The darkness of the chamber was absolute, yet Beowulf could feel the Labyrinth breathing. The walls were shifting, sliding with the sound of grinding tectonic plates. Slowly, the floor beneath him began to glow—not with fire, but with a cold, pale phosphorescence that revealed the hall had grown ten times its previous size.
Beowulf stood in the center of a colossal rotunda. High above, the ceiling was no longer stone; it was a swirling vortex of nebulas and stars that didn't belong to his world.
Then, the golden eye of Odin didn't just appear in his mind—it manifested in the physical world. A massive, burning iris of solar fire opened in the sky of the rotunda, casting long, distorted shadows across the marble.
— "The pestilence has been purged," the All-Father's voice boomed, vibrating through Beowulf's very marrow. "The Architect is gone. But his Labyrinth remains... a temple for a new purpose."
Beowulf looked down at his bloodied hands. The smoking golden ichor was still there, but it began to behave strangely. It didn't dry; it started to crawl toward his palms, forming intricate, glowing symbols on his skin.
— "You have been a loyal beast, Beowulf. But a hound is only as good as the prey it catches. Now, the hunt changes. I have reached into the streams of Time itself, plucking the finest predators from the annals of existence. You are no longer alone."
Around the rotunda, massive archways began to open. Each led into a different wing of the infinite maze. Beowulf felt a sudden, sharp prick in his neck. A series of golden runes materialized in his field of vision, hovering like dust motes in a beam of light.
[ BLOOD TRIBUTES: 1 ]
[ RANK: CHATTEL ]
— "The Laws of the Carrefour are simple, written in the blood of the fallen," Odin's voice grew colder, more distant.
I. THE LAW OF THE DIVIDE:"There is only one pool of Divinity. For every warrior who breathes in this maze, the favor of Asgard is split. To grow stronger, the others must wither. If you share the path, you share the power. If you stand alone, the power is yours."
II. THE LAW OF THE GRAFT:
"Your flesh is a vessel. It is weak. It is mortal. Earn your Tributes by slaying the aberrations of the maze—or the heroes of the past. Exchange these Tributes at the Altar of Roots to rewrite your being. Discard your humanity; embrace the divine machine."
III. THE LAW OF THE LAST ASCENT:
"Only the one who stands upon the mountain of the dead shall see the gates of Valhalla. The rest are but mortar for the walls."
As the last law echoed, a heavy stone pedestal rose from the floor in front of Beowulf. It was made of twisted, petrified wood—a fragment of Yggdrasil. On it lay a pulsating, blackened object that looked like a heart made of obsidian and thorns.
[ FIRST TRIBUTE REWARD: "SHARD OF THE ARCHITECT'S CLAW" ]
[ COST: 1 POINT ]
[ EFFECT: PERMANENT GRAFT – BONE CALCIFICATION ]
— "Decide, Limier," the voice whispered, now fading into the stars. "Will you remain a man of meat and bone, or will you become the monster I need you to be? The Spartan is already hunting. The Hound of Ulster is already howling. The game has begun."
Beowulf stared at the obsidian heart. He could feel the presence of others—powerful, ancient souls—waking up in the far corners of the Labyrinth. The silence was gone. The maze was now a slaughterhouse of legends.
He reached out his hand toward the graft.