In silence, they ran down the steps along the walls of the hole. Their movement echoed through the whole place. Now that Karina, May, and Wren went further down, they were able to distinguish everything better. How the castles and walls were carved in dark stone that reflected the light. They saw that they had run a full circle around the place.

  "Well, this will take a good few hours to get down there. I mean, even if there wasn't anything in the way." Wren said, and the girls remained silent for a moment.

  "K, I'm still thinking about what you said before. I don't know if I'll be able to leave you behind again."

  "But you must do it, May. I'm not sure if it was a prophecy or my intuition. But something came to me. We must trust each other. I trust in you. And I trust in Wren, too. You both are strong."

  "I know, I trust in you, too. But, it's hard."

  "Well, let's not discuss it before the fights start. We don't even know what is waiting for us. There's a chance they could be lying. I mean, shit, man, they came and took us out of nowhere. To this place hidden underneath the Casino. I don't know; I don't expect everything they said to be true. As far as we know, they might be messing with us."

  "I'm not sure, Wren. I don't think they were lying. You must admit it."

  The man didn't answer, and they kept going in the direction of the first castle. As they came closer to the place, the castle looked even bigger than it had from afar. It was notched in the stone as it blocked the path. The doors were magnificent by themselves, and also uninviting.

  "Well, it seems we're almost in the first castle. Do you think there's someone inside waiting for us? Maybe there are traps or things like that."

  "No, there is someone. Don't you feel, Wren? I mean, it's not like I'm feeling a specific energy. It's the same sensation I had when I tried to feel Bianka and Moritz. I'm sure there's someone like them inside."

  When they reached the doors, May looked at both of her friends. She didn't need to say anything out loud. They knew she looked to see whether they were ready or not. Both of her friends reassured him by nodding. As such, May placed her hands on the door and pushed it.

  Inside the castle, candles illuminated everything. Music played somewhere else, and Karina felt the scent of dinner being prepared. Tall columns adorned the entire place, everything encrusted with gold and obsidian. Servants walked from one side to the other, and they cleaned things or moved the furniture.

  In the middle of the room, a throne stood, and there a woman sat. Her hair was blonde, almost silver. She wore a long, puffed dress, made of black and red threads. As she inspected closely, to Karina, it resembled dresses she saw in Renaissance paintings.

  When the trio got closer to the woman, she said:

  "Guess you decided on trying your luck." Her voice was as cold as ice. "I'm Katharina Von Brühl. In the name of the master, I'm the guardian of this castle. The castle of Belial, the lawless one."

  "We're not here to fight; we want to cross the castle and reach the other side."

  "But what kind of guardian would I be if I let people cross here up and down?"

  A silence fell upon the place, and a servant appeared with a glass of wine. He gave it to Katharina, who sipped a little from it.

  "Here, ma'am."

  May now heard the melody perfectly. It played from somewhere inside the castle. Hard to tell where exactly it came from, since the castle had many doors.

  "Look, Karina, May. I guess you won't like what I'm about to say. But you need to go. Run as fast as you can. I will try to detain her."

  "Wren, we can't leave you behind in the first castle!"

  "May, I will defeat her, and I will reach you, and K. Trust me."

  May seemed resigned, but she didn't complain. Karina had understood, especially after the prophecy that crossed her mind.

  "Bold of you to think that you can stop me, boy. Didn't you learn anything dealing with Moritz and Bianka?" Katharina said, on her face, a malicious smile. "What if I told you they're probably the weakest among the disciples? Do you still think you have a chance? If so, you're more of a fool than I had thought."

  "I might be a fool, but what is the purpose of coming here and not fighting? If I accept defeat, I will have lost even before the fight begins. No, this is what I'm going to do." Wren extended his arms. "May, Karina, please go. I will get to you, I promise."

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  A wall of wind appeared, the gust so strong it knocked down some of the furniture. Most of the servants hid behind the pillars. But the wind concentrated on Katharina.

  "Oh, what is this? Do you think this is enough to trap me?"

  "I can't keep this up for too long, and I wasn't able to do it back in the hall. But here, it's big enough." He turned his face to May. "Please, I won't be able to hold for much longer."

  May nodded, and she picked Karina's hand. They ran to the back door. Even with the place filled with doors, she had a feeling that was the right one.

  Katharina reached out; she tried to touch the wall of wind. Small cuts appeared in her hand.

  "Well, interesting. Let's see how strong this is." She picked a staff and swung it against the wind wall. It broke in two with a single movement, and it exploded in all directions. A cloud of dust covered the whole castle. When it dissipated, only Wren stood in the middle of the room, facing the woman.

  "I know your disciples are strong. I just needed a little time." The boy smiled as the door behind the woman closed with a click.

  "That's fine, even if they reach the second house, they won't get past there. In fact, there lies a fate worse than death. They will wish they had died by my hands here." Katharina stated. "But are you ready to pay the price? I would have had a lot of fun with three prey, now that it's only you... You shall have a painful and slow death, just to quench my thirst."

  "Who said I'm the one dying here? I didn't lie to them; I will cross that castle."

  Wren took off his coat, and he exposed his torso. He needed to be able to move freely while he fought. He launched himself forward, although he wouldn't be so naive this time. As he was about to reach the disciple, he kicked his feet and jumped as high as he could. He spun mid-air, prepared to hit the woman with a full force kick. But Katharina read his movements, and with both of her hands, she used the staff to defend herself from the attack.

  Wren took advantage of the contact with the staff and used it to propel himself, and he jumped back. He wouldn't let himself be grabbed again.

  "You're underestimating the disciples again," Katharina said as she snapped her fingers. Some invisible force grabbed Wren and dragged him forward, back in the direction of the woman. He concentrated his magical power to break the enchantment. He used it to move his palm forward, a gust of wind in the direction of the disciple.

  "Foolish tricks like this one won't work against me." Once again, she used the staff to cut the wind. It knocked the furniture on both sides by the sheer pressure of the attack. "You don't know it, but we are also called the chosen ones. The Master picked us because of our natural strength and talent. He blessed us with the demonic powers; that's why I guard this castle. I carry the power of the lawless one, and the laws of gravity should abide by me."

  Once again, Katharina snapped her fingers. But this time, Wren was propelled full force into the ceiling. He hit it full force, and he felt the air getting out of his lungs. The woman snapped her fingers again, and he fell to the ground.

  "You would be lucky if you only break a few ribs from this."

  "You can manipulate the gravity, fine." Wren looked at the woman, and he grinned. "Guess that makes me your natural enemy. I'm happy I'm the one who stayed here."

  Katharina got closer and attacked Wren on the ground with the staff. The ground around him cracked, and he coughed blood.

  "Don't you dare think you can be compared to me. You're not even close."

  Wren raised himself from the ground and jumped back. He tried to feel if any of his bones had broken or not. He needed to come up with a plan if he wanted to survive.

  "I don't think I compare to you, but I don't have any other options. I need to win and help my friends."

  Wren glided through the ground and walls. He used his arm to gain momentum. If being cunning didn't work out, he would have to go by force. He concentrated magical power in his fists and went full speed. Wren hit the woman with a punch. She tried to block with her staff, but the pressure of the attack pushed her back.

  But Katharina smiled as she shook off the dust of her dress. Looking right at Wren, she smiled diabolically.

  "I guess it's time for you to learn your lesson. To bow before real power."

  The woman snapped her fingers, and Wren felt like an invisible force pulled him to the ground. He fell face-first into the cold floor, and he coughed up blood again. He tried to regain his composure.

  "Why fight back, little Wren? It would be so easy to stay still and let me kill you. All the pain would end, you wouldn't have to fight. If only you didn't try to get up."

  Wren used all his force to get on his knees. It felt like carrying the weight of the world. He focused all his magical energy, and he was barely able to keep up.

  "I. Won't. Give. Up." He muttered the words between his teeth.

  "It's a pathetic scene, you know? But remember, when I do what I'm about to do, and while you're screaming in pain, that I gave you the choice. You could've died peacefully. Now you'll have to deal with the weight of your own choices."

  And Katharina snapped her fingers. Wren waited for the invisible force that would attack him, but it never came. He ran in the direction of the woman, but his leg collapsed, and he fell again. A piercing scream came out of his mouth, the pain unbearable. He tried to use his magical energy to protect his body, but it was like fighting a giant.

  "How is it like? When I break the laws of how your body should abide by gravity? Does it hurt? I hope so."

  Wren screamed again and again, in an endless cycle of pain. He needed to use all his magical energy in order to stay whole. But it felt like he would snap in half very soon.

  "Remember I told you, Wren. Giving up would be so easy. You chose the hard way. You and your friends did you think you stood a chance against the disciples? You are a pathetic excuse of a man." Katharina called two of her servants. "Don't forget to clean the bloody mess after..."

  "I SAID I WOULDN'T GIVE UP," Wren screamed, and he concentrated all his magical power in one single point, and it exploded. The man felt free from the constraints. And for the first time in the battle, in his mind, a plan was forming, while again he dashed forward.