Saé, initially surprised by my words, seemed reluctant to accept my proposal. She knew how risky it was to leave me alone in such an environment.
"I'm not sure that in your current state it's a good idea to leave you alone..."
But to convince her, I explained that her mastery of observation would enable her to find me easily if anything were to happen. It was the only way for me to take a step back, to find some semblance of calm in this incessant chaos.
After a moment's reflection, Saé reluctantly agreed, but asked me to promise that I'd come back.
"You promise you won't do anything dangerous?"
I assured her I wouldn't stray too far and would do my best to be back soon. Despite her concerns, she agreed to let me go, knowing she couldn't stop me.
As Ono's group made their way towards the field he spoke of with such conviction, something unexpected happened.
A mysterious word suddenly rang through the air, uttered by a mysterious voice whose identity remained unknown.
"Maestria, mastery of nature."
Saé turned abruptly, alerted by the sudden approach of a violent storm. Gusts of wind whipped through the air, heralding the imminent arrival of chaos. The Ono groups, who had turned back after sensing the imminent threat, found themselves near Saé, seeking shelter from the raging elements.
"What's going on?"
"Why is the wind suddenly picking up?"
Ishikawa, displaying his usual composure, questioned Saé about the nature of this sudden storm.
Said Saé, "Do you know what's going on?"
But she couldn't give him a clear answer. Confusion reigned, with every survivor wondering what was going to happen.
"Is this yet another challenge?"
It was then that the young boy guarded by Ishikawa revealed that he had just received a notification. His face reflected concern as he shared the news.
"Folks... I've just received a notification... And this one announces the arrival of an imminent special event."
This twist had just added an extra dimension of mystery to the already tense situation.
With a look of palpable anxiety in his eyes, the young boy quickly shared the details of the notification he had just received.
"This event is called 'The Natural Labyrinth'. You've been locked into various terrains containing a labyrinth. To get out, complete the mission you've been given. You only have one day to complete this crucial task."
As he tried to elaborate, vines appeared from nowhere, spreading out with unexpected violence. They brutally separated some of the survivors, throwing them to different terrains and inflicting violent blows. The urgency of the situation imposed itself with oppressive intensity, plunging the survivors into a whirlwind of confusion and chaos.
Kaisho and a few others remained near Ono after the creeper incident.
"What just happened? Did you expect this too, Ono?"
It was then that one of them remarked importantly.
"Guys... The kid said something about a labyrinth, but I don't see anything about her."
Another then theorized. "It's just a theory, but... Maybe the maze will probably appear a few minutes before the explosion."
"Yeah, it's their style to do horrible things like that!"
"But that means that if we don't make it through in time... We're doomed to die!"
This realization added another layer of urgency and anxiety to the already tense situation, stoking fears and prompting the survivors to act quickly.
Kaisho then confronted Ono vehemently, questioning him about his intentions.
"You planned this, didn't you? You're going to save us all, aren't you Ono?"
Ono, as serene as ever, calmly replied that he hadn't foreseen such a situation.
"I must admit that this event took me by surprise. I didn't expect it at all!"
Ono seemed indifferent to the situation, even having the audacity to laugh at the upheaval that had just occurred.
But Kaisho, a clever manipulator, took control of the conversation.
"You're joking. You were our only hope and now you're laughing when, because of you, we might all die?"
"Well, you didn't have to follow me."
"My friends, that man who was our light took us all for a ride! If we're in this situation it's all his fault."
"What are you trying to do?"
"Remember these words. The riddles were meant to unite us rather than destroy us, he said..."
The few people still present with Ono began to open their eyes to his real intentions. Kaisho's accusations seemed to resonate in everyone's mind, casting doubt on Ono's sincerity and honesty. Murmurs of distrust soon turned to bold declarations, with some suggesting that Ono should answer for his actions and pay for leading the group into this deadly impasse.
"He's right..."
"That guy's a bastard!"
"He must pay for his crimes!"
"Maybe my mission is to kill him?"
Despite the accusations and accusing glances, Ono remained strangely calm, revealing nothing of his true thoughts.
All eyes were on Ono, like an animal watching its defenseless prey.
Ono looked at Kaisho with a mixture of perplexity and incomprehension.
Just as he wanted to offer him a friendly hand to lighten the mood, like a snake suddenly turning around, Kaisho abruptly turned away. This unexpected gesture startled Ono, who suddenly felt trapped.
He couldn't decipher the intentions behind Kaisho's mysterious smile, nor the enigmatic gleam that shone in his deep blue eyes.
"What's he up to?"
A smirk stretched Kaisho's lips, accentuating his mysterious aura. In a calculated whisper, he told Ono.
"I warned you... Humans..." he said in an almost prophetic tone. "Are always looking for a hope, even the most tenuous. But when that hope turns out to be a lie, they lash out in vengeful fury, ready to do anything to claim justice."
Kaisho's piercing gaze seemed to pierce Ono's soul, revealing a depth and determination that troubled him. To Ono, it seemed that Kaisho had a disturbing understanding of human nature, a perception that went far beyond what he could have imagined.
Ono, feeling cornered by the accusing stares focused on him, instinctively stepped back, a gleam of fear in his eyes. He turned to Kaisho, desperate for an explanation, a way out of this suddenly threatening situation.
"What did you do to them?"
Meanwhile, Kaisho watched the scene with silent satisfaction. A subtle smile stretched his lips, testifying to his success in sowing doubt and mistrust among the other survivors. He hadn't even needed to use his mastery of eloquence to manipulate minds and create confusion. The simple, sharp words he had uttered were enough to sow chaos in everyone's thoughts.
"Who the hell are you?"
The people, coming closer and closer to Ono, seemed ready to judge him outright. Their faces reflected anger and distrust, fueled by Kaisho's clever words. Ono felt isolated, overwhelmed by the situation that was getting out of hand. He searched for a way out, an escape from the suffocating pressure weighing down on him.
Suddenly, in a final act of desperation, Ono flashed an esoteric smile before murmuring the word...
"Maestria, mastery of persuasion."
Ono, despite the pressure and accusations weighing on him, suddenly burst out laughing, openly challenging Kaisho with his gaze. His voice resonated with a new assurance, as he prepared to use his maestria, his mastery of persuasion, to restore the situation to his advantage.
A strange, captivating cyan-blue glow emanated from his mouth as he began to speak to the survivors.
"Folks, it looks as if by chance the ground we've fallen on won't be affected by the explosions."
His speech was convincingly authoritative, his voice resonating in the tension-laden air. He had just offered an escape route to those following him.
Kaisho, usually so self-assured, seemed momentarily unsettled by this unexpected response. Despite his own mastery of words, he seemed helpless in the face of Ono's power of persuasion. This sudden about-turn revealed the limits of his own influence, as Ono regained control of the situation with disconcerting ease.