Kira barely avoided falling through the floor as it dissolved under her feet. There was no choice but to race ahead. A single moment of hesitation would send her back a level.
The traps came faster, testing Kira's reaction time until it was all she could do to keep up.
Jin hummed in time to the music as he found his own way, sometimes ahead of Kira, sometimes slightly behind.
Soon, Kira made it onto the fifth and final floor.
Her breath burned her lungs.
By now, instinct and muscle memory were the only things guiding her movements as the labyrinth shifted, its walls and floor changing position every other second, their transformation coming faster with every iteration.
Kira persevered, waiting for her moment. That tiny break that would lead to her salvation.
She waited, her breathing getting choppier as her body begged for respite.
It flashed, there and gone in a split second.
Kira didn't hesitate, bursting through the instability in the wall.
At the last second, she grabbed for the blue ribbon of light as she plunged toward the ground. She caught it, using it as leverage to slow her descent.
With one last push, Kira leapt away from its wall, flipping and landing with a flourish.
When she straightened, she wasn't surprised to see Lieven holding his own ribbon of light having landed within seconds of her.
In the same second, they both touched the end of their staffs to the ground.
Light ignited. Blue for Kira and burnt umber for Lieven.
A third color, silver, raced to join them, following Jin's flight path.
Awed murmurs came from the audience as the colors spun around each other, following each flip and twist they'd made during the labyrinth until the light ended in the exact same place they had begun.
"Impressive as always," Lieven said with an admiring stare at the work of art they'd created.
“Not bad for someone who has been out of the game awhile,” Kira prodded.
The faintest of teasing smiles touched Lieven’s face. “Had you not let your skills lapse, it would have been your clear win. As it is, you can barely consider this a draw.”
Kira’s mouth popped open as she sucked in a sharp breath to protest.
She’d totally aced the challenge.
Lieven touched his hands to his heart and then his chin, in a sincere gesture at odds with his previous words. “It was a pleasure competing with you again.”
Kira forgot her irritation. "I guess I should thank you for being a good teacher."
"You were my best student."
Kira let herself feel how much those words touched her, knowing he’d pick up on the emotions.
His guidance during that time in her life and Tierni’s need had pulled her from the darkness she’d fallen into upon waking from her coma.
They’d reminded her of what was important and that although she’d lost more than anyone ever should, she could still make a difference. Maybe not in the same way as before, but a difference nonetheless.
It was only after she left them that she started pulling herself together. It was why Jin finally trusted her with news of Elena.
She owed so much to Lieven and Tierni. She didn’t think she could ever fully repay them.
