RETURN

Peony’s profoundly revolting confession rocked them to their core. Chinatsu felt Miyabi’s grip tighten. But neither of them could look away from Peony, who had delivered that information with alarming neutrality, like they were recalling what they’d eaten for breakfast.

“You…ate…?” Chinatsu choked out the words. He didn’t want to believe it, but knew Peony had an infallible sense of honesty when offering the truth.

“That’s right,” Peony confirmed. They were the first to avert their gaze. Perhaps they still had some sense of shame, or perhaps the topic was simply boring. “Someone I had met once in this labyrinth had told me that where they were from, there was a certain belief that you could eat something to gain its power. I wanted to take it away from him.”

Why? Only that word repeated in Chinatsu’s mind over and over again. He didn’t care about any other explanation anymore. He just wanted to know why any of this was happening.

“There were two of you…”

“I knew you were an interesting person…”

“I’m just hoping that things will end differently this time…”

“They’re special.”

Peony’s words came flooding back to Chinatsu.

“What is it that you want from us?” Chinatsu said, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He held Miyabi close. He needed to be strong for her–for both of them.

Peony looked Chinatsu in the eyes. Curiosity. He was starting to understand the subtle shifts in their expressions. The Elf strolled over to the archway and stood next to it, their reflection inverted in the water.

“I want you to choose,” Peony said, the tips of their fingers lightly grazing the stone arch as they ran their hand over it. “Only one of you can return. You have to choose.”

Chinatsu clenched his jaw hard enough that he felt like his teeth would crack. Peony knew that he wanted to save everyone. Were they just humoring him this whole time? Miyabi, who had been trembling quietly in his arms, sprang to life.

“Why!? Why do we have to choose!?” she shouted, pulling herself away from Chinatsu. Splash splash splash. She stomped across the reflecting pool towards Peony and the arch. “Why can’t we go home together!? Because you won’t let us?”

She stood there breathing heavily like she’d just expended some great physical effort. Her fists clenched at her side, trembling. As Chinatsu followed behind her, he knew that this outburst wasn’t spurred by bravery–it was anger. The anger she’d been holding back, or perhaps unable to express, for the entire week they’d been switched.

Peony smirked at the outburst that challenged their authority. They gestured to the portal within the archway in an invitation to step through. “Be my guest. But the truth is, I don’t actually know what happens when two people pass through. It’s never happened before. One of you might not make it back.”

“Didn’t you say you’d met another pair before? Before us,” Chinatsu argued. He placed his hands on Miyabi’s shoulders. To calm her, but more importantly, to prevent her from doing something rash.

“Good memory,” Peony said, winking at Chinatsu. They leaned their back against the side of the arch. “Only one of those people made it out.”

“You sound like you have another story you’re just itching to tell us,” Miyabi sneered. She crossed her arms and stared down Peony. “Go on and tell it already.”

Peony cast a sideways glance and sighed. The Elf smirked as they stood upright once more and approached Miyabi.

“You know, I think I liked you two more when you were swapped,” they said, patting Miyabi’s head. She swatted their hand away. “I explained before that I’ve guided many travelers to the end. Like you, I also once wanted to save as many people as I could.”

Peony paused. They looked up at Chinatsu and smirked. “But the thing is, this labyrinth exists to pit its inhabitants against each other by nature. When driven to the brink, all living things become greedy to survive.”

“Stop being so damn cryptic,” Miyabi interrupted. Peony scoffed while Chinatsu tightened his grip on Miyabi’s shoulders.

“What I’m saying is that the strong always sacrifice the weak in order to survive.” Peony grabbed Miyabi’s chin and leaned in close. Lowering their voice, they said, “I pity the weaklings.”

Peony let go of her chin and stepped out of the pool. With their back turned, they continued speaking. “I’ve seen countless people sacrifice others just to get where you two are standing right now. And I, myself, was even treated as a sacrifice several times simply because others viewed me as weak.”

Chinatsu looked away in shame. He had also once thought of Peony as being frail and weak, but…

“But you two seemed intent on protecting the weak. On protecting each other. That made you different from all the others,” Peony said, turning around to face them once more. “But now I’m curious what you’ll do when backed into a corner like this.”

“What did the other pair do?” Chinatsu asked. He could tell Peony was testing them. Maybe there was a right answer.

Peony’s expression softened. They cast their gaze downward and bit their lip. Chinatsu realized that Peony had been dodging the topic by talking in circles.

“It was a mother and child,” Peony spoke slowly. Their once confident volume reduced to something just above a whisper. “I guided them to the end, just like I did for you two.”

The Elf swallowed hard. They clenched their fists only to immediately relax them, exhaling. Chinatsu watched the subtle shift in their expression as their slipping mask was readjusted. Peony looked up at Chinatsu and Miyabi once more, stone-faced.

“Presented with the opportunity to live once more, that mother readily abandoned her own crying child. She was crying, but she looked at her son and said something that I could never forgive,” Peony said flatly. The room was silent. The low hum of the portal sounded deafening now. Peony parted their lips, and Chinatsu held his breath in anticipation of their next words.

‘I can always make another.’

“And then she was gone. On the reset, I was separated from the boy.”

Chinatsu exhaled. He thought of the Wraith Peony had exorcised on that very first night in the maze–how it was a little boy. Chinatsu felt like he’d found the answer.

“I know what to do.”

“Huh? Chinatsu?” Miyabi looked at him wide-eyed and confused as she turned around.

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her into a tight hug. “I promise I’ll have an answer for you when I see you again.”

“Wha…? W-what are you even saying right now?” Miyabi stammered, pulling away from him. He wondered what was going through her mind and recalled the racing heartbeats every time they got close. Chinatsu let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle.

Miyabi backed away from Chinatsu. With each step backwards, he took one forward, closing the gap between them. She stopped just short of the portal, realizing it was behind her. Miyabi looked up at Chinatsu, fear and confusion written all over her face.

“W-what are you trying to do!?” she stammered, pressing her hand against his chest to keep him from getting any closer.

“Protect you.”

Chinatsu pushed Miyabi. She fell backwards with a gasp.

When the last remaining part of her body had finally slipped through, the portal disappeared with a pop like a lightbulb burning out.

Looking down, Chinatsu was now only met with his own reflection staring back at him in the water.

Applause. The sound echoed off the stone walls like an audience giving a standing ovation, but it was just Peony.

“Wow!”

“Did it live up to your expectations?” Chinatsu sneered as he stepped out of the pool and walked to Peony.

“Well done! It exceeded them!” Peony said, forcing a hug onto Chinatsu.

“Because I’m different? Because I’m special?” Chinatsu said in a low voice. Now that he was normal, he realized just how small and fragile the Elf seemed. He felt like he could easily crush Peony. He wanted to hurt them. “Who are you right now, really? Peony? Lily?”

“Oh? You heard all of that?” Peony said, looking up at Chinatsu. He returned their mischievous look with one full of malice. Still, Peony did not release Chinatsu from the hug. “Are you mad at me?”

“Of course I am. I’m so pissed off I could kill you right now. You were treating us like your toys.”

“When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a bad person!” the Elf whined.

During their whole journey, Chinatsu never once thought Peony was “bad.” They had moments where their mask cracked or fell away…or no. It wasn’t that their mask was falling away–it was being put up. To endure what Peony has, it would be necessary to numb yourself for protection.

“You’re really twisted,” Chinatsu sighed as he returned Peony’s embrace. He couldn’t bring himself to hate Peony. He could only pity them.

“I know. Can we stay like this?” Peony whispered. They tightened their grip on Chinatsu and pressed their forehead against his chest. “You just look so similar. In a few years, I bet you’ll look just like him…”

Ah, that was it then. It wasn’t that Peony was developing feelings for Miyabi. They were attracted to the body–it didn’t really matter who was in it. All because of a resemblance to that person from long ago.

“Was all of this because of him?” Chinatsu asked.

“In a way…”

“I’m sorry…But I can’t be that person for you,” Chinatsu said, finally pushing the Elf away. Tears were welling up in their eyes as Chinatsu saw what he thought might have been the most genuine and vulnerable face he’d ever seen Peony make. “I have to go home. So please…open the portal again.”

Peony’s expression clouded, and their eyes seemed to darken. The corners of their lips began to curl up into a smile. A rattling breath turned into maniacal laughter.

“I can’t,” Peony said, finally exhausting the rest of their laughter. “I can’t open it again until the labyrinth resets.”

“Is that your decision? Or is that just how it works?”

“It’s…just how it works. It has to reset.” Peony’s smile was fading.

“Then reset it.”