You set out early in the morning, without saying goodbye to the family you’re staying with. You trust that they will care for Ahrenia until she wakes – if she ever does.

The jungle is as hot and as deadly as Ahrenia told you it would be. It is completely silent. No birds sing, no monkeys chatter – you don’t see so much as a mosquito. As you hack your way through the thick vines, you feel an odd prickle on the back of your neck, as though something really is watching you – something malevolent, and hungry.

Nevertheless, you make your way through the thick foliage unimpeded. It seems that Ahrenia’s power has made you worthy after all.

After many long hours, you find your path blocked by a high sandstone wall. This must be the labyrinth. You reach out, intending to climb the vines growing along the wall, but as your hand makes contact with the stone you feel an odd sensation – as though the wall isn’t there at all. Cautiously, you push forward, and fall through the wall onto a neatly tiled stone floor.

You pick yourself up and look around. You’re in a labyrinth alright, in some sort of rest stop. A grisly-looking skeleton in the corner tells the tale of the last unfortunate soul to find their way here. Hopefully, you’re better prepared.

Before you sits a large stone carving. Surprisingly, it looks to be some sort of map. A special perk for the chosen one, perhaps?

The carving shows a birds-eye view of the labyrinth, with a large, square building in the centre. That must be the sanctuary. Assuming the top is north, you trace your finger around the side to try and pinpoint where you entered from – and as you do so, you notice that the labyrinth is full of dead ends, trails that go back on each other, and even hidden passages. Hm. That’s going to be a problem.

You turn your attention instead to four figures dotted haphazardly around the map. They are all manner of shapes and sizes, but their colours instantly attract your attention: silver, blue, green, and red. The colours of the gods!

A loud, roaring croak rings out, startling you away from the map. It came from just around the corner - that must be monster number one! You check over your weapons and start moving towards it, sparing a last glance at the unfortunate skeleton as you pass. If you don’t want to end up like them, you’d better get moving…

After so many weeks holed up and hiding from The Herald’s minions, the rush of battle is a surprisingly welcome break. You dispatch the first monster, a large, squat toad, with ease, using a well-timed barrage of Water Strikes. The second one, some kind of flying lizard, is a little tougher until you realise you can use your bow and arrows to knock it out of the sky. The third one is absolutely monstrous, a plant the size of a house that kept trying to turn you into fertilizer.

The fourth monster is the toughest one of all. It’s an enormous snake that winds through the corridors of the labyrinth, venom dripping from its monstrous fangs. You have to watch your step as you battle, constantly dodging its strikes, letting it tire itself out before you close the distance to fight back. At long last, it falls.

Exhausted, you make your way to the nearest rest point. After each monster fell, a brightly coloured path appeared on the map, and this one should be no different. There! A river of golden ink bubbles up and, as if by magic, crawls a trail towards the Ancient Sanctuary. You’ve done it!

With no time to spare, you rush through the labyrinth. Right, left, right again, over a crumbling wall, through a tunnel, and left one more time – there it is! Before you stands a humble, unassuming stone building. Above the entrance, five enormous gems glow – one for each monster you defeated.

With a sigh of relief, you stroll towards the Sanctuary door. Soon you’ll have the clues you need to find The Herald, and then you can start a new adventure.

You’re so caught up in your imaginings that you fail to notice the vine slowly wrapping around your leg until it pulls, sharply, and hoists you up in the air. You yell in surprise as the world turns upside down.

The vine snaps, whip-like, and hurls you into the Sanctuary wall with a crash. You get to your feet, clutching your head, and see an enormous, humanoid figure sprout up out of the ground. Her hair is a crown of bright red thorns stretching all down her back. Her legs end in titanic roots, and her body is covered in writhing vines as thick as your chest.

“Champion!” the Guardian of the Sanctuary calls out to you in a voice that shakes the very walls around you. “I am Morellia, Guardian of the Sanctuary. None may enter here!”

“I am chosen!” you reply, trying your best to stay upright. “By Ahrenia!”

Morellia pauses, vines circling lazily through the air.

“Then you must prove that you are worthy. Are you prepared for battle?”

You look down at yourself – covered in venomous spines and bits of plant matter, armour ripped to shreds… not to mention your boots, covered in the visceral remains of the giant snake. You sigh. It’s not like you’re getting any readier.

“I’m prepared,” you yell. “Let’s do this!”