Haylee’s gaze wandered off to the majestic phoenix flying across the sky, specifically eyeing the dark-faced human sitting on Bia’s back.
With a hesitant sigh, he transformed into a white fur ball, floating around to catch the phoenix’s attention.
Bia’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the light.
-‘Finally, he is here!’
Kyla heard her voice and gave the ball a dangerous look. The ball flinched but settled on his shoulder.
Haylee let out an awkward chuckle.
“Actually I…?”
But before he could finish his explanation, Kyle ignored him with a blank expression.
“Just tell me, where is the treasure island that we are searching for.”
Haylee blinked and gazed at Bia.
‘What happened to him?’
Bia’s wings fluttered gracefully as she laughed inwardly.
-‘Ignore him, he’s been like that for a while now.’
Haylee hummed softly, guiding the duo as they soared further toward the east.
The wind rushed through Kyle’s hair and after what felt like an eternity, the phoenix finally came to a stop above a towering mountain. Bia dived down and lowered her body on the mountain’s surface.
Instantly, Kyle left her back and surveyed the scene before him. He narrowed his eyes at the two similar-looking castles floating around the mountain before looking at Haylee.
“Which one?”
“Strange, I remember there was only one.”
Haylee muttered, furrowing his brow in confusion.
“Wait, let me go check which one we need to enter.”
Kyle gave him a quick nod and the ball vanished into one of the castles. But to his surprise, the ball emerged after just a few seconds. Haylee blinked and after floating mid-air for a while, he entered the second castle.
Bia transformed back into her small form and landed on Kyle’s head. Kyle staggered a little due to her weight but managed to maintain his balance.
With a mischievous glint in her eye, Bia ruffled his hair with her paws, creating a big mess before settling comfortably on top of his head.
An angry vein bulged on Kyle’s forehead as he raised his hand to swat the bird away. However, his attention was quickly diverted by Haylee, who had been going in and out of the two castles.
“What is he doing?”
-‘I wonder as well.’
The duo watched Haylee and after two long minutes, the boar transformed back into his original form. He gazed at Kyle with a complicated expression.
Kyle stepped forward but due to the weight on his head, he almost tripped on his feet.
‘When did you become so heavy?’
With a glare, he hurriedly grabbed Bia and tossed her back before walking toward the boar.
“What happened?”
Hayley’s eyes flashed with a serious expression.
“I checked both the castles, and they both have the same number ‘965’.”
Kyle raised his brow with an ‘Oh’. He gazed at the castles.
“What about the cure? Do they both have it.”
Haylee shook his head.
“I wasn’t able to check any chamber, let alone the treasure chamber, so I don’t know if the cure is there.”
With a frown, Kyle waved his hand at Bia.
“Let’s just enter. It’s not like we have any other option.”
Bia circled Kyle’s head as he approached the nearest castle. As if in response to his presence, a stairway emerged from the castle.
Kyle ascended the stairway and pushed open the gate. As he stepped inside, a familiar darkness blurred his vision.
He thought he would feel nothing, just like before but the moment the darkness engulfed his body, his head buzzed with a loud ringing sound, enough to make him grit his teeth.
In response to the overwhelming sensation, Kyle instinctively grabbed his ears. As soon as his feet touched a solid surface, he couldn’t hold back any longer and threw out all the contents of his stomach. His expression turned pale, as he wiped his mouth.
“Damn it…”
After a few seconds, Kyle looked up at the empty and dark corridor stretching out before him.
“Bia?”
His voice echoed in all directions, as he cautiously stepped onto the carpeted floor, searching for the boundary of the treasure island.
A familiar panicked voice rang inside his head.
-‘Where the hell are you? Me and Haylee got thrown out the moment we entered the gate!’
Kyle’s expression fell as he looked around himself. The corridor was eerily quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps reverberating through the silence.
“Fuck, don’t tell me I have to complete the trial alone?”
He cursed under his breath for a whole minute before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He hurriedly silenced the voice ringing in his head.
‘I am fine. Just stay quiet until I am out.’
Kyle’s eyes wandered on the space around him as he walked in the corridor. Amidst the dark space, a bright spark flashed beneath his feet.
He snapped his eyes down and watched as the spark stretched out like a snake, disappearing into the distance.
Kyle kept his eyes on the light as he followed behind it. However, the more he walked, the corridor seemed to extend endlessly, as if there was no end in sight.
After two long hours, Kyle’s legs wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance. Now, his little body was not enhanced with mana. So, the fact that he had managed to walk for so long was already a miracle for him.
“I wonder how I survived all those years when I was a kid?”
He gasped for breath and held his knees with a sweaty forehead as he recalled the time when he was five years old.
“Wow, I was just a small unruly kid who, for some reason, hated work, study, and almost everything related to exertion. Well, at least I loved my bed.”
His voice echoed in the corridor before his own voice whispered in his ear.
“Damn it! Where is my favorite pillow!?”
“What!?”
Kyle’s eyes widened with astonishment as the spark beneath his feet gathered, conjuring an old yet unfamiliar image before him. He blinked, watching a silver-haired boy throwing a tantrum over a pillow in an ordinary room.
“No way! I never did that!”
Kyle gasped, shouting in disbelief. If the light was going to show him illusions, they should at least be realistic. He may have been unruly, but throwing tantrums was not his thing!
Suddenly, the silver-haired figure in the image tilted his head, looking at Kyle with a confused expression.
“But you said you like beds?”
Kyle’s eyes widened as he opened his mouth, but then quickly closed it.
‘What the hell? Why am I arguing with something that can potentially harm me?’