(Opening here)

♢

Once more I'm in this situation. Like a bad dream repeating over and over again...

There's a maze. Almost as if I'm flying above it, I can see this maze's intricate and complex layout in a bird's eye view. It's far from a simple maze, and at first glance it looks like something made to stump you on purpose. There's a lot of thick walls; which can get confusing when trying to figure out a mental way from the start and exit, as the sheer number of walls outweighs the number of possible narrow paths someone can take.

To add insult to injury, I'm expected to get through this maze, and failing isn't an option. Moreover, the start and exit are as far away as can be, and it is mentally taxing trying to remember this massive maze. It's huge, dare I say gigantic. It's terrifying, honestly. Getting lost in this maze would be a headache to backtrack on. I don't have time for that, because I need to escape!

The worst part is, is that I've seen this maze hundred of times over and over. And each time, I only get a minute or so to memorise a route, or a way to escape. It's mind boggling, really. A strange phenomenon which I am stuck in. I've tried memorising things bit by bit. If I had an estimate, I've got at least 3% of the maze down. As long as I can retry, and as long as I can keep redoing this maze, I can escape.

But, like any good game, there's a catch...

There's a monster— no, a demon. There's a demon that comes and devours me if I can't finish the maze in sufficient time. As I run down the walls, it's slimy, disgusting, blue wired tentacles chase after me, and it's massive, hulking shadow looks over me as I try to run and run and run for my life, praying that I'm going in the right direction.

When that demon catches me, that's how I know I've "failed" this game. It's like I can imagine a flashing "GAME OVER" screen when I get taken away into the abyss, and reappear in the sky to view the maze once more and try again.

It's a pain in the ass. It's repetitive as well. But even so, I refuse to lose.

"Losing" is a word that doesn't exist in my dictionary. No matter what, I will not lose. That's not how I do things. I, Mai Heatwave, will win, and escape this maze; this challenge I have been put in. After that, I'll have to confront the one who put me here in the first place—

Ayaza.

After looking at the layout of the maze for the one hundredth and seventy sixth time, I'm transported to the start. I've been here so much, my vision nearly blocks out the gravel infused, mossy cobble floor, and the tall brick and metal layers of the walls. I do find it's colour - a cold rusty blue-grey - quite pleasing, that is if this was a dungeon.

But no, I am in a maze. A maze with just enough space for me, and the tentacles that hunt me down.

I begin feeling my way through the maze, conserving my stamina and walking through the crooks and nannies, squeezing past each corner and taking sharp, but delicate, turns to get to the points I've done before. There's multiple different pathways, but I've been through these bits a thousand times, so it's no real task to whiz by them.

What I do have to look out for is for new places, remember which route is the right one, and more importantly, see if those tentacles are chasing me. I know when the tentacles are coming after me, since there's always this voice that calls out my name. It's faint, but deep. Grizzly and distorted; and really, really demonic.

As a follower of Satan, this stuff doesn't faze me. What does faze me however, is the idea I'll be grabbed by the waist and dragged into the abyss of this demon. I must look really helpless in this situation, I imagine.

"Mai"

Here it is... the demon is back. I peer over the back of my shoulder and hear a glopping noise. It's unpleasant, and the foul smell also invaded my nose. Gross...

The tentacles are slow, so I increase my chances of survival by increasing my pace when it comes. I begin to run, slipping through different avenues and the possibilities of where to go. The best thing with a massive maze like this, there's multiple ways to get to the end, so as long as I find at least one of them, I've got this in the bag.

I'm still annoyed that Ayaza got me so easily... not being to fight back, not even suspecting something was wrong. He was acting really strange, if I'm being honest, but I brushed it off like it didn't matter. Well, look how that came to bite me in the ass...

"Mai"

There it is again. The voice... if I were to estimate, I've heard it at least three hundred forty seven times, with at least sixteen off either side. I know, I keep track of these things. I'm bored out of my mind doing this repetitive task, so if I am to entertain myself, I might as well play a game of variance.

Dax says I love Vanguard for the mathematical variance, figuring how many times I can draw into a card, the best way to align my columns for maximum power, the number of triggers I pull in a game, and even the best way to shuffle my deck on CFA - which, in my experience, is about six times with spaces in between to give the best results - and he's right on that much. I do like my maths, especially probabilities.

However, I like Vanguard just beyond that. I like observing other players, analysing them, and creating strategies to fight and counter. That is why I chose to play Gold Paladin - their offensive and defensive strategies coupled with their large columns and ways to increase drawing into cards I need or checking triggers really appeal to me. Even though they are an antithesis of what I have belief in, the Bluish Flame sub-clan reminded me of the blue flames that demons are known to have.

I could've easily picked up Dark Irregulars if I wanted demons, but their playstyle wasn't suited to me. And since Gold Paladin encompassed "me" in the most ways possible, I chose that clan. Vanguard has done a lot for me, including helping me talk to others and even led me to find "love" towards someone. Something which I felt alienated from.

Yes, I love Yza, or Kinjuzo, or whoever he is right now.

While I first thought of him as nothing but a joke, he proved his will and his strength to me in the tournament match we had, and that much impressed me. We even went on a date together, even though it was ruined by Rukia. I don't know if Yza felt the same way, but Kinjuzo... I'm sure he liked me back. And I like him back. That's enough for me.

I won't ever regret the time and emotions I poured for him. He may be gone, but I want to honour him. He didn't give up - and so to honour that, I won't give up either in this maze. I'll find the exit, no matter what. Even though it's taking me days... possibly weeks or even in the worst case months, I don't care. Even if the world outside is leaving me behind as we speak, and I'm still stuck in here, then so be it.

I'll confront you, Ayaza. Not only for kidnapping and embarrassing me, but for putting me through this hell and whatever goop that I'm trapped under. As I navigate through the maze and run away from the tentacles that are hunting me down like a wild animal, I still can't shake off the feeling of unease I get knowing that demon not only knows my name, but wants to grab me from the waist down and consume me in the abyss known as the pit of his stomach— rather, his grotesque void for a body.

I won't lie, the pitch black abyss is something I was curious of. It's got this strange magnificent pull to it... I wanted to take a peek, to see how deep it truly was. But each time I was dragged down that ravine of darkness by those blue wired tentacles, I squeezed my eyes shut fearing death. Then, I'd reawaken at the top of this maze. It's like I died... then revived. I still don't know how that demon does that. Or how the stuff I'm stuck under can make me go through this... it's so unnatural, so strange. Maybe I'm just hallucinating?

"Mai"

Even so... this demon is like no other. His presence is... godly. Yes, godly. A demon ruling above all others. His aura is one that wants to destroy. He wants have a world of nothingness because it suits him, simply. His presence could destroy everything around me, honestly. He encompassed death... and would make even Satan run away in fear. That's how intense this demon felt.

He is the complete opposite to the "Messiah".

And this demon wants me. He is going as far as chasing me. Even if I screamed for help, no one would hear me.

I've been in this maze for approximately fourteen minutes now, approaching the fifteenth in about nought point nought nought nought nought nought nought three seconds. So, rounding up, about a second. I've been through the bits I know are correct, and the bits I memorised from looking at the maze, so now I assume I am 4% into this maze. This is good progress, especially since I've left the tentacles behind.

The next section of the maze had less a narrow pathway and thinner walls, meaning that I had some more breathing room... like that matters. I continue to run, feeling the walls and remembering which steps I took. I'm taking the right paths on purpose, since I read in a book somewhere that if you're trapped in a maze, by following the right side you can guarantee the exit. I don't know how true or accurate it is, but I'll take anything regarding me leaving this maze and the demon behind.

I'm making good progress. I'm a bit worn out from running, so I start to take easier steps and look back every so often. I don't see the tentacles, so I felt a sense of security...

Key word, felt.

It wasn't before long the tentacles caught up, trudging along the floor and walls with its lubricated, sausage like appendages. I knew that I had to keep running, and trying to keep track of so many different numbers, routes and running away from the tentacles is far from an easy feat. I continued to run, zigzagging through the maze and tunnels of darkness.

The glopping noise the tentacles made were still extremely unpleasant. However, I had noticed the glopping noise had calmed down, and I didn't hear it often. I don't know what happened, but this is a double edged sword for me. Without the noise, I don't know if it's approaching me, but at the same time, I might've lost them... it only made me more wary and forced me to look back more often.

However, I was severely wrong in my calculations.

Out of nowhere, the tentacles shot out and whirled past me like a flash of bullets. I held my tongue and tried not to let my guard down after seeing them fly past and get ahead of me. I shook my head and tried my best to just run faster then the tentacles that tried to attack me.

How could he be...

How could he be so fast suddenly?! The tentacles easily chased after me, and I had to completely ignore where I was going to even escape them! Oh my god, I feel like my legs are going to snap on me any second, and my lungs feel so burnt out... my petite size is going to back fire on me at the worst time possible!

Even so, I pushed through, running, running, trying to escape, but each time the tentacles lashed out in fury, catching up faster then I could escape them. Wiping some slime off my sleeve, I gasped for air while running down the confusing alleyways and mind boggling pathways, hoping that somehow I was both escaping the demon and making my way out of this maze. Even though I'm roughly about 7% in the maze, it feels like the difficulty cranked from hard to extra hard.

Both my luck and body began to wear out on me, as each step I took, my blistered feet would ache endlessly and my small chest couldn't intake enough oxygen to get the breaths necessary to keep running and my stamina up. My muscles began to ache due to anaerobic respiration, and I felt sorely fatigued... my limbs felt like jelly, and the tentacles were continuing to spring forward, bouncing with the energy I wish I had.

Eventually, I began to tumble forward, clumsily running with the strength left inside of me. It felt like a dramatic scene out of a movie... the demon was approaching closer, and closer... if I stop, it'll catch me. The demon continues to slither towards me slowly, almost as if taunting my inability to escape.

Yet, something miraculous happens. There's a path, with a brilliant shining light of white... and in that path lies a silhouette of a man... a dark silhouette... from it, I can... see the glimmer of a pendant. As I approach closer, I slowly make out the face of the man standing there...

Yza...?!

It's..... YZA!

I feel... I feel overwhelming joy. My lips breaks into a massive smile, my cheeks turn tight and I find strength to at least run to him... somewhere safe, where I'm not alone.

Strangely, I thought he died yet... he's standing there, gazing at me. All this time, he was trapped in this maze...? I couldn't believe it... He was really there... he was alive...!

I reach out my hand towards him, and yet...!

"Huh...?"

A squeak leaves my lips. The blue wires... had caught up to me.

Despite my best efforts, they coiled around me, and grabbed me around the neck and waist first. Then, the tentacles grabbed onto my legs, spreading them apart and restricting my movement, not letting me run forward. I scream for Yza to help, reaching out my hand to him, but he...

He stands there with no change in his expression...? Confused, I began to claw at the wire around my neck, trying to pry it off with force as it was choking me harshly. I feel the wires slither up my thighs slowly, causing shivers to run down my spine as I continue to cry out to Yza. It's so sticky and slimy...!

Even so, my thoughts were focused elsewhere. Never mind the disgusting situation I was in, but after all this running around, calculating and endless nightmare fuel I had endured, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. My efforts weren't wasted, because I found someone else who was here with me.

I was so close... I was so close to not only having a friend in this forsaken maze, but also being able to see Yza another time because I never got the chance to truly talk to him after the tournament. Even though I found a light, cruelly, I was being dragged away by force, not being allowed to ever touch that light.

To me, it was a beacon of hope. And that hope was being torn apart right in front of my eyes.

The light I had saw was slowly getting smaller and smaller. Yza's face, was soon unrecognisable. He had returned to being a silhouette as I screamed for him to help. Yet he stood there...

"YZAAAAAAAAAA!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through my body like an electric shock. My chest... had been taken over by overwhelming pain, and I can feel a gaping hole in my body where blood was shooting out. At the same time, the vision in my eyes was turning fuzzy and eventually, it became black.

"No...!"

This... didn't happen before... so why... now...

♢

(Play song in media here)

With a sharpened point, a blue wired tentacles ripped through Mai's back, driving into her spine and breaking it with a popping crunch. Slicing past the hard bone with a clean cut, the sharpened tentacle continued to penetrate her mercilessly, shooting upwards and thrusted through her heart, tearing it in half with lightning fast speed. The point continued to thrust up, and bursted through her chest, ejecting itself out. From the gaping wound opened up, blood gushed out like a waterfall, spraying everywhere. The once neon blue tentacle was now coated in Mai's crimson blood.

Rolling her eyes back, a limp Mai let her body drop, with a lack of life left inside her. Two blood red eyes awakened behind her, and the tentacles began to reel her back, lifting her out of the maze and into the pitch black void that encompassed it. The crest of Gyze burned into her left hand began glowing bright red.

"Mai... you will be my vessel."

The demon's voice began to rumble like an earthquake, as the tentacles lowered Mai into the centre of the void, letting go of her and allowing her to sink, like if she was drowning in an ocean. The torrent of darkness she was falling down let the demon consume her both physically and mentally. Mai was being absorbed into the demon, and slowly, her mind began to erode and crumble, being invaded with poisonous thoughts of becoming one with the abyss.

Her identity was being replaced and taken over by the demon. With the few scraps of life she had remaining, she tried keeping herself together by fighting against the demon inside of her. However, she slowly lost herself in the struggle to survive. With the little "Mai" left in her body, she uttered her last words.

"Help me... Yza..."

Even if the faint image of the boy flashed in her head, it too slowly was being erased. Just like her heart, body, and soul. They all had been consumed by the demon: Gyze. The God of Destruction had been awakened, and began descending Relics, making its way to Earth.

Mai was naked, and trapped in the cockpit of the silver armoured deity who held her upright by the tentacles that rubbed their slippery appendages against her supple, baby-soft skin and covered her erogenous zones. Her eyes lacked life, and gazed downwards with dried tears, staring the strangely soothing pit of nothingness beneath them. Her mouth hung open slightly, and uttered something disturbing.

"I am... Gyze."

(Ending here)

Next time on Z World:

#45: God of Destruction

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