Chapter 6: The Labyrinth of Companions

Toha appeared in a grass field at the entrance of a massive set of green shrub and bushes that formed into walls. The walls stood at 10 feet above him so that he could not look over it. Outside he could see grass that grew so large that it seemed like it was guiding him to go into it.

Ariadne was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and saw a blue sky and occasional clouds. When he looked behind him, he could see a series of Mountains that he could not recognize.

A loud voice filled his head. It was Ariadne speaking to him through his mind.

<Toha the Man of the Maze, how do you like it?>

Toha spoke out loud, “I am trying to figure out everything. Where are we?”

<You are in a world between worlds that I created. This is one of my labyrinths that I created specifically for you.>

“Wow. You have the power to create all this?”

<Of course. I am the Goddess of Labyrinths. I can create many labyrinths. Sometimes I use these labyrinths, especially during the time of the Greek Empire, to punish those that went too far. I can cast a spell and send a mortal to my labyrinth that they must solve. Failure to do so and they might not return alive. I have created this specifically for you to test and demonstrate your abilities.>

“What if I fail?”

<Already feeling that you are going to fail my maze before even getting started? You must have more confidence than that. This is motivation for you, my dear. If it does not, then we return to the Grasslands with Sárkány and Daiyu.>

“Where are you?”

<You just have to solve the maze my dear.>

Toha nodded with a sigh, “Alright then, I will do this.”

<That’s the spirit. If you are to become my companion, then you must reach the center. I promise not to disappoint you. I will help you along the way.>

Toha walked into the labyrinth and saw a grass wall that turned to the right. The grass around him was soft beneath his feet. He noticed that he was no longer wearing boots and only a simple shirt and pants. He proceeded forward and followed the walls as it led him.

“I want to learn more about you.”

<Why is that?>

He turned to the right and saw a crossroads of the grass path. The walls led to two directions, the right or the left. He decided to go right.

“Well ... I mean that we are supposed to become friends, right?”

He followed the path to the right, and it led to a dead-end.

<Nope ... wrong way Man of the Maze. Try again.>

He turned around and head to the other route that he decided against earlier.

<I could not notice that you were looking at my body in the tent earlier. You want to be more than my friend right?>

“I ... I think that you are beautiful. I did not mean to show disrespect by looking at your body. I just never seen a minotaur up close.”

He reached a wall that led left and proceeded further.

<I think it is more than just that Toha. That was the look of lust in your eyes. I have had mortal companions in the past that we’re lovers. It is ok to admit you find my beauty to be more than you imagined.>

He reached a crossroads. There were three paths ahead of him. One led straight forward to go to the right or left. The other paths led to the right or left beside him.

“How do I know where to go, Ariadne?”

<It is understandable since the spirit inside you is dormant. This will be your first test of the labyrinth. You must call upon your dormant spirit Toha. I want you to close your eyes.>

He closed his eyes.

<Now ... I want you to think about your necklace. Picture the black silhouette of the man of the I’itoi. Picture yourself as the man that is going to enter the maze and find his way to the center.>

Toha did just that. He envisioned the man that stood at the edge of the clearing about to enter the maze.

<Good. Now I want you to say his name and repeat the words “Hear my name, guide me. Guide me to the center.”>

“Se:he, hear my name. Toha ... guide me. Guide me to the center.”

He felt a shift inside him. He felt a strange power reside in his system. It was like that of a reserve of energy that kicked into his body.

<How do you feel my dear?>

“I feel like I have more energy.”

<Say it again. Repeat what you said with all your might. Scream it if you need be, you have nothing to worry in my labyrinth.>

He closed his eyes and focused. “Se:he, hear my name! Toha, guide me. Guide me to the center.”

The energy got stronger in his system. He felt a determination enter inside him.

<Good. You are calling the dormant spirit that is within you. He has never been awoken before. I imagine he has had to be within many bodies before this moment would finally arrive. Now, look at the crossroads ahead of you. Picture it in your mind.>

He nodded, “Ok ... now what.”

<Take your hand with that image and place your hand on my wall.>

He looked at his right hand. He kept the image of everything in front of him and placed his hand on the bush wall. He felt the plant prick his fingers lightly. Suddenly he felt a surge of energy and a flash of light emitted from his hand. There was a light ping sound as it sounded from the adjacent walls. All through the grass walls, the light traveled, filling all corners of the labyrinth.

<Wow ... I felt that from where I was. That felt ... amazing. Now, what does your mind tell you right now?>

He searched his mind. He felt the urge to go right at the crossroads.

“Go right. I want to turn right at the crossroads.”

<What are you waiting for, my dear? Go right.>

Toha did so as he preceded the long corridor of plants. He noticed that the leaves were turning greener and greener. He saw white flowers sprout from the plant wall as he walked by them.

<So tell me Toha. The story of the Man of the Maze of your past, what was his goal?>

“It was to reach the center and to reach salvation.”

<Ha, ha. I can certainly believe that. It is your goal to reach the end of this labyrinth no matter what. You must reach the center to find your salvation and reward.>

Toha felt an urge that he never felt before. It was almost a sexual drive to reach the center of the maze. Like something beautiful was waiting for him.

He reached a wall that turned left, and he took a left and entered a path that led left and right.

<Hmm ... to go left or go right. Does the Man of the Maze know which way to go without heading into a dead end?>

He knew the answer. “Go left!”

<Hmm, we will see about that. Go left.>

He took a left and proceeded further. He noticed red flowers blooming on the plant walls.

<So far so good. I feel your energy reverberates inside my walls. It glows brightly within you now.>

“Maybe ... maybe I do find you to be attractive. I think you are magnificent. I just never was with any woman before.”

Toha stopped for a bit. “Yeah ... I just felt like I was waiting for the right woman for me. I somehow feel an attraction to you that I never felt before.”

<Maybe it is because I am the Goddess of Labyrinths, and you are the Man of the Maze Toha. We are destined to be together. One and all.>

He felt the urge to drive deeper forward. He continued to proceed down the corridor as it led to the right.

“Maybe ... don’t you have any previous relationships that would interfere?...”

<I had a couple of human relationships in the past. There are advantages to being immortal like myself. Immortal marriages can be challenging to keep, especially when thousands of years go by. Some still stay married, but after the Great Cataclysm, many lost their loved ones. Some decided to take mortal marriages as I did. Some mortals that married know about the Mythics and others do not. In the end, our friendships and love last as long as the mortal is alive.>

He reached another crossroads that turned to the right and left.

“I feel like going to the right this time.”

<Hmm>

He almost sprinted as he reached another turn that led him into a wall.

<Off. Poor Toha, I feel your emotions are getting in the way of the awakening spirit. You need to focus on. Don’t worry at this rate you will reach the center in no time.>

He sighed as he closed his eyes and tried to let his conscious guide him. He turned around and proceeded down the path that he was supposed to take.

“Why are you a Minotaur, Ariadne?”

<Are you not happy with my form?>

“I am happy the way you are. But if I remember the story of Minos, Ariadne was never a Minotaur.”

<The humans have often made mistakes about us Mythics, my dear. My family is all Minotaurs, and other cultures have even encountered their own versions of them as well. Some of our stories even cross into different culture’s stories as well. This can often blur the truth of what really happened. You will often find a lot of us Mythics are something other than human in their original form. A lot of us take human form just to appease the humans but more and more are becoming open-minded and embrace us for who we really are.>

He reached another crossroads. Each had a color pathway of grass with red leading to the left, white for the center, and yellow for the right.

<Remember Toha, focus your mind. I feel you are getting closer. You have the power within you to reach salvation.>

“Ok...” He closed his eyes and calmed his mind down. He heard the words.

He stepped to the right down the yellow path.

<Good ... my dear, you are getting better. You know I have a confession for you. I had feelings for Se:he. Long ago, he always challenged my mazes and always won. I would come up with the trickiest of labyrinths, and he would always win. I never met a Mythic that had more joy than he did. I was still with Theseus at the time and did not want to leave his side, but if I weren’t married to him, it would have been Se:he. His energy ... I could feel his power within my labyrinth every time he showed up. He expressed deep feelings for me once as well.>

Toha stopped as he responded, “Do you have feelings for me or the spirit that is within me.”

<Both. You are the avatar of his spirit. I am grateful for what you did, even if you might not have consented to it. With Theseus gone, I want to have you. I desire to have you, and I know that you have feelings for me.>

He reached a turn to the left, and when he turned, he found it was a dead end.

“Damn,” he said as he turned around.

<Tsk, tsk, Toha. Are all dead ends truly what you see? You need to focus more. Think ... if you reached a dead end what do you need to do next?>

He stopped and turned around. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind again. He then put his hand to the wall and the pulse of light emitted as it reverberated throughout the plant wall and throughout the entire labyrinth. The dead-end collapsed and formed a walkway.

<Ah ... just like that. You realized the dead-end was an illusion. Perfect.>

“That was almost unfair.”

<Unfair? My dear, I am the Goddess of Labyrinths ... I can do what I want to it. I can alter it right now and make it even harder for you. In all fairness, you hold the spirit of a mythic that can always find the center. If anything you are the cheater.>

He proceeded down the corridor. Red roses and blue flowers lined the walls. He could see a bird he never recognized using its beak to drink nectar from a flower. The bird was ignoring his approach as he walked past it. He could see a turn arrive at his left.

“So, what happens when I reach the center?”

<What do you want my dear?>

Toha blushed, “I ... um ... I don’t know.”

<Ha, ha ... I know what you want. I can feel your heartbeat faster and faster as you progress my maze. I know that you know where this is going.>

Toha could feel his heart beat faster. He was practically jogging through the maze, taking each turn and knowing where to go.

<Yes ... just like that. A perfect balance. A worthy companion. A champion just like Theseus.>

“You know ... if Theseus was restored to life and I was you’re ... closest companion, then what happens to him?”

<Marriage is sacred till death do us part. The moment he passed away was the day, our marriage came to an end. The same applies to you and all I love. I cared for him greatly, but that was long ago. Plus you are mortal so our marriage will not be permanent anyway.>

“Good point,” he said as he reached a small bridge made of marble. A small amount of running water ran underneath it. He stopped and looked at the water and could see fish swimming underneath it.

“I don’t know when this will come to an end, Ariadne. I want to reach the end of this maze.”

<You yearn for it. Tell me what you want to see at the center of this labyrinth. It is the final test for you.>

“I ... I want to see you. I want to be with you.”

<Truer words have never been spoken from a mortal that loves a goddess. Man of the Maze seek your fortune and proceed further.>

He trotted past the bridge and walked to a set of two turns. He closed his eyes and knew to go left. He jogged down the path and reached the right corner. Ahead of him was a clear path of flowers that led to an opening. He could see the sun’s rays as he walked to down the path of flowers.

His heart raced as he knew he reached the end of the labyrinth. The sun’s rays glistened, almost making it hard to see as he continued to walk.

Toha could see a silhouette of a figure in the distance. He reached the end as he could see the opening that led to a grove with the plant wall that completely encircled all around him. In the center of the orchard was the silhouette blacked from the glare.

He heard her voice no longer come from his head but ahead of him. “Come forward and claim your prize, Man of the Maze. You have beaten my labyrinth and proven to be my companion for all your life. Step forward.”

He kept his breathing under control. He continued to walk forward. He could see past the glare as the plant wall behind her blocked the sun. She sat on a marble throne with flowers all around her. A marble table sat next to her as a glass of wine rested on it. She held her trident in her left hand.

He continued to note everything in front of him. He saw her in a bra and loincloth. Her massive form dominated his vision. She was muscle and beauty with a head of a bovine with small horns and beautiful long hair. Her fur shined in front of him. Her tail sat comfortably on the throne behind her.

Ariadne asked comfortably, “Man of the Maze. Do you want to be my companion for the rest of your life? Do you promise to uphold the goals of the Coalition of all the deities that reside in it? Are you ready to defend the helpless against other Mythics that intend to bring harm to Mortals?”

It did not take him long to respond. He felt like he was in another world “Yes, Goddess ... my heart is yours. I will join and help you. It...”

She smiled as she stood up. Her trident disappeared in a puff of smoke as her towering form standing looked down at him. She nodded. “Kiss my hoof.”

Toha looked down and saw her right hoof. He took a knee as she placed her hoof forward. He quickly, without thinking, kissed it.

She extended the palm of her hand to him, “Kiss my hand Toha.”

Toha went and took her hand. The size of her hand was massive when compared to his. It was almost twice the size of his hand. She could comfortably grip his head and lift in the air if she wanted to. She then gave a firm kiss on the hand. Her breathing picked up.

“It’s like a dream,” she said. “I never thought this day would come. To finally bed you. I am yours Toha until the end of your existence. I promise to protect you, to feed you, and care for you in sickness or when you are in trouble. This I vow for you.”

He placed his head on her hand as if trying to find peace. “This will be my first ... please be gentle with me. I fear you will do a lot of harm to me if you are not careful.”

She chuckled, “Trust me, Toha, you have nothing to fear. I promise you are in good hands. As a command from your wife and Goddess, I order you to claim me. Take my body and make love to me.”

Toha could see a large bed appear beside him in a glow of light. It was large enough to have both him and her on it. It was made with red silk with blue flowers that lined all around it.

She kneeled in front of him to have her head level with his. He could feel the stirring in his loins. He wanted her. Without any hesitation, he pressed his lips to her snout and lips. He held the kiss for as long as he could. He took his hand and felt the side of her cheek, feeling the soft fur of her face. His other hand brushed the top of her head and touching one her horns. She reciprocated the kiss at the same time as one of her hands felt his head and hair. He broke the kiss and began to kiss her cheek and proceed to the side of her chin and cheek.