"Ow! Hot!!"
Roy yelped—probably hit by a flying ember.
"You okay?"
Mia asked as they ran. Roy nodded, her face twisted in discomfort.
The group ran until they were breathless. A deep whooooom echoed behind them like the cave itself was collapsing.
Finally, they reached the entrance where the stone door had been sealed shut.
Leca, still in wyvern form, pushed it with all his might.
The massive stone groaned and shifted—just enough for a person to squeeze through.
"Hurry!"
Roy went first, followed by Mia, the salamander, the three ghost girls, and finally, Leca.
Leca gave one final shove, sealing the door behind them.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Roy and Mia panted for breath.
The three ghost girls stood pale-faced, eyes wide with fear, staring at Leca.
Then they flinched and took a few steps back.
"So… Jakiel's trapped inside now? Is it over?"
"Not quite. That wasn't Jakiel—only magical projections he created.
The real one… could be anywhere."
Leca replied.
Roy looked startled, but couldn't stop gawking at the fire wyvern in awe.
"I have a million questions, but Leca—first things first. Where do we go from here?"
"Let's just head home, right?"
Roy said casually, but one of the girls shook her head.
"We can't. This place is the mirror-world of the Paradise of Monsters—inside a painting. We can't actually go anywhere real from here."
"What…"
"Then we have no choice. We'll have to go back to Jakiel's castle and exit from there."
Leca said.
"But if no one calls us from outside the painting, we can't leave, remember?"
Mia said, her tone sinking.
Roy's voice shook as she asked,
"Then… are we stuck here forever?"
No one answered.
From deep within the cave, a rumbling like fireworks echoed ominously.
"Let's move!"
Leca shouted, taking the lead and flying up into the sky.
Mia took the salamander and flew after him. Roy and the ghost girls followed, running hard to keep up.
They flew until they reached a giant tree stump and dove into a thick patch of grass to hide.
Leca had already returned to human form.
"Hiding like this won't stop Jakiel from finding us…"
Mia muttered.
Leca replied,
"I spoke with my father.
He said Jakiel can't directly enter the painting himself. That's why he's been using projections."
"Huh. Why's that?"
"I'm not sure. But dark magic has rules—some things are possible, others are absolutely forbidden."
"So the real Jakiel is waiting outside the painting?"
"Most likely…"
"Great. So we're trapped here for the rest of our lives…wait—then why doesn't Jakiel just summon us himself from outside?"
Leca spoke thoughtfully at Mia's question.
"He's weakened right now. He probably wants to avoid a direct confrontation. I'm sure he's scheming something else."
Mia gritted her teeth and clutched her sword.
"That old bastard is too afraid to face me directly. Even if he's some great mage, my ancient sword would cut him down in one strike."
"No doubt about that."
Leca said.
Mia recalled how Jakiel had bound her so tightly she couldn't even wield her sword.
"When will he attack again?"
"He lost a lot of projections at once. He's probably recovering—just waiting for us to come out."
"What is this, a siege?"
Mia groaned and collapsed into the grass.
The fragrant smell of crushed plants filled her nose.
Everything here felt so real—yet it was just a fake world inside a painting.
Magic really was a strange thing.
Still, if Jakiel was wounded, now was the time to act. No chance to rest.
Suddenly, Mia sat up.
"I know you're all tired, but now's our chance. You said Jakiel's in rough shape, right?"
"That's true, but… are you sure you're okay, Lady Mia?"
Leca asked, looking at her with concern.
Of course she wasn't. But Mia gave a crooked smile.
"Doesn't matter. He's probably just as bad off as we are."
"But… how do we get out of here?"
Leca said with furrowed brows. Then Roy suddenly spoke up.
"Wait. I think I have a way!"
"What is it?"
"We beastfolk can't use magic, but we can communicate with animals of our kind. I'll call the cats near Jakiel's castle. Ask them to summon us."
"You can talk to them… from in here?"
Roy didn't answer. She just grinned and pulled something from her pocket—
A tiger's eye gemstone.
The very same kind Mia wore around her neck. A beautiful orb of golden and brown hues.
Roy gripped it tightly and murmured:
"Guardians of darkness and magic…
Dearest friends of witches and mages…
O cats who wander near Jakiel's castle—
If any among you can hear me,
Come to the highest room of the castle…
Stand before the painting…
And call us forth."
"Whoa…"
Mia was amazed.
"You could've escaped with that before, couldn't you?"
Roy gave her a look.
"With cat power, escape a cursed demon castle? Get real."
"Right… You did say you can't use magic."
The salamander dozed on Mia's shoulder. The three ghost girls looked utterly exhausted.
Mia wanted to ask them who they were, What their story was…But it felt rude to pry.
"Hey… it's working!"
Roy shouted. The tiger's eye stone pulsed with a golden light.
"That means the cats are coming!"
"Well, I'm sure Jakiel's thrilled. We're doing his job for him."
Mia said with a bitter smile.
—Ssshhk… sshhhk… pzzzt…
Just then, the tiger's eye crackled with static—like a broken radio.
"They're here!"
In that instant, Mia felt her body float upward.
"Huh?! Wah—!"
It happened in a flash. Just like when she had entered the painting—
Suddenly, she was back in the room where she had first been bound.
Gray walls.
Two old beds.
Two vanities.
Two wardrobes.
Even the creepy laundry basket was still there.
The laundry was scattered just as before.
"Meow."
At her feet, a tabby cat stared up at her. Mia bent down to pet it—But the cat darted out of the room.
"Unbelievable. It actually worked."
The room was silent. No sign of life. Mia had expected Jakiel to be here, eyes blazing, waiting.
"Where did he go? It's creepier not seeing him…"
Mia muttered.
"…Wait. Something's not right."
One of the ghost girls whispered.
"What is it?"
"The mirrors…They're gone."
"Wait, you're right!"
The vanities that had held two mirrors—Both were now bare.
"That world inside the painting… you said it was made with mirror magic, right?
Maybe when the cave collapsed, the mirrors broke too?"
"That's possible, but still…"
"Hold on. Do you smell that?"
Mia sniffed the air. Her magic had weakened—but her nose was as sharp as ever.
One of the girls winced and said,
"It's… yang energy. A surge of intense yang, coming from somewhere…"
"Intense yang?"
Then, the salamander, who had been quiet, spoke up.
"It's fire. Flames are rising from below."
"What? Really?"
"We need to get out—now. I think Jakiel's set the castle on fire… on purpose."
At Leca's words, Mia realized what was happening.
"So he wants to roast us alive. Let's move!"
"I… I can't… move…!"
The ghost girls collapsed one by one. Mia tried to help them up—But Leca stopped her.
"They're spiritual beings—pure yin. Even a little fire can overwhelm them.
We have to get out. Now!"
Mia, Leca, the salamander, and Roy bolted through the open door—
And froze in shock.
Flames were already raging just below them.
Only moments ago, there had barely been any heat. How had it spread so quickly?
"The stairs are on fire…"
Mia looked around.
Leca was already checking the other rooms. But they were all empty—storerooms, with no windows.
All the windows were sealed shut with heavy stone.
"That bastard…He's repaying us for burning his clones.""
Mia growled, teeth clenched.
She ran after Leca to try breaking through the wall. Leca transformed into a wyvern and threw himself against it—
But it was no use.
"It won't budge?"
"There's some kind of spell. No matter what I do, the wall won't break."
Wyvern-form Leca slammed into the walls again and again. He even tried the ceiling. But nothing shook. Not even a crack.
CRACK—BOOM!
"The railing's broken, Leca!"
Flames were licking their way toward them, like a living thing. They licked the floor like a living creature, eager to consume them.
"Cough—cough—!"
Mia couldn't breathe. The thick smoke stung her eyes and burned her throat.
The heat was unbearable.
She couldn't open her eyes. She could feel Roy clinging tightly to her arm.
Stay focused.
Don't pass out.
You have to…!
In her flickering consciousness—Mia saw a massive wall of flame rushing straight toward them.