a room with three paths. Gold stopped them before they entered, going through their map in their head. Eris peeked into each entryway while they waited, her eyes settling on something in the last one.

"Hey! I think I see something!" She announced, intrigued. "It HAS to be this way!!"

"Eris, wait!" Gold urged. "We've gone through there before, it was a dead en–!"

But the ghost was confident in what she'd seen. She zipped into the next room, her voice shortly echoing from the opposite side.

"GUYS!!" She shouted. "YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THIS!!"

Although hesitant, the remainder of the group followed after her. Much to their surprise, they didn't stumble across a dead-end at all...

Instead, they were met with a huge, open clearing. More entryways than Aurora could count lined the walls, leading onto separate paths. A large circle was carved into the stone flooring, small patterns engraved into its lining.

If there truly was any hidden treasure stowed in the labyrinth, it would be kept there; but there were no chests, or even a single indicator of the room's purpose. Just like the rest of the maze, it was empty.

Gold's eyes grew wide with horror. Their gaze shot around their surroundings in disbelief, their previous certainty lost.

"We... We came this way before." They insisted. "It was a dead-end... But now..."

Aurora's heart sunk in her chest as the realization sunk in.

The labyrinth was changing.