Miles let his senses expand, sifting through the novel environment he found himself in, settling into its unique nuances.

He inhaled deep, carefully examining each thread of scent.

It was mostly of wet earth, wood, and crumbling stone. Ancient, but the scent of life and vitality one would only expect from thriving forests.

No longer did the air feel trapped, musty and old. It smelled fresh, pure, as if sieved through the leaves of a hundred trees before it reached him. Miles wanted to do nothing more than collapse right there, to savor his escape, and let himself relax.

But he could not, for this was no ordinary forest.

The scents here lacked something, and besides the rustle of leaves and branches, his ears picked up little else.

What should have been a thriving ecosystem was unnaturally silent.

Yes, he was sure of it now. There were no animals here. None that he could sense at least.

Concerning, but for the moment, Miles turned around, observing the maze he had just escaped from.

His eyes widened at the sight that awaited him.

It was a near endless stretch of cold iron, a wall that was infinitely tall as it was wide. Its surface ran with laser cut lines, glowing with the light of some underlying Aether transference.

He traced a finger along these etchings, feeling the thrumming energy flowing within. They started from the earth, perhaps from deeper underground. As to where they led exactly, he could not see for the lush forest canopy above covered everything.

The walls went higher than the forest and the Aether along with it, presumably. All he could tell for sure was that something was powering something.

Miles returned his attention back towards the endless wall. Tunnelling into the cold iron, piercing through what appeared to be black rock underneath, was the opening that led back towards the maze.

If the nature of the Hordred Maze had been insufficient evidence, this wall surrounding it betrayed its artificial origins. Someone had created all this.

As it turned out, that was a mystery confirmed with relaxed ease, for their identity was plastered right here, upon the metal plating embedded into the cold iron above the maze entrance.

PROJECT SW50 - RIESEN RATTE

Well, no wonder Cadmus’ maze map had been so accurate.

SW, an acronym for Sybahware no doubt, the most likely architects of the maze and the monstrous rodent denizens within.

'Huh.'

If this maze was truly the work of Sybahware, it also had to be reminded that the corportation had long been dissolved and merged into none other than... Lykaon Industries. In other words, these were his experiments.

Miles felt his gaze lower, staring at his reddened palms. Little of it was his own blood.

He had tried to wipe them clean before, but no hard scrub could properly wipe away the stench of rat blood.

It was a strangely tough pill to swallow, to realize that the monsters inside were his. Well, the board and his uncle would disagree, but technically it was true.

His hands formed into fists.

The Riessen Ratte were a promising beast. If they truly were manufactured, if the Intellectual Property of the process was truly his… like a true businessman, what could he do but make the best of it?

Deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it, Miles returned his attention to the cave before him, expanding his senses inside.

His sight pierced through the darkness, but with the sharp turns and corridors, they did not see far. But his hearing was laser focused, waiting for the slightest change.

He was waiting for a nightmarish chitter or squeak, the clack of tender claws upon stone, or even the faint, nerve-wracking sound of Infernal Knights flitting away into the shadows.

Miles heard none of it.

Either the maze area of the Doorway was unnaturally separated from the forest area he was in currently, making sound impermeable, or... for some reason, the rats had retreated the moment he had escaped.

Strange behavior from what had thought were recently liberated beasts.

Yet, all he heard was perfect silence.

'Can the rats not enter the forest? Even though their 'chains' were broken?'

This was a rare turn of good news, perhaps the best, ever since he had entered this accursed doorway, and just in case, he waited for a while, peeling his ears out, but... nothing.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The problem was, Miles had also hoped to hear something.

That strange fae girl must have followed after him. He should have heard her. If nothing else, left a strand of scent or, something.

Miles shuddered at the memory of endless rodents clawing over his body. It... was not a good way to go, even if the person in question were Fae.

He let out a shaky breath, 'It's not my fault.'

Yes, it had never been his responsibility to save some strange girl.

How could he have taken the risk, when he was not even sure about her being real or a hallucination?

And even if she were real... 'I'm not some blinded hero that destroys myself for the greater good. Never again.'

Miles focused on his breath for a while, until he managed to push the entire matter into that familiar dark corner of his mind. With that, he swiftly turned back towards the forest, a bit too quick to move away.

Despite everything, as he walked further from the maze and into the forest proper, he could not help but feel relieved.

Forestry was a far cry from the walled maze; open, spacious, and freeing.

The verdant undergrowth muffled his steps, as he walked through groves of trees that were as wide as a giant's forearm. A canopy of emerald leaves covered the skies above, so thick that he could not make out anything. This also meant that not one strand of sunlight managed to reach the floor to touch his vampiric skin.

But he could not continue this much longer.

Almost on autopilot, Miles came to a stop, just before a solid oak tree that was larger and older than the rest of them.

He retreated, taking a few steps back, and lunged forth, leaping towards it. His hand grabbed onto solid branches, pulling him higher and higher as Nameless Movement guided his steps, sending him ever upward.

It was only when Miles managed to reach a height that was a little over a hundred meters, that he came to a halt. Next to a particularly stable branch, one that was as spacious as a proper balcony ledge, but still quite a distance away from the forest canopy above him.

'This should be good enough.'

Miles couldn't hold himself back any longer, and just collapsed down onto the branch.

He was tired. So, fucking tired.

Sure, his body had regenerated to perfection leaving not a bone or muscle out of place. He had escaped the maze, and everything was perfectly fine and dandy.

Yet, his mind was numb with exhaustion. The entirety of him ached and pleaded for proper rest. For something besides Conditional Undeath.

It seemed the hours of endless running, of forcing back hordes of rats, of bone breaking injuries, had gathered into a hefty toll. Hopefully, he was just in time to pay it.

Miles nestled into the space between the oaken trunk and its massive branch, relaxing into its wooden embrace.

For just a moment, he surveyed the sights below.

Miles had a clear sight of the maze entrance, placed at enough of a distance to react if anything were to escape as he had. But he soon forgot about that.

The view of the forest from the trees were relaxing, the gentle rustle of leaves, and calm, relaxing winds. The location, the sights and the smells, it all reminded him of a time when things were simpler. When they had been carefree enough to go outside the city, hunting in the Everglades. Just him, his father, and old Zhan.

'This place... I kind of like it.'

Before he knew it, his mind had relaxed into the nostalgia of time long past. The warmth of the sun above unexpectedly comforted him, nestling his body to a slumber of its own.

He didn't even have to try for his eyes closed of their own volition.

Miles fell into a strange, though relaxing sleep.

***

The world was immaterial.

Zhan Shen had stepped through it, or rather, he attempted to.

It is impossible for the reflection inside of a mirror to reach out to reality. It is that same truth that applies when those of one world attempts to reach through the Veil between and into another.

Well, unless the mirror between them was forced to… break.

The laws of logic might struggle, but like the shattered shards of glass that would each be a mirror of their own, reality and reflection would become one and the same.

Even now, the shards of the fractured veil between collapsed onto him, exerting the entirety of its existential weight, an inter-reality force that would have crushed even a giant.

Zhan was an old man now, long beyond his prime. There was no question about it.

How long had it been since his own master had taught him his arts, the ways of the Liuzheng?

His only advantage was that, unlike most spiritual arts, the river of the Liuzheng was timeless. It was not a power that waned over age, but one that was tied to the very spirit.

So, the elderly butler simply cycled his breathing, and the prana of his inner world manifested outward, barely discernible, in an intertwining of darkness and light, in the colors of an old… friend.

The force of the Veil diverged upon contact, like a stream flowing through a stone.

It's force upon him no longer had any effect. Unperturbed, Zhan Shen was flowed across it.

He stepped through, this time unhindered, forcing reality to shift around him.

The world was material.

Zhan Shen immediately felt the fractured veil hurrying to recover behind him, but he paid it no mind, observing the goings on before him.

It seemed this Doorway's passing of time was definitely faster than that of this world.

The faesycian, Haruka if he remembered correctly, was staring at his sudden appearance in shock, frozen in the middle of her attempt to transfer the injured gangster into a trolley of some sort. James on the other hand, tending to the unconscious girl had failed to even notice him.

Zhan Shen had expected to find them escaped. This made things so much easier.

The middle-aged woman’s response was quick, “O-Oh, hello dear customer. That fae attacked so suddenly! Are you alright? And where’s your young master?”

“Who are you talking–” James’ gaze followed hers. The young man all but screamed in surprise, as he struggled to reach the little rifle he had previously used so 'skillfully'. “I-I’m… armed! I’ll shoot!”

Zhan Shen ignored him.

Master Miles had left quite a few commands.

The most immediate of them was to keep the Faesycian and co. under lockdown, safe and unharmed if possible.

It seemed the young master had seen some potential here. Zhan Shen was doubtful, but… orders were orders.

There was a silver lining though.

If any of them behaved like wild dogs, he’d have no choice but to bring them to heel.

Call him close-minded, but the elderly butler held a bit of a grudge. Even if indirect, they were second-handedly responsible for the young master’s current predicament.

The old butler cracked his knuckles, staring right at the terrified young man with the gun, “Please. Please, do.”

Unfortunately for Zhan Shen, Haruka had a decent head on her shoulders, and quickly made James stand down.

With a defeated sigh, the middle-aged faesycian spoke, “Since you didn’t kill us on sight, you must want something. Tell me, what must we do to survive, Master Epsilon?”

Zhan Shen grinned, "Remember the fae oath between us? How you guaranteed privacy and good will for the duration of our stay? Well, I'm calling it in."

He gestured to the desecrated corpse, no, he gestured at the husk that had once been Knight Xavier, "Please, guarantee our privacy."

James paled and Haruka could only gape in disbelief. In the end she could only curse, "Fuck, I should have known. Corpo deals are always too good to be true."

Zhan Shen's grin grew wider, "If nothing else, you're a quick study. Now chop chop. You've got a body to get rid of."