After almost an hour of walking, the group realized three things.
First, the maze was huge.
Of course, they already knew it was huge, but being in it was something else. They'd been walking for a long time and from what Ren had observed, it might take them days to go through the maze.
The developers of Eternal Souls had gone through a lot of trouble to make the playthrough of the Deep a bit random, which meant that if you didn't save the game after getting to a new cavern, you'll get another cavern when you come to that part of the game.
However, players have recorded all possible caverns the player could encounter.
But here was the kicker. This cavern is unique. It wasn't in any of the files, but that didn't surprise Ren. This was reality, not a game.
The second thing they realized was that if they had to spend days in this maze, they'd have a hard time finding a place to sleep. Or at least, that had been the problem before Ren found a solution.
When it was time to sleep, he'd use his vines to create hammocks attached to the walls of the maze. That way, they could sleep above the flowing water.
The third thing was that the maze was boring. And that wasn't really that big a problem. It just meant they had to hear Thorn's voice even more than normal.
And that got annoying pretty fast.
"You know, this is officially the weirdest road trip I've ever been on." Thorn said, hands behind his head as he waded through the water behind Ren and Lilith.
"We've crossed waterfalls, punched fish gods, and walked into a glowing maze like we're going on a stroll."
"I think you forgot the part where you screamed like a child when the fish splashed you." Elias added from the rear.
"Hey. That water was cold and rude."
Zuzu laughed. "You're lucky that splash didn't eat you."
"I'm just saying," Thorn replied, "next time Ren says 'vacation by the sea,' I'm asking a lot more questions."
Ren chuckled quietly. Lilith said nothing, but the corner of her mouth tugged slightly upward.
"So," Zuzu asked, "what do you think we'll find at the heart?"
"The heart, obviously." Thorn chuckled.
"I knew that, you idiot." Zuzu grinned, glancing back at him. "I meant what else."
"Hopefully not another Broodmother." Elias muttered.
"No promises." Ren said.
Lilith suddenly paused.
Her expression shifted.
Ren turned to her. "What is it?"
"Movement." Lilith said quietly. "Souls. Rapid. Through the walls."
"I don't know." She said. "They're... hazy. As if they don't really exist."
The group stopped moving. Thorn looked around uneasily.
"Is that supposed to be reassuring or terrifying?"
Ren frowned. "Alright. Change of formation. Lilith and I will take the front. Thorn, Elias, hold the rear. Zuzu stays in the middle."
Zuzu didn't argue. She stepped between them, a ball of water coming up to hover above her palm.
"What do you think they are?" Elias asked quietly.
"Don't know yet." Ren said. "But we'll find out."
The walls began to narrow as they followed the maze corridor.
Then, the corridor opened into a wider space.
They continued inside, taking the corner.
A solid stone wall rose ahead of them.
Ren raised his hand to signal a stop. "Back up. We'll turn around and find another route."
And that was when the grinding started.
Ren's eyes widened. "Back!"
They sprinted back down the corner, just in time to see a wall of stone grind to a close over the path they'd taken inside.
"Back to back." Ren said instantly. "Weapons out."
They formed a circle, weapons drawn. Thorn and Elias had their swords out, while Zuzu had several balls of water hovering around her.
The water around them rippled. And then, it erupted.
From the surface, shapes burst out of it.
Blood-finned reef sharks, each the size of a full-grown man, with mouths lined with rows of razored teeth, and bodies covered in jagged scales that tore through water like knives.
"What the hell?!" Thorn shouted, slashing wildly as one of the creatures lunged.
"Zuzu, Thorn! Draw them in! Tight circle! Lilith, wait for the mark!" Ren barked, already moving.
Zuzu moved to the center of the group and slammed her palm into the water, sending out a pulse that caused the sharks to snap toward her.
Thorn followed her lead, his blade weaving through the water, trying to tear through their scales and drawing attention.
"Come on, fish brains!" He snarled. "I've got seasoning in my blood!"
One of the sharks charged at him, and he barely dodged it.
Ren leapt in, slicing into one of the sharks with Freedom. "Hold formation!"
The sharks veered towards Thorn and Zuzu as the rest of them scattered. They formed a tight cluster, converging on the bait.
And just before they struck, Ren activated his Push resonance, Pushing Thorn and Zuzu to the far wall.
A blast of soulfire erupted around her like a cannon, and the water exploded with blood.
The blood sprayed all around them and the water bubbled, the sharks, dead.
They all stood panting.
Zuzu wiped blood from her face. "Everyone okay?"
"Not sushi." Thorn muttered. "Definitely not sushi."
Elias nodded. "I'm good."
Ren stowed Freedom back in his pouch, turning in the direction they'd been moving to. "If I'm right, the walls will move."
They all turned to stare at the wall and a second later, the dead end ahead of them rumbled.
The stone shifted, and slowly, the wall moved to the side, revealing a new corridor.
Ren stared upwards. "It knows we're here."
"The maze?" Zuzu asked.
Ren nodded. "It's like a toddler designed to stop any intruders from getting past. And when the toddler is a giant maze, it can be pretty dangerous."
He looked at the others.
"From now on, expect anything."