The ground beneath me keeps sinking.

  Slowly at first.

  Then faster.

  The mud around my legs thickens, pulling me deeper with every passing second. It feels alive somehow, like it wants me there. Like it is happy to swallow me whole.

  On my left, the fire crawls closer. Its flames lick across the dark ground, moving slowly but steadily toward me.

  On my right, the black veins spread further. Thin strands of darkness slither across the floor like living wires searching for something to attach themselves to.

  Searching for me.

  I do not move.

  I barely even breathe.

  My body feels heavy, like the will to fight has been drained out of me.

  A quiet thought drifts through my mind.

  You know… I thought if I died, it would be in a cooler way than this.

  Not here.

  Not in some empty dark place where nobody will ever know what happened.

  If I was going to die, I imagined something different.

  Something almost peaceful.

  A funeral.

  A quiet cemetery somewhere with green grass and trees. A stone with my name carved into it. My mom and dad standing there with flowers in their hands. Maybe some of my friends too.

  They would talk about me.

  Remember me.

  Say their goodbyes.

  I swallow hard.

  But if I die here…

  No one will even know.

  No grave.

  No goodbye.

  No memory.

  And maybe that would be better.

  Maybe everyone would be better off if they just forgot about me.

  My eyelids begin to feel heavier.

  The mud creeps further up my legs.

  The fire inches closer.

  The darkness stretches its thin wires toward my chest.

  Then something appears.

  A tiny white speck in the distance.

  At first I think it is just my imagination.

  But it grows brighter.

  Closer.

  Until I can see it clearly.

  A small glowing orb floating gently in the air.

  The only light in this endless darkness.

  It stops a few feet in front of me.

  Then it speaks.

  "Are you done?"

  Its voice is soft, calm.

  Almost curious.

  "What are you doing here?"

  I blink slowly, confused.

  "What do you mean what I'm doing here?" I say weakly. "I'm stuck."

  The orb tilts slightly.

  "Are you stuck?"

  It floats a little closer.

  "Or do you believe you are stuck?"

  It pauses.

  "Or maybe you want to be here."

  "I don't want to be here," I mutter.

  "Then why stay?"

  I hesitate.

  Because the answer feels obvious.

  "If I leave," I say quietly, "people die."

  The light flickers softly.

  "Is that certain?"

  I do not answer right away.

  "Do you believe in destiny?" the orb asks.

  I stare at it.

  "Isn't destiny already written?"

  "Correct," the light replies.

  Its glow brightens slightly.

  "But do you believe it cannot be changed?"

  "Do you believe every life is forced to walk the path chosen for them?"

  I sit there in silence.

  Part of me wants to say yes.

  After everything I just saw…

  All the deaths.

  All the blood.

  All the pain.

  It felt inevitable.

  Like the ending had already been decided.

  But another part of me hesitates.

  "I… don't know," I finally say.

  The light remains silent for a moment.

  "It does not matter," I continue quietly. "What if I try… and I still fail? What if everyone still dies, and all I did was make things worse?"

  The orb drifts a little closer.

  "Would you rather find out?"

  It pauses again.

  "Or would you prefer your destiny to end here?"

  My chest tightens.

  Then the light asks another question.

  "What is your name?"

  I frown.

  "My name? What does my name have to do with anything?"

  "Names are powerful," the orb says softly.

  "They are one of a kind."

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  "They give meaning to something that would otherwise be forgotten."

  It glows a little brighter.

  "So tell me."

  "What is your name?"

  The question echoes strangely inside my mind.

  My name.

  For some reason, the moment I think about it, a memory surfaces.

  A simple one.

  I remember being younger.

  Standing in our kitchen.

  I remember struggling with school.

  Struggling with writing.

  Struggling with talking.

  I was never the strongest kid.

  Never the fastest.

  Never the smartest.

  Honestly, I was just… normal.

  Maybe even a little worse than normal.

  But my dad had laughed and placed his hand on my shoulder.

  "You don't define yourself," he said.

  "The life you live and the people around you define you."

  Then he poked my chest lightly.

  "As long as you're strong here…"

  His voice echoed in my mind.

  "No one can break you."

  The memory sends warmth through my body.

  The mud around my legs loosens slightly.

  The heaviness in my chest fades.

  "My name…" I whisper.

  "Yes?" the light asks gently.

  I feel the sleepiness leaving my body.

  The darkness that was creeping over me begins to retreat.

  "My name…"

  The mud cracks.

  The fire pauses.

  The black veins hesitate.

  Suddenly the dragon's voice roars through the darkness.

  "No."

  It is furious.

  Ancient.

  Commanding.

  "Stay down."

  The mud tightens again, trying to pull me back.

  But this time I resist.

  Slowly.

  Painfully.

  I stand.

  "My name…"

  The dragon screams again.

  "Do not rise!"

  But I do.

  I pull my legs free from the mud.

  I stand tall.

  "I'm William Ashborn."

  The moment the words leave my mouth, a sword appears beside me.

  Floating.

  Waiting.

  "I'm the leader of the Dragon Keepers."

  I grab the sword.

  The fire that had been crawling toward me surges forward.

  For a moment it looks like it will consume me.

  But instead…

  It wraps around my body.

  The flames swirl around my arms and shoulders like they belong there.

  Not as a threat.

  But as something I claimed.

  With one swing of the blade, I burn through the black wires reaching for me.

  The darkness recoils instantly.

  The orb of light brightens happily.

  "That," it says softly, "is a wonderful name."

  I look at it.

  "What are you?"

  The orb floats backward slowly.

  "We will meet again."

  Its glow fades.

  Then it disappears completely.

  In front of me, a door appears.

  It is made from glass.

  Mirrors.

  Cracks.

  Fragments of reflections overlapping each other endlessly.

  I walk toward it.

  I do not know what will happen next.

  But I know one thing.

  Even if I fail…

  I have to try.

  I place the sword across my back and push the door open.

  Light bursts through the cracks.

  Then everything shifts.

  I step out of the reflection.

  The glass maze returns instantly.

  But this time it feels different.

  Almost like the maze itself is disgusted by my presence.

  The ground beneath my feet suddenly spits me out.

  I slam hard into one of the glass walls.

  Pain explodes across my backside.

  "Ow," I groan, rubbing my back.

  "That was unnecessary."

  I slowly push myself to my feet.

  The maze stretches endlessly around me again.

  But I smile.

  Not because any of this was fun.

  Not because I feel safe.

  But because I survived.

  I take a deep breath.

  "I have to find the others."

  Then I start walking deeper into the maze