NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: The Labyrinth of the Laughing Queen
— The Fifth Floor of the Tower of Forgotten Wives —
The moment Jemil set foot on the fifth floor, the ground twisted beneath him.
The world inverted.
The floor became sky. The sky turned into mirrors. The air vibrated with laughter—high-pitched, echoing, wild.
A red carpet rolled itself out in front of him, unspooling like a tongue from a monstrous mouth. Banners dropped from invisible ceilings with words written in shimmering gold:
WELCOME, HUSBAND!
SORRY I WENT INSANE WHILE YOU WERE GONE 💕
Yui stepped cautiously behind Jemil, sword drawn. "Uh… this floor feels cursed."
Kaela narrowed her eyes. "It's not cursed. It's worse. It's… ridiculous."
Suddenly, a door burst open from the sky above, and Jemil fell upward into it.
— Inside the Labyrinth —
Jemil landed on a plush couch.
Beside him, a clone of himself—except with fox ears and sunglasses—grinned.
"Bro! Long time no see!" the fake Jemil said, passing him a drink that turned into a snake. "Oops! My bad. Still figuring out reality."
Jemil stood, brushing off the glitter that rained from nowhere. "Where is she? The fifth wife?"
A booming voice echoed through the world.
"ME~? I've always been here! Right behind you, right in front of you, in your dreams and your breakfast cereal!"
Jemil turned. There, spinning on a throne made of oversized dice and giant gummy bears, sat a woman with multicolored hair and mismatched eyes—one golden, one pure pink. She wore a jester's outfit that looked like it had been stitched from stardust and mischief.
She had a crooked tiara on her head and a lollipop in her mouth.
"You left me, Jemil. And so I went a little… HAHAHA—broken."
— Her Name Was Miraka —
She once ruled the Dreaming Garden, a beast whose power bent imagination into reality.
She was chaos incarnate—playful, unpredictable, but loyal beyond reason.
Jemil remembered her laughter, her pranks, the way she cried when he gave her a flower… because it was real.
And now, here she was—dancing on a chessboard where the pieces screamed when moved.
"Miraka…" he said gently.
She turned and grinned. "Do you love me more than your sanity?"
Jemil nodded. "Always."
That was the wrong answer.
— Reality Crumbles —
Miraka cackled. The entire world folded like paper, reshaping into a carnival of shadows.
Illusions came to life—dolls with his face, clones of his wives arguing with sock puppets, and a version of himself crying in a corner while being comforted by a broccoli.
Jemil fought through a gauntlet of madness.
One moment he was a child again. The next, he was ancient. Then, he became a cat.
"Only those who laugh at themselves can touch my heart again!" Miraka screamed.
"Then I'll laugh!" Jemil shouted, wielding his sword like a balloon animal. "Even if I become the joke!"
— The Smile That Broke the Spell —
In the middle of the madness, Jemil did something he never thought he'd do:
He danced.
Badly.
Terribly.
Off-beat and out of rhythm, but with genuine joy.
And for the first time in centuries… Miraka stopped laughing.
She watched him. Her hands trembled.
"You… idiot," she whispered. "You actually remembered how to play."
The world froze. The colors dimmed.
And then she collapsed into his arms, laughing and sobbing.
"I waited so long in this stupid funhouse, Jemil," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "I thought if I made you laugh, you'd never leave again."
"I never wanted to," he said, holding her close. "I just forgot how to smile without you."
— Outside the Labyrinth —
Kaela crossed her arms. "So… is she back to normal?"
Yui shook her head. "She's licking a wall and calling it her therapist. That's probably normal for her."
Jemil stepped forward, holding Miraka's hand.
She smiled brightly—still chaotic, still unpredictable, but calmer now.
"I may still be broken," she said, spinning once, "but this time, I'll glue myself back together with laughter and love."
A door opened to the next floor.
Jemil looked back one last time as confetti rained from invisible clouds.
Floor Five was complete.
📖 Chapter Recap:
Jemil enters the Labyrinth of Laughter on Floor 5 of the Tower.
Meets Miraka, a forgotten wife who went mad with grief and loneliness.
The floor becomes a chaotic maze of illusions and absurdity.
Jemil reconnects with Miraka through laughter and absurd vulnerability.
Miraka returns to his side — unstable but healing.
The Tower opens the way to Floor Six.
🔮 Next Chapter Preview: The Song of the Sleeping Bride
On Floor Six, the tower grows eerily silent. No illusions. No chaos. Only… silence.
There, Jemil will meet a wife trapped in a dreamless sleep — her memories sealed by his betrayal.
But to wake her… he'll have to offer something far more painful than magic or power.
He'll have to offer truth.
💥 CTA:
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