The Labyrinth City was far too silent when we returned to the surface. After descending into the forbidden memories and uncovering the truth about the giant sleeping beneath the streets, even the wind seemed to hesitate before slipping between the buildings. Rai'kanna walked ahead, eyes alert for any distortion in the path. Elara followed close behind, trying to recover the little mana she had left after the battle in the Living Library. Vespera held her bow with forced confidence, as if trying to look steadier than she truly was. Liriel, exhausted, kept a faint light in her hands, nearly fading.
Lyannis stayed close to me the entire way. It was clear she was trying to understand what I was feeling. The flame inside me had remained restless ever since the moment the book revealed the Living Core and the fragment of flame taken from it. That wasn't just history. It was something that involved me directly.
When we reached the central square of the shifting city, the Collector was already waiting for us. As always, he seemed out of place, as if he belonged neither to that world nor to any other. His extravagant clothes, filled with small bells and golden chains, clashed with the dull tone of the square. His eyes, however, were what drew the most attention: they shone as if reflecting something no one else could see.
He opened a smile that carried no real emotion.
"I see you've returned. And I can feel that you didn't come back empty-handed."
Rai'kanna stared at him coldly. "We found what we were looking for."
"Yes… I can sense it." The Collector tilted his head, observing each of us, but especially me. "The five keys are gathered, aren't they?"
Elara took a deep breath, exhausted. "And what do you intend to do with them?"
"Use them, of course." The answer came as if it were obvious. "The city has a mechanism built to respond to the keys. You know that now, I imagine."
Liriel narrowed her eyes. "The city is a weapon. Or part of something greater. You knew from the beginning."
"Knowing is a strong word," he said, smiling again. "Let's say I… suspected."
Vespera raised her bow, even knowing she would probably miss if she had to shoot. "You're not going to put the entire city at risk just to satisfy your curiosity."
"Curiosity?" The Collector laughed, far too lightly for someone talking about destroying or awakening something colossal. "No, my dear archer. I want control. I want answers. I want memory. This city holds secrets that predate time itself. And I want to access them."
Lyannis tightened her grip on my arm, worried. "Takumi… he's serious."
"I know."
The Collector extended his hand toward me, as if we were about to seal a trivial agreement.
"Give me the keys."
The flame inside me reacted so fast it caught me by surprise. Heat ran through my arm, as if it wanted to push him away.
Rai'kanna stepped forward. "We're not giving you anything. We don't trust you."
"You don't need to trust me." The bells on his clothes jingled with the movement. "You only need to obey. The city is awakening. You've noticed that, haven't you? It already feels your flame, boy. It stirs because of you."
I clenched my teeth. "I didn't awaken anything."
"Not yet."
Liriel raised the light, despite clearly being at her limit. "If you try to force something with those keys, the city may react. The giant could awaken. We don't know what it's capable of."
"I do."
That answer froze everyone's blood.
The Collector continued:
"The Labyrinth City was not built for war. It was created to guard. To protect. To preserve something so powerful that it had to sleep for ages. The giant is part of the city, just as you are pieces moved to activate the board. The keys are the heart of that mechanism. With them, I can awaken what I need."
Rai'kanna tightened her grip on the spear. "And what exactly do you need to awaken?"
For the first time, the Collector let a serious look slip.
"Consciousness."
A heavy silence fell.
He finished:
"The giant is not just a weapon. It is a thinking being, created to record, judge, and balance worlds. But without the true flame, it is incomplete. Asleep. Useless."
I felt the flame vibrate, restless, as if it had heard something familiar in that statement.
Vespera spoke before I could react: "So you want to use Takumi to awaken a monster that can crush the entire city?"
"Monster?" The Collector shook his head, disappointed. "Never call a superior force a monster. You simply don't understand. What sleeps beneath this city is not destruction. It is purpose."
Elara, almost out of mana, still gathered the strength to speak: "And if that purpose is to kill everyone?"
"Then it will. And I will accept it."
Rai'kanna snapped. "You're insane."
"Possibly."
He extended his hand again.
"The keys, Takumi."
The flame burned fiercely inside me. It was as if an external energy were trying to pull it away. I took a step back instinctively.
"I won't give them to you."
The Collector sighed, as if he had expected the answer. "Then you force me to do this the hard way."
The city reacted at that very instant.
The streets trembled like plates being rearranged. Buildings shifted position. Shadows slid along the walls. And beneath the ground, the deep rumble of something colossal echoed—like a giant heartbeat.
A muffled roar reverberated throughout the entire city.
Lyannis froze on the spot. "Takumi… that was…"
"I know."
Liriel took two steps back, terrified. "He's trying to awaken parts of the giant without the keys. He's going to collapse the city."
The Collector merely smiled.
"I only need it to wake up… enough to ask for the rest."
Rai'kanna spread her wings, ready to attack. "We won't let you touch anything."
"You can try."
The shadows behind him moved, as if the city were being forced to serve his command. Several distorted forms emerged—creatures made of stone, light, and twisted memories.
Vespera swallowed hard. "Great. They're ugly. And probably tough. And I'm going to miss all of them."
Elara raised her hand, mana wavering. "I'll try to hold at least some of them…"
Liriel prepared the faint light, despite the obvious exhaustion.
Rai'kanna raised her spear, steady.
I took a deep breath.
The flame burned, hot and determined.
The Collector chuckled softly.
"Let's see, Takumi… how much of that flame truly belongs to you."
And the shadows advanced.