Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?



Everyone's eyes lit up with fires of hope that burned infinitely. 

Alright.

Time to get down to business.

With the cold atmosphere now thawed, Bassona and the others quickly took the group to the mission room and other vital rooms holding their information about the space. 

Wow! 

Everyone was amazed, feeling like they had ventured into a doomsday movie. At least to Julius, that was how it seemed. As he listened to Bassona and the others, he realized how deep the history of this place and theirs was.

Do you know how it feels to know that ancient tribesmen, knights, generals, gladiators, soldiers, and many more had been trapped here for centuries with no way out till they eventually died? 

The despair these victims felt must've been great. Julius opened several letters left by the dead for their loved ones. Some letters dated right from the 9th century while others dated to the 17th century. The earliest one seemed to be from the 5th century. That was how this hellish place had been operational. 

Though their families were dead, as a soldier, Julius felt the heavy burden to do these people right.

At least they had to be honored in some way for their bravery and hellish times here. 

"Father, we must take the letters out."

"Hmmm..." Wiggins nodded. They had to trace the history of some of the people, finding out when they disappeared. The only name he recognized was the great General Motzar who was on his way to the battlefield with 5,000 men before his sudden disappearance in the 14th century

It's said no one could find them after that, with some history books speculating he fled in fear of losing. 

Some said he was a coward h but that also doesn't make sense since before he disappeared, he was a force beast on the battlefield, one never afraid to fight a losing battle.

It was likely that they stumbled upon a deadly enemy great in number that wiped them out and did away with their bodies. 

Motzar's disappearance was one of the biggest unresolved mysteries in history. And now, they finally knew the truth.

From one fighter to another, Julius and the others felt they should do him justice, especially since he was originally from their country.

There have been many people from all regions and walks of life and his space that have lived in this devilish place. The records were proof of this. It was already amazing that though there were language barriers among them, these people managed to make good of their situation together. 

Well, they had 100 years to live with each other before the next group of people entered. So it wasn't surprising that they could master the various languages that separated them.

For Henry and a few others, their attention was solely on the 2 separate maps on the walls: The Steady Map and Unpredictable Map. 

Moving hills, moving mountains, trees that decide humans, valleys that seduce them like sirens, the food hill, the 24-hour darkness period, and many other vital pieces of information led them to believe someone was playing games with the victims... A deadly one at that. 

Thankfully, humanity managed to hold on strong despite being the main food source for these many creatures.

All right. 

Now that they've gotten to the full gist of things, it was time to take action.

.

Elric and the others stared at Dorian anxiously. The number of deadly creatures and their abilities were enough to give them a heart attack. They still had faith in Dorian, but couldn't help wondering if it was truly possible to eradicate all the evil in this place. 

"Grandmaster, what do you think? Can it still be done?"

"Hmmm," Dorian answered lightly, turning his attention to Old Hou and several disciples. 

"The mansion is a disguise for its true nature. Stay here, look after them."

With that, he carefully folded and tore several pieces of paper and blew on them with a single chant. 

<Grow.>

Everyone's mind immediately became blank from shock, watching the paper figurines rapidly grow to human size in a blink of an eye. 

F***! 

Many subconsciously took several steps back, feeling their knees soften and their bodies jelly. 

"You-You-you...How can this be?" Catherine pointed her trembling fingers at Dorian, wishing she could pluck her eyes out and wipe them clean to ensure she was sewing things right. 

With her voice returned after that fiasco earlier, she had regained her arrogance. Except this time, she dared not speak so loudly before this mysterious group. 

Everyone felt their jaws clenched and their breaths halt when the paper figurines walked past them.

Phew~

They were gone but to where?

"Hey, look," Merlin whispered to a few, gesturing at one of the figurines standing on the far edge of the safe zone, just before the barrier. 

How did it get there so fast?

Everyone watched the figurine sit cross-legged. Old Hou and those appointed by Dorian, also stood in a Pentagon-shaped formation, doing the same hand movements as the paper figurines outdoors.

"Wait," Vladimir spoke. "Does anyone feel colder than usual?"

They do! 

The air was colder and the mansion now felt windy, as though a thick draft had been let in from the windows.

Merlin wrapped his arms around himself, feeling his teeth begin to rattle. But it wasn't the only thing that shook. 

BrmBrmBrm!

The floors and walls trembled as their outer surfaces slowly burnt away, revealing the entire house and walls to be made of peculiar mirrors. Suddenly, Haru had a bad feeling. 

Ahhhh!

Several people took several steps back, too afraid of what they saw. Was that even their reflection? 

"It is," Haru answered, recalling his last incident with his reflection... Or should he say Shadow.

Grahhhh!!!~ 

The bastard was still trying to kill him, as it stretched the mirror barrier with all its might, wanting to cross over and rid itself of Haru's control. 

Why should it be bound to him, only going where Haru wants? Of course, only when Haru stands completely still does it have some degree of freedom to its existence.

The real question here was why the mansion was connected to the mirror world, and what did the connection have to do with this hellish place. 

Dorian had no time to explain. They had work to do, especially with the danger he sensed heading their way.