Round 50 Transcript

Jeane's eyes focus on the source of the growl, her gaze scanning the darkness beyond Seraphine's shoulder. The air seems to vibrate with malevolent energy as a low, guttural voice echoes from deeper within the labyrinth: "The reflection within lies beyond." The words send a chill down Seraphine's spine, and she tightens her grip on her staff.

I shake my head, trying to clear the vision. Something's wrong with me—my thoughts are fragmented and dark urges surface that I can barely control. The pain in my thigh intensifies as I shift my weight. We need to move before whatever took root in me spreads. I grab a torch from our supplies and thrust it into Seraphine's hands. You keep watch behind us—I'll clear the path ahead. If anything touches you, scream loud enough to bring this whole cursed maze down around us. My voice is harsher than I intend, but there's no time for gentleness now.

As we move deeper, the passage narrows until my wings scrape against stone. Charming—my beautiful feathers are getting ruined in this dusty hellhole. I mutter, trying to maintain some semblance of control despite the chaos inside me. Focus on what's ahead, not what that vision showed you. The reflection's words echo in my mind: "The reflection within lies beyond." I have no idea what it means, but the dread clinging to them is real enough. Whatever possessed me feels like a festering wound in my thoughts—dark, hungry, and relentlessly whispering.

I take the torch from Jeane, my fingers brushing against hers for a brief, electric moment before she pulls away. Her touch feels different now—tighter, more urgent. A shiver runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the damp chill of this place. "Of course," I murmur, my voice almost lost in the sound of our own breathing and the distant dripping water.
I fall into step behind her, my staff held at the ready. The flickering light of the torch illuminates the rough-hewn walls, casting dancing shadows that seem to twist into nightmarish shapes. Every noise—a scuttle in the darkness, a groan from deep within the earth—makes me jump.
As we press onward, I can feel the weight of my robes, still damp from our earlier near-drowning. They cling to my skin, heavy and uncomfortable, but I push the discomfort aside. What matters now is getting out of here alive—and understanding what happened to Jeane. "Jeane?" I call out softly, my voice just loud enough to be heard over the constant low rumble of the labyrinth. "What did you see in that vision? When the reflection... entered you?"
My question hangs in the air between us, unanswered. The silence stretches, broken only by the sound of our footsteps and the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. I watch Jeane's back, the way her shoulders tense and relax with each step. There’s something new there—a tension that wasn’t present before. "Jeane?" I try again, more insistently this time.