Lyras pov:
The next morning when I woke up, the whole castle somehow felt different. I don't know why, but even the air felt heavier, like something important was about to happen. Yesterday night I slept with so many questions running inside my head nonstop questions about the pendant, about Queen Elara, about Cathy, about Lucian, about why I even came here in the first place. Everything felt so confusing… like I was slowly getting pulled into something much bigger than I expected. But right now was not the time to sit and think about everything, because finally… finally I found a way to escape this world.
LASTNIGHT
Last night, after the conversation with Cathy, I just couldn't sleep. No matter how much I tried to close my eyes, my thoughts kept coming back again and again. The room suddenly felt too quiet… too still… like the silence itself was asking me questions I didn't have answers for. So I decided to go outside for some fresh air, hoping that maybe walking a little would calm my mind. I didn't even realize where I was going. I just kept walking through the long corridors of the castle, watching the dim lights flicker on the walls. At night, the castle looks completely different… darker… deeper… almost like every corner hides some secret waiting to be discovered.
While walking like that without paying much attention, I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because I reached a part of the castle that looked unfamiliar. It was strangely quiet there. Too quiet. The kind of silence that makes you feel like you shouldn't even breathe loudly. And then I saw a door.
It was completely black… darker than anything around it… with glowing dark red outlines running along its edges. The glow was faint but noticeable, almost like the door itself was alive and watching whoever stood in front of it. Something about it made me curious. I knew I should turn back… I knew I shouldn't enter… but my curiosity didn't let me move away. Slowly, carefully, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room inside was huge… much bigger than the room I was staying in. The bed itself was massive, king sized, but even bigger than anything I had ever seen. Everything inside the room had this strange combination of black and deep red colours, making the entire place feel powerful… but also very frightening. It didn't feel like a normal room. It felt like the room belonged to someone dangerous… someone powerful… someone who should not be disturbed.
Still… I walked inside.
Each step felt louder than usual, like even the floor could hear me. I was still looking around when suddenly I heard voices coming from outside the room. Panic immediately rushed through me. I didn't even think properly… I just reacted. Something inside me told me very clearly that I should not be seen there. Quickly, I moved further inside the room, looking around for somewhere to hide. In that panic, I accidentally pushed a small table placed near the bed, and suddenly something unexpected happened — a hidden door slowly opened near the side wall.
A secret chamber.
Without thinking twice, I quickly slipped inside and closed the door quietly behind me.
My heart was beating so fast I thought the sound itself would expose me. I stood close to the door, trying to control my breathing, trying to listen carefully. The voices outside became clearer… Lucian… and Tengshe. My entire body stiffened. If they saw me there… I didn't even know how I would explain anything.
After making sure they didn't notice anything, I slowly turned around to see where I had come.
Surprisingly… the chamber inside did not feel as threatening as the room outside. Instead, it felt ancient… very ancient… like this place existed long before the castle was even built. The walls had carvings that looked unfamiliar yet strangely powerful. As I slowly walked further inside, something caught my attention and made me freeze in my place.
Serpents.
There were serpents carved into the stone structures along the walls. Some looked like statues, some were placed inside ancient stone frames, and for a moment I couldn't even tell whether they were alive or not. Fear instantly spread inside me. I hate snakes. I really hate snakes. My first instinct was to run back outside, but something strange happened.
Instead of attacking… they slowly lowered their heads.
As if they were bowing.
Giving me the way.
I didn't understand what was happening, but after observing carefully, I realised they were not trying to harm me. I was still scared… very scared… but slowly, step by step, I walked forward, trying not to panic.
And then I saw it.
A large mirror.
Standing there, swallowed by the dark.
The mirror's surface caught something, a faint light that danced like the moon. It was strange, that soft glow.
It felt… inviting, in a way, as if it were beckoning me nearer.
Without realizing, I slowly walked towards it.
The moment I stood in front of the mirror, a sudden strong gust of wind filled the chamber. My hair flew across my face, and before I could even react, a loud laughter echoed in the room. The sound didn't feel normal… it felt like it was coming from everywhere at once. My heart started beating wildly as I quickly looked around trying to find where the sound was coming from.
And then I realized…
The laughter…
was coming from the mirror.
Fear crawled deep inside me. I immediately stepped back, ready to run away, but then the mirror spoke.
"Little one… you are finally here."
My steps stopped immediately.
Slowly… I turned back.
The surface of the mirror began changing… and a face slowly appeared inside it. It looked like a woman. Her presence didn't feel threatening… but still… how could I not feel scared?
"W-who are you…?" I asked, my voice slightly shaking despite trying to stay calm.
She smiled softly.
"I have been waiting for your presence, little one," she said gently.
Waiting… for me?
How?
"How do you know me?" I asked, confused.
She gave a small smile, almost like she knew something I didn't.
"It is not my place… nor the right time… to tell everything," she said calmly.
"But don't worry… I mean no harm."
Then she said something that completely caught my attention.
"You are searching for a way back to the human world… aren't you?"
My eyes widened immediately.
Without even thinking, I nodded.
She smiled again… gently… reassuringly.
"I will help you," she said.
For a moment… hope appeared.
But still… I couldn't trust so easily.
"Wait… why should I believe you?" I asked carefully.
"How can I trust you?"
She didn't seem offended by my question.
Instead, she calmly said she would show me something.
The mirror shimmered again…
And suddenly…
I saw something that made my heart ache.
My master's academy.
The place where I grew up.
The courtyard…
The training hall…
Everything exactly the same.
My vision blurred with tears immediately.
"Master…" the word didn't even properly come out as my throat tightened.
"My child…" the voice said softly.
"You have come at the right time."
She explained that I must come to this same place tomorrow evening at exactly six o'clock… and I must bring the Demon King's ring… the one with the green emerald in it. If I place that ring at the marked place in this chamber… I will be able to return to my world… and once I leave… I may never have to return here again.
My heart started beating faster.
Finally…
A way back.
But she warned me that this opportunity comes only once every year… on the day of the blood moon… and tomorrow is that day.
If I miss this chance… I will have to wait another year.
Her voice sounded calm… almost protective… almost like someone guiding me.
I nodded slowly… but with determination.
No matter what happens…
I have to go back.
Because this world…
is not mine.
And now…
I finally have a way out.
And this time…
I won't lose it.