SHAMAN PROTOCOL-Chapter 121: The Labyrinth’s Origin

"Jake would have died in that fire, but thanks to you, he survived. We just couldn’t save his leg."

Mister Nocty felt his world spinning. He stared at the Headmaster and Butler Basil, his mind buzzing with this new information.

This wasn’t what he knew; it wasn’t what had happened.

Years ago, Everest had unleashed a curse within the school, hurting Nocty’s friends who were the closest to him and had trusted him. Everyone else had died. That was what happened.

The pain and grief he had carried all those years couldn’t have been an illusion, no matter what anyone told him.

"Master," Butler Basil called quietly, catching the Headmaster’s nod while keeping his attention on Mister Nocty. "I’ll come back."

Having said that, Butler Basil gave a slight bow to Mister Nocty and left without another word. Once he was out of sight, the Headmaster let out a shallow breath.

"Nocty," he called, his youthful voice carrying solemnness. "What’s wrong? What did you see in the Labyrinth?"

Mister Nocty pressed his lips together, lifting his shaky gaze to the Headmaster. "Headmaster, I don’t understand what’s happening."

"Is it because Jake is alive?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Yes." He nodded. "He died, Headmaster. Jake was dead... he was dead before all of this happened."

His face twisted as he lowered his gaze, trying to make sense of the situation. Jake was alive now, that was for sure. But Mister Nocty was certain he had been dead before this whole incident.

"What—what happened?" he asked, his voice laced with panic and confusion. "Headmaster, how can I help... no, I wasn’t there. I didn’t..."

The rest of his panicked remarks trailed off as a realization hit him like a truck. His breath hitched as his pupils dilated, his neck muscles turning taut. Slowly, he turned to the Headmaster, his complexion paler than a second ago.

"No," he whispered. "I... helped him?"

The headmaster didn’t answer immediately. "You did, Nocty. That’s why you have that horrible burn."

"Burn?" Mister Nocty flinched and instinctively touched his cheek. However, he didn’t just feel it; he saw it.

There, on his arm, was a huge burn scar.

He froze, remembering how he had used that same arm to shield himself and Jake from a burning pipe on their way out. He touched his neck, and sure enough, there were traces of old burns there as well. His stomach carried the same scar, and even before he checked his legs, he knew there were small patches there, too.

"No," he breathed out, eyes wide on the Headmaster. "Headmaster... what..."

"Nocty, what exactly happened in the Labyrinth?" the Headmaster repeated, his tone now firmer. "What do you mean, Jake was dead until before the incident?"

Mister Nocty swallowed hard, the sound echoing in his ears. Studying the headmaster, he realized that even this powerful shaman didn’t understand the changes. This only highlighted how abnormal the situation was. Even so, he tried to calm himself down.

"Headmaster, I’m not sure if this is a good thing—I know it’s not, in another way. However, I think... no, the Labyrinth changed the present."

The headmaster was confused, though his expression remained a calm mask. He stayed quiet, listening to Mister Nocty’s explanation of where the Cursed Labyrinth had taken him and Mikel.

According to Mister Nocty, the two of them were taken back years ago, to the night of the fire incident caused by Everest, a former student. The same student everyone had trusted, only to learn that he had infiltrated the academy under the orders of his father figure, a vengeful, failed shaman.

In the Cursed Labyrinth, everything happened the way it did before. The only difference was that Mister Nocty was able to save Jake. And once it was over, they returned to the present, only to find that Jake had been saved and had become a part of Zone Zero—the very place Jake had always dreamed of joining.

"I see..." the headmaster nodded in understanding, letting Mister Nocty’s words sink in.

"Headmaster, I know it sounds ridiculous, and I understand if you don’t believe me—"

"I believe you."

"What?"

The headmaster paused and sighed heavily. "Although the versions of events are different from what I’ve known, I believe you." He nodded at Mister Nocty reassuringly. "Nocty, no one had yet perfected it or succeeded in using the Cursed Labyrinth’s full potential. But hearing this, it seems someone did—it just took decades for one to find out about it."

Deep lines appeared between Mister Nocty’s brows, completely confused by this.

"I understand your confusion, but the Cursed Labyrinth was always meant for this," the Headmaster clarified, which only confused Nocty even more. "Many years ago... before the Academy was called the Academy, and before Zone Zero was named as it is today, a powerful shaman once had a vision."

"No one had confirmed it, but others said this vision had made the shaman lose his mind. Creating his own resting place, he took his own life as a sacrifice for a ritual he had performed," the Headmaster explained. "That place is..."

"The Old Building," Mister Nocty blurted out, and the Headmaster nodded. "Headmaster, but didn’t you say no one knew its origin or why it is the way it is?"

"I did... under the orders of Zone Zero, and for the safety of everyone," the Headmaster explained. "After all, if one knew what the building was for, others would want to get their hands on it. That’s why Zone Zero buried any information relating to it until it became an old building where the academy conducts our trial."

"I’m not surprised Everest knew about this, considering the person who exploited his talents and brainwashed him," he added. "After that incident, I, together with the other clan leaders, sealed off any harmful energy that lingered in the building."

"This shouldn’t have happened," the Headmaster continued solemnly. "However, it did, and the real question now is, how did it happen?"

One thing the Headmaster knew was that to use the Cursed Labyrinth’s maximum potential, or even to unlock this talent, required not just a sacrifice, but an enormous amount of spiritual energy. The headmaster secretly leaned toward the idea that Everest had performed a different ritual that subsequently led to this outcome.

If it’s not Everest, then...

"Nocty." The Headmaster’s solemn voice broke the silence, and he lifted his gaze to Mister Nocty. "While in the Labyrinth, where was Mikel?"