13.

‘Come again?’ I said, taken aback.

The lion smiled. ‘I want you to go towards the Crystal Palace.’

I blinked. ‘…is there a reason for this?’

The Great White Rabbit shrugged. ‘More excitement.’

A scowl crossed my face. Here was a dungeon master, a being who had an uncanny amount of control over the dungeon, and he wanted me to go down a path because “it was more exciting”? Ridi—

‘—culous,’ May said, ripping the thoughts straight from my head.

‘Thanks,’ I said.

The lion placed his front paws against his cheeks and faked screaming in indignation. ‘What do you mean?! This is a grand opportunity. The Palace holds rewards unthinkable for those of your level.’ He whirled on me again. ‘Especially, for a water user.’

I shook my head and sighed.

‘Great White Rabbit, if you would allow me to explain,’ Hero said carefully, and the spotlight was given to him. ‘As you said, Black Flame was a worthy opponent—two of our main fighters got injured. Should Djina split from us, our muscle will be greatly reduced. That’s not mentioning the danger she will be in by herself.’ Hero held up a finger. ‘Imagine her running into a group of Shadow Mimics by herself. It will be a slaughter.’

One that wasn’t in my favour, too. And while I wholly agreed with Hero, I had more important reasons for not leaving the group. May. Should I leave, the only other person she could trust wholeheartedly would be gone. A fight with the others would be three on three in the best scenario. One on five in the worst case if Hero and Boris chose to betray her for whatever reason (though I didn’t expect them to).

The Great White Rabbit considered these points deeply. His head tilted towards a hedge on the edge of the compound. He leaned forwards. ‘…no, that might be better…’ I thought I heard him mutter under his breath before his grin returned in its full splendour. ‘You’re right, young man. That was uncharacteristically short-sighted of me. Going alone would indeed be too dangerous.’

May sighed out in relief—

‘That’s why she’s not going alone!’ the lion yelled triumphantly. ‘All of you are going with her!’

A pause. What would happen if we turned away a dungeon master?

Hero stepped closer to me, sensing my thoughts. ‘He could keep us going in circles if he’s petty,’ he whispered.

‘As an extra reward for your courage,’ the lion continued unabated, ‘I’ll put you close to the Palace. It should be a straight shot from the path you’ll land on. How about that?! I thought of everything. That’s how kind I am! Now, traverse the path, children!’

Every one of us had pursed lips. Being closer to the test was a boon. However, it being an unknown offered by a (potentially) deranged teddy bear suffering from narcissism was not. That said…none of us knew what the Hearthtree test was supposed to be either. It could be a test as difficult as that of the Black Flame. We would not survive that.

Perhaps sensing our hesitation, and getting more irritated for it, the Great White Rabbit floated closer to me and Dale, waving for us to come stand in a circle around him. We did.

The lion’s face was grave. ‘The Crystal Palace is normally closed off to visitors,’ he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. ‘Only when I deem the contestants worthy does it open. It’s been thirty years since. Which means every treasure hidden within has been gathering strength for all this time without any interference.’

Beside me, Dale licked his lips. ‘It will be just our group entering?’

‘Unless other initiates stumble on the palace by chance,’ the lion said. Then the Great White Rabbit caught my gaze. His eyes narrowed, then he said: ‘The last person through the palace was a woman. Frankly, she looks a little like you.’

I and everyone else went still as death. ‘She looks like me?’ I asked, voice shaky.

The Great White Rabbit nodded. ‘Till this day, she is the most formidable water user I have ever seen that was that young. According to some rumours I picked up over the years, she became a S rank hunter.’

My breath hitched. ‘Do you know her name?’

‘Only the first. Aysu, I believe.’

My eyes should’ve bulged in surprise, yet my foremost and most immediate thought was that this was a trap. An invitation from a deranged spirit that I didn’t want to accept, then suddenly my mother had passed through that place? It was fishy. But. How was I supposed to reject? The Black Flame mentioning my mother suddenly made more sense. Maybe she had challenged him before and he had recognised her in me.

I intercepted Dale’s stare. Saw how the gears collected his thoughts and produced a right course of action. ‘The Great White Rabbit,’ he spoke slowly, pronouncing every syllable clearly, ‘should the rest refuse, can I still take you up on this most magnificent opportunity?’

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The lion paused. A harsh glint appeared in his eyes as understanding dawned on him. ‘Of course. Let I, The Great White Rabbit, not be known as nepotist—the boons offered are open to all here.’

‘I’ve heard enough,’ Dale said. ‘What does everyone think? Following the trail of an S rank hunter is hard to dissuade.’

‘I bet it is,’ Kate snorted. ‘Great White Rabbit…how far is this Crystal Palace? What about tokens? Completing the first phase of the test is more important to me than chasing the ghost of some woman.’ She turned to me. ‘No offence.’

‘None taken,’ I said.

‘The Palace can offer up to two tokens,’ the lion said. ‘Same as the Black Flame. It depends on how spectacularly you perform. As for the distance, a day should be enough to reach it and complete what it has to offer. The Hearthtree can also be reached directly from the Palace, should you need more tokens at the end.’

‘That’s not a bad time schedule,’ Hero said.

…truth, I admitted. As I thought it through, a flicker of shade made my head go up. Another bird in the sky. It drew my attention to the light overhead, which was already dimming, the darkness slithering in from the corners of this lost realm to devour the vestiges of day. Night was coming. Eight hours had passed since the start of the dungeon—most of it time spent traversing the maze and fighting the creatures that blocked our path. It was tiring work. Setting up camp now would allow us to refresh and use the entirety of tomorrow to approach the Palace. Afterwards, we could hunt for the Hearthtree or any other test that would give us the keys we required.

‘I think we should do it,’ I said.

‘Then I’m for it, too,’ May added right away.

Hero and Boris agreed as well, though I was of the impression Boris’s grunt was more reluctant agreement than anything else. We turned to Kate and the twins, but Kate gave a frustrated shake of her head towards Dale.

‘Does it matter?’ Kate said. ‘We’re outvoted anyway.’

‘Betrayal!’ Twin B called out.

‘I think we make a great team,’ Twin A said. He was quiet until he could no longer hold his laughter.

The lion, who had been watching our conversation patiently, clapped his hands. ‘That settles it! Then please, take the path.’ And he swung his tiny arms theatrically to the side.

‘Will the path still be here come morning, Great White Rabbit?’ I asked. ‘If so, I think retiring for the night is better.’

Agreeing murmurs all around.

‘Very well,’ he said. ‘The Great White Rabbit will simply close the path behind you, so take your time. Now, my children, I’ll be watching—be sure to make it entertaining!’

The invisible pressure let up all at once as the teddy bear popped out of existence, making me want to collapse in place.

‘Let’s be quick about our camp, yeah?’ May started, and she was interrupted by the rattling of dozens of bones.

My God, no way.

14.

Luckily for us, not all of the skeletons became animated. A guess or so put them at fifty. That was more than we asked for, sure. But it was also less than the hundred or something possible enemies. Add to that that they were at the bottom of the E rank, and our team succeeded in taking care of them quickly.

These gave us a nice chunk of extra credits, twenty five in total, which amounted to twelve for each group. But the biggest boon was undoubtedly the homes that the raging skeletons had abandoned. Though most of them were in disrepair, some were in good enough shape that there were appliances that still worked. Like showers. And boy did we need a shower. We girls got to go first (May threatened the boys) and we took turns, one showering while the other two of us stood watch outside for any threats such as more ants…or oglers. It occurred to me that one of the twins could just make a tiny portal in a hard to see corner of the room, but Kate assured me such a thing wouldn’t happen.

‘They’re as interested in seeing us naked as you are watching a dressed up rock,’ she said. She was leaning against a dusty windowsill without shutters, the moonlight falling through unimpeded, painting her in silver.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ I asked. I had picked a chair that was whole enough and seated myself near the door leading to the showers. Behind me, I heard the interrupted spattering of water on the floor.

‘That they like boys.’ She deadpanned.

‘Oh,’ I intoned, feeling dumb for not catching the intended meaning. ‘Good for them?’

Kate snorted. ‘You’re not really into romance, are you? I haven’t seen you leer at anyone—not for a shortage of hunks at the sect.’

‘Sect?’

‘An old term for an academy or school,’ she explained.

I hummed. I quite liked the sound of the term. ‘I wouldn’t say that. I think I like romance.’

‘But?’ she asked.

I paused. ‘…nothing? I think. The…sect is busy and stressful enough as is. I barely have time to do anything other than train.’

‘That’s why you need to enjoy any possible relationships right now,’ Kate said. ‘We all lack time, but we make room for what we desire because you never know which day will be your last.’

Her words lingered before swirling into the dust and grime, which had laid on the wooden planks that made up the floor for who knows how long.

Kate tilted her head, looking straight at me for a moment. A small smile crept on her face. She pushed off the windowsill and approached, coming to a stop in front of me. She leaned down. ‘I think I know what’s happening.’ The way she was leaning left the cleavage between her robes exposed. ‘You’re into girls, aren’t you, Djina?’

‘Uhm. Maybe?’ I said, looking down the pathway so graciously offered to me but not knowing if I felt anything. ‘I really don’t know.’

Kate’s cleavage kept hanging there for a while, then she chuckled, raising herself back up. The shower rain in the other room stopped, and Kate glanced behind me. Her pupils widened minutely. Then her gaze grew unfocused like she was staring at the horizon instead of a decrepit wall.

‘You shouldn’t wait too long,’ she said quietly when her attention snapped back.

My eyebrows squished together. ‘Wait on what?’

She stared me down like I was an idiot. ‘We—she—almost died today. Now we’re headed to the palace. Do you think the dungeon is going to be less dangerous from here on out?’ Her hand came to rest on my shoulder like a leaf, soft and comforting. ‘You never know when someone’s last moments will be, Djina. Enjoy them while you can. Even if its only as friends.’

‘What are you two conspiring about?’ May strode out in a clean sect uniform, a towel over her hair.

I took her in. The moon had beautified Kate. If I had to describe it, it was as if a veil of credence and authority had settled over the tall girl. But with May…her red hair glistened in the silver light like it was alive and eating away at the dark.

Kate clapped my shoulder twice before stepping back. ‘Nothing. You done? I don’t think my eyelids can take the abuse any longer.’

‘Mine, too,’ May said. ‘Let’s…’

The words drowned out as we headed to our beds. I found myself thinking, listening to the cadence of voices instead of the substance. But what exactly I was thinking, I couldn’t say.