The Descent Begins

The world wasn’t always this way. Once, magic-users and non-magic folk lived in uneasy peace, their lives ruled by the Old Laws that forbade both to cross certain boundaries. But that was before the government began implementing the Escape Rooms, a dark solution to a world growing ever more divided by crime and power. For centuries now, criminals—or those deemed criminals—were sentenced not to prisons but to the Escape Rooms: complex mazes, each with a lethal combination of puzzles, creatures, and magical traps. These rooms were scattered across the world, dark testaments to human ingenuity and cruelty. Survival rates were abysmal. Most who entered never returned, spending what remained of their lives clawing through level after level, some of which grew so deadly only three in every hundred would survive.

Rumors had grown around these rooms, feeding a quiet mythology: that they fed on their victims' fears, that they could shift and adapt, that they could consume a person’s magic itself. To be sentenced here was to face certain death, or, if you were lucky, endless wandering and pain. And yet, in rare cases, a survivor would emerge—half-ghosts, haunted by what they had seen and done.

One such survivor was Li Wei. Platinum-blonde hair, eyes tinged with a faint purple glow, he had become something of a legend in the underworld. He’d been sentenced to five escape rooms over his life, and though he hadn’t committed any of the crimes he was accused of, he had still survived, even besting a room that went over level 100. People called him the Reaper; they said he was untouchable, unstoppable. And though he bore the scars of his journeys—both mental and physical—he returned every time, wounded but unbroken.

But this time was different.

---

The cell was a cold, unforgiving space, just like every other time. The air smelled damp, tinged with iron and rot. The dim light flickered overhead, casting shadows that stretched long and sinister along the walls. Li Wei sat against the wall, head tilted back, platinum-blonde hair falling over his closed eyes. His lean frame showed signs of recent battle: scratches marred his cheeks, bruises blossomed along his jaw, and blood-stained bandages wrapped around his arm and shoulder. He hadn’t even had the chance to heal properly since the last time they’d thrown him in.

Five times now, he’d been hurled into these so-called escape rooms. Five times, and he’d survived, each time emerging battered but unbroken. It was a miracle, they said, that he had survived level 100—one of the highest, most lethal traps anyone had ever seen. Most people never made it beyond level 30, let alone level 100. But then again, Li Wei had a lot of reasons to survive. He had been falsely accused, framed every time, and he was determined to find the people responsible.

A creak of the heavy iron door echoed through the cell, snapping Li Wei’s focus. He cracked an eye open and immediately tensed. In the doorway stood a tall figure, wild red hair catching the light, eyes a deep, smoldering red that almost seemed to glow. This new arrival looked around with an easy smile, as if the cramped, death-ridden cell amused him. He’s definitely not from around here, Li Wei thought.

The newcomer extended a hand toward Li Wei with a grin. “You’re the one they call the Reaper, aren’t you? I’m Xia Ren. Signed myself up for the challenge. Thought I’d finally get to see what this ‘escape room’ is all about.”

Li Wei stared at him, incredulous. “You… signed up?”

Xia Ren’s smile widened. “Yeah. Thought it’d be fun.”

Li Wei shook his head, sighing as he slowly rose to his feet. His own purple eyes narrowed in disbelief. “No one signs up for this. They throw criminals and so-called criminals into these levels. Each room is a deadly puzzle, and you… signed up?”

Xia Ren shrugged, his confidence radiating from him like a furnace. “Everyone kept talking about it. I got curious.”

Li Wei had been through enough of these rooms to know that curiosity in this place was a death sentence. But he also knew that fate had thrown them together. This time, he wouldn’t face the horrors alone. Not that it helped his nerves any—every escape room he’d been in had tried to break him, each deadlier than the last. And now, he would have to bear the responsibility of getting this madman through them too.

“I’ve done this alone every time,” Li Wei muttered, taking a deep breath as he sized up his new partner. “But if we’re paired, you’d better listen to everything I say. This place isn’t a game.”

Xia Ren chuckled, the sound deep and oddly reassuring. “Then I’ll follow your lead, Reaper. But I didn’t come here to be scared.”

Li Wei wasn’t reassured, but there was no time for second-guessing. The lights in the cell flickered once more, and with a groaning creak, a section of the wall slid open, revealing a dark corridor leading into the unknown.

“The levels,” Li Wei said, gripping the hilts of the weapons hidden in his clothing, “get more complex the deeper we go. And at any point, one wrong move can kill you.”

Xia Ren smirked, his hands resting casually at his sides. “Sounds like fun.”

As they crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them with a harsh finality, plunging them into a maze of narrow stone corridors. Li Wei’s heartbeat thrummed in his chest as he stepped cautiously forward, Xia Ren keeping pace beside him, seemingly unfazed by the dark.

In the quiet, Li Wei whispered under his breath, the first incantation to light their way. A gentle, ghostly glow illuminated his hand, lighting the stone walls with a dim, purple hue. As they proceeded, Xia Ren looked over at him, eyes shining with newfound respect.

“Magic, huh?” Xia Ren grinned. “Guess we’re in good hands.”

Li Wei ignored the comment. This wasn’t a time for conversation. His senses were sharp, honed from years of navigating these deadly rooms. He knew the traps here were less about brute force and more about clever illusions, riddles, and snares that preyed on the mind. Each room was a puzzle layered with dark magic, and the penalty for failing was often swift and brutal.

They entered the first room: a vast chamber lined with mirrored walls that distorted and twisted their reflections. Li Wei stopped Xia Ren with a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch anything,” Li Wei warned. “This room tests perception. One wrong move, and we’ll be torn apart.”

Xia Ren looked around, his eyes narrowing as he took in the room. He took a step back and nodded. “Lead the way, Reaper.”

Li Wei inhaled sharply, drawing on every ounce of his strength. He guided Xia Ren around each corner, carefully sidestepping the illusions that haunted every mirror, whispers clawing at his mind. Li Wei fought them off with the sheer force of will he had cultivated through every escape, every impossible battle he’d faced before.

Finally, they emerged from the mirrored hell, untouched but shaken. Xia Ren’s cocky grin had softened, respect filling his gaze. “You weren’t kidding,” he said, breathing heavily. “This place really doesn’t pull any punches.”

They moved through level after level, each more treacherous than the last. Traps and beasts lay in wait, magical puzzles twisting their reality into deadly riddles. Each time Li Wei faced down another trap, another beast, his body protested, weakened from his previous escape. But each time, he pushed forward. This wasn’t just about survival—it was about justice, about proving himself.

By the time they reached the tenth level, Li Wei felt the weight of fatigue pressing down on him. They stood in the center of a massive room, fire crackling in pits around them, casting an eerie glow over the metal gears and chains lining the walls. An enormous creature loomed above them, an iron beast fueled by the dark magic that permeated every corner of the room.

“Take the right,” Li Wei instructed, voice firm despite his exhaustion.

Xia Ren shot him a brief look of concern but didn’t question him. As Li Wei flung himself into the fray, magic flaring in his hands, he realized that for the first time, he wasn’t fighting alone.

They fought in perfect tandem, Xia Ren matching his every move, his reckless confidence balanced by Li Wei’s calculated precision. Together, they brought the beast down, its metallic limbs collapsing to the ground in a shower of sparks.

When the room finally fell silent, Xia Ren glanced over, panting, with a slight grin on his face. “Maybe this isn’t so bad with a partner, huh?”

Li Wei managed a faint smirk, adrenaline and fatigue warring within him. “Don’t get too comfortable. We’re only just getting started.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***