TT didn’t say a word after that. He didn’t know history that well, and everything she said was news for him. No one he knew died from the demons. He never left Zayah, and he never even been near a demon himself before. Also, he felt bad for her losing her mother, but wasn’t mature enough to find words to say.

  Liz was out of breath. After she collected herself, they returned, walking down the corridors, lost in the maze.

  This huge fight made them not talk for the next few hours of the long trip.

  After that, their restless adventure continued. They faced a couple more traps: some looked the same as before but with a different pattern, and the new one was rows of mirrors on the ceiling, floor, and walls. Some would block the way; they moved around and shaped the corridor. They were designed to split groups, but were easy to pass.

  Aside from those, they also ran through the strange corridors where, at a certain point, the wall would slide down, blocking their way back. That happened more frequently over the past couple of hours.

  They also meet many other participants throughout the trial. Some were in groups like TT’s new friends, some were lone explorers reliant on their own strength, and some just passed them without saying a single word.

  One hour remaining.

  “I think we’re going in circles,“ Liz noticed.

  Suddenly, TT dropped to the floor.

  “Get up. We have less than an hour left, no mere time to rest.” Liz tried to convince him to keep moving, but he just took off his backpack and dropped in next to him.

  “I’m giving up,” murmured TT.

  “WHAT?” Liz shouted.

  “To be honest, I’ve never got past the first stage, for all of the forty years I hadn’t been able to find the way out of the labyrinth.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? Before I walked alongside for twenty-three hours.”

  “It's too embarrassing to admit.”

  Liz was breathing rapidly, her head felt light, and she grabbed her chest with her shaking hands. She was about to drop to the ground and cry her eyes out. She couldn’t believe this was the end.

  All those years of preparation wasted on this stupid, random exam, in this stupid, random maze, with this stupid, decrepit man.

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  Meanwhile, TT was sitting on the floor, relaxed. He used his power to conjure a magical thread out of thin air, made from his Source. Then he took two knitting needles out of his backpack and began creating a foundation row for his new piece.

  Liz felt drained after the never-ending day and waited for the world to stop spinning. She tiredly lifted her head and watched TT with empty eyes. Suddenly, her eyes widened briefly, causing her eyebrows to raise. In one word, eureka.

  “Wait, what is that?” Liz pointed her finger like a little child who witnessed a wild animal for the first time.

  “Oh, that is… see, knitting helps me to relax.”

  “No, what is this... is it like some sort of magical thread?”

  “Yeah,” he sighed softly, “I know. My powers are nothing to be proud about.”

  “No…” she swallowed, “you don’t understand, they are perfect!”

  TT raised his one brow, staring at Liz. Dumbfounded by her mood swings. He wondered what was on her mind.

  “I have an idea,” Liz was holding her head with both hands, “what if we tied your thread to something and used it to track our route? This way, we will never be walking in circles and find the way out of the maze.” She spoke rapidly, but TT tried his best to keep up with her.

  Still keeping strong eye contact with Liz, he looked down at his hands holding a future piece, then looked back at her, with his jaw dropped. The moment of clarity blew him away.

  Why have I never even thought about it?

  "What about the walls, though? The one that closes behind and cuts you off, wouldn't it ruin everything?" he asked.

  "Not really, we'll just reset the starting point and continue with the plan?"

  Liz was radiating with confidence. The only thing that was worrying her was the time.

  “We gotta move now if we want to finish on time. Tie your thread to something… like that,” she pointed at the metal bracket that was tightly holding the torch on the wall.

  TT rushed up, but he forgot he wasn’t eighteen anymore. He lost his vision for a moment, and his head became dizzy from all of the blood rushing to his brain. He leaned on the wall with his hand and took a deep breath.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “Just give me a second.”

  Thirty minutes remaining.

  They were storming through the labyrinth like maniacs. Almost out of breath but never stopping, determined to find the way out.

  Every time they hit a dead end, they would return and try the other way. As they approached one of the dead ends, they found the same group they briefly traveled with. Luke, Leia, and Han were sitting on the floor, defeated.

  “We should help them,” murmured TT.

  “Fine, just keep moving, we're almost out of time.”

  Twenty minutes remaining.

  Rushing through the maze, they picked up more people in search of the exit.

  Five minutes remaining.

  Liz was begging. Please, please, please be there.

  One minute remaining.

  TT was out of breath, about to collapse at any given moment. They saw that the corridor in front of them was taking a sharp turn. When Liz reached the turn, she saw the light at the end of the tunnel. She couldn’t believe it. There it was, the exit.

  “THERE IT IS!” she shouted on top of her lungs.

  Everyone began running faster than they ever had before, running as if their life depended on it.

  FIVE

  FOUR

  THREE

  TWO

  ONE

  The whole mob that was following TT and Liz had made it. Liz was lying on the fresh grass, her lungs were burning, and she thought:

  We finally made it.