A Demon

In the distance, a faint light caught her violet eyes. It marked that the end of the corridor was only a few meters away. Beside her, Celina and Irine cheered excitedly, bringing a faint smile to her lips.

Arabella stretched both arms upward, trying to loosen the stiffness in her muscles. The others did the same, including Elysia.

However, just a few steps before reaching the exit, Mireya suddenly stopped. She lowered her head with a troubled expression while clenching her fists.

"What is wrong, Sister?"

"Ely... were you not born after the sun had set? And Irine when the afternoon had just faded?" she asked quietly.

"Y-yes."

Elysia frowned. She did not want to admit it, but it was true. Their time of birth was not five minutes apart like she always claimed.

The sun knew Irine but slept too early to know her. The moon knew her but woke too late to know Irine. That was what their mother always said.

Mireya clenched her jaw tightly.

"What is wrong, Sister?"

"Aries... Taurus... Virgo... spring season... reversed ecliptic sky..."

Mireya muttered to herself without even glancing at Elysia. Her fingers tapped anxiously against the back of her own hand. She continued reciting constellations one after another.

Meanwhile, Celina and Irine had already run ahead and were close to reaching the stairs’ end.

"Stop! Do not go outside!"

The sister who never yelled suddenly roared like a lion. Elysia reacted immediately. She touched the wall and used her magic. Ice spread rapidly, sealing the exit before the two girls stepped outside.

"Ely! What are you—"

Crack!

Before Irine even finished speaking, a massive bone pierced through the ice wall, nearly impaling her head.

"Move back!"

Syrene grabbed their collars and hurled them behind. Mireya used wind magic to soften their fall.

Syrene summoned her axe, but Mireya stopped her and told her to run back down instead. Fighting in a narrow passage would be a disadvantage for someone wielding a long axe.

Everyone was still confused, not knowing what was happening. Yet Syrene commanded them with a sharp voice.

"Do not ask questions. Just run! Return to the end of the third floor! Do not stop no matter what happens or you will die!"

The word "die" instinctively made everyone move. Arabella was the first to run while dragging Emilia and Delfina along.

"Do not just stand there! Follow the senior’s orders! Whatever it is, it must be dangerous!"

She reacted faster than Elysia, who still struggled to grasp the situation. Thanks to her, everyone started running in the same direction.

After making sure everyone had gone ahead, Syrene stomped once and created a wall of fire to block the passage. Then she quickly followed from behind.

"Keep running! I will guard the rear!"

They tried to run as fast as possible, but the stairs descended steeply. A wrong step could lead to serious injury.

"It descends? That is it!" Arabella suddenly shouted and glanced at Elysia while still running. "Rabbit-girl... Freeze... Children’s slide!"

Though breathless, Elysia understood what she meant.

"One minute. I must gather mana first."

"That is too long!"

"I am gathering mana while running, fool!"

Without further argument, Elysia focused. She drew mana into every magic vein in her body. Compressing it while continuing to run.

Meanwhile, Syrene stayed behind, blocking whatever was chasing them with her fire and earth spells.

"Ely! Can you use it now?!" Mireya asked.

"Yes."

"Let me assist. Everyone, do not move."

Mireya extended one hand. Water gushed out, flooding the corridor and making the entire staircase slippery.

The rest was Elysia’s task. Her ice spread swiftly, freezing the water that coated every step.

While everyone paused for a moment, Syrene braced herself with her axe to guard them.

"Use enhancement magic. Channel mana into your shoes. The ice is rough and sharp, so be careful."

With that warning, they slid one by one down the icy slope. Arabella stretched out her hand to grab Emilia, who struggled to maintain balance at high speed.

Celina and Irine clung to Lanesra and Delfina as they tried to stay upright. Elysia had no problem. She was an ice mage and had trained for this.

But the sight that astonished her was...

"Wooohaaaa! This is fun!"

"Yes! This is very fun!"

Mireya and Imaria, who were usually calm and reserved, suddenly slid like mad dog. They spun, flipped, danced across the walls and even the ceiling with impossible control. Far beyond any skiing professional Elysia had ever seen.

"Let us race, Ely!"

"The loser is a loser!"

Elysia’s jaw dropped as they passed her with ease. Her expression said everything.

Celina’s mouth hung open just as wide. "Was that... Senior Mira?"

"And Imaria?! Since when could they do that?! What is that grin?! What monsters possessed their minds?!"

It was not just them. Everyone stared at the two in disbelief, unwittingly slowing down a little.

"Wait... where is Sister Syrene?" Irine turned to Elysia.

"Do not stop! It’s right behind me!"

Suddenly, Syrene slid forward from behind. Elysia glanced and saw her sister’s body was covered in wounds.

"Sister!"

Syrene quickly caught up and grabbed four others. Irine and Celina were tucked under her left arm while Lanesra and Delfina were slung over her right shoulder.

"Do not worry about me! Stay focused and do not slow down, Ely!"

Elysia leaned forward, putting all her weight ahead to increase her speed on the descending ice.

Despite their incredible speed, they maneuvered through sharp curves with ease. Syrene, even while carrying extra weight and covered in injuries, still managed to keep up.

Syrene drew closer and ordered Elysia to create some kind of barrier behind them. But Elysia had exhausted her mana. She could not cast efficiently while sliding. Any spell would be unstable and useless.

"You all! Use any magic that can slow it down!"

"We do not have any!" Celina and Irine shouted together.

"The rest of you. You must have something. A long ranged spell, traps, barriers, curses. Anything that delays it for even a second is enough!"

"I will try! I am a shaman."

Lanesra stretched out her hand and fired purple magic circles randomly behind them. She also sent out orange and black ones.

Purple was binding magic. Black was a curse that weakened the body and slowed movement. Orange was explosive magic that detonated on contact like land mines. That was how she explained it.

Seeing Syrene truly afraid was unusual. Elysia matched her pace, sliding right beside her.

"Sister, what kind of creature is chasing us? How could it injure you this badly?"

Syrene clicked her tongue. "It is..." She stopped her words and shook her head. "I will tell you once we escape."

"Aaaaargh!"

Not long after, a terrible roar echoed through the cave, shaking the thick ice Elysia created and causing small cracks to form.

It seemed Lanesra’s magic struck the target. Yet they had to remain focused because the end of the passage was already in sight.

Whoosh!

Elysia leapt out first, followed by Syrene and the others.

Syrene threw the four she was carrying and shouted at Elysia, "Ely! Seal the entrance and run!"

Elysia flicked her hand, pouring all her remaining mana into a thick wall of ice to block the exit. Then she turned and ran after the rest.

"We go to an open space. It is too narrow here. We cannot use our full strength."

"Sister... answer Ely’s question. We deserve to know too!"

Syrene clenched her jaw again, her voice low yet heavy.

"I am not certain... but it seems... the creature in the books called it... a demon."