AN: Finally, a new character is introduced! Hope you enjoy reading~

Chapter 5:

The path back to the mysterious sealed corner of the labyrinth was pretty straightforward, allowing for Lynus to carefully inspected the ring that Oracle had uncovered alongside the token. It was quite a beautiful piece of jewellery; silver with a set green stone. Aventurine, if he wasn't mistaken. A gentle stone, offering enough healing to pull someone back into consciousness.

It was a skill that he had already possessed, but it should be a handy item for someone without healing abilities to use.

"Axel, here."

"Hm?"

Lynus took Axel by the wrist and pressed the ring against the palm of his hand. He would have slipped it upon his finger to ensure its fit, but he couldn't with the gauntlets he wore.

"This ring has a magical attribute. It'll help you revive someone should they faint. Don't worry," he immediately interjected with a smile, predicting his husband's protectiveness. "I'm not planning anything. It's to ease your worries more than anything."

Axel curled his fingers around the ring before he moved to place it in the back pocket of his pants. "I don't think I'll need it, but I'll hang onto it nevertheless."

"It might help in reviving drunkards," Lynus teased as he patted Axel's shoulder, causing him to snort lightly.

"They're more tolerable unconscious."

They fell into a comfortable, but vigilant silence as they made their way through the stone paved halls of the labyrinth. It wasn't long until they reached that curious little nook, the dark grey stone slab nestled within the stepping stones seemingly beckoning them as they gathered around it.

"Will it be as simple as replacing the tokens?" Oracle asked as Drayce retrieved the bat tokens from Lynus.

"One way to find out." Drayce sounded cheerful, despite throwing a glance of caution toward the rest of their party. "You guys stay back just in case."

Roxbury frowned at that, his protective instincts always on full alert, it seemed. "What about you?"

Drayce shrugged. "We'll see."

"Maybe I should do it." Oracle stepped forward suddenly, all but baring the way for Drayce toward the plaque. "It won't be the first time I've had an experiment blow up in my face."

Drayce was clearly surprised, but allowed the zodiac to take the tokens from his open palm. "Are you sure?"

Oracle waved him off dismissively. "I have a teammate who is far too gung-ho with explosives. I'll be fine."

Dutifully, Drayce stepped back and watched with a curious stare as Oracle moved toward the stone slab. As he knelt down, carefully setting the bat tokens into the small indentations in the four corners, Lynus felt his companions tense with anticipation, waiting for something.

Yet, as Oracle set the final token into place, nothing seemed to occur. Nothing for them to visibly see or audibly hear. Lynus, however, felt the sudden disappearance of etheric tension. It was similar to the feeling he would encounter whenever he removed a particular stubborn curse. A silent 'snap' of something unseen breaking.

Had the plaque removed the shield?

"Hm." Oracle raised his head and pushed himself to his feet. His gaze focused intently on the green shrubbery before him. "Something happened."

Drayce grinned. "I bet the shield went down."

"Hm," Oracle hummed once more as he stepped forward fearlessly. Moving toward the point where he had previously encountered what he referred as a an 'invisible wall'. And moved beyond it. "Yep. Nothing here. Other than a slight opening within the forest wall."

Drayce was once again the first move forward, his treasure hunter instincts propelling him to inspect and investigate every little curiosity possible. "That's where we need to go, then."

It was pretty evident that Drayce had navigated hidden paths and grottoes numerous times during his life. He took just a moment to inspect the scene before him, searching for the best path forward before he pushed forward himself. Naturally, everyone followed him wordlessly.

It wasn't as easy as pushing aside branches and shrubbery, however. They had to first climb over a small stone wall and navigate around numerous stone pillars and props scattered throughout. The foliage was also quite dense, with clinging vines, spiralling roots, and intriguing flora. Drayce took the lead with Oracle behind him. Axel was next, moving in front of Lynus to guide him through, which Roxbury and Lindis behind.

In all honesty, Lynus found it easy to navigate through the unconventional path. His small stature and lack of cumbersome armour and weaponry was likely the reason. His husband and companions were the ones getting caught by the reaching branches and shrubbery.

And it was pretty clear that they were getting annoyed. Thankfully, before someone unleashed their frustrations (either Axel with his axe or Oracle with some unrecommended fire magic), they pushed through into an opening. It was an area just like any other they had previously encountered, the foliage and surroundings the same.

The stone open sarcophagus of the same grey stonework of the labyrinth, surrounded in a clear, physical barrier, draped in vines and dried flower was something they had never seen before.

"Huh. Certainly wasn't expecting this," Drayce uttered as he stared at the strange tomb like structure set in the middle of the clearing.

They gathered around the curiosity, marvelling it. Timidly, Lynus reached out to brush his fingers against the clear shield. "It's…glass." Clear glass. Like a window pane.

Oracle unfurled a hand from the sleeves of his robes and tapped at the glass with his knuckles. "Magic-infused glass at that."

Drayce walked around the curiosity, idly trailing his hand along the glass. "It's acting as a shield."

"Another barrier, huh? Someone wanted to be careful," Axel commented.

A small shiver raced down Lynus' spine suddenly. It was then that he realized that his empathetic abilities were calling out to him. Telling him that there was a seventh presence amongst them. Not etheric, but mortal. A stranger.

He leaned forward and cupped his hands around his eyes as he peered through the glass. "There's…someone in there. Look."

Instinctively, everyone turned to peer through the glass and into the sarcophagus. With the dim lighting, it was hard to make out what was inside, but a figure, with light blue hair and pale skin soon became clear.

"There is a person here," Drayce uttered to himself, his surprise evident.

"And they're not a corpse," Oracle added. "Interesting."

No, they weren't. They were under a curse. A rather powerful one at that. Keeping them in a state of suspended animation. A magical coma of sorts. Something that Lynus had encountered before, though it was only twice that he had encountered one as this powerful.

"Are they alive?" Roxbury asked as he turned away from the glass.

Lynus nodded his head. "Yes. I can sense life energy from them." Steady and slow, but they were indeed a living being.

"They must be someone of importance."

"Good or bad, though?"

Drayce pulled back and folded an arm across his chest while his other hand grasped his chin, taking on a thoughtful posture. "…If they were of someone with bad or evil intent, I can't imagine that the seals wouldn't be as easy to break."

"I can't sense any negativity, let alone malice," Lynus immediately interjected. From either the one lying in the coffin and the shadow figure that led them to the tokens. "And, unfortunately, I have experience with both." He tapped his fingers against the glass. "This…this feels protective."

Oracle paced around the glass structure, gazing upon it in mild curiosity. "I wonder if this is the treasure the words from the beginning of the labyrinth was referring to."

Roxbury frowned lightly as he tapped his fingers against the glass. "What should we do?"

"Find a way to awaken them," Lindis immediately replied.

Drayce nodded, but his lips turned in a frown similar to that of Roxbury's. "Before that, we'll need to remove this barrier next."

Lynus gently wiped away a patch of green moss from the glass. It was a magical barrier indeed. And yet, "It feels…very weak."

Oracle returned from his pacing the outside of the barrier, joining them with his hands folded into his sleeves. "The being inside is likely the convertor, as it were. Maybe a physical force would do?"

Axel took Lynus by the elbow and pulled him away from the glass structure. "Let's find out. Stand back."

Axel ran his hand over the glass, taking a moment to inspect the assembly of the formation, musing of how much strength was needed to remove the barrier. He had more than enough power to break it down, but he didn't want complete destruction. Lynus knew that he didn't want to cause the glass to burst, sending glass shards in all directions.

After a moment, Axel took a half step back and reeled back his right arm, and curled his hand into a fist.

Lindis was the one to realise that Axel wasn't reaching for his weapon. "Your axe-?"

"I won't need it," Axel replied simply as he propelled his fist forward. In a short, sharp jab.

And broke through the glass panel easily, his thankfully gauntlet covered arm breaking straight through the middle. The connecting panes to the one that shattered broke along with it, splintering into cracks before shattering and dropping to the labyrinth's stone floor. That magical tension, the one similar to that sealed this hidden path, abruptly dissipated as well. The magical shield had been broken, leaving just a glass house behind. Well, half of it at least.

"Well," Drayce uttered as Axel stepped back, satisfied with his work. "I honestly wasn't expecting that to work." He sounded impressed, however, relieved that it actually did indeed work.

"Where was that strength of yours when I needed it?" Oracle questioned good-humouredly, though his tone was stoic as ever.

Axel shrugged and folded his arms across his chest. "Probably rescuing some dumbass from their dumbass decision."

The corner of Oracle's lips twitched into a slight smirk. "Fair enough. Even so, let's hope that vast majority of obstacles we come across can be removed by Axel simply punching it."

Drayce chuckled as he moved past Axel and into the opening that he had created for them. "Now, to awaken our mysterious friend here."

The rest of the party soon followed. Lynus moved to stand by the head of the coffin, carefully studying the figure lying peacefully within a bed of red silk and cloth. They appeared to be that of a young man, perhaps no older than twenty-years-old. His hair was a unique teal colour, standing out starkly against his pale white skin and dark clothing. His face was free of creases, indicating that he was sleeping quite peacefully.

"How are we going to wake him?" Roxbury questioned, standing on the right side of the coffin with Oracle. Where the zodiac looked across to the left side where Axel and Drayce stood.

"Axel?"

Axel immediately frowned, knowing exactly what Oracle was asking of him. "I'm not punching him. We need to awaken him, not knock him senseless."

There was no need for violence in any case. "Just give me a moment," Lynus said as he leaned forward and pressed his fingertips gently against the sleeping man's forehead. He was fairly certain he knew of the man's aliments, but he just wished to double-check.

And, thankfully, the curse he was under did not have any malignant repercussions. It was strong, no doubt. More akin to a spell. One conducted with…desperation. There didn't appear to be anything malicious, no ill-intent behind it.

Curious.

"It's a spell alright," Lynus revealed as he leaned forward a little further, to press his palm against the man's forehead. "Thankfully, I can remove it."

Axel nodded his head in understanding before he turned his attention to their companions. "Get ready; we don't know how he'll respond."

He had every right to be cautious. It wasn't unusual for those under sleeping spells or curses to spring up suddenly, seemingly ready to engage in a fight. Such a response was often due to how and when they had been cursed. Usual in the midst of battle or forced upon them by the maliciousness of others.

Yet, Lynus didn't feel that they would get such a reaction from the man. He felt too peaceful.

Still, he was careful as he searched out the source of the spell keeping the man in a state of slumber. With a simple refresh spell, he released it. Though immune to any form of dark magic, he noted that there was no backlash, no attempt for retribution from the curse.

That was equally curious. Someone definitely placed this spell upon him, but did not do so with malicious intent. In fact, it was a desperate act of protection. The seals and barriers were testament to that fact, too.

With the curse dissipated, Lynus pulled his hand back and waited along with the rest of his companions. Waiting with baited breath as the man slowly began to stir. A slight wrinkling of his brow, his lips twitching into a small frown before his eyelids began to flutter.

Finally, he opened his eyes. A vivid blue in colour. Really quite striking.

He slowly lolled his head around to look up at each of them for a slow, drawn-out moment. His eyes suddenly widen, shock and surprise finally registering. Before anyone had the chance to utter something hopefully reassuring, he uttered a low 'eep' like noise, his body tensing before…

Before there was a puff of smoke and a little black bat fluttered haphazardly from the coffin, clumsily through the opening within the glass and into a nearby tree. Lynus immediately followed the bat with his eyes.

He just…turned into a bat?

It was him. It was definitely the man that had been lying in the coffin!

"W-wait, don't go!" Lynus instinctively called out as he moved to follow him, thankfully finding him clinging to the branch of a tree close by. "We don't mean any harm."

Drayce was right next to Lynus, he having figured out the small bat was their mysterious friend. "Don't be scared. We found you under a sleep spell. We just wanted to make sure you were ok."

The man's skittish reaction and flight was completely understandable. After all, having six strange men, five of them carrying weapons, staring at you when you awoke from a deep sleep must be pretty terrifying. He really should have expected as much.

They would have to make sure not to do that again. If there's a next time, of course.

"We're really sorry," Drayce continued in earnest. "We really didn't mean to scare you like that."

Slowly, the small black bat with bright blue eyes peered down at them from behind the trunk of the tree. "Who are you?" a voice, a squeaky, high-pitched voice resonated from the bat.

Oracle half snort, half choked in surprise and amusement. "That…your voice?"

The bat bristled wildly as he scraped his claws against the tree bark. "Leave my voice alone!" he obviously shrilled, his tone slightly higher.

"Wow, you can change into a bat and still talk!" Drayce was sincerely impressed and had no shame in showing it. "That's legit amazing."

Lynus felt that the man (er, bat?) was surprised by Drayce's enthusiasm. It wasn't a negative response, however, and Drayce's open friendliness helped in easing his nerves. "Please come out. We truly mean you no harm. We're just worried about you."

"Hmm…" he gave out a long, drawn-out hum as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them. However, after a moment he finally unfurled his wings and dropped down from the tree. Before he reached the ground, however, he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke for a brief moment and reappeared as the teal-haired, blue-eyed man they found in the coffin.

"Alright," he said, his voice clear and light. "I cannot sense malice from you."

He really could turn into a bat at will. That was indeed an amazing trait to have.

Drayce smiled warmly at him. "Ah, good. My name is Drayce, this is Lynus, Axel, Roxbury, Oracle, and Lindis. What's your name?"

"Vasilios," the man returned resolutely before he unexpectedly frowned, his brow furrowing as he looked up at the sky. "I think."

Drayce's smile faltered slightly. "Think?"

"I…can't quite remember."

Lynus immediately stepped forward. "I'm a medic. Maybe I can help? Could you lean forward a little bit?"

Vasilios blinked at him in a somewhat bewildered manner. However, and thankfully, he dutifully leaned forward toward Lynus, allowing for him to press his hand against his forehead.

Oddly enough, he couldn't find anything negative or malignant. However, as he searched through his chakra points, he soon concluded that he had a mild form of memory lost. There was no intrusive force keeping his memories at bay. It was a natural ailment.

"Hm, you have a form of amnesia." He pulled his hand back, prompting Vasilios to stand back to his full height. "I'm afraid, I can't use a refresh spell to restore your memories."

"Likely a side-effect from being in a deep sleep." It was Lindis who offered that suggestion, somewhat surprisingly. Sounding as though he had encountered something similar before.

If so, Lynus would have to ask him about it some time, especially how he went about helping said person, if he knew them. After all, the vast majority of those he had encountered suffering from memory loss or suppressed memories were those inflicted with curses.

But he did raise a good point. There were no obvious dark spots in his mind. Yet, he felt that was partly to blame. Still, given time, his memories should return to him. He may just need some prompting.

"I don't suppose you know how long you've been asleep?" Lynus asked.

Vasilios shook his head. "No, I don't. I don't even remember sleeping."

He suddenly fell silent as he turned to look over at the glass structure and the stone sarcophagus that had been his home, his bed for potentially years. Long years. Hundred of years? The islands and lands of Lemuria were reported to be uninhabited for centuries.

Reportedly, that was. If the stories that Lynus had heard from his fellow explorers were any indication, life and communities grew and lived wherever there was sustainable resources.

That meant Vasilios was a native of these islands.

"Do you remember anything?" Drayce asked. His tone gentle, yet his curiosity was also quite prominent.

Vasilios folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought. He stayed that way for a few moments, causing Lynus and his companions to share quiet glances amongst them. They all had differing, varying emotions. Axel was slightly sceptical. Drayce was wholly curious. Oracle was starting to become impatient. Roxbury was rightly worried. And Lindis held a sense of understanding.

"…Snugglebug!" Vasilios suddenly shouted. His outburst caused them to jump in surprise, and to all turn to stare at him in quiet bewilderment.

"…What?" Drayce finally asked.

"I have a pet cat called Snugglebug," Vasilios replied, again resolute in his words.

Drayce had to smile. "Oh, ok, that's nice to know."

Vasilios dropped his arms to his sides. His gaze slowly drifted to the ground by his feet, and a feeling of overwhelming defeat washed over him. "I can't remember anything else. Just…that I know something important."

Something important? Could…that important information be the reason why he was placed into a sleep and hidden behind two magical barriers? They had better keep an eye on him, for his own safety.

What a silly thought. They would have kept a close, protective eye on him regardless.

"Don't try to force your memories to return." Lindis was gentle in his comfort, again prompting Lynus to realise that he indeed had experience with someone enduring memory loss before. "Your memories will eventually return."

"Maybe if we walk around the labyrinth, it might jog your memory?" Roxbury suggested.

Vasilios was silent as he raised his eyes, looking at each of them carefully. He nodded his head in acceptance finally, but a small frown marred his lips and his gaze flickered up toward the canopy above their heads. "I can't be out in the sunlight. It hurts."

That immediately piqued Lynus' curiosity. "Hurts?"

"It feels like it is burning my skin. I need to stay in the shadows," he explained simply.

"Just the sunlight?"

"Yes. The moonlight heals me, actually."

Curious. Photosensitivity? He hadn't encountered that condition in any of his patients before. He best do some research when he returned to the Sanctuary.

"I'm afraid we can't wait around until night-time," Roxbury mused.

That was true. They might get their own search party.

Lynus glanced down at his bag before he turned his attention back toward Vasilios. "How about this? You can turn into your bat form and hide in my bag. Would that work?"

Vasilios also turned his gaze toward his medical bag, considering it silently for a moment. Finally, he nodded his head sharply, satisfied with the proposition. "Yes, I think it will."

Lynus pulled back the protective flap of his bag, creating a small area for Vasilios to settle himself in. Allowing for him to seek refuge from the sunlight, but granting him the chance to still look out at their surroundings.

Vasilios readily turned into his small bat form again (they'll have to ask him how he managed to perform such a feat), and fluttered to nestle himself into Lynus' bag. He spent a moment getting himself settled, before he turned around, grasped the lip of the bag and peered over.

"The sun will be setting soon, so this will only be for an hour or so," Lynus comforted as he carefully placed the leather protective flap over their new companion, keeping him sheltered from the sunlight. "It should be nice to stretch your legs under the moonlight."

Vasilios appeared satisfied with that. "Hm."