Chapter 24
After spending so much time in such a peaceful atmosphere, and especially after witnessing Candice's display of power, Ice had completely let his guard down. He had momentarily forgotten what kind of place he was truly in.
But reality had just reminded him that it was not over yet.
Panicked, he rushed to warn the others. Just as he reached the stairs, he saw everyone already coming down. Ray holding his sword, and Natasha wearing a new outfit and carried her rapier.
'How did she convince Candice to give her that,'.
Realizing they were already prepared, Ice turned back to Elpis.
"I almost forgot why I came," he said. "Do you have a spare sword for me?"
"Go check near the kitchen. There must be one lying around," Elpis replied with such casual indifference that it made Ice questioning how serious the situation really was.
He ran in the direction Elpis had indicated and found an old sword lying in the corner. It was not particularly impressive. It looked worn and unremarkable, but as long as it could cut, that would do for now.
He grabbed the weapon and hurried to rejoin the others, who were already waiting outside.
"So, what do we have to do to get out of here?" Ray asked, his voice laced with anticipation.
"We have to go over there," Celestia replied, pointing to the same cabin Ice had noticed earlier, positioned directly opposite the house.
Ray raised an eyebrow and looked at Ice, who met his gaze and simply smiled, shrugging.
'All that complexity, and we are leaving through that little cabin.'
"Do not lower your guard. That is not the exit," Candice said firmly. "It is the entrance. You will have to go all the way back down."
Her expression was more serious than Elpis's but still held a degree of confidence. Natasha was already heading toward the exit, followed quickly by Ray and Celestia.
"Do not turn around," Candice warned, her voice suddenly cold. A chill ran down Ice's spine. He did not know what was behind them, but he obviously choose not to spare it any glance.
"Thanks," Ice shouted without turning, waving his right arm.
Candice's stern expression softened into a warm smile.
"Take care of my little Celestia," she called after him.
"The mind leads the body, little Ice," said Elpis. His voice was barely a whisper, yet somehow it reached Ice clearly. "Do not forget that you and Ray, if you want to survive outside."
Ice nodded, smiling, and cloaked himself in essence. Then, without another word, he disappeared into the cabin.
Ice rushed in, breath ragged, heart pounding. The delay outside had made the pressure nearly unbearable, even with the physical enhancements granted by his awakening.
Closely the cabin looked no bigger than it did from outside , yet it felt strangely solid, as though immune to the howling wind that threatened to tear everything else apart.
There was no decoration inside, just plain wooden walls and two small doors—one red and one green, both seemingly leading downward.
"So, Celestia," Natasha asked, "what now?"
"We take the red door, Ray and I, and go straight down. You take the green one. You probably have a few hours before the chamber of—"
She paused in mid-sentence, her eyes clouding in thought.
"Torment," Ice finished for her. "That is enough. We should go. I don't want to know if this place is built to withstand whatever is happening outside."
"Looks like we are at the last step," Ray muttered, chuckling as he took a step toward their door.
"Yes. I was starting to lose hope," Ice added.
They exchanged one final smile before Ice turned to the door Natasha had just opened.
"Be careful, brother," Celestia said, eyes full of concern. "And you too, Mrs. Natasha."
Natasha gave a small nod, and for a brief moment, Ice thought he saw a faint smile on her face before she jumped into their passage.
"When have I ever not been careful?" Ice said before leaving.
Celestia sighed softly as she watched them vanish.
As soon as Ice landed, he scanned his surroundings. It was dim, but not too dark—just enough light to see where they were heading.
He quickened his pace to catch up with Natasha, who was walking steadily ahead. Unlike the time she and Jilius had walked away to confront his mirror, this time he managed to reach her without much effort.
Since his awakening, every aspect of his physical condition had improved dramatically. He was stronger, faster, more agile, and most important, far more resilient. Even his extreme sensitivity to heat had diminished. His resistance was now close to average, which, for someone like him, was a remarkable leap forward.
He caught up to Natasha and they exchanged a brief glance, neither of them slowing down. They were still inside the structure's wall, moving through a vast enclosed corridor.
Their goal was to reach the lower level as quickly as possible, where Ray and Celestia were already waiting.
After several minutes of running in near silence, they reached the first descent, a narrow stairway leading deeper into the unknown.
But it was not unguarded.
A beast stood just inches from the top of the staircase, as if stationed there to prevent their passage.
The moment they saw it, both Ice and Natasha came to a halt.
"Not this again," Ice muttered, jaw tightening. He recognized the monster immediately.
It was the same type they had steered clear of beneath the Paradoxal Double Moon—the same kind that had nearly killed him by the river.
Of all the monsters lurking in this prison, this one seemed the most common outside of the mirror creators. It was larger than the one he and Ray had fought, but it was fundamentally the same.
Yey Ice himself was not the same anymore.
He glanced at Natasha, who had drawn her rapier but still wore that same unreadable look.
"I have seen you finish them off before," he said. "But I would like to know. Can you fight them head-on if we cannot kill them on the spot?"
He was not questioning her skill. He had seen her strike with ruthless efficiency. But her method had always relied on someone like Jilius, someone who could endure, distract, and take the damage while she delivered the final blow.
Ice did not have Jilius's endurance or skill. He was closer to Natasha's category, but still new to his awakened powers and far from mastering his essence. He needed to know if she could adapt.
Natasha did not respond right away. Instead, she studied the beast with her sharp eyes. Then, a faint smile curled the corners of her lips. She scoffed.
"We will make sure it doesn't come to this.''