Roenan awoke to the sound of his parents’ laughter. He bolted upright despite the throbbing ache in his head.

"Mom?" he rasped, squinting as he pressed his fingers to his temples. He slowly opened his eyes, and his vision rippled in static-like waves, distorting everything around him. His body felt heavy, and when he tried to move, his limbs responded sluggishly.

The laughter echoed again, distant then loud, fading in and out like a haunting melody. "Dad?"

"Roenan," came his mother’s voice, close, as if right behind his ear. "You have to keep up with us."

Roenan's gaze snapped over his shoulder toward the voice, but the only thing he saw was empty space. Panic tightened in his chest, and he quickly turned the other way, gasping.

There, in front of him, stood his parents, just at the edge of what looked like a large maze made of towering stone walls that crawled with ivy.

"Please, keep up with us. We must always stick together. Nothing is more important." his mother’s voice echoed from behind him, though he kept his gaze fixed on her ahead. Her words felt like they were coming from two places at once—disorienting and surreal.

Roenan glanced down at the tiled ground he was sitting on, but when he moved his hands across it’s slick-looking surface, it felt like he was running his fingers through carpet.

Confused and desperate, he pushed himself to his feet, determined to reach his parents. But as he moved forward, they vanished into the maze’s entrance, their laughter fading behind them.

"Wait!" Roenan shouted after them, but they were already gone.

He sprinted through the entrance and skidded to a halt. His gaze darted frantically to the left and right, his breath shuddering loudly in his ears. He glimpsed the ends of his mother's dark-brown hair disappearing around a corner and shot forward after her, when he suddenly fell through the floor, landing roughly on his back.

He let out a long breath and sat up, shaking his head to clear the confusion. He was staring at the entrance of the maze from the exact spot where he'd been sitting just moments ago.

"How...?" he whispered quietly, before quickly snapping back to focus.

With little hesitation, he pushed off the ground again and ran back through the entrance, retracing the steps he had jsut taken. "Mom! Dad!" Roenan yelled as he sprinted through the maze. He made erratic lefts and rights, but each path ended in a dead end, forcing him to constantly backtrack. He brushed his hands against the ivy walls for support, but it felt like he was running his hands through ice-cold water.

"What's happening?" His own voice echoed in the maze, though he hadn't spoken the words.

Suddenly, a soft laugh, unmistakably his mother's, floated toward him from the right. He ran toward the sound, but as he made a left turn, his mother appeared before him—holding a gun, pointing it directly at him. His father lay at her feet, a pool of blood spreading around his body.

"No!" Roenan yelled, instinctively raising his hands to shield himself. Two shots rang out, the bangs piercing his ears. He flinched, falling backward, his eyes squeezing shut as he gasped for breath. He landed hard on his back once more.

When he opened his eyes, he was staring up at the ceiling. He lolled his head to the side and realized he was back in the same spot, in front of the maze. He sat up slowly, before reluctantly looking toward the entrance again.

His lips parted slightly, and his eyes shot wide.

Drakke was standing at the entrance, leaning casually against the hedge. He was dressed in his school uniform, studying Roenan, with a smirk that was slowly spreading across his features. He pointed behind himself with a thumb and said, "I heard a certain someone's sister is at the end of this thing. Want to help me find the exit? Could be kinda fun." He winked with a laugh before turning and walking in, disappearing just as his parents had.

Roenan hesitated, the paranoia creeping in this time. He felt edgy as he slowly approached the entrance, his eyes darting around. Was this an illusion? He didn't know what to believe anymore.

Roenan stayed frozen, his breathing shallow, and his eyes locked on the entrance. He didn’t trust it anymore—the maze felt like a trap. His skin prickled as he instinctively stepped back.

Drakke suddenly appeared from around the left hedge, his grin wide and bright. “You coming or what?” he called, voice playful—but off, like two versions of him were speaking at once, one just slightly out of sync. “Unless you’d rather stay out here... alone?”

He flashed a sideways smirk and vanished again, leaving the hedge rippling behind him like disturbed water.

Roenan’s stomach twisted.

"Drakke..." Roenan called hesitantly, uncertainty tightening his throat as he stepped past the threshold.

He glanced left and saw Drakke walking away with his hands clasped behind his back, throwing a glance over his shoulder.

"I found something that I want you to see," he said.

"Drakke, wait!" Roenan begged, but he was already rounding another corner.

"I'm waiting!" Drakke's voice echoed back, sing-song and distant.

He walked down the row and turned right—only to be forced into another sharp turn. At the end of the corridor stood Drakke, a cigarette tucked between his lips. He took a slow drag, eyes fixed on Roenan, then pulled it away with two fingers, exhaling a lazy trail of smoke. Without breaking eye contact, he flicked the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under the toe of his polished black school shoe.

“Slow as ever, I see,” he muttered. “How are you ever gonna keep up like that?” He let out a short, amused hum, then turned and slipped behind the hedge to Roenan’s left, vanishing from sight once again.

Roenan ran over to where Drakke had been standing. He looked down at the spot where he had dropped the cigarette, but instead, he found a rolled-up playing card. Kneeling down, he picked it up and began to unravel it, only to realize there were actually two cards. The two sixes from the hospital.

"Those are our favors, remember?" Drakke's voice called out from somewhere to the right again. "You said you'd trust me. And I have something I want you to see."

Roenan dropped the cards onto the tile, and they shattered like broken viles. His heart pounded as he walked forward, then turned right again. But Drakke wasn’t at the end of the path anymore.

He pushed forward, running down the row and veering left. He reached another junction, where he could either go right or left again. Yet, no matter which way he glanced, there was still no sign of Drakke.

"Hey, say something." Roenan demanded.

His chest tightened at the sound of Drakke’s voice, which seemed to come from all around him. “What, you’ve lost me already?” the voice teased, playful but mocking. Roenan had to decide which way to go, but he didn't want to end up at the start again. He already had made it this far in. Drakke’s voice continued, as though it were coming from ahead, behind, or maybe even within his own mind. “What direction do you associate me with most?”

Roenan’s pulse quickened, and his mind raced. "You always took the bed to my right in the hospital."

Drakke’s voice chuckled in response, as if he were right there with Roenan, but still just out of reach. “Ah, an intereseting choice,” he said, the light-hearted edge never leaving his tone. “Let’s pretend like this is hospital, then."

Roenan was about to step to the right when he froze. His mind flashed to what had always been to his left in the hospital. Without thinking twice, he spun on his heels and sprinted left, his heartbeat now hammering in his ears. He rounded the corner, taking the sharp left, and found himself staring down at Saive, who was lying on the ground, inside a small, square-shaped cove at a dead end.

"Saive!" he breathed, surging forward and sliding on his knees to reach his side.

He touched his arm lightly, and Saive’s eyes snapped open as he sucked in a sharp breath.

Roenan jerked his hand back, pulling it away quickly. "Shit... is it really you?" he whispered, his voice shaking.

Saive's eyes were distant, caught in the ascension, and Roenan hesitated to touch him again, unsure if what he was seeing was real. He sat down beside him, his gaze fixed on Saive's face, studying it closely. For a few minutes, he simply watched, his mind drifting to a memory that had been haunting him recently.

"I never told you this because I figured you'd just call me an idiot or something… but I remember this one time in Jaeda," Roenan began, his voice soft and a little distant. "My parents took me to that spot in Naira, the one with the purple butterflies. You know the spot I'm talking about, right? I don't think know a Jaedan who hasn't gone at least once. The butterflies only come during the spring season. And, it was also before the war, obviously everything was easier back then.” His hand hovered a little over Saive’s, unsure if he should make contact.

"I remember this tour group passing by, full of kids. The supervisors were obviously frustrated—they were outnumbered, three of them to about twenty-five kids, and the kids were running wild, making a mess. But there was this one boy who stood out to me. He was so small, with the dark hair and those striking silver eyes. He was the most quintessential looking Jaedan I'd ever seen. I mean, he was special—really special. In the middle of all the chaos, a butterfly fluttered down and landed right on his nose and he crossed his eyes and stared at it. Then all off the sudden, lifted off and fluttered away. But, I swear to you, that butterfly was as drawn to him, like anyone would be. It’s why I never forgot him. And you know, the first time I saw you, I thought of that boy. Do you think it's possible we've crossed paths before? Do you think we were brought back together through some type of fate?"

"Roenan," Saive rasped, his voice cutting through Roenan’s tangled thoughts.

Roenan startled, blinking as if pulled from a dream. He hadn’t realized Saive was awake—hadn’t even noticed he’d been speaking aloud. His gaze drifted down, locking with the pair of weary silver eyes now watching him.

"Is it really you?" he whispered quietly, with disbelief.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Saive croaked, his voice hoarse but steady. "And quit touching me."

Roenan startled, glancing down to find his hand resting lightly over Saive’s.

"Ah—" He jerked it back as if burned, rocking onto his heels. "Gods, it is you... I'm really glad."

A breath escaped him, shaky and unrestrained, the weight in his chest loosening.

They were quiet for a moment. Roenan was staring at the lining of the bush next to him and it seemed to be rolling. He cocked his head to the side as it started turning into a brighter green color, but when he blinked it was a natural color again.

"This place is really funny." Roenan said, suddenly turning to look at Saive again, his gaze intense. "Hey, can I see your tag really quick?" he asked, his voice sharp. "The one they gave you at the office. There's something I want to see." His fingers twitched, as if eager to get the answers, but he forced himself to stay still, waiting for Saive's response.

Saive looked at Roenan, exhaustion etched across his face, but he obediently pulled aside his collar to reveal the tag. Roenan’s eyes scanned it quickly, and his breath caught in his chest when he saw the word "Jaeda" etched into the bottom of the small, metal plate. His heart skipped a beat.

"We're drugged," Saive said quietly, breaking the silence.

Roenan stared at him. "What?"

"Especially you. And we’re trapped in a room with a maze built inside of it. I've been attempting to wait it out after the drugs faded enough for me to realize what I was experiencing wasn't reality."

Roenan’s mind raced. "So nothing I’ve experienced has been real?"

"Unlikely," Saive replied.

"Are you?" Roenan suddenly asked.

Saive shot him an impatience glare.

Roenan let out an short, embarassed laugh and rubbed his neck. He suddenly recalled the moment after he ran through the door, and the strange pinch in his arm. "After the office..."

"Yeah." Saive confirmed, weakly.

Roenan felt his heart sink as pieces clicked together.

Saive glanced up to meet Roenan’s eyes. “This is just the beginning,” he said, closing his eyes tightly as if battling a sudden wave of pain. “What comes next is the worst part.”

Roenan swallowed hard, tilting his head and frowning. Then, his expression shifted—his frown giving way to a sudden look of shock.

“Wait… Saive… don’t tell me…” His voice faltered as he stared down in horror. “Don't tell me that... you’ve already been through this before?”

Saive opened his eyes just enough to flash a silver glimpse beneath his lashes. His expression remained unreadable as he lifted one frail hand to rub at his temple.

“I can’t believe it,” Roenan muttered, shaking his head. Then, with desperation, he looked back at Saive. “Do you remember how to get out of this thing?” he asked quickly.

Instead of responding, Saive’s posture stiffened.

"What was that?" he demanded urgently, his eyes wide open and scanning.

"What was what?" Roenan asked, suddenly alarmed, glancing nervously toward where Saive was looking.

“Shh!” He hissed.

And then Roenan heard it—a low, guttural snarling from just beyond the hedge behind Saive. His blood ran cold.

Saive bolted upright, suddenly alert. “They’re driving us out,” he said sharply. “We have to get to the end. Go!"