A silence enveloped the space, broken only by the door sealing shut behind them. The room they entered was unlike any they had expected—a long, straight hallway lined with marble floors, its ceiling arching gracefully overhead. Another door, this one metal and intricately engraved, stood at the far end. Rows of light fixtures cast a warm glow, illuminating the corridor and the giant marble statues.

Ezra's eyes, initially drawn to the statues, shifted to the distant door. He felt an instinctive unease walking past the imposing stone figures.

Hato, whose intuition had always been sharp, felt a discomfort that went beyond the visual grandeur of the room. 

– Something's off, he murmured, his gaze scanning the surroundings. This isn't the labyrinth. Ezra, did you do something to the door when we passed through?

Ezra, still processing their new environment, shook his head. 

– No, I just walked in like you did. Why?

Hato's mind raced, here, when something doesn't go as planned, it's often a bad sign.

– Because this isn't where we're supposed to be. Something's altered our path. And the energy in this room... It's unnerving.

Yael, ever observant, added, 

– And these statues... they're not just decorative. There's a purpose to them. We need to be cautious.

As Ezra ventured further down the hallway, a pain suddenly gripped his stomach, a stark reminder of his physical limits. He paused beside a statue, to catch his breath.

Without warning, the room shuddered, the lights dimming ominously. The distant metal door seemed to melt into the wall, vanishing from sight. Before Ezra could react, the statues around them began to crack and crumble, their fragments falling heavily to the floor.

From the rubble, creatures started to form—first collapsing under their own weight, then gradually becoming more stable. The powdery rock dust gathered and solidified, giving life to these beings.

The first fully formed creature let out a guttural scream, its mouth twisted in a grotesque snarl as it lunged towards Ezra.

Hato shouted, 

– Everyone move away from the statuses ! 

Ezra darted back, narrowly avoiding a massive stone shard hurled at him. The impact of the shard left a crater in the wall—a testament to the creature's strength.

He regained his footing just in time to see another creature rising, while others continued to assemble behind him. In that moment of distraction, Ezra felt a searing pain on his side, the force of the blow sending him crashing against the wall.

Gasping for breath, Ezra struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. His vision blurred, his mind raced. He had never faced anything like this— He was in his comfortable world and now he is in hell, what the fuck is this place?

No time for questions—another attack was imminent. Ezra dodged, his back to the creatures a certain death sentence. He needed a plan, and fast.

As a third creature, leaner and brandishing a sword, joined the fray, their situation grew more dire. The sword-wielder charged, while the first creature launched another boulder.

The massive rock careening through the room with a thunderous roar. The floor buckled under the impact, and Ezra was pinned against the marble, buried under cold rubble. His lungs struggled for air, blood filling his mouth.

As the world around him began to blur, tears streamed down his face, though no sound escaped his lips. A chilling cold enveloped him, his thoughts drifting to a desire for warmth, for the comfort of a blanket. There was no pain, only a numbing coldness that threatened to pull him into darkness.

Hato and Yael, witnessing their new ally's dire situation, sprang into action. Hato, with his strategic mind, shouted, 

– Yael, distract the sword creature! I'll get Ezra!

Yael moved swiftly, engaging the sword-wielder in a deadly dance, drawing its attention away from Ezra. Meanwhile, Hato dashed toward the pile of rubble, his heart racing as he began to frantically clear the stones off Ezra.

– Stay with us ! Hato yelled, his voice a mix of determination and fear.

He managed to free Ezra from the rubble. 

Hato carefully laid Ezra to the side, away from the immediate danger.

– Yael, there's something off here, he remarked, concern evident in his voice. Ezra has already passed out, yet he somehow disrupted a portal. It doesn't add up.

Yael approached them, rolling up his sleeves with a resigned expression. 

– Why do I always end up getting dragged into your troubles?

Hato allowed himself a brief, wry smile before his tone turned grave. 

– Regardless, we're going to have to give it our all if we want to get out of here... alive.

The statues, now nearly all animated, began to move ominously in their direction.

Yael took the lead, his stature imposing. With a subtle gesture, a shimmering barrier materialized around him, activating his rune. It was as if the air itself had condensed to protect him. 

As a massive stone fist crashed against Yael’s barrier, the energy rippled and rebounded, sending vibrations back towards the attacker. The creature staggered, revealing a momentary vulnerability that Hato exploited. He moved with an almost supernatural agility due to his rune's enhancement. 

He appeared suddenly beside the creature, delivering a precise strike to its weakened point before vanishing into thin air. To an onlooker, it would seem as though he anticipated each attack, slipping away from the creatures’ grasp mere moments before contact.

Yael shifted his position, his barrier flexing and adapting to each new angle of attack. When a creature lunged at him from the side, Yael’s barrier expanded, repelling the attack and creating an opening for Hato to strike.

Hato and Yael's synergy turned the battle into a deadly dance, a constant flow of attack and defense.

However, the creatures' strength was overwhelming. Each blow that landed on Yael's barrier drained more of his energy, the effort of maintaining it against such relentless assault growing increasingly difficult. Hato’s swift strikes were effective, but the sheer number of creatures meant he was constantly on the move, his stamina being tested to its limits.

Despite their skill and coordination, the tide of the battle began to turn against them. A creature, larger and more menacing than the others, joined the fray, its strikes heavy enough to make even Yael’s barrier shudder. Hato’s attempts to outmaneuver it were met with aggressive, sweeping attacks that pushed him back.

Ezra, despite his blurry vision, could see the fight. The creatures were unnaturally strong, their blows resonating throughout the room.

In a critical moment, one of Yael’s barriers finally shattered under a particularly vicious assault. The shockwave sent him reeling backwards, his breath ragged. Hato, seeing his companion falter, darted to his side, but the distraction cost him. A creature seized the opportunity, landing a heavy blow that sent Hato sprawling.

As they regrouped, battered and breathless, Hato's eyes met Yael's. 

– We're completely outmatched, he said, a mix of frustration and realization in his voice. 

– This... this isn't part of the selection.

Yael nodded, his expression grim. 

– Tell me you have an idea how to get out of here

Hato's mind raced as he scanned their surroundings, searching desperately for an escape route or a tactical advantage. 

– We need to change our strategy. If we can't overpower them, we need to outsmart them.

Yael, despite his exhaustion, focused intently on Hato. 

– What do you suggest?

Hato pointed to the chamber's ceiling, where small fissures were visible. 

–The ceiling seems to be weakened, if we can redirect one of their attacks to a sensitive point...

Yael's eyes widened at the audacity of the plan. 

– Collapse the chamber? That could bury us too.

– It's a chance we have to take, Hato replied, his voice steady despite the danger of their situation. 

– Help me target the weakest points. Keep your energy at all cost, your barriers will protect us from the collapse.

Hato, utilizing his heightened sense of detection, identified the weakest points in the structure. 

– There, and there, he pointed out, his voice cutting through the cacophony of battle. We target those areas.

Yael nodded, understanding Hato's plan. They needed to turn the creatures' strength against them. The two prepared to execute a strategy that required precision and perfect timing.

Hato, with his heightened senses from the detection rune, began to read the movements of the nearest stone creature, a colossal figure wielding a massive stone arm. 

– Yael, I'll draw its attack. Get ready to use your barrier at the right moment, Hato instructed, his voice steady despite the rising tension.

Yael positioned himself a few steps away, his eyes were fixed on him, waiting for the precise moment to deploy his barrier.

Hato dashed towards the creature, his movements swift and calculated. He was like a shadow, weaving in and out of the creature's range, deliberately edging closer to the spot beneath the weakened ceiling. Every step, drawing the creature's attention and guiding its fury exactly where they needed it.

As Hato predicted, the creature raised its massive arm for a crushing blow. Hato's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge just in time, but he wasn't the target. His real aim was to position the creature so that its attack would be directed upwards.

– Yael, now ! Redirect it ! Hato shouted as he rolled away from the creature's reach.

In perfect synchronization, Yael activated his barrier rune. The energy field materialized just as the creature's arm came thundering down. Instead of striking Hato, the massive limb hit Yael’s barrier with an immense force. The barrier, acting like a ramp, redirected the creature’s attack upwards, towards the ceiling's fragile spot.

The impact was monumental. The creature's stone arm, combined with the redirected force from Yael’s barrier, struck the ceiling with a resounding crash. Cracks propagated rapidly across the stone overhead, dust and debris beginning to shower down.

Yael’s barrier flickered and cracked under the strain, but it held long enough for the ceiling to weaken significantly. With a groan of stressed stone, large chunks began to dislodge. The statues, caught in the path of the falling debris, broke apart, their rocky forms crumbling under the onslaught of the collapsing ceiling.

Realizing their strategy had worked but also put them in immediate danger, Hato rushed to Yael’s side. The two braced for the impact, Yael trying to shield both of them as best as he could. As the ceiling gave way with a deafening roar, a deluge of stone and rubble poured down. Yael's barrier that had managed to protect them ended up shattering completely, its energy finally exhausted. Yael, spent from the effort, tried to rise, to continue the fight, but his body betrayed him. With a last look filled with unspoken words of apology towards Hato, he succumbed to his exhaustion, collapsing into unconsciousness.

The air was thick with dust and the sound of destruction, the chamber turning into a scene of chaos.

From beneath the debris, to Hato's horror, he witnessed a scene that defied belief. The stone creatures, despite the destruction wrought upon them, began to reform. Pieces of marble and stone, broken and scattered by the collapse, started to move, drawn together by some unseen force. Slowly, the creatures reassembled themselves, their forms emerging once more from the rubble, seemingly undeterred by the catastrophe that had befallen the chamber.

Hato was now alone. He didn't even have time to think that he had to move with his remaining strength. But without Yael's support, the odds were overwhelmingly against him.

As he engaged one of the creatures, it extended its arm with a speed that belied its size, the air whistling ominously as it moved. Hato, reacting instinctively, absorbed the impact with his feet, bending his knees to lessen the force. He was propelled into the air, and in that vulnerable moment, he realized his critical error.

The creatures were not only powerful but intelligent. The piercing eyes of the creature locked onto him, clearly having anticipated his move. Hato, now suspended helplessly in mid-air, was defenseless. He saw the creature's arm swing with a lethal precision, and before he could react, the blow connected.

The force of the impact sent Hato hurtling against the wall. The world spun around him, a whirlwind of pain and disorientation. His vision blurred, then, everything went black, and he slumped to the ground, joining Yael in the realm of unconsciousness.

The chamber fell silent but for the sound of the stone creatures moving slowly, almost purposefully, around the fallen warriors. The battle was over, and the eerie quiet that followed was a stark contrast to the chaos that had just ensued. In the midst of this desolation, Ezra lay injured and helpless, the only conscious witness to the valiant but ultimately futile stand of his newfound companions.

In the eerie silence of the chamber, as the stone creatures loomed over the unconscious forms of Hato and Yael, poised to deliver a final, crushing blow, an abrupt and inexplicable shift occurred.

One moment, the air was thick with the imminent threat of destruction, and the next, it was as if reality itself had stuttered. The creatures, mid-motion, seemed to freeze, their deadly intentions halted by an unseen force. The atmosphere in the room shifted, charged with a strange, palpable energy that defied understanding.

Ezra, barely conscious and unable to move, could only watch in a dazed stupor. His vision, blurred and fading, caught a glimpse of a figure appearing seemingly out of nowhere—a blur in the fabric of the chamber.

Before he could process what was happening, the figure moved with an impossible speed and grace, a dance through time and space that was over before it even began. In the blink of an eye, the figure reached Hato and Yael, their bodies enveloped in a shimmering aura that seemed to warp the air around them.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the strange stasis broke. The stone creatures, now motionless and inert, crumbled into dust, as if their time had abruptly run out. The entire sequence of events was disorienting, leaving Ezra struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

The mysterious figure turned towards Ezra, their face obscured and their presence enigmatic. In that brief moment, Ezra felt an inexplicable connection, as if this person was someone he was destined to meet. But before he could reach out or speak, darkness claimed him, and he slipped into unconsciousness, the enigmatic savior his last fading thought.