He’s going to try to get to the top of the wall. Of course.

The people in the stands roar, excited by Aramin’s deadly grace. Aramin pulls himself onto the top of the wall, and for the first time, he gets a clear view of the entire game space. Down below, Adena spins and delivers a fatal arrow to the injured Ghost’s neck, while Aramin darts forward down the path toward the second Ghost.

I realize I’m leaning forward, my heart in my throat as I will Aramin to break down the game and sprint along the top of the maze wall to the end. But as soon as he begins running, the maze shifts again. The wall he’s on begins to move—at the same time, spikes embedded in the top of the maze wall shoot up, anticipating his plan.

Aramin flips off just in time. He sails through the air in an arc as the spikes make it impossible to travel on the top. He kicks off against the wall’s side on his way down, then lands next to Adena with a light flourish.

The two of them press their backs to each other as more Ghosts reach them. They draw their weapons at the same time, then dart forward, slicing at the beasts that snap at their limbs. The largest Ghost, a creature taller than the maze’s walls, manages to cut between them—Adena dodges its swipes, but the move separates her from Aramin. Aramin slides under the Ghost’s legs, but the creature twists, snapping for him, and he’s forced to retreat again with his back to the wall.

Behind him, Adena creeps like a shadow, her movements so silent and smooth that none of the beasts realize she’s made her way around the fight. She pulls out her gun and fires twice at one of the Ghosts. It whirls, confused by the direction of the attack, but by the time it turns, Adena has moved again—she skips up the side of its back. As she does, she swings off her Striker coat and flings it up at the wall. The cloth catches against the spikes still jutting out from the top, and for an instant, her coat becomes a swing. She spins in a sharp arc and releases the coat, launching herself on top of the largest Ghost that has backed Aramin into a corner. She takes her blade and jabs it deep into the Ghost’s neck, hitting its vulnerable vein.

The people in the stands scream as the Ghost stumbles and falls. As it does, Aramin and Adena scatter again, soundless, Adena’s coat left to hang on top of the wall. The other Ghosts whirl around and lunge for them again, but Aramin has taken advantage of a shadow in one corner to vanish completely into, and the beast is momentarily thrown off. It sniffs angrily around for its prey.

Suddenly the maze shifts again. Adena is caught this time, forced to jump backward to avoid the moving wall. Aramin races toward her, trying to pull her back so that it doesn’t separate them—but the shift happens too quickly. Suddenly, he is torn between darting through the narrowing shift with Adena, or staying in his path.