Luth glanced at Nam and asked, "Why did you come here?" His exhaustion was evident; he could barely stand.

"We need to return to the palace."

Reina and Luth didn't object much and agreed to go back. No one spoke on the way. When they arrived at the palace once more, the atmosphere remained unchanged—still indescribable.

Nam turned to the others and spoke in a cold tone:

"I don't know how to use the mirror, but the only thing I'm certain of is that we have to use it in the palace."

Luth stepped forward slightly, his exhaustion evident in his half-closed eyes.

"How do you know that, Nam?"

Nam approached the throne and placed the mirror on it.

"Larod and I encountered someone. When I took the mirror from them, I thought they were looking at me… but I was wrong. They weren't looking at me—they were looking at the palace."

Nam lowered his gaze and continued,

"In short, we might find a clue here, or the mirror might only work in this place."

The lighting was dim, but the faint glow from the corridor was enough to make out their surroundings. Reina and Larod began examining the paintings. Larod ran his fingers over the images, trying to decipher their meaning. Reina simply observed, attempting to connect the pieces in her mind.

Meanwhile, Luth and Nam were scanning the palace corridors. But… was this truly a palace? A palace was supposed to be vast. Yet, this place only had a throne room. Still, what else could they call it?

The paintings depicted strange scenes:

One portrayed the sun and the moon. Another showed a battle between an octopus and a lion, while a rabbit hid in the background. The last one depicted three people watching the moon.

Reina furrowed her brows, muttering,

"The sun and the moon… Why is the rabbit hiding instead of running? And why are the octopus and lion fighting? More importantly, why are those three watching the moon?"

Larod wasn't sure either, but he understood two things. The lion attacked using its strength, while the octopus used its intelligence to evade. The rabbit, on the other hand, was neither strong nor intelligent—it simply observed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The other thing he realized was that the sun and the moon were two opposing forces. Beyond that, nothing made sense.

Nam and Luth continued searching the corridors, but there was nothing there. However, Luth's mind was elsewhere—he was still thinking about the man he had failed to save.

Returning to the throne room, Nam glanced at Reina and asked,

"Did you find anything?"

Reina and Larod shook their heads. Nam sighed deeply. The journey to the palace alone had taken an hour, and now he was completely drained.

"Larod, give the pendant back."

A smirk formed on Larod's lips, revealing his sharp teeth. Nam had spoken in an almost commanding tone.

Larod reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendant.

"So, you saw me take it?" he said mockingly before tossing it to Nam.

Nam caught it effortlessly mid-air.

"I didn't see you take it, but I noticed you looking at it several times. I figured you'd take it sooner or later."

Nam stepped toward the throne. Luth, Reina, and Larod resumed examining the paintings and columns. Nam picked up the mirror and sat down on the throne.

Then, he heard a voice.

"You will give to receive. To use it, you must speak the word—Jiko."

It sounded like an old saying or a proverb.

Nam's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened, and his breathing grew unsteady. His body was already drenched in sweat. The others… didn't seem to hear it.

"W-What just happened?!"

Reina and Luth rushed to his side, while Larod simply shot a cold glance before returning to his examination.

Luth knelt in front of Nam, concern in his voice.

"Hey, Nam! Are you alright?"

Reina stood behind him, silent.

"Ji-" Nam was about to say Jiko when Larod suddenly sprinted toward him, eyes wide, arms outstretched. His stance was aggressive—one foot forward, the other pushing off the ground.

But… he was too late. Maybe if he had been closer, he could have stopped it.

Nam's body felt unbearably heavy. His eyes shut, and a wave of fear spread through his veins.

"J-Jiko…"

The mirror activated.

Everyone froze.

Even Nam.

Four visions flashed before their eyes:

First Vision

It was blurry. In a dimly lit tavern with stone floors and wooden furniture, three people sat at a table, laughing. One of them, with white hair, seemed especially cheerful.

Second Vision

This one was harder to make out. A single person sat at a desk, writing a letter. Darkness surrounded them, except for a single candle flickering on the table. The person suddenly crumpled the paper and threw it down in frustration.

Third Vision

The scene was clearer now. A battlefield. Three people. A man stood in front of a woman, her sword pointed at him. Meanwhile, a third figure hid, though their exact location was unclear. The man wasn't using brute strength—he was trying to outthink his opponent.

Fourth Vision

Is death truly a relief? After all, it frees one from life's cruelty… But this time, it wasn't life's cruelty that had found him—it was death's.

Neither the woman nor the man had killed him. His cause of death was unknown.

But the only thing that was certain—he had died smiling