Alden's intuition, this new "sixth sense," was certain.
A living presence was behind the collapsed rocks.
Not a threat like the creatures they had faced.
"Stay on your guard," Alden ordered Scott, his voice betraying no hesitation.
He approached the crevice and, with a measured gesture, pushed aside a twisted metal plate that was obstructing the entrance.
A small cavity opened up to him, a dark recess barely large enough for a man. A barely audible whimper arose from it, confirming his senses.
He leaned in, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. And he saw her.
Curled up on herself, a young woman lay in the dust. The faint glow of a cracked terminal at her side was enough to sculpt her silhouette in the darkness.
She wore the tattered uniform of a first-year student, but the torn fabric only emphasized the delicacy of what it revealed.
A bare shoulder, of an almost milky whiteness in the dim light, contrasted with the filth that stained it. Her hair, a cascade of dark, tangled silk, partially hid her face, but a rebellious lock slipped down the gentle curve of her cheek.
Even in this state of abandon, the line of her neck was of exquisite grace, inviting the gaze to follow the curve of her collarbone to the swell of her breast, suggested by the neckline of her torn shirt.
A wave of familiarity, intense and bewildering, washed over Alden. It wasn't a clear memory, but an echo, a resonance.
Who was she? "Selene Valerius," Scott's deep voice sounded from behind him, pulling him from his contemplation. The older man had approached and was looking at the scene over his shoulder.
"I've seen her in the main halls before. A little genius of theory, she's in Class A. What the hell is she doing here? It makes no sense, a newcomer can't end up here."
Alden ignored Scott's question, his mind already in analysis mode. He knelt, his hand almost brushing the young woman's neck to check for a pulse. It was weak, but steady. She was simply exhausted.
"System, vital analysis," he thought.
[Analyzing individual "Selene Valerius"… Vital signs weak but stable. Severe state of physical exhaustion. Traces of intense psychological stress. Persistent presence of a mana anomaly, currently in a dormant state. No major external physical injuries detected.]
"We can't leave her here," Alden declared as he stood up, his tone final. Scott let out a grunt.
"You're serious, that's obvious…" For Alden, the choice was a strategic certainty.
Abandoning a resource, even a potentially cumbersome one, was an unacceptable waste. In his world, on his chessboard, nothing was left to chance, and certainly not a piece that could prove useful.
It was a matter of order and control, and moreover, he had to look into the matter and therefore conduct an investigation; he didn't think he would find a colleague here. He gently shook Selene's delicate shoulder.
"Wake up." The young woman's eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened deep blue eyes, veiled with confusion.
When her gaze fell on Alden's face, so close, then on the imposing mass of Scott behind him, panic filled them.
"Who…?" her voice was a broken whisper.
"Calm down," Alden said, his voice deliberately softer, almost hypnotic.
"We are students, like you. My name is Alden. You are safe. Do you remember what happened to you?" Selene seemed to draw on painful memories.
"My group… an observation… The walls… moved… I fell…"
Her words were choppy, disjointed. "A study group?" Scott's tone was full of suspicion, but Alden shot him a look that silenced him.
He hadn't heard of one, especially one that would approve a mission with newcomers in a place like this labyrinth.
"Can you stand?" Alden asked.
With a visible effort, Selene used the wall to pull herself onto her trembling legs.
The upright position, though unsteady, revealed a little more of her figure.
The torn uniform offered a glimpse of the curve of her hip and the line of her legs.
"Good," he said, his voice neutral again.
He handed her a piece of his own ration.
"Eat. It will give you some strength.
You will stay between us.
Scott will bring up the rear. Let us know if you feel weak."
His tone was not that of a suggestion, but an order.
Selene nodded, too exhausted and confused to argue, accepting the food with trembling fingers.
He thought they should move first; they would have to question her later and find out what was really going on here.
"Let's go," Alden commanded, taking the lead of the small column.
They plunged back into the corridors of the Labyrinth, now an unlikely trio.
The presence of this fragile and mysterious young woman changed the whole dynamic of the group; no one knew why, but the EST manifested, Alden suddenly refreshed and feeling a boost. He immediately asked the system for its opinion.